Daily Archives: December 14, 2009

EuropeNews: “Christian[s] in Egypt are up in arms this week over a controversial book issued as a free supplement with this month’s Al-Azhar magazine, describing Christianity as a Religion of “idolatry” and claiming that the Holy Bible is a misquotation of the original one. The book was published by State-owned corporations that are financed by taxpayers, Christians as well as Muslims.”

Michael Smith writes at the Washington Times: “Until recently, ‘Homeschooling Grows Up’ was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled ‘Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults’ from the Canadian Centre for Home Education. This study surveyed home-schooled students whose parents participated in a comprehensive study on home education in 1994. The study compared home-schoolers who are now adults with their peers. The results are astounding.”

Related: New Study: Home-Educated Canadian Adults Excel

The Study

“A recent study performed by psychologists among inmates of the Bureau of Prisons suggests a strong link between the use of child pornography and child abuse.”

Zenit: “The Copenhagen climate summit has brought with it an outpouring of opinions on environmental issues. Among these is a disturbing return to the Malthusian position of seeing population control as the solution to the world’s problems.”

Christian Post: “Two-thirds of Protestant pastors believe Islam is a dangerous religion, according to survey results just released by LifeWay Research . . . Additionally, a study by the Pew Research Center found that 38 percent of all Americans say Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions. However, studies also indicate a need for interaction.”

Deseret News: “The Salt Lake County Council on Tuesday will consider a pair of statutes that offer protections against discrimination based on sexual preference and gender identity in the areas of housing and employment.”

LifeNews: “In a Monday filing with the FEC, according to Congressional Quarterly, the group gave $5,000 to Rep. Michael Castle, a Delaware congressman.”

Christian Post: “The Virginia Court of Appeals heard oral arguments this past week on the issue of whether Virginia must enforce a custody order and visitation order arising from a dissolved Vermont same-sex civil union.”

Boston Globe (AP): “According to the study [University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse] of 47,097 students, among this year’s 12th graders, 20.6 percent said they used it within the past month, compared with 19.4 percent in 2008 and 18.3 percent in 2006.”

Christian Newswire: “A troubled New Jersey abortion clinic affiliated with the National Abortion Federation (NAF) has paid out $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a Rasheedah Dinkins, who suffered a horrifically botched second trimester abortion in 2007.”

Legal Blog Watch: “Last week, the SJC concluded its deliberations and announced that it had approved a new judicial conduct rule that slightly eases restrictions on state court judges’ ability to explain their decisions to the public. Although the SJC did not adopt the more liberal rule changes recommended by the committee, it nevertheless clarified that judges may issue supplemental memoranda to explain their decisions without violating judicial ethics.”

NPR (Audio available): “David Catania, the openly gay councilman who drafted the bill, says he has been waiting for this day for a long time. ‘After a year of planning and working and strategizing and organizing and cajoling and discussing it, I can finally see that the end is in sight,’ Catania says.”

Reuters: “Chinese police have detained some 3,470 people so far this year during a crackdown on online pornography and closed thousands of pornographic websites, state media said on Saturday.”

“What conceivable state interest exists in requiring open membership by expressive organizations?”

Peggy Drexler writes at the Huffington Post: “While we ponder timing, demographics, politics and other issues, we will have to remember that any strategy must also embrace the intractable reality of a sizable group of voting Americans who believe fervently in individual rights, but have “a problem with the whole (pause to find the acceptable words) ‘gay thing.’”

Unfortunately, she fails to take in consideration that the opposition might be about unhealthy conduct.

Pacific Justice Institute: “Oral arguments will be held this Tuesday at the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. in a lawsuit brought by atheists seeking to stop prayers at presidential inaugurations and use of ‘So help me God’ in the presidential oath.”

PoliticsDaily.com: “Opponents argue, of course, that legalizing gay marriage winds up eroding traditional marriage — and maybe they’re right. News out of the Granite State is that the legislature is now considering a bill to legalize adultery. Yes, it’s true.”

“This program is too important to D.C. families to be suffocated in the stacks of a 1,000+ page omnibus bill.”

Michael C. Dorf writes at Findlaw: “Accordingly, CLS v. Martinez will likely be decided on an all-or-nothing basis. Either the Court will view the Hastings policy as neutral and thus permissible, or it will view it as inherently infringing the right to expressive association, and thus impermissible . . . CLS v. Martinez poses a conflict between two principles that we rightly value: expressive association and equality. No resolution can fully honor both.”

One News Now: “A Republican candidate for Congress in Minnesota says ‘a huge marriage penalty for the American middle class’ is hidden in both the House and Senate healthcare bills.”

