Daily Archives: April 9, 2009

Crookston Daily Times: “Adult uses as defined in the ordinance emphasize “the presentation or display, depiction or description of ‘specified sexual activities’ or ‘specified anatomical areas’ which the public could see.” This excludes procedures performed by licensed medical providers and to schools. Also, activities classified as obscene by Minnesota law are considered illegal and therefore not included in the definition of adult uses.”

Ypsilanti Courier: Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco, with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom, representing Ward, said she should not be ejected from the program based on her religious views. “She shouldn’t be penalized just because she wants to hold to her religious beliefs,” Tedesco said Monday afternoon. “She just wants her rights to be respected without having to abandon her religious beliefs.”

Ypsilanti Citizen: “According to attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom, EMU dismissed Julea Ward from the program because she would not agree prior to a counseling session to affirm a client’s homosexual behavior and would not retract her stance in subsequent disciplinary proceedings.”

Journal Advocate: “[Pat] LaGuardia spoke to the council during the public comments portion of their regular meeting concerning his attempt to bring a strip club business into the town of Fleming.”

CBC reports: “Quebec Superior Court rejected the Gatineau father’s appeal of a lower court ruling that said his punishment was too severe for the wrongs he said his daughter committed . . . In its ruling, issued Monday, the province’s court of appeal declared the girl was caught up in a “very rare” set of circumstances, and her father didn’t have sufficient grounds to contest the court’s earlier decision.”

Culture of Life Foundation: “Recall we said that ESCs possess the quality of pluripotency, that is, the ability to develop themselves from an undifferentiated cellular state into most any differentiated cell type in the human body. This wide-ranging capacity for differentiation—this pluripotency—is the coveted property of ESCs. Defenders of the research dream of a day when the powers of ES cell pluripotency have been fully harnessed.”

Politico: “Hoekstra last week introduced a bill in the House to amend the U.S. Constitution to permanently “enshrine” in American society an inviolable set of parents’ rights. The bill had 70 co-sponsors, all Republicans, including Minority Whip Eric Cantor and Minority Leader John A. Boehner.”

AP: “I had been opposed to (gay marriage) earlier and, as we all evolve and grow, we learn and listen,” he said. “But I think at this particular point, I’ll sort of take a wait and see attitude and watch and see how the debate takes place. And like the rest of the Mainers, learn in the process and ask questions, and then be able to make sure that we’re making the right statement for the state and for the future.”

NECN: “One day after Vermont approved gay marriage, Rhode Island’s governor is speaking out against similar efforts in his state. Governor Donald Carcieri is now lending his support to a national organization and a new ad campaign.”

Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Under SB207, the Nevada Equal Rights Commission would be required to investigate complaints filed by those reporting such discrimination. The bill now goes to the Assembly for more hearings.”

Radio Jamaica: “Justice Minister and Attorney General, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne announced Wednesday that the Child Pornography Bill is soon to be introduced in Parliament after Cabinet on Monday, gave approval for the bill to be tabled in the House of Representatives.”

Reno Gazette-Journal: “She said Goldfinger customers park in her parking lot and urinate and vomit on her property. They also have left behind broken glass and marijuana cigarette butts and turned her lot into a “party” zone.”

NRC Handelsblad: “A year ago today, Jerry K. and Johan T. were sentenced to 21 and 17 years in prison by a Brazilian appeals court for distributing child porn. They had been arrested in Rio de Janerio in 2002 after a police phone tap operation. But in 2004 the men managed to escape to the Netherlands.”

Cari Cusick, writing in the Newton Kansan: “A lot of rumors have circulated since an alleged incident at a local private club involving a stripper. We’ve fielded lots of calls as to why no legal action has been taken and what the applicable laws are. And the truth is, there’s no easy answer.”

AP: “The Indiana Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that allowed a New Jersey man to adopt twin girls born in Indianapolis to a surrogate mother he hired from South Carolina.”

