Quote
O God, beneath Thy guiding hand
Our exiled fathers crossed the sea,
And when they trod the wintry strand,
With prayer and psalm they worshiped Thee.
Thou heardst, well pleased, the song, the prayer —
Thy blessing came; and still has power
Shall onward through all ages bear
The memory of that holy hour
Laws, freedom, truth, and faith in God
Came with those exiles o’er the waves,
And where their pilgrim feet have trod,
The God they trusted guards their graves.
And here Thy name, O God of love,
Their children’s children shall adore,
Till these eternal hills remove,
And spring adorns the earth no more.
-Leonard Bacon
PRESIDENTIAL QUOTE
 Portrait courtesy of the Library of Congress. |
As Commander in Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries, men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book, words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a foundation of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
–Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Hello FairTax supporters,
Hello FairTax supporters,
I’m writing today in order to share with you an example of another reason why the current system is unacceptable and must be replaced by the FairTax. In just the last couple of weeks newspapers, television shows, and radio shows have all highlighted the growing tension between the American public and the Internal Revenue code.
Tension spilled over when the IRS tried to sneak through a new rule which allowed the IRS to allow others to sell your personal and private information which they force you to disclose under penalty of law. One more reason why we should pass the FairTax today! To read more details on this story click here: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/14147002.htm.
IRS horror stories, possible privacy violations, budget deficits, trade issues, and more issues like these abound in the news. There is no better time than now to have a friend join us with no obligation here http://db.fairtaxvolunteer.org/esubscribe.php or for you to write a quick letter to the editor on the benefits of the FairTax. I urge you to write a letter today. Just send an e-mail to letters@fairtax.org with your city and state and we will get back to you with the contact information for the local papers in your area and some bullet points on the benefits of the FairTax.
Thank you for all that you do,
Leo Linbeck
Chairman/CEO
Americans For Fair Taxation
Illegal Alien Mobs Take to Our Streets… Demanding US Citizens´ Rights
Posted: March 28 2006
This weekend we saw something very disturbing. An illegal alien mob came out of the shadows by the hundreds of thousands and descended on Phoenix, Denver and Los Angeles.
Like an invading horde, they demanded US citizen rights, but without any citizen duties, responsibilities, loyalties. Has our beloved America become France?
Are riots in the streets and the burning of cars in Washington DC next?
The media estimates that almost one million illegal foreign migrants and their advocates militantly marched in the streets of America under the flag of Mexico. Their agenda is for our federal laws to be ignored, and their criminal trespass into these sovereign United States to be rewarded with unlimited benefits that include the rights of American citizenship!
As these large mobs of foreigners marched proudly under the flag of a foreign country to demand the right to live and prosper in the United States, they claimed that the issue is immigration. But their own actions reveal what is in fact a determined effort to force Americans to accept large foreign colonies in our midst, and to pay handsomely for the privilege of doing so. We have both the right and the moral obligation to defend America, and “just say ‘No!’”
Millions of law abiding US citizens understand what is at stake, and wonder what our response should be to sedition, intimidation and acts of defiance against our republic and our ordered liberty. Providentially, the patriotic American response recommences this week… The Minutemen.
The Minutemen say, as loyal Americans have always said, “Immigration, yes—colonization, no!”
The Mexican government, Open Borders, MEChA, LULAC and other left-wing organizations are all demanding that the US violate our Constitution, compromise our national security and national sovereignty, and undermine the rule of law.
Millions of illegal aliens and their handlers are shouting: “No nations, No borders” and “Our ‘rights’ trump the US, its Constitution, its citizens and its laws.”
And they’re becoming more vocal and activist every day.
But their objective is not true citizenship; what they demand is absent any of the duties, responsibilities and loyalties incumbent to sustain America.
Illegal aliens in America are here only because they are guilty of criminal violation
of our federal laws, ‘jumping’ our borders and living in a shadowy underground economy. They are morally culpable for shoving aside those who adhere to the law and enter these United States in orderly and legal fashion. Since when do criminals and cheaters receive pride of place for the blessings of liberty, over those honestly, earnestly and faithfully seeking to become American citizens?
This is more than a wakeup call—it is an affront to requirements of responsible self-government.
