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 Yesterday in caucuses across the state, Nevada Democrats picked Sen. Hillary Clinton to be their party’s presidential candidate while Nevada Republicans chose Gov. Mitt Romney. In the famous “first-in-the-South” Republican South Carolina primary Sen. John McCain won first place.
South Carolina Democrats will vote on Saturday (January 26) while the critical Florida primary is ten days away on Tuesday, January 29.
On February 5 (a.k.a. “Super Tuesday”) 22 states will have primaries or caucuses (to see the list of states click here).
Additionally if you or your family and friends have questions about where the major candidates stand on issues important to you, check out AdvanceUSA’s 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
South Carolina GOP Primary (January 19, 2008)
The Democrats*
The Republicans
John McCain 33%
Mike Huckabee 30%
Fred Thompson 16%
Mitt Romney 15%
Ron Paul 4%
Rudy Giuliani 2%
Duncan Hunter 0%
Tom Tancredo 0%
* South Carolina Democrats head to the polls on Saturday, January 26.
USA Today has the full SC results here.
Nevada Caucuses (January 19, 2008)
The Democrats
Hillary Clinton 51%
Barack Obama 45%
John Edwards 4%
Uncommitted 0%
Dennis Kucinich 0%
Bill Richardson 0%
Mike Gravel 0%
Chris Dodd 0%
Joe Biden 0%
The Republicans
Mitt Romney 51%
Ron Paul 14%
John McCain 13%
Mike Huckabee 8%
Fred Thompson 8%
Rudy Giuliani 4%
Duncan Hunter 2%
USA Today has the full NV results here.
Tomorrow Nevadans of both parties will caucus to select their choice to be their party’s presidential candidate. Additionally tomorrow, South Carolina Republicans will take place in the nation’s first-in-the-South primary while their Democrat brethren will vote a week later on January 26.
AdvanceUSA Blog will post the vote results Sunday morning, and they will be posted on the website soon after. Until then, USA Today has a helpful resource for monitoring poll results as they come in.
To see how the presidential candidates stand on important issues check out AdvanceUSA’s 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
 The way Federal Title X (title ten) funds are spent in this country is in drastic need of reform. Title X funds are supposed to support family planning services but are often given to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Under President Ronald Reagan and the first President Bush, federal regulations were clearly written to prevent recipients of Title X funds from referring for abortions or combining family planning services with abortion services (ex: working at the same location). AdvanceUSA encourages the current Bush administration to issue Title X regulations which do two things:
- reestablish prohibitions against family planning services co-locating with abortion providers
- rescind regulations for family planning services which require them to refer for abortions
AdvanceUSA also supports legislation aimed at preventing taxpayers’ Title X funds from supporting groups like Planned Parenthood (especially since Planned Parenthood is under investigation for serious allegations of law-breaking and ethical malfeasance). American’s tax dollars should not be used to support abortion, and we hope Congress and the President will act accordingly.
Check the pro-life page for more pro-life news.
 Do you want your tax dollars used to fund abortions within the United States? Currently the Hyde Amendment prohibits taxpayer-funding of abortion in most of the United States, but the sovereign territories of Indian nations within the U.S. are exempt from this provision. AdvanceUSA has learned that Senator David Vitter (R-LA) intends to propose an amendment to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (S. 1200) which would codify a longstanding policy against funding abortions with taxpayer-funds from the federal Indian Health Services (IHS). The amendment would prohibit federal funding for abortions except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest of a minor. The Vitter amendment could be considered immediately when the Senate reconvenes on January 22, which is interestingly enough the date for the March for Life and the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.
Call both your senators today and urge them to support the Vitter amendment to S. 1200!
Excerpt from LifeNews story:
According to Douglas Johnson, the director of legislation for the National Right to Life Committee, the IHS is funded through the separate Interior appropriations bill. As a result, it has never carried the Hyde amendment and the bill funded abortions well after the Hyde amendment was first enacted in 1976.
The Reagan Administration curbed the practice administratively in 1982, as a temporary fix, Johnson said. In 1988, Congress said that the Hyde amendment would apply to the IHS bill.
Johnson said the Vitter amendment is important to make sure that the abortion funding limits become federal law.
Should a pro-abortion president occupy the White House and abortion advocates control Congress, there is nothing that could stop them from changing the current regulations unless a federal law prohibiting the funding is in place.
The International Herald Tribune reports on a reported case of human embryo cloning. To watch an MSNBC video report of this story click here. Excerpts from IHT:
Scientists in California say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men...
…
The process "involves creating human lives in the laboratory solely to destroy them for alleged benefit to others," said Richard Doerflinger, spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Citing the earlier work in Britain, he also said that as a scientific advancement, the new work was "very limited."
Other objections to cloning include concerns about health risks and exploitation if large numbers of women are asked to provide eggs.
Those objections are one reason that an alternative route to stem cells made headlines last November. Scientists reported a relatively simple way to turn skin cells directly into stem cells.
In other bioethics news, the Times Online reports that the House of Lords in the UK has approved research that creates human-animal hybrid embryos (human-animal cloning). LifeNews reports here.