North Carolina Family Policy Council: “On April 7th, the North Carolina House Judiciary 3 Committee began considering a bill to establish a study on the expansion of grandparent visitation rights that could violate the fundamental right of parents to raise their children as they see fit.”

KTTC.com: Zumbro Falls, MN – “Tigue says the bar is not considered nude and therefore is legal in that zone, the Cabaret requested what’s called a permitted use permit to operate in town. The council quickly denied the request.”

Ezra Klein: “Due to D.C.’s strange system of governance, the District’s laws are subject to approval by Congress. If D.C. passes a gay marriage ordinance, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the subcommittee that handles District matters will have to either reject D.C.’s decision or accept it.”

Varldenidag.se (Mats Tunehag Blog):
The term ‘Human Rights’ is used by many, also by Muslims. But it doesn’t necessarily imply that the users of the term mean the same thing. This is important to note as we discuss freedom of speech and religion . . . “This is what the Cairo Declaration says about freedom of speech: ‘Everyone shall have the right to express his opinion freely in such manner as would not be contrary to the principles of the Shariah. Everyone shall have the right to advocate what is right, and propagate what is good, and warn against what is wrong and evil according to the norms of Islamic Shariah.‘ Thus freedom of speech is interpreted and limited by sharia.”

The ADF Alliance Alert Email Digest will not be published on Good Friday, April 10, 2009. The normal publication schedule will resume Monday, April 13, 2009. As always it is possible that new posts will appear on the website during the interim. We pray all our readers have a Blessed Easter.

UnionLeader.com: “By a single vote, the New Hampshire House yesterday reversed itself and passed a bill that bars discrimination on the basis of gender identity.”

The HRC Back Story Blog: “The Human Rights Campaign has submitted comments urging the Department of Health and Human Services to rescind these so-called “provider conscience” regulations. Read HRC’s comments here (.DOC) . . . The regulations could impair LGBT patients’ access to care services if interpreted to permit providers to choose patients based upon sexual orientation, gender identity or family structure. ”

Baltimore Sun: “A judge has struck down a 2005 Maryland law that would have let a former state senator’s Prince George’s County strip club stay open while others closed.”

Caller.com: “Corpus Christi police are investigating whether an adult night club is at fault for letting a 14-year-old work at the club, and serve and consume liquor.”

WRAL.com: The ruling is the latest chapter in a three-year battle over the proposed Capital Cabaret club on Mount Herman Road, near Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Neighbors have fought the club . . .”

CityNews.ca: “A fight inside The House of Lancaster, located at 689 The Queensway, is believed to have spilled out onto the street.”

MercuryNews.com: “Officers responded to a report of drive-by shooting just after 1 a.m. outside Broadway Showgirls at 412 Broadway in North Beach, police said.”

Baltimore Sun: “The Maryland Senate voted Tuesday to exempt domestic partners who jointly own homes from inheritance taxes after one of them dies.”

AP: “A preliminary vote by the District of Columbia city council to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere puts the issue on a path to Congress, which has final say over D.C.’s laws. That may force lawmakers to take up the politically dicey debate after years of letting it play out in the states.”

WGRZ.com: “Gov. David Paterson said Wednesday he plans to re-introduce legislation to make same-sex marriages legal in New York. The legislation is expected to mirror a gay-marriage bill introduced in 2007 by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer . . .”

“If you don’t remember anything . . . remember 0% of states that have legalized same-sex ‘marriage’ have done so by the vote of the people . . . 100% of the states (30 states total) that have asked their voters . . . have defined marriage as between only one man and one woman . . . ”

“Democratic leaders squashed an attempt this morning to move forward this year on a proposal to amend the state Constitution and prohibit same-sex marriage. But Republicans hinted that they will make another run at the issue later today.”

Des Moines Register: “Churches won’t change their dogma, but they will be affected. In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities ended its involvement in the adoption business because, under the law, it could no longer prefer homes with a mom and a dad. The church’s exit from the state-licensed adoption business created particular hardship because it provided special-needs adoption services to children with severe emotional and physical disabilities.”