How did this happen? Our government did not do its job and enforce the rule of law . Instead it has looked the other way as international criminal syndicates, drug cartels, foreign governments, and radical advocacy groups work to destroy the very foundations of the constitutional rights so many Americans have fought for and died to protect.
What will the politicians in Washington do now?Follow the rule of law and represent the 92 PERCENT OF AMERICANS WHO WANT the US BORDERS SECURED? Or will they make common cause with radical globalists, “free-trade” ideologues, and big business lobbyists seeking to exploit cheap foreign labor—even if it creates a new migrant class of indentured labor within our borders?
President Bush has called for a reasonable and civil debate over the issues of border security and immigration reform. But the American people understand there can be no responsible immigration reform UNTIL OUR BORDERS ARE SECURE. “Guest worker” amnesty programs ARE NOT a part of border security.
It is CRITICAL that you ACT TODAY! If we can FLOOD the offices of these Senators with TENS OF THOUSANDS of faxes, demanding that they REJECT any “guest worker” amnesty bill, we CAN stop the dangerous Specter-Kennedy sell-out dead in its tracks. But we need YOUR help. Send your blast faxes to EVERY SINGLE US Senator AT ONCE for just $19, RIGHT NOW:
https://secure.responseenterprises.com/amnesty/?a=555
The crisis before us today is not surprising to the patriots of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC). For more than three years, Chris Simcox and his volunteers, in hopes of protecting their Arizona communities, have been observing and reporting illegal aliens pouring across our southern border… now all America need do is look out the window, and witness in our streets the consequences of our government’s failure to enforce our laws.
One year ago, the Minutemen decided to go public and national, to do the job our government still refuses to do. A brave and dedicated group of 800 patriots mustered for duty in Tombstone, AZ to watch the border and assist the US Border Patrol by reporting illegal crossings—and prove that if we have the political will, our borders can be secured.
Now, under the leadership of Chris Simcox MCDC has grown to more than 6500 trained patriot volunteers. They have awakened the American citizenry, and moved the US Congress to pass HR 4437—sparking a national security and immigration debate that rages in the Senate and across the nation this week.
Now is NOT the time for our Minutemen to back down and allow advocates of anarchy to destroy the rule of law.
Our political leaders lack the backbone to enforce the law and are pushing a radical agenda that would eliminate enforcement of our borders and allow greater access to taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens.
Law abiding American citizens must say that we WILL NOT tolerate an open, chaotic border any longer. We will not be bullied into surrendering to foreigners our national security, our national sovereignty and our rights as US citizens.
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is on duty again throughout April protecting our borders from foreign invasion. They, as always, are respectful of the law and generous in their compassion for the exploited and indigent humanity flooding our frontier.
YOU can make a REAL DIFFERENCE. The politicians will talk; the liberal media and the “Hate America” crowd will complain about offending law breakers. The Minutemen will ACT in defense of America!
Sincerely,
Chris Simcox, President
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
CLICK HERE we need you to VOLUNTEER NOW!
https://secure.responseenterprises.com/minutemanh/registration.php?a=555
CLICK HERE we need your financial help NOW!
https://secure.responeenterprises.com/minutemanhq/?a=555
If you prefer to donate by check, please mail to:
Minuteman Civil Defense
Dept Code 555
PO Box 130707
Houston, TX 77219-0707
Jim Henry, in ‘redeployment,’ to aid ‘next generation’
By James A. Smith Sr.
Mar 28, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (BP)–“If I had a thousand lives, I’d be a pastor,” Jim Henry said in a wide-ranging hour-and-a-half interview with the Florida Baptist Witness reflecting on nearly a half-century of pastoral ministry, including more than 28 years as pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla.
“As I look at nearly a half-century that went really, awfully fast, I feel like David … when he sat down and considered God’s blessing, he said, ‘Who am I and who is my father’s house that you’ve set me in this place.’ And that’s the way I feel about God’s grace and goodness to me. I’m awed and eternally grateful.”
The interview came amid a weeklong celebration of Henry’s tenure at First Baptist, including his final sermon as pastor March 19; various recognition dinners with constituencies of the mega-church; and a special two-and-a-half-hour celebration service March 26. Henry concludes his pastorate March 31.
