Daily Archives: May 20, 2011

According to the Minnesota Family Council, the House is scheduled to reconvene at 7:45 pm this evening.

Lufkin Daily News: The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the Lufkin Independent School District Wednesday suggesting school functions held at local churches violate the constitution.

LifeSiteNews: Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) allied attorney Mike Johnson represented the county in a hearing May 12 before the appeals court, as the county appealed a district court ruling against the prayer podium. He said after last week’s hearing that he was optimistic, and that the judges’ questions indicated “the court has a firm grasp of the issues and an understanding of the importance of the issues.” . . . “In a country whose founders opened public meetings with prayer, its public officials should be able to do the same. Nor should they be forced to whitewash the prayers of those invited to offer them simply because secularist groups don’t like people praying according to their own conscience,” said Johnson in a press release prior to the hearing.

BBC: A former Turkish judge who says he was prosecuted for his views on the fate of Armenians and Kurds has been granted asylum in the Netherlands.

Thanks to Governor Rick Perry, legislation that will allow women who are considering an abortion to see an ultrasound of their unborn child beforehand will become state law.

Telegraph: Creationism, intelligent design and other theories that contradict evolution are to be banned from being taught as science in free schools.

Christian Concern for Our Nation: Commercial surrogacy arrangements, where a couple pays a surrogate mother to carry and give birth to the child (in addition to medical and other expenses), are not currently legal in the UK. However, when British couples have travelled abroad and made such arrangements in a country where commercial surrogacy is legal, a conflict often occurs.

Christian Law Journal: The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys “which defend[s] the right of people to freely live out their faith,” is representing Sen. Linda Gray and Rep. Nancy Barto — who are both bill sponsors — and other organizations who are seeking to intervene . . . Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Steven H. Aden said in statement that the law is reasonable and gives women important information they need. “Everyone deserves full and accurate information before undergoing any medical procedure,”said Aden. He continued, “These lawsuits are more about protecting ‘bottom lines’ than protecting women’s rights.” “If Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights really cared about women’s rights, they’d support laws that allow women to make fully informed choices instead of challenging these laws in court. These types of protections have been repeatedly upheld and are overwhelmingly supported by the public.”

Blog of the Legal Times: The District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure is recommending D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Morin for a second term. He was first appointed in 1996. In a report (PDF) released this afternoon . . .

Daytona News Journal: Earlier Thursday, the council became one of only several in Florida to approve an ordinance barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It will apply to housing, accommodations in public places such as restaurants and bars, and to employers.

LifeNews: Newly-uncovered immigration files that are beginning to receive attention on the Internet make the claim that President Barack Obama’s father got another woman pregnant after his birth and sent her to England for an abortion.

Christian Institute: Prominent MPs have signed an amendment to improve the law on free speech – offering more protection for Christian street preachers. The amendment would remove the word “insulting” from Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Texas Observer: This evening it was during a four-hour House floor debate on a Medicaid cost-cutting bill. Tea Party freshman Rep. Jim Landtroop, R-Plainview, did the honors this time and won yet another victory for the anti-abortion movement this session. Landtroop successfully tacked on an amendment to Senate Bill 23 prohibiting state family planning dollars from going to facilities that perform abortions or “abortion-related services.”

Fox News: Under the proposal approved 19-11 on Friday, any instruction or materials at a public elementary or middle school will be “limited exclusively to age-appropriate natural human reproduction science.” Republican Senate sponsor Stacey Campfield of Knoxville says “homosexuals don’t naturally reproduce.”

Daily Mail: “‘Peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality,’ he warned in remarks that underscored the deepest divide in relations between the U.S. and Israel in years.”

Sacramento Bee: A new, first-of-its-kind Seattle in vitro fertilization program can save women 30 percent on the expense of conceiving a child with a donated egg.

“. . . several legislators who want voters to ban gay marriage have had unsuccessful marriages. According to a name, date of birth, and city search in publicly available Minnesota court records” . . . . Homosexual organizations and media outlets have jumped on the bandwagon to target these legislators . . .

The state legislature has approved a state ballot proposal that will allow Tennessee voters to run back a pro-abortion ruling by the state Supreme Court that prevents lawmakers from putting in place any pro-life laws to limit abortion.

Big Government: The Daily Caller has learned that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rate review rules, which it finalized on Thursday, exempt “Medigap” policy providers, like the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), from oversight when such providers increase payment rates for their supplemental insurance plans.

NBCConnecticut.com: Connecticut lawmakers have passed a bill providing protection from gender identity discrimination.

Washington Post: U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine believes gay couples should be able to adopt if a judge deems it in the best interest of the child, he told the Washington Post in a recent interview.

The focus now shifts to the Senate, where Petrarca’s bill has support from Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, a spokesman said on Thursday.

One News Now: A pro-marriage rally is set to take place Friday, May 27, at the famous “Loop” in downtown Chicago, where the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative, the statewide pro-marriage campaign will be introduced.