Legal Newsline: “California charities may not use electronic bingo machines, a federal appeals court panel ruled this week. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that charitable entities in the state cannot skirt a state law banning bingo machines, saying that live-call bingo games violate the Americans With Disabilities Act because it discriminates against players with disabilities.”

Law.com (Legal Intelligencer): “. . . The plaintiffs allege in papers that the birth control pills caused injures like pulmonary embolism, blood clots in the legs, heart attacks, strokes and gall bladder and kidney disease. ”

Law.com (National Law Journal): “When the Supreme Court on June 29 ordered re-argument in the campaign finance case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the speculation was nearly unanimous on why it took that unusual action . . . On Monday morning, the Court gaveled its final session of 2009 to a close without a decision in Citizens United. Speculation has already intensified over what is causing the delay, and what it could mean.”

Christian Today: “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was last week urged to oppose the decriminalizing of homosexuality in India.”

The Oklahoman: “The resignation of Chief Judge Robert Henry of Oklahoma City on Thursday gives President Barack Obama more opportunity to shape the federal appeals court that serves Oklahoma. Seven judges on the 12-seat 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were appointed by Republican presidents.”

Providence Journal: “Bouncers patrol dimly lit alcoves where topless women socialize with customers. The curtains that offered a measure of privacy in the ‘VIP rooms’ are gone. And signs posted throughout the Charles Street club read: ‘Prostitution is illegal.’”

Providence Journal: “But the Ocean State’s adult entertainment industry regularly donates to key political leaders, employs one of the state’s most influential lobbyists, and has created a nonprofit organization, the Rhode Island Entertainment Association, to protect its interests.”

Monroe Courier: “A store located near the entrance to Bentwater that sold adult videos and other sexually suggestive items closed its doors last week in the wake of complaints by some Bentwater residents that the store was a bad fit for the community.”

UPI:  ”Last week, the justices agreed to hear and decide a separate dispute between a San Francisco law school and the Christian Legal Society. The case pits the law-driven obligation of a school, a public entity, to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians and the right of a religious student group to follow biblical condemnation of homosexual activity.”

C-Span Video is available here: “Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy made opening remarks before a panel discussion on the role of the Solicitor General. Three former U.S. Solicitor Generals gave insights on the duties associated with the job, including arguing before the Supreme Court.”

Associated Press: “Now the Justice Department is starting to go after those who pay to have sex with children. Previously authorities targeted people who sold children for sex, but they are taking advantage of a little-used provision of a 2005 bill to focus their efforts so far in Kansas and Missouri after noticing an apparent rise in child prostitution cases.”

CBS (AP): “When Bothwell was sworn into office on Monday, he used an alternative oath that doesn’t require officials to swear on a Bible or reference ‘Almighty God.’ That has riled conservative activists, who cite a little-noticed quirk in North Carolina’s Constitution that disqualifies officeholders ‘who shall deny the being of Almighty God.’ The provision was included when the document was drafted in 1868 and wasn’t revised when North Carolina amended its constitution in 1971. One foe, H.K. Edgerton, is threatening to file a lawsuit in state court against the city to challenge Bothwell’s appointment.”

Inside Housing: “Birmingham City Council has been awarded possession of a tenant’s home, following a ‘reign of homophobic abuse and anti-social behaviour’. Birmingham County Court has given the tenant, Richard Leonard, a two-year anti-social behaviour injunction, which bars him from harassing or intimidating local residents and causing damage to their homes and vehicles, after a series of incidents since May 2009.”

STV News: “A teacher who was subjected to gay taunts from pupils has lost his sexuality harassment claim.”

wtop.com: “The D.C. City Council will cast a second vote on legalizing gay marriage next Tuesday, after approving it two weeks ago. This vote is basically procedural, but it is needed to make gay marriage legal in the city.”

Baptist Press: “Bucking the pleas of nearly 10,000 local petitioners, the Travis County Board of Central Health in Austin unanimously approved a renewal contract worth about $450,000 to fund abortions for poor women with county property taxes.”

Washington Post: “Sivagami ‘Shiva’ Subbaraman was leading a workshop about making college campuses more gay-friendly in February 2008 when a Georgetown University student burst into the room with news: The university president had agreed to open a resource center for gay students and hire a full-time director to run it.”

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear “a case in which employees won a constitutional right to privacy in their text messages, even when the messages were sexually explicit comments to co-workers.

Emily Bazelon writes at Slate: “Last week, Hope’s suicide became the second with a clear link to sexting and the peer torture that can follow from it. At the end of seventh grade last spring, Hope sent a photo of her breasts to a boy she liked, and the picture went viral at her school.”