During the March 26 celebration service, Henry was named pastor emeritus of the 13,000-member church he has led since 1977.
Other recognitions during the service included:
– an announcement that an auditorium at LifeWay Christian Resources’ Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina will be named “The Dr. James B. ‘Jim’ Henry Auditorium,” presented by James T. Draper Jr., retired president of LifeWay Christian Resources, and personnel committee member John Bozard.
– an endowment in Jeanette Henry’s name to assist pastors’ wives to attend the annual meeting of Florida Baptist State Convention, made on behalf of the church and the Florida Baptist Convention and presented by church member Lois Wenger and John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention.
– a gift from the deacons of the chalice Henry used to serve the Lord’s Supper for more than 20 years at First Baptist Orlando.
During the March 26 service symbolizing the transition in leadership, David Uth, the new senior pastor who was called as co-pastor last May, washed the feet of Henry, and Henry “passed the mantle” to Uth with a shawl and in a dedicatory prayer over Uth.
Under Henry’s leadership, First Baptist Orlando outgrew its the downtown campus and moved to the present John Young Parkway campus, premiered Singing Christmas Trees, opened a community crisis pregnancy center and opened The First Academy, a K-12 Christian school.
In his final sermon to the congregation March 19, Henry walked on the platform carrying a briefcase telling the church, “Well, I’m on my way out.” The briefcase held eight Bibles, from the first one given to him after his baptism by his first pastor, W.F. Powell at First Baptist Church in Nashville, down through all the Bibles he has used during 45 years of pastoral ministry.
Henry’s final sermon as pastor, “The Worthiness of Jesus” from Revelation 18:11-16 and Psalm 24:7-10, is among his favorites, delivered more than 50 times during his ministry, he said.
“For 45 years I’ve been inviting people to follow Jesus, to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord,” Henry said.
Concluding his sermon using every letter of the English alphabet to highlight a different attribute of Jesus, Henry told the congregation, “All we need from A to Z, He’s worthy. … Consider Jesus as your Savior and Lord of your life. Consider Jesus, the coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Following Henry’s final sermon, Uth told the congregation, “Can I tell you guys a secret? This wasn’t the last time Jim Henry’s going to preach right here.”
During a March 21 retirement dinner with 600 members who have served in leadership positions during Henry’s tenure, Henry was presented a “first-class” golf vacation in Scotland, including one round of golf at the historic Saint Andrew’s Golf Course, and Jeanette Henry was given a set of travel luggage.
In his retirement -– or “redeployment” as he prefers to call it -– Henry will focus on mentoring young pastors and assisting churches, he said in the Witness interview.
“[When] people are at their deepest point of opportunities and needs, nobody can be there more than a pastor can,” Henry said, adding in a final encouragement to pastors, “If God’s got that call on your life, love Him, love His Word, love His people. If God’s called you, look at it with a sense of joy and expectancy and thrill –- the adventure of pastoring.”
Henry, 68, said the time was right to step down as pastor -– for him and his wife and for the church.
“If God gave me health and strength, I wanted enough time to go and do two things -– encourage churches and help younger pastors or pastors. I didn’t want to stay until I was so tired and spent that I had nothing left to give back to the next generation of leadership,” he said.
Henry also said -– through tears -– that it was time for him to give more to his wife who has had health problems in recent years.
“I can give more to her now at this time in her time,” he said. “She’s been a great trooper. I want to give her what she so richly deserves. So, I’ll get to do that.”
Henry told the Witness his greatest satisfaction in ministry is “seeing lives transformed by Jesus Christ and maturing in the faith, and the personal relationships with people. … I feel like I’m rich in those experiences in the four churches I’ve pastored.”
He noted, “Other opportunities have come along since I’ve been here to do other things, but God gave me a shepherd’s heart, He made me a pastor.”
Acknowledging that one of those opportunities was to become president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Henry said he does not regret his decision to stay in Orlando, although “I really struggled with it; Jeanette and I both did.”
Henry said the biggest challenge in ministry has been balancing the demands of ministry with time for his family and “carving out time to be quiet before the Lord.”