Right Wing News: “First of all, let me say thank you to the Center for Academic Freedom for suing Spokane Falls Community College over this. But, my question is: where is everybody else?. . . Colleges in this country can no longer be allowed to act as propaganda wings for the left.”

Christian Telegraph: “Hundreds of Muslims have attacked Christian shops and a police station in the Egyptian city of Alexandria on Sunday, April 5, 2009, following rumors that a Muslim man was stabbed and killed by his Christian landlords, reports Dan Wooding, founder of ASSIST Ministries.”

Christian Post: A family that claims they lost a pending deal to sell their farmland because Rutherford County officials rejected a massive Bible-themed park last year is suing for $11 million.

Politico (Ben Smith’s Blog): “The National Organization for Marriage, a prominent backer of the successful campaign against same-sex marriage in California, is launching a $1.5 million ad campaign this morning aimed at forestalling same-sex marriage support in other key states. The campaign, whose 60-second television ad is above, seeks to energize the opponents of gay marriage by making the case that it will impinge directly on their own lives. The ads will air in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Iowa.”

Brown Daily Herald: “Calling for the state to classify crimes based on ‘gender identity or expression’ as hate crimes, the bill, sponsored by Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Dist. 3, and four other representatives, was introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives in early February. The committee decided Tuesday to hold the measure for further study.”

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “At present, the hate-crime definition of sexual orientation covers gay, straight or bisexual people. The bill approved Wednesday adds ‘gender expression or identity’ to that definition, making the law apply to attacks on transgender people.”

Fox News: “A porn flick making its way across college campuses is drawing stiff resistance from conservatives who say universities are paying for smut and a Maryland legislator who is threatening to cut off funding to schools that screen it ”

NY Times: “New York and New Jersey are both closer to legalizing same-sex marriage than they were a year ago, but it still could be some time before either state acts. In New York the issue will likely turn on a handful of Republican votes in the Senate. (The Assembly has already passed a gay marriage bill by a comfortable margin.)”

Denver Post: “Kelley Coffman-Lee’s plan to advertise her love of tofu on a license plate ran afoul of censors at the Division of Motor Vehicles. The 38-year-old mother of three asked the DMV to approve a special plate emblazoned with ‘ILVTOFU’ for her Suzuki SL-7. It was not 2 B. The agency turned down the request, saying the plate might be offensive to some people.”

State v. Sutherby, No. 80169-0 (Wash. April 9, 209)(Fairhurst J. Concurrence/Dissent) (Johnson J. Dissent)

We hold that the proper unit of prosecution for possession of child pornography under former RCW 9.68A.070 is one count per possession, rather than per image or photograph or per minor depicted. We remand for resentencing on a single count of possession of child pornography. We reverse Sutherby’s convictions for child rape and child molestation based on ineffective assistance of counsel in failing to seek severance of the charges and remand for further proceedings.

LifeNews: “A new national poll of Americans finds a strong majority want President Barack Obama to keep conscience protections in place for doctors and medical centers. The president is considering rescinding the protections the Bush administration adopted to enforce three federal conscience laws.”

CQ Politics: “Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy has rejected the idea of having another confirmation hearing on 7th Circuit Court nominee David F. Hamilton. Leahy made his position clear in an exchange of letters with ranking Republican Arlen Specter that has laid bare the mounting tension between the two lawmakers over the confirmation process.”

The Providence Journal: “Under current state law, only streetwalkers, their pimps and their customers can be charged. But a group of lawmakers has revived the perennial call to close the loophole, criminalizing the act as a misdemeanor no matter where it takes place.”

USA Today: “The mass closing would be the third this decade for DPS, which has shuttered 70 buildings as enrollment plummeted from 173,848 a decade ago to about 95,000 today. Another 30 of the district’s roughly 200 schools could close in 2010. Bobb said Wednesday that the proposed closure list resulted from an analysis of enrollment, building conditions, community partnerships and academic achievement.”

