Daily Archives: January 7, 2010

channelnewsasia: “A church in Malaysia has been fire-bombed in an attack that gutted its ground floor, church officials said on Friday, escalating a dispute over the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims.”

New York Times: “‘What sets this case apart is the strategy up until now, in the last 10 or 15 years, has been by the national organizations that support same-sex marriage to attack this on a state-by-state basis,’ said Brian Raum, who is helping to defend Proposition 8. ‘The impact of those cases, obviously, was limited to their respective states. But the potential impact in this case goes beyond the state of California.’”

“The 20-14 vote, with three abstentions, defeating the measure followed an hour and a half of public debate inside the packed Senate chamber, and loud, often-contentious rallies on the Statehouse steps, with hundreds of supporters and opponents of the measure making their voices heard.”

ADF attorney Austin R. Nimocks appeared on the Hugh Hewitt Show to discuss the California marriage litigation. The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday next week.

The MP3 runs 10:42 mins.

ADF: Media Information Information Page

Breitbart (AP): “A government study issued Thursday finds 13 juvenile detention facilities around the country have high rates of sex abuse and victimization, where nearly 1 out of every 3 inmates reported some type of victimization.”

PoliticsDaily.com: “Lincoln’s vulnerability is tied in part to the health care debate in Washington and has made her a somewhat shaky member of the 60 senators the Democrats need to get overhaul legislation passed.”

SunTrib.com: “Silence had replaced bowed heads at City Hall. Since the recent removal of prayer from North Kansas City Council meetings, a moment of silence has appeared on meeting agendas where the prayer once was.”

LifeSiteNews: “Writing for the Catholic Advocate, Matt Smith reports that 39 of the 106 cosponsors of a House bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) are ‘self-identified’ Catholics . . . ”

Mother Jones: “Over the past year, Secret Service agents charged with protecting President Obama seem to have taken a keen interest in the Birther movement, the committed group of anti-Obama activists around the country who claim the president was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, and is thus ineligible to serve . . . At least a half-dozen prominent anti-Obama activists who’ve petitioned various federal agencies or courts to investigate the president’s citizenship or publicly questioned his eligibility to serve say they’ve been visited by Secret Service or Homeland Security agents.”

WorldNetDaily: Report: Congressman challenges Obama eligibility

Robert A. Levy, chairman of the Cato Institute, writing in the New York Daily News: “Thomas Jefferson set the stage in the Declaration of Independence: ‘[T]o secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men.’ The primary purpose of government is to safeguard individual rights and prevent some persons from harming others. Heterosexuals should not be treated preferentially when the state carries out that role. And no one is harmed by the union of two consenting gay people . . . No compelling reason has been proffered for sanctioning heterosexual but not homosexual marriages. Nor is a ban on gay marriage a close fit for attaining the goals cited by proponents of such bans. If the goal, for example, is to strengthen the institution of marriage, a more effective step might be to bar no-fault divorce and premarital cohabitation. If the goal is to ensure procreation, then infertile and aged couples should be precluded from marriage.”

Arizona Republic: “Mormon Church officials said Monday they want to work with a north Phoenix neighborhood, who turned in more than 16,000 signatures last week asking that voters decide the height of a temple.”

AZ Republic: “In a move to crack down on weapons from the U.S. that are funneled to drug cartels, police in Latin America will soon be able to track American gun sales in their own language, despite privacy concerns by gun-rights advocates . . . Springfield, Va.-based Gun Owners of America, noted that many Mexican police have been charged with passing other types of sensitive information to criminals in recent years.”

Washington Post: “The literature, until recently circulated by a church-affiliated pregnancy center in Annandale, has become political fodder in the closely watched contest for Virginia’s 37th Senate District between Stephen M. ‘Steve’ Hunt, a Republican and former Fairfax County School Board member, and Del. Dave W. Marsden, a first-term Democrat.”

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, Marjorie Dannenfelser, Kristan Hawkins and David Bereit writing in the Washington Times: “Planned Parenthood’s cover has been blown. Before the vote on Stupak-Pitts, there were no uproars from the abortion lobby about government funding of abortion in the health care bill. There were no send-your-legislator-a-hanger campaigns. Why? Because they were hoping this issue would slip under the radar and that the bill would pass without any specific exclusion of abortion, which would ensure that abortion would certainly be funded by the government.”

The Gov Monitor: “Communities Secretary John Denham today announced the appointment of 13 new faith advisers who will act as a ‘sounding board’ to advise on effective engagement with faith communities, and the impact of Communities and Local Government policy on faith communities.”