For more information on these critical bioethics issues check the AdvanceUSA stem cell page, human cloning page, or adult stem cell page.
UPDATE: The plot thickens. The Daily Mail reports that the
cloning scientists actually cloned themselves.
Conservative author and columnist Cal Thomas gives us an important
reminder of why Roe
vs. Wade must be overturned. Excerpt:
After 35 years of slaughtering our
young, isn't it time to stop? That child born in 1973 could be a parent now.
There are children who could have been born today. Thirty-five years of killing
has diminished and corrupted us all. Let's summon the moral courage to stop it
for our sake and for theirs.
Note: Next Tuesday (January 22) will be the 35th
anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision. March for Life events
will be going on here in Washington,
DC that day and AdvanceUSA hopes
to provide some highlights from the various programs.
 Though any information that comes from the Guttmacher Institute (the propaganda arm of Planned Parenthood) should be taken with a grain of salt, we are encouraged to consider that the abortion rate might be dropping. While liberals will predictably call for more “comprehensive” sex education and free birth control, the real answer to continuing to decrease the abortion rate is more responsible sex education (especially abstinence education), cultivating a culture of life, and providing viable alternatives to pregnant women who do not wish to be mothers (like Rep. Michelle Bachman’s new bill).
Despite the apparent progress in protecting unborn lives, we as a nation must continue to fight abortion in the public policy realm because the abortion issue is fundamentally a justice issue. It is inherently unjust that an entire category of people (the unborn) can be deprived of their fundamental right to life, and we must continue the pro-life battle to make our country a more just nation.
Check the AdvanceUSA pro-life page.
It appears the liberals in Congress will continue their battle to blur the definition of marriage. The latest attempt comes in the guise of providing to same-sex partners of federal employees the same marriage benefits as married spouses. The Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007 (S. 2521 / H.R. 4838), would make a federal employee and his or her same-sex domestic partner eligible to participate in federal health benefits, the Family and Medical Leave program, long-term care, insurance, and retirement benefits. Read the text of S. 2521 here and the text of H.R. 4838 here. Click here and here to see which senators and representatives have signed on to these dangerous bills as cosponsors and hold them accountable. Call your representative and both your senators today and urge them to oppose the Domestic Partners Benefits Act (S. 2521 or H.R. 4838)!
For more information on protecting marriage, check the AdvanceUSA marriage page. To see how the 2008 presidential candidates stand on the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment check the Candidate Comparisons page.
A very
interesting resource from our friends at Americans United for Life. Excerpts:
"Until all the pieces are in place to make the
overruling of Roe a realistic possibility and until the truth has replaced
misinformation about abortion," said Clarke D. Forsythe, AUL's President,
"laws that put fences around the abortion license and highlight the
negative impact of abortion on women are imperative. And those laws are being
passed in the 50 states."
…
“For the third year in a row, Michigan
topped the list, followed by Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, and
Kansas.”
…
“The least protective states according to AUL were Oregon, California, Connecticut, New Jersey,
and Vermont.”
LifeNews reports on this effort to ensure that pregnant women receive practical help in choosing life. To read the text of Rep. Michele Bachman’s (R-MN) proposed Positive Alternatives Act click here.
Excerpt:
A new bill in Congress would give states greater authority to help find positive solutions to unplanned pregnancies instead of abortion. Rep. Michele Bachmann has introduced the Positive Alternatives Act that puts into law prior Bush administration regulations allowing states to use the TANF program to help pregnant women.
Current federal regulations allow states to fund abortion alternatives, and Bachmann's bill, the “Positive Alternatives Act” (H.R. 4852) codifies the current state option.
It allows states to fund programs that provide information or counseling that assists women in making decisions about parenting and adoption.
For more information on pro-life issues check our pro-life page.
 Yesterday Michigan Democrats narrowly picked Senator Hillary Clinton to be their presidential candidate in 2008 (despite the fact that the national party has refused to recognize the state’s delegates at the convention) while Michigan Republicans chose former Governor Mitt Romney. Below are the full results for both parties (or click here).
Keep checking AdvanceUSA for the latest information as the presidential primary season continues (the South Carolina GOP primary and Nevada caucuses this Saturday on January 19!).
On February 5 (a.k.a. “Super Tuesday”) 22 states will have primaries or caucuses (to see which click here).
Additionally if you or your family and friends have questions about where the major candidates stand on issues important to you, check out AdvanceUSA’s 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
The Democrats
Hillary Clinton 55%
Uncommitted 40%
Dennis Kucinich 4%
Chris Dodd 1%
Mike Gravel 0%
* Due to party rules no delegates will be awarded to the winner of the Democrat primary.
The Republicans
Mitt Romney 39%
John McCain 30%
Mike Huckabee 16%
RonPaul 6%
Fred Thompson 4%
Rudy Giuliani 3%
Uncommitted 2%
Duncan Hunter 0%
USA Today has the full results here.
Graphic source: greenwhichmeantime
 In three weeks (Tuesday, February 5) 22 states will hold primaries or caucuses. Be sure that you, your friends, and family are well-informed. AdvanceUSA has prepared Candidate Comparisons (CCs) for both the Democrats and the Republicans to help show you where each presidential candidate stands on some of the most important issues.
AdvanceUSA hopes these resources will be helpful as you begin/continue your research for this critically important election season. If you have friends or family in any of these Super Tuesday states, please send them a link to our CCs.
State holding presidential elections on February 5:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho (Democrat caucuses)
Illinois
Kansas (Democrat caucuses)
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New Mexico (Democrat primary)
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah
Stay informed and spread the word about AdvanceUSA’s 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
Michiganders are heading to the polls today in brisk January weather. USA Today is posting the latest poll results information here and will continue throughout the night. Keep Michigan voters in prayer today as their decision could have important implications for the presidential race.
Check back for final vote results tomorrow morning here at AdvanceUSA Blog and eventually on our home page and Candidate Comparisons page.
To see how the presidential candidates stand on important issues check out AdvanceUSA’s 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
Graphic source: greenwhichmeantime
The AP reports on the efforts of pro-marriage activists in Vermont to oppose that state’s recognition of same-sex marriages. Massachusetts is currently the only state that recognizes “gay marriages” but fortunately a nearly century-old law prohibits its spread to other states. If Vermont were to approve same-sex marriage it could initiate a nation-wide domino effect of judicially imposed gay marriages. This precarious situation illustrates the importance of ratifying a federal constitutional amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage.
Check out the AdvanceUSA marriage page or see how the presidential candidates stand on protecting marriage in our 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
In honor
of the 222nd anniversary of the passage of Thomas Jefferson’s
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, President Bush has declared tomorrow (January
16) “Religious Freedom Day.” To read the official proclamation click
here.
For more
information on religious liberty check out AdvanceUSA’s pro-religious freedom page.
Thomas
Jefferson Memorial graphic source: ThisNation
Our
friends at FRC report on this exciting
breakthrough in ethical adult stem cell research. Once again, ethical alternatives belie the
notion that embryonic stem cells are a necessary avenue of research that should
be supported with taxpayer dollars.
Excerpt:
[In a recent] online issue of Nature Medicine, scientists
from the University
of Minnesota announced
that using ethical alternatives, their research has resulted in the successful
creation of a beating rat heart. As part of the tests, the team hollowed out a
rat heart of its cells, leaving only the network of tubes where the old blood
vessels had been. Scientists seeded the heart's casing with non-embryonic cells
and watched as they latched onto the old framework and grew new heart tissue.
Within eight days the rat heart began pumping so well that its beating could be
easily seen. Dr. Doris Taylor, who led the research, said that while the team is
not ready to replicate the tests in humans, it could be less than a decade away
from attempting heart transplant trials in patients. "With modifications,
scientists should be able to grow a human heart by taking stem cells from a
patient's bone marrow and placing them in a cadaver heart that has been
prepared as a scaffold," Dr. Taylor said.
HT: FRC
Michiganders are heading to the polls today in brisk January weather. USA Today is posting the latest poll results information here and will continue throughout the night. Keep Michigan voters in prayer today as their decision could have important implications for the presidential race.
Check back for final vote results tomorrow morning here at AdvanceUSA Blog and eventually on our home page and Candidate Comparisons page.
To see how the presidential candidates stand on important issues check out AdvanceUSA’s 2008 Candidate Comparisons.
Graphic source: greenwhichmeantime
 Please tell your friends and family in Florida about this important marriage issue. Apparently the state constitutional amendment is approximately 30,000 signatures short of reaching the 2008 ballot. Encourage Floridians who support traditional marriage to sign the petition and consider supporting the pro-marriage organization Florida4Marriage in other ways.
From our friends at Florida4Marriage:
Officials Report 30,000 Petitions Short in Unprecedented Recount: Immediate Action Needed to Collect More Petitions
(Tallahassee, FL) Monday January, 14, 2008. Leaders of Florida4Marriage.org declared a state of "constitutional emergency" today when they learned from Division of Elections officials that due to an "audit" ordered by the Division, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment fell short by some 30,000 petitions. The state constitutional amendment seeks to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman and would prohibit polygamy, group marriage, and same sex marriages in Florida.
According to state officials, only 589,020 petitions were officially certified after the unprecedented audit, leaving the petition effort just under 22,000 short of the needed 611,009 needed to be certified for the ballot in 2008. Florida4Marriage.org State Chairman John Stemberger said, "Right now, we are not interested in whose fault this is. We just want to finish the job -- and finish it immediately."
Amendment leaders are calling upon national, state and local pro-family leaders to alert Floridians to the crisis and to immediately pull out all stops to collect new petitions over the next two weeks. Stemberger said all petitions must be physically mailed or hand delivered into the state headquarters located at 4853 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando FL 32806, before close of business on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 (Presidential Primary Election Day). Under a new law, petitions can no longer be delivered to local county supervisors of elections by individual citizens. Petitions can only be received from the official sponsoring committee of the amendment.
To find out how you can help defend the sacred institution of marriage in the state of Florida check the Florida4Marriage.org website.
Related news articles: AP story in Bradenton Herald, Florida Today, Miami Herald
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