Washington Post: “Every Wednesday morning, 150 officials at Catholic University receive an e-mail about a gay student’s struggles on campus . . . So far, the administration has not been receptive to the group’s Wednesday efforts. This summer they rejected an application from the group, CUAllies, to be an official student club. Doing so would have led to supporting an advocacy group for positions contrary to church teachings, Catholic spokesman Victor Nakas said in a statement.”

Liberty Counsel: “Principal Michelle Zundel of Bellview Elementary School in Ashland, Oregon, has reversed her prior decision banning Christmas trees and Santa Claus from her school.”

“The creation of Ethan and Bridget tested the boundaries of the field known as third-party reproduction, in which more than two people collaborate to have a baby.”

The Hill: “Democratic retirements are beginning to mount, after the announcement Monday that Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) will not seek reelection next year.”

Paul Christensen writes in The Washington Times: “Humans will be marrying robots within 50 years, according to David Levy, winner of the 2009 Loebner Prize for artificial intelligence.”

Religion Clause Blog: The ACLU announced yesterday that it has filed a federal lawsuit in Illinois seeking to block the January 1 increase in fees for registering as a lobbyist for a non-profit organization under the Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act. The complaint (full text) in ACLU of Illinois v. White . . .

Hot Air: “Matt Bowman, legal counsel for the ADF, explained that the hospital could not legally have required the nurse to participate in the abortion even if the case had been a ‘Category I,’ meaning that the patient required ‘immediate surgical intervention for life or limb threatening conditions.’ Federal statutes prohibit recipients of federal health funds from requiring employees to perform abortions, Bowman told CNA.”

Hugh Hewitt writing in The Washington Examiner: “There are many para-church and secular groups that deserve the support of people of faith in these tumultuous times. The counterpart to the ACLU is the Alliance Defense Fund (telladf.org). If the ADF had even one Gelbaum supporting it with anything close to the $50 million he was sending the left-wing lawyers at the ACLU, religious liberty, unborn life and traditional marriage would at least be fully represented in the courts.”

WorldNetDaily: “Benjamin Bull, chief counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, agreed with the damage assessment. ‘Homosexuals got exactly what they wanted. In the marketplace of ideas, one side has now been censored,’ he said. ‘This [situation] is exactly what homosexual activists have in mind.’”

OneNewsNow: “‘Really it’s a disgraceful suit, in our view,’ he laments. ‘One person’s agenda should not diminish the sacrifices made by America’s veterans and their families — and that’s what they’re attempting to do in this case.’”

Zanesville Times-Recorder: “It’s that time of year again. Cookies are baking, trees are being decorated, and presents are chosen carefully. That’s right. It’s ready to rumble time; the ACLU vs. the ADF . . . The American Civil Liberties Union is not only facing the Alliance Defense Fund but also the American Family Alliance and a huge grassroots effort to take back Christmas.”

Shreveport Times: “Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defense Fund, will be the guest speaker when Professional Republican Women of Caddo meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Savoie’s Catering Place, 2411 E. 70th St. in Shreveport.”

Ronald L. Caravan writing in The Valley News: “One organization that is postured perfectly to help [school administrators ward off legal threats over Christmas] this is the Alliance Defense Fund, a not-for-profit ‘legal alliance’ of over 1,300 attorneys and allied organizations nationwide whose mission includes efforts to inform the general public as well as government officials about what is and remains permissible under the Constitution, especially where it comes to religious liberty.”

Religion Clause Blog: “USA Today reports that last week 75 Christian leaders from a variety of backgrounds signed a Statement (originally released 12/7) denouncing the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009 (full text) currently under consideration by the Parliament of Uganda . . . ”

Karen Sloan writes at the National Law Journal: “A J.D. used to mean a first-class seat on the gravy train. Now? Not so much. Critics say law schools have a duty to warn.”

Religion Clause Blog: “The report suggests amending the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 and various other marriage statutes to bar a person who was married as a non-Muslim from marrying again even after converting to Islam, unless the first marriage is dissolved or declared null and void.”

LifeSiteNews: “Leading up to this month’s conference on “climate change” in Copenhagen, Denmark, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) issued their annual State of World Population 2009 report, in which they called for reducing population in the interest of the environment.”

AP: “The owner of a brothel more than two hours’ drive from Las Vegas said she hopes to hire Nevada’s first legal male prostitutes within a month, now that state health officials have approved a method to test men for infectious diseases.”

Washington Times: “President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. won’t be on the midterm ballot next year, but their former Senate seats will be, and both races are now either tossups or leaning Republican in high-visibility contests.”