Pew Forum: “The two Michigan State University professors argue that no couple should have to be physically present to be married and that any two adults should have the freedom to take advantage of another state’s marriage laws, whether or not the pair resides in that state. How exactly? With the help of the Internet, in what Candeub and Kuykendall are dubbing ‘e-marriage.’”

Mark Earley writing in the Christian Post: “The CLS sued the school, and in March the Ninth Circuit ruled that Hastings could require student groups to ‘accept all comers as members, even if those individuals disagree with the mission of the group.’ The precedent for this ruling was a 2008 opinion by the same Ninth Circuit, Truth v. Kent School District, involving a Bible club in Kent Washington. There, the application for official recognition was rejected because voting membership was limited to those who affirmed biblical inerrancy and pledged to live in accordance with Christian teachings.”

Ann Coulter writes at Human Events: “Most perplexing was columnist Dan Savage’s indignant accusation that Hume was claiming that Christianity ‘offers the best deal — it gives you the get-out-of-adultery-free card that other religions just can’t.’ In fact, that’s exactly what Christianity does. It’s the best deal in the universe. (I know it seems strange that a self-described atheist and “radical sex advice columnist f*****” like Savage would miss the central point of Christianity, but there it is.)”

Telegraph: Moses Binoga, the assistant police commissioner who is head of the Ugandan anti-human sacrifice and trafficking task force, said there were 26 murders thought to be part of ritual sacrifice last year compared with three cases in 2007. ‘We also have about 120 children and adults reported missing whose fate we have not traced,’ he added. ‘From the experience of those whom we recovered, we cannot rule out that they may be victims of human sacrifice.’”

Washington Times: “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Shebab fighting for the control of Somalia, or Nigeria’s homegrown sects — radical Islam is taking hold in sub-Saharan Africa, albeit in many varied forms.”

National Review: “The special election for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat is less than two weeks away. Should Republican Scott Brown win it, it could be all but impossible for Harry Reid to get 60 votes for the current version of Obamacare.”

Eugene Volokh writes at the Volokh Conspiracy about proposals being discussed that would punish bar applicants who are deemed to engage in unacceptable speech or viewpoints by bar authorities.

Religion Clause Blog: “According to Interfax yesterday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says that a bill has been drafted to deal with transferring state-owned religious property back to the Russian Orthodox Church.”

Religion Clause Blog reports that the December 2009 Newsletter for the AALS Section on Law and Religion carries a lengthy bibliography of law and religion issues.

Bay Area Reporter: “Defending the anti-gay measure is the Alliance Defense Fund, which represents the group that pushed to pass Prop 8, ProtectMarriage.com. In a legal twist, both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown are not defending the state law and have, in fact, told the court that Prop 8 is unconstitutional.”

Catholic Culture: “The list compiled by Open Doors was dominated by Islamic governments. Conspicuously absent from the ‘top 10′ list were China and Vietnam . . The top 10 persecutors on the Open Doors list were . . . ”

Catholic Culture: “Responding to Christians’ fears that they would be the target of suicide bombing attacks, Pakistani security officials conducted major operations at Christmas to protect churchgoers, according to Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore.”

Catholic Culture reports that Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran is quoted as saying: “Currently religious freedom is assured in various Muslim countries, for example in those of the [Persian] Gulf, with the exception of Saudi Arabia, where nearly two million Christians do not have any possibility of gathering for their celebrations or in order to pray … They feel tolerated rather than a partner in public dialogue. And this does not do anyone any good.”

“Thirty-nine GOP legislators, including 37 members of the House and two senators, James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), have filed an amicus brief supporting a public vote on the issue . . . ”

Catholic Culture: “Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, who has served as Archbishop of Prague since 1991, has warned in an interview that ‘if Europe doesn’t change its relation to its own roots, it will be Islamized.’ . . . ‘Neither the free market nor freedom without responsibility is strong enough to form the basis of society. Not even democracy alone is a panacea unless it is embedded in God.’”

E3 (Excellent Education for Everyone): “Local school districts have a week to decide if they want a share of $400 million in federal money. But getting it could mean longer school days and years, tougher teacher evaluations and more student testing. The president of the state’s largest teacher’s union is already telling local unions to reject the plan . . . ”

Gateways to Better Education: “Christian leader and commentator Charles Colson is urging churches to participate in Religious Freedom Sunday on Jan. 10. Gateways to Better Education established Religious Freedom Sunday so churches will inform their congregations about the religious freedom that students have in America’s public schools . . . ”

FPC of West Virginia: “On Sunday, Jan. 10, thousands of West Virginians will gather in churches across the state to pray for politicians ahead of the opening of the 2010 legislative session. The Family Policy Council of West Virginia, organizer of the “Day2Pray,” is calling on Christians throughout the state to intercede on behalf of the state and nation.”