Henry said “some basic human needs never change” -– whether he was pastoring his first church in rural Mississippi as a student at New Orleans Seminary 45 years ago or a mega-church in a major metropolitan city like Orlando today.
“That guy sitting in the pew at Mt. Pisgah [Baptist Church] and the guy sitting in the pew at First Baptist here nearly 50 years later, I see the same guy, the same lady a lot of times, and the same Christ able to step into their lives and make a difference. Those things don’t change,” he said.
Henry agreed, however, that the breakdown in the Judeo-Christian consensus in America has heightened the degree of “brokenness” in people to which churches must minister.
Once again, fighting back tears, Henry recalled the simple desire of hurting people who need the gentle touch of a minister, telling the story of a recently married young man who wanted Henry to meet his wife because as a boy Henry would occasionally touch his and his mother’s shoulder when he came into the sanctuary at Nashville’s Two Rivers Baptist Church.
The young man recalled how as a boy he was grieving the loss of his father and told Henry years later, “You didn’t know it, but that was the glue that held us together for a long time. And I wanted my wife to meet you because you held me together when I was very vulnerable and I wanted to come and say, Thank you.”
Henry told the Witness, in a barely audible voice, “That knocked me out of the park. I just didn’t realize that.”
Recalling his two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1994-96, Henry said his most enjoyable experiences were “seeing the great heartbeat of Southern Baptists,” introducing evangelist Billy Graham during the SBC’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1995, leading the SBC in a resolution of racial reconciliation acknowledging the convention’s complicity in slavery and lack of support for civil rights for African Americans, and representing the SBC in meetings with presidents and other political leaders, including trips to observe the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan and to Israel for the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Henry conceded that he did not enjoy the boycott of the Disney corporation, which he publicly opposed, and expressed puzzlement “that some people felt me suspect in my convictions as a conservative.”
Henry was elected president in the first contested election between conservatives after the “Conservative Resurgence” of the SBC had begun in 1979 in an effort to move the denomination back to its historic commitment to conservative theology.
Henry has led First Baptist Orlando to be among the SBC’s strongest supporters of the Cooperative Program, a commitment which brought the recognition of the SBC Executive Committee in 2000 when Henry was honored with the M.E. Dodd Award.
Reflecting on that award, Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman told the Witness, “Jim Henry has displayed a loyalty to the Southern Baptist Convention throughout the years of his ministry that is a model for all pastors, present and future.”
Henry expressed concern about the future of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Referencing the SBC’s baptism statistics, he said, “I feel like in some ways we’ve kind of flat-lined, and in a growing population that bothers me.”
On the other hand, Henry said that he is encouraged by the young people who are fiercely committed to the mission field, even in the most difficult places of the world.
Although his calendar is already full for the first year of his “redeployment,” Henry said he is still not entirely sure what retirement will hold.
“It’s kind of a step of faith for me. … My passion and interest are in encouraging churches and helping pastors,” he said.
During the March 26 celebration service, the church was told that a donor had given $100,000 to establish a fund to be used at Henry’s discretion to assist and mentor young pastors.
Henry and his wife will maintain their memberships at First Baptist Orlando, although they plan on spending summers in North Carolina, promising to not “be in the shadow” of Uth, but instead to be “his best cheerleader,” Henry told the Witness.
“It’s time to back off and let the young guys take it and run with it.”
–30–
James A. Smith Sr. is executive editor of the Florida Baptist Witness, on the Web at www.floridabaptistwitness.com.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22923 <—- Click link for photos.
Optimism Abounds for Marriage Amendment in Florida
By Allie Martin and Jody Brown
March 27, 2006
(AgapePress) – A proposed constitutional amendment that would protect traditional marriage is one step closer to being on the ballot in Florida. In addition, the last of eight cases filed in the state by advocates of same-sex unions challenging current marriage laws has been withdrawn.
The Florida Supreme Court has issued a 7-0 opinion clearing the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment for placement on a statewide ballot once the 611,009 signatures in support of the measure are certified. The amendment states that “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver, who argued the case for the amendment, explains that the Florida high court rejected arguments by the American Civil Liberties Union.