Heather Rayne Geyer at Patch.com: July 23, 2009 – Wisconsin Family Action and The Alliance Defense Fund filed an action with the Wisconsin Supreme Court arguing that the registry is not in compliance with the State Constitution. Governor Doyle appointed Lester Pines to defend the registry against this action.

Alan Jacobs at the Wall Street Journal: One could respond in several ways to the news that California’s Pitzer College is starting a department of “secular studies” and creating a major in the field. Religious believers may see another sign of encroaching, well, secularism on American campuses. Conversely, just as the rise of religious studies—as opposed to theology—happened when religious belief was in precipitous decline among academics, perhaps the rise of secular studies indicates that secularism is a fading enterprise.

The Hill: While DeLay’s whipping methods attracted a lot of criticism and controversy, he created an expectation that House Republicans would never lose on a tight vote. Winning close votes demoralized Democrats and fostered confidence among House Republicans. The 2011 whip operation, some contend, needs a harder edge.

Pacific Justice Institute: On May 23-24 Redwood Heights Elementary School will be teaching children in grades kindergarten through fifth that there are more than two genders. The two days calendared for this are entitled “Gender Spectrum Diversity Training.” In documents released by the school, students will be taught that “gender is not inherently nor solely connected to one’s physical anatomy.”

While the public is divided over same-sex marriage, a majority of Americans (58%) say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society.

LifeSiteNews: Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk told an ecumenical meeting in Moscow that stopping the demographic crisis in Russia must be a priority for all Christians, as well as the state.

LifeSiteNews: Canadian punk group “Living with Lions” has drawn outrage for its obscene anti-Bible artwork and representation of Jesus Christ on their new album – funded by the Canadian government.

LifeSiteNews: The question of whether end-of-life decisions, such as whether or not to withdraw life-support, should be made at the discretion of a doctor or family members is at stake in the Rasouli case, taken before Ontario’s Court of Appeal yesterday.

LifeSiteNews: The House Rules Committee narrowly approved the measure Wednesday in a 13 – 12 vote. The vote took place along party lines, with Republicans in favor, and Democrats against. However, one Republican, Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Red Wing), joined Democrats to oppose the amendment.

LifeSiteNews: The Minnesota Senate has approved a bill that would limit late-term abortion to 20 weeks on the basis of fetal pain; however, Democrat Gov. Mark Dayton is almost certain to veto the measure.

LifeNews: On a 34 to 9 vote the Nebraska Legislature initially approved LB 521, the Stop Web Cam Abortions bill, to second stage of floor debate. Yesterday, legislators advanced the bill to the final round of debate on a 36-9 vote.

LifeNews: The non-profit organization says unintended pregnancies, that could be prevented with abortion or efforts promoting contraception or birth control, cost the federal and state governments more than $11 billion a year.

Fairbanks Daily News: Murkowski said her decision to vote for cloture in the filibuster of Goodwin Liu followed her long-standing belief that judicial nominees should receive an up-or-down vote.

Religion Clause Blog: A Tennessee state Chancery Court judge has dismissed most of plaintiffs’ claims in a widely publicized lawsuit seeking to prevent construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Religion Clause Blog: “In Kaplan v. Khan, (NY Sup. Ct. Kings Co., May 17, 2011), a New York trial judge dismissed a defamation claim brought by a woman against her former pastor. At issue was pastor Nizam Khan’s “rebuke” during a prayer service . . . ”

Christian Today: The 11 Church of Iran members had been charged with “action against the order of the country” and drinking alcohol, after joining a house church meeting and taking communion wine.

Religion Clause Blog: Finalizing action that Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced last year (see prior posting), the Kentucky Tourism and Development Finance Authority voted unanimously yesterday to grant $40 million in tax rebates to a Noah’s Ark theme part to be built by Answers in Genesis ministry.

AP: A Nevada judge ruled Thursday that political parties can pick who will represent them on the ballot for the Silver State’s first special election to fill a vacant U.S. House seat.

AP: Twenty-three women and a 43-year-old man were charged Friday with child pornography offenses in what investigators say is a unique case because of the number of female suspects.

Rasmussen Reports: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 60% now believe the policies and practices of the federal government encourage people to enter the United States illegally.

Timothy Shah, Daniel Philpott and Monica Toft at Public Discourse: Whether or not one likes religious actors, they are here to stay. The issue is not whether but when and how religious actors will enter public life and shape political outcomes. The third in a three-part series.

LA Times: Battle lines in federal debt talks sharpened markedly Thursday when the Senate’s top Democrat rejected a proposal for $2 trillion in budget cuts as demanded by House Speaker John A. Boehner, saying any cuts must be accompanied by action on closing tax loopholes.

The Hill: The Parents Television Council (PTC) is raising concerns over an NBC show set to debut this fall that required cast members to sign a nudity clause.The watchdog group that previously waged campaigns against MTV’s “Skins” and “Gossip Girl” is now calling out “The Playboy Club,” which is set on one of the more infamous nightclubs in Chicago during the 1960s.

The Hill: Two senior Republican senators on Thursday noted that the Senate had not passed a full year’s budget for 750 days and suggested Democrats are incapable of producing a plan that works.