CNSNews: “Rep. Steven King (R-Iowa) is calling for help to fight last week’s Iowa Supreme Court decision creating homosexual marriage in the heartland . . .”

Catholic News Agency: During the hearing, EMU faculty reportedly denigrated her Christian views and asked “several inappropriate and intrusive questions about her religious beliefs,” the ADF said . . . But ADF Senior Counsel David French says that discrimination is exactly what took place. “Christian students shouldn’t be penalized for holding to their beliefs,” he said. “When a public university has a prerequisite of affirming homosexual behavior as morally good in order to obtain a degree, the school is stepping over the legal line . . . ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco added: “Julea has a constitutional right not to be compelled to speak a message she disagrees with. She acted as a professional counselor should–with great concern both for her beliefs and the client.”

Examiner.com: “Christian students shouldn’t be penalized for holding to their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel David French. “When a public university has a prerequisite of affirming homosexual behavior as morally good in order to obtain a degree, the school is stepping over the legal line. Julea did the responsible thing and followed her supervising professor’s advice to have the client referred to a counselor who did not have a conscience issue with the very matter to be discussed in counseling. She would have gladly counseled the client if the subject had been nearly any other matter.”

Michigan Messenger: “According to The Ann Arbor News, the Alliance Defense Fund Center is suing EMU in Detroit’s U.S. District Court because it dismissed Julia Ward from the counseling graduate program after Ward referred a gay client to another counselor because she believes homosexuality is “immoral sexual conduct, and cannot affirm or validate that behavior or otherwise use her counseling skills and abilities to facilitate homosexual behavior, without violating her sincere religious beliefs,’ the lawsuit said.”

Edge Boston: “But lawyers from The Alliance Fund say that Ward’s Constitutional rights were `violated by the University. The article quoted Alliance attorney David French as saying, ‘When a public university has a prerequisite of affirming homosexual behavior as morally good in order to obtain a degree, the school is stepping over the legal line.’ French pointed out the fact that Ward had made a referral for her client, saying, ‘Julea did the responsible thing and followed her supervising professor’s advice to have the client referred to a counselor who did not have a conscience issue with the very matter to be discussed in counseling.’”

Washington Post“: . . . the campaign, titled ‘Rediscover DCPS,’ has been launched by Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee as one step toward stemming the decline in public confidence in a system whose enrollment has plummeted from 80,000 students three decades ago to 45,000 this year. ”

Delaware Online: “The First Amendment protection of public university professors who speak out against school policies, criticize administrators or make controversial statements may be in peril after a series of court decisions. In three cases, one of which involved a former Delaware State University professor, courts have ruled that the faculty members in question were not protected . . . ”

One News Now: Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) senior counsel Jeremy Tedesco explains . . . “What we have here is a Christian who is a student in a master’s counseling degree program who was dismissed, kicked out of the school, simply because she was unwilling to violate her own religious beliefs in not advocating for homosexual behavior within the context of the counseling relationship,” he points out.

Heritage Foundation: “Thomas A. Saunders III, a New York investment banker who champions the importance of American history and higher education, has been elected chairman of The Heritage Foundation’s board of trustees.”

Karl Rove writes at the Wall Street Journal: “The Pew Research Center reported last week that President Barack Obama “has the most polarized early job approval of any president” since surveys began tracking this 40 years ago. The gap between Mr. Obama’s approval rating among Democrats (88%) and Republicans (27%) is 61 points. This “approval gap” is 10 points bigger than George W. Bush’s at this point in his presidency, despite Mr. Bush winning a bitterly contested election.”

Alan Abramowitz reports at Rasmussen: “The election of America’s first black president has been widely hailed as an historic event. However, much less attention has been paid to the demographic trends which made that event possible and which will continue …

“Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.”

“US law says that federal court records are in the public domain. So why do the courts still lock most of their official documents behind a paywall? Ars investigates.”