Daily Archives: March 25, 2008

As European authorities grope for ways of combating the appeal of militant Islamism, one German security agency has hit on a novel idea: cartoon comics.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief Wednesday defending Wisconsin’s marriage laws. ADF is helping to defend against a lawsuit filed last year by a man seeking to end enforcement of the state’s marriage amendment.

Today’s FRC Washington update reports on the Sirius/XM satellite radio merger and observes that the FCC has a period to implement regulations.   The FRC update also indicates: “Sirius and XM have pledged to adopt a permanent ‘a la carte’ system, …

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan crafted insufficient, unfair and biased ballot summary language that has resulted in yet another delay in the battle over whether a proposed constitutional amendment on preventing human cloning will go before the voters in 2008 . . .

Leonard Link reports that the ACLU has sent a demand letter to H&R Block because it either fails to support online civil unions or charges more to accomodate them.

hile it’s laudable that the nation’s top court would take up the matter, it’s beyond outrageous that what Hollywood really wants — and, in a cowardly way, is refusing to declare publicly — is the “right” to bombard your living room, and your children, with obscenities.

No official reason has been given for the government order, but the decision might be linked to recent tension over allegations that Christians were trying to convert Muslims . . .

The World Congress of Families issued a leadership petition in support of a move by Romania to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman . . .

The World Congress of Families issued a leadership petition in support of a move by Romania to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman . . .

The Foundation argued in the case, Oliver v. Quarterman, that a jury’s use of the Bible is a natural occurrence since a jury has historically reflected the diversity of the community from which it is drawn, including members who consider the Bible an integral part of their faith and morality.

King Abdullah is calling for a dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews, the first such proposal from this strictly Muslim kingdom at a time of mounting tensions between followers of Islam and those of other religions.

Lincoln Park’s attorney and city manager have come under fire for signing off on a deal with an adult-entertainment venue that will allow it to open without several stipulations the council had wanted . . .

It would prohibit sexually oriented businesses from being open between midnight and 6 a.m. and ban serving alcoholic beverages. Nude or semi-nude dancers would have to remain at least six feet from patrons.

Sanders said he received a notice informing him that Erotic City, and other local adult entertainment businesses, have jointly filed a lawsuit against Jackson County alleging their Constitutional Rights to free speech have been violated by the county’s new ordinance to regulate adult entertainment businesses in unincorporated parts of the county . . .

“Underlying all of this is the confusion and mistrust engendered by terms like ‘civil union’ and ‘domestic partnership’ as opposed to ‘marriage,’” said Ed Barocas, Legal Director the ACLU of New Jersey

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, Westchester County is sponsoring legislation that would waive the consent requirement for minors. The vaccine is most effective when given to girls before they are sexually active, she said . . .

The Sacramento Public Library Authority Board is being pushed by the American Civil Liberties Union to increase access to pornography on taxpayer-funded computers.

Bonnici told the Times of Malta that the Council of Europe is not like the European Union and doesn’t have binding laws and that Malta would retain its abortion limits.

The government appears to be blocking foreign Web sites inside China and censoring foreign television broadcasts here about Tibet . . .

ritish Prime Minister Gordon Brown has finally bowed to pressure from pro-life groups and Catholic Church leaders to allow a free vote on a bill that would allow human cloning.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that he cannot rule out the possibility he might boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics if China continues its crackdown in Tibet.

The Volokh Conspiracy links to a series of posts discussing the vaccinations controversy and government efforts to force parents to have vaccinations. On the same topic, Glen Reynolds has this InstaPundit post in response to a post by Michelle Malkin. …

MSNBC reports here on a young man injured and declared brain dead. While arrangements were being made to donate his organs and after intense family prayers, he came back to life. The young man claims to have heard doctors talking …

Opponents of terminal sedation argue, however, that some doctors misuse the practice as a substitute for euthanasia

No churches should be permitted in Saudi Arabia, unless Pope Benedict XVI recognised the prophet Mohammed, according to a Middle East expert.

The Roman Catholic Church has led the ethical opposition to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill since its inception – and, in doing so, has rediscovered its status as one of the country’s most powerful political lobbying groups.

The Article thus asks whether there is a coherent notion of religious freedom in international law and, if not, why not? In identifying certain problematic aspects of the extant literature, it advances an argument that seeks to overcome the current impasse in liberal theorizing: the idea of value pluralism as a theoretical basis for religious freedom in international law.

“Divine Justice” and the Lack of Secular Intervention: Abrogating the Clergy-Communicant Privilege in Mandatory Reporting Statutes to Combat Child Sexual Abuse Julie M. Arnold, 42 Val. U. L. Rev. 849 (2008) The government has a strong interest in preventing child …

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4437 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND MEDIA ADVISORY March 25, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF attorney to debate noted atheist Wednesday ADF Senior Vice-President Jordan Lorence to participate in debate on “separation of …

A Textual Approach to Harmonizing Sherbert and Smith on Free Exercise Accommodations Nicholas J. Nelson, 83 Notre Dame L. Rev. 801 (2008) The Supreme Court began its modern free exercise jurisprudence with a test that, in theory, recognized the importance …

This is the Trap the Courts Built: Dealing with the Entanglement of Religion and the Origin of Life in American Public Schools Jana R. McCreary, 37 SW. U. L. Rev. 1 (2008) This Article argues that by endorsing the teaching …

This story appears on BoingBoing and other locations around the Internet.  A female to male transsexual, who is “legally male” claims to be married to a woman.  The transsexual also claims to have reverted back to female and gotten pregnant. …

The Supreme Court says Texas does not have to give a new hearing to a Mexican on death row for rape and murder, deciding a case that mixes presidential power, international relations and the death penalty.

LifeSiteNews reports: The Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN) will attempt to take a Christian activist member to the Supreme Court of Canada to attempt to silence his objections to abortion, “sex education” and Planned Parenthood. Six years ago, …

The Idaho House has approved legislation making it a crime to threaten or harass a pregnant women to have an abortion.

The Arizona state legislature has given final approval to a bill banning partial-birth abortions and now the measure heads to Governor Janet Napolitano.

. . . According to the website Islam Watch, in Russia, some two million ethnic Muslims converted to Christianity last year.

Three civil rights plaintiffs who won a preliminary injunction but never took the case to a final judgment are nonetheless entitled to a full award of attorney fees . . .

No matter where the Rev. Kevin Kisler is when he bows his head in prayer, he does so with faith and conviction that all things come through Jesus Christ. For him, any prayer not offered in Christ’s name would be incomplete . . .