 Mat Staver |
“The ACLU argued that this amendment addressed two subjects: marriage, and civil unions and domestic partnerships,” Staver says. “They said people would be in favor of voting for marriage, but may not be in favor of banning civil unions. The Supreme Court rejected that argument and said that this amendment is about the singular purpose of marriage and maintaining and preserving the protections and obligations of marriage.”
Specifically, the court ruled that in voting for or against the measure, voters are “merely being asked to vote on the singular subject of whether the concept of marriage and the rights and obligations traditionally embodied therein should be limited to the union of one man and one woman.”
The court also rejected ACLU arguments contesting the amendment’s Title and Ballot Summary, stating that its language adequately informs voters and is in no way misleading.
The Liberty Counsel spokesman says this initiative will not change existing law but will simply preserve the status quo by protecting the traditional definition of marriage.
“This is an amendment that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” he explains. “It also bans same-sex marriage, polygamy, or group marriages, and it bans same-sex marriage or any other kind of relationship under a different name.” Staver expounds on that last aspect, saying under the approved amendment, “you simply cannot avoid this amendment by creating a ‘marriage’ relationship but call it something else, like a ‘civil union.’”
The attorney is optimistic about how the amendment will fare at the ballot box. “Very soon the remaining signatures will be certified, and the people of Florida will vote,” he says. “I have no doubt that this marriage amendment will pass by an overwhelming majority.” He cites statewide votes across the country on amendments protecting traditional marriage. He contends that when voters are permitted a choice, “they always choose marriage as the union of only one man and one woman.”
Staver presented the argument before the state’s high court in early February on behalf of Florida4Marriage.org, the sponsor of the amendment. The following week, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) — whose representative was present to hear Staver’s arguments — filed for dismissal of a case challenging the state’s marriage laws.
Eight and Out
Higgs v. Kolhage was the last of eight Florida cases filed by same-sex marriage advocates to be dismissed. All of those cases — most dismissed last year, and one dismissed as recently as January — targeted the state’s marriage laws. Liberty Counsel speculates that after hearing Staver argue in favor of the amendment before the high court — and witnessing the justices’ skeptical response to arguments against the amendment — the NCLR may have concluded their Higgs case faced a similar future.
Staver says the battle, however, is not over. “Although all eight court challenges against Florida’s marriage laws are over, voters can only be certain to protect marriage through the passage of a state constitutional amendment” — which is on the verge of happening, says the attorney.
And in Staver’s opinion, it is important that Florida follow the trend of states that, over the past two years, have overwhelmingly passed pro-traditional marriage amendments. “One loss can create a ripple effect around the country,” he says. “To successfully defend marriage, we must win all of the time.”
Same-Sex Marriage Advocates Withdraw the Last of Eight Cases Filed in Florida
March 27, 2006
News Release
Eight Cases Filed in Florida
Orlando, FL – Same-sex marriage advocates have now dismissed all eight lawsuits filed in Florida challenging Florida’s marriage laws. Attorneys who brought the case of Higgs v. Kolhage in Key West, Florida, filed papers on February 13, 2006, requesting dismissal. The plaintiffs in Higgs are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief in support of Florida’s marriage laws in this case.
The same attorney with the NCLR who represents Higgs is also a member of the legal team which argued against allowing Florida voters to have the opportunity to pass an amendment to the Florida Constitution to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. On February 8, 2006 – the week before the NCLR filed for dismissal of the Higgs case – the Florida Supreme Court heard oral argument on the amendment. Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, argued for the amendment, and the NCLR attorney was also present. The argument did not go well for the NCLR and the ACLU, as the justices appeared skeptical of the arguments against the amendment. Indeed, the Court issued a unanimous opinion last week upholding the amendment language. NCLR must have realized that the Higgs case would fare no better before the Court than their opposition to the marriage amendment.
Five other cases that were filed in state court, but were dismissed last year, include: Ash v. Forman (Broward County); Clayton v. Ake (Hillsboro County); Merritt v. Gardner (Orange County); Berman v. Wilkin (Palm Beach County); and Kelley v. Green (Lee County). The dismissal of these cases followed on the heels of a federal court decision in the Florida case of Wilson v. Ake, which upheld Florida’s marriage laws in January 2005. The Wilson case rejected an attempt to extend a Massachusetts same-sex marriage to Florida. The other federal court case dismissed last year was Sullivan v. Bush (Southern District of Florida).
Mathew D. Staver commented: “Although all eight court challenges against Florida’s marriage laws are over, voters can only be certain to protect marriage through the passage of a state constitutional amendment. To successfully defend marriage, we must win all of the time. One loss can create a ripple effect around the country. Courts did not create marriage and should not destroy it. Efforts to pass state and federal constitutional marriage amendments will continue to move forward. When people are allowed a choice, they always choose marriage as the union of only one man and one woman.”
A large coalition of Florida groups is promoting a citizen initiative to pass a state constitutional amendment. The proposed amendment, for which a statewide vote is planned in 2008, states: “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.” The petition for the amendment is accessible online at www.LC.org and www.Florida4Marriage.org.
Liberty Counsel, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. On the campus of Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty Counsel’s Center for Constitutional Litigation and Policy trains attorneys, law students, policymakers, legislators, clergy and world leaders in constitutional principles and government policies.
Mathew D. Staver, Esq.
Liberty Counsel
PO Box 540774
Orlando, FL 32854
800-671-1776
Intolerance of Christianity and Traditional Morals Now Official Policy in San Francisco
by Hilary White
SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Battle Cry for a Generation is a Christian evangelization project started by a young Texas minister working against the degeneration of modern popular culture and its effects on young people. The group says that a “stealthy enemy” has corrupted the youth of America with a highly sexualized media and corporate culture that contributes to underage sex, drug use and suicide.
“Corporations, media conglomerates and purveyors of popular culture have spent billions to seduce and enslave our youth,” the group’s website says.
Battle Cry has organized a series of rallies around the US that feature rock music bands with a Christian message and speeches intended to inspire teenagers to “retake” the culture. The Group’s next stop is Detroit, April 7-8.
The group’s rally in San Francisco sold out with 25,000 attendees. “We’re sick and tired of pop culture telling us it’s cool to sleep around, dress like tramps, get high on drugs and alcohol, and behave badly,” said 18-year-old Amanda Hughey from Orange County.
“Life is not MTV, and if we continue to live like we’re starring in those outrageous music videos, our generation is doomed,” Hughey said.
The group is especially concerned with the effect on teens of MTV, the music video television network that has been called thinly disguised soft-core pornography by Christian leaders. Battle Cry quotes a report by the Parents Television Council, 2004 that showed MTV exposes children and teens to an average of 9 sexual scenes per hour and more than 8 un-bleeped profanities per hour.
“It’s ‘virtue terrorism’ and teens have had enough!” said Battle Cry’s organizer, Ron Luce.
The Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, citing the city’s tradition of “tolerance,” issued a statement condemning the rally as an “act of provocation” by the “anti-gay,” “anti-choice” organization. Despite the sold-out venue and the enthusiastic response of the young people, the Board accused the rally of attempting to “negatively influence the politics of America’s most tolerant and progressive city.”
Tolerance, however, is reserved in San Francisco for those who agree with the sexual revolution and leftist political viewpoint. Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said Battle Cry’s “intolerance” of sexual promiscuity, pornography, the drug culture and homosexual deviance is “obnoxious” and “disgusting” and should, therefore, not be tolerated. “They should get out of San Francisco,” he said.
SF Gate, the online Christian news source, quotes an organizer with Not In Our Name, an Oakland-based extreme left anti-war group, saying, “There is a real intolerancy (sic) to homosexuality in a lot of these organizations.”
On Wednesday last week, the Board of Supervisors issued a similar declaration of official intolerance of Christian and traditional values. The Board said William Cardinal Levada’s instruction that Catholic Charities of San Francisco cease turning children over to homosexuals was “discriminatory and defamatory,” and “insulting.” They called Levada himself a “decidedly unqualified representative of his former home city.”
Earlier this year, when pro-life San Franciscans held a March for Life attended by thousands, the city again condemned the public expression of opposition to the abortion and euthanasia movement. A pro-life participant in the San Francisco march created a lengthy online photo essay which summarizes the counter-protester’s understanding of freedom of speech: “But who the hell do they think they are, saying that s___ here?”
Read the website of Battle Cry for a Generation