Maggie Gallagher writes at Townhall: “The case will be a show trial in a kangaroo court. I don’t say that lightly of any federal judge, but Judge Walker’s extraordinary bias has already been flagrantly on display. Take the trial itself. The constitutionality of Proposition 8 is not really a matter for a trial of fact. It’s a question of law. But Judge Walker ordered one anyway. Why? . . . ”

“Republican leadership, if you are covering up things the public should know, stop or you will lose even more credibility with your base. And press? Do your job. Your duty is not to defend a lifestyle; it is to report the truth.”

Las Vegas Sun: “A petition to change state law to allow adults to use marijuana legally has been filed and law enforcement officials are already geared up to fight the proposal . . . ”

AP: “The California Legislature on Wednesday sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger landmark education reforms designed to overhaul the state’s worst schools and let parents send their children elsewhere . . . ”

Law.com (The Recorder): “Chief Judge Vaughn Walker made it clear Wednesday that he will forge ahead with televising the federal challenge to Prop 8. But he also signaled he doesn’t want to be the next Lance Ito. The trial, which begins on Monday, will be filmed by court personnel, Walker ruled, but it will not be broadcast live . . . ”

AP: “A top state senator said Wednesday that his committee will consider legislation that would allow riverboat casinos on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River to move inland in hopes of staving off new competition from neighboring states . . . ”

Citizen Link: “Australia, India and China are moving to filter illegal pornography based on its harm to society. Compulsory internet filtering in Australia, the blocking of 13,000 porn sites in China and a tightening of filters in India have family advocates wondering why the U.S. isn’t following suit . . .”

James Simpson writes at the American Thinker: “Many are puzzled that Democrats persist in ramming unpopular and destructive legislation down our collective throats with no apparent concern for their plummeting poll numbers . . . But since Democrat politicians rarely do things that will not ultimately benefit themselves, this column asked two weeks ago, “What do they know that we don’t?” We may have found out. It’s called universal voter registration . . . Fund describes the proposal as follows . . . ”

AP: “Kentucky’s attorney general’s office says regulatory hurdles are blocking slot-like gambling known as Instant Racing, adding another twist to the long-running debate on whether to expand gambling at the state’s horse tracks . . . ”

AP: “Thousands clashed with police during a funeral procession Thursday for the seven people killed in an attack on churchgoers leaving a midnight Mass for Coptic Christians, security officials said . . . ”

AP: “Pennsylvania’s slots casinos hit the jackpot Wednesday when the Legislature gave them the authority to install table games such as poker and blackjack.”

Wall Street Journal: “Abdurrahman Wahid, who died last week at the age of 69, was the first democratically elected president of Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country and third largest democracy. It has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world. Although he was forced from office after less than two years, he nevertheless helped to set the course of what has been a remarkably successful transition to democracy.”

“But for scores of low-income and middle-income couples, it could mean a hike of $2,000 or more in annual insurance premiums the moment they say ‘I do.’ . . . Republicans say the effect on married couples whose combined income makes them ineligible for subsidies is even greater — up to $5,000 or more . . . ”

Mary Leary, Mulieris Dignitatem: Pornography and the Dignity of the Soul: An Exploration of Dignity in a Protected Speech Paradigm (2009). Ave Maria Law Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2010; CUA Columbus School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2009-15. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1521163

“This article, part of a symposium celebrating the 20th anniversary of Mulieris Dignitatem, reflects on Mulieris Dignitatem’s teachings, and how they can inform the issue of pornography. Modern day pornography has increased in both its quantity and severity of content. Mulieris Dignitatem offers a pathway out of this reality with its focus on the concept of dignity. The article reviews John Paul II’s emphasis on the dignity of woman and applies it to the modern day issue of pornography. The article suggests a paradigm shift from examining pornography solely through a “speech and expression lens” to examining the issue through a “dignity lens. In so doing, the article explores John Paul II’s discussion of dignity of both men and women, as well as society as a whole. It examines some parallels between this approach and the previous civil rights approach of the feminist movement. Finally, the article invokes John Paul II’s emphasis on vocation and proposes a social movement targeting a paradigm shift to a dignity perspective rather than relying on a legal movement.”