 |
          
  |
|
|
LifeNews reports. Excerpts:
While we must press on against FOCA, we
must not forget another serious, and maybe even more pertinent, threat: the
termination of the Hyde Amendment.
…
The Hyde Amendment, originally enacted in
1976, is a pro-life limitation amendment in the annual appropriations bill that
restricts the direct federal funding of abortion through Medicaid.
Without the Hyde Amendment, women eligible
for Medicaid would have their abortions paid for by the Federal Government – in
other words, OUR tax dollars. If abortions are free to the individual, you can
bet on abortion rates increasing.
In
his column, renowned
economist Thomas Sowell reviewed a book called “Outliers” about the unique circumstances
that allow some people to dramatically excel.
The book cites the incredible achievements of charter schools in raising
academic achievement of minority students far above that of average minority
achievement. Excerpt from Sowell’s
column:
One of the most inspiring chapters in
"Outliers" is about a KIPP charter school serving minority students,
whose academic performances far exceed those of other minority students, even
though these students were selected by lottery, rather than on the basis of
ability.
A lot could be done to support and expand
such schools. But a crucial factor in the success of the KIPP schools is a
commitment by the students and their parents to a demanding educational
program. No politician or bureaucrat can create that.
Indeed, politicians and bureaucrats have
done much that has had the net effect of spreading attitudes that undermine the
prospects of using currently available opportunities.
One
of the best things politicians could do to really improve education for racial
minorities is to allow and encourage the spread of charter schools (and of more
school choice in general).
Phyllis
Schlafly analyzes
what led some young evangelicals to vote for Barack Obama and, in the
process, she exposes the true meaning of the term “social justice” which is
often used to convince people to ignore issues like life, marriage, and free
markets to focus instead on issues like environmentalism, “gay rights,” and
socialistic redistribution of wealth.
Long-time
conservative leader and activist Paul
Weyrich passed away early Thursday morning in Northern Virginia. Paul loved his nation very much and spent his
life serving it by relentlessly advancing the conservative agenda. He will be greatly missed by AdvanceUSA and
many others who had the privilege of working side-by-side with this stalwart of
conservatism.
Click here to view special video tributes
to Paul from a recent dinner in honoring Weyrich. Click
here to read the announcement from Paul’s very own Free Congress
Foundation.
 Paul Weyrich, 1942 - 2008
Congratulations.
Read the Law Suit
By:
Rachel Devamithran
American Association of Christian Schools
Rebecca
Fay could not understand beyond a beginning kindergartener’s math level and a
first grade reading level in the Arizona public school system. Weston and
Montgomery Phipps were both mute, unable to read and write, and couldn’t be
controlled. Hope for improvement was slim, until the Arizona Scholarships for
Pupil with Disabilities allowed them to attend Father’s Heart Christian School.
It
worked. In one year, Rebecca achieved a sixth grade understanding of math,
science, and reading, and the Phipps’ boys were able to write, speak, and sit
quietly.
The
children’s achievements were awarded with lawsuits by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) that questioned the legality of voucher programs.
The Wall Street
Journal reports. During the last
election season some people claimed that abortion and other pro-life issues “really
didn’t matter” because the president has very little control over pro-life
issues while Roe vs. Wade is on the
books. Nothing could be further from the
truth.
Tony
Perkins at the Family Research Council helpfully lists the many
pro-life executive policies that could be threatened in a new
administration.
- Rescind
the Mexico City policy, which would direct taxpayer dollars to groups that
provide and promote abortion overseas;
- Restore
funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which condones forced
abortion and sterilization policies in countries like China;
- Direct
the Department of Health and Human Services to change the conscience exemptions
for health care workers who morally object to abortion and other practices;
- Change
the Department of Justice Sexual Assault Protocol, Defense Department
pharmaceutical formulary, and USAID's Commodities Program to encourage the use
of "Plan B," which can act as an abortifacient;
- Create
incentives to provide subsidized birth control at college health centers and
other providers;
-
Make
"emergency contraception" available over-the-counter for girls of all
ages;
- Rollback
the abstinence-only education requirement for certain federal aid; and,
- Permit
the use of taxpayer funds for the destruction of human embryos through
unethical stem cell research.
HT:
FRC
FrontPageMag.com
reports. Don’t expect Justice
Department appointees or federal judicial nominees who support defending a
straight-forward interpretation of the Constitution from the Obama
administration.
Probably
reflecting the earliness of talk about 2012, only a small fraction of our email
subscribers decided to participate in our just-for-fun, absurdly early, 2012
presidential straw poll. However, some
of our die-hard politicos decided to register their views so, for what they’re
worth, here are the results:
Republican
nomination
Mitt
Romney 45%
Mike
Huckabee 27%
Sarah
Palin 18%
John
McCain 9%
Democrat nomination
Barack
Obama 100%
Another
candidate 0%
To
participate in future AdvanceUSA polls make sure you register for our free weekly email newsletter.
A
second undercover video showing Planned Parenthood staffers in Indiana
attempting to cover up statutory rape has prompted Indiana State Representative
Jackie Walorski to call for an
investigation and a suspension of all state funding of Planned Parenthood until
the investigation is completed.
Hopefully, this incident will be a wake up call to the dangerous,
radically pro-abortion agenda of Planned Parenthood and will motivate citizens
to demand that their tax dollars not be used to support such a corrupt
organization.
To
view all the undercover videos visit http://www.liveactionfilms.org/.
The
South Bend Tribune reports. As does the
Indiana pro-family blog Veritas Rex.
Below is a YouTube video showing excerpts from the undercover videos.
CitizenLink comments
on a recent op-ed piece in the Washington Post about a
school in Alexandria, Virginia with a serious teen pregnancy problem. An English teacher at the school writes about
the dangerous incentives to become pregnant out of wedlock that are fostered in
conventional “comprehensive” sex education programs. Excerpt from CitizenLink commentary:
At T.C. Williams, every student is required
to take a "family life" course that teaches about birth control,
sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy, Welsh writes. The
Adolescent Health Center, which provides birth control to girls as young as 13,
is just a few blocks from the school.
Yet girls continue to get pregnant. And
taxpayer money continues to fund so-called "comprehensive" sex
education, as well as abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood.
Sandy Pickert, executive director of the
Abstinence Education Corp. in Wichita, Kan., told CitizenLink that kids receive
a double message in "comprehensive" sex-education programs. They may
be told abstinence is the best option to avoid getting pregnant, but they also
receive plenty of information on contraception.
Read
the full
article in the Washington Post here.
LifeNews reports. Excerpt:
Two groups of researchers have made more
progress with the use of adult stem cells -- showing they are both more ethical
and more effective than their embryonic counterparts. In this latest find, they
demonstrated that adult stem cells can self renew and repair tissue damage.
Jill Stanek
provides us a look at disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich’s anti-life
policies and a disturbing tour of Illinois’ political culture.
LifeNews reports. Excerpt:
"Anyone who has bought into the myth
that Obama is 'moderating' his positions should notice that the first section
is entitled 'Steps for the First Hundred Days.' Groups that have spent millions
supporting pro-abortion members of Congress, including Obama and Biden, aren't
in the mood to wait," he writes.
"Nowhere is there any of the
pre-election rhetoric about 'dialogue' or 'lowering' the number of abortions.
Hudson says the proposals would entrench
the unlimited abortion policies that currently guide the U.S.
"Taken together, the proposed policies
would accomplish three things: 1) treat abortion as a health care right, 2)
provide funding for abortions by insurance carriers or the government, and 3)
put judges and political appointees in place who will protect the abortion and
government-funding from future challenges," he explained.
The
AP reports. Excerpt:
State officials will now let married
same-sex couples list both their names on their children's birth certificates
in a policy shift deeply important to many gays and lesbians.
The decision, which echoes similar
provisions in states that allow gay marriages or civil unions, is one of many
changes since Gov. David Paterson ordered state agencies in May to respect
out-of-state gay marriages.
The state Health Department said Friday it
had agreed to the change, which came after a lesbian couple who are expecting a
baby filed a lawsuit. The change would apply statewide except in New York City,
which is considering revamping its own birth certificate forms to accommodate
same-sex couples.
The
illustrious Heritage Foundation has been issuing policy memos to
president-elect Obama in an effort to work together for bipartisan solutions to
our nation’s urgent problems. One such
memo discusses
education reform. Dan Lips and
Jennifer Marshall of the Heritage foundation write in their conclusion:
You were right to say during your campaign
that "we cannot be satisfied until every child in America...has the same
chance for a good education that we want for our own children." But four
decades of experience with increasing federal involvement has shown that
Washington cannot deliver on that promise. Instead of further expanding federal
authority in education, your Administration should empower those who have more
power to make a difference in children's education, especially parents.
Lips
and Marshall emphasize that the most important component of meaningful
education reform is greater school choice for parents. Now that’s “change we can believe in.” Read the full text of this
important policy brief here.
Jill Stanek
explains at WorldNetDaily. Excerpt:
Four times in four years Wichita late-term
abortionist George Tiller or Planned Parenthood of Kansas has sued Kansas
Attorney General Phill Kline or Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline
for investigating them. They have also filed hundreds of pages of ethics
complaints, which continue nonstop to this day.
Despite a hostile Kansas Supreme Court, the
majority of whom were appointed by a hostile governor who gets campaign money
from Tiller and who has even hosted a party for him at her mansion, and various
other hostile public officials who are on the dole for Tiller and/or Planned
Parenthood, nothing has stuck to Kline.
Despite every attempted roadblock, the
criminal investigations against Planned Parenthood and Tiller continue for
allegedly violating state laws prohibiting late-term abortions and mandated
reporting of underage abortions.
Phill
Kline’s work in Kansas is important for upholding the law and also bringing the
abuses of Planned Parenthood out into the light of day. CitizenLink also
reports.
CitizenLink reports. Excerpt:
Carrie Gordon Earll, senior bioethics
analyst at Focus on the Family Action, said women should not be enticed to put
their health and their lives at risk for financial benefit.
"That goes against every tenet of
medical ethics," she said. "Serious complications can come into play,
including blood clots, liver and kidney damage, future infertility and even
death.
"And even if the risks are minimal,
this type of idea enters into creating life outside of the marital union, and
that’s something Focus on the Family does not support.”
Pro-family
activists have long decried the negative effects on society from legalized
gambling and sexually oriented business.
They find vindication as CitizenLink reports
that even the Netherlands (where almost everything is legal and taxed by the government)
has decided to increase restrictions on prostitution and gambling. Excerpt:
Amsterdam has unveiled a comprehensive plan
to close up to half of its businesses that "generate criminality,"
including brothels, gambling parlors and marijuana cafes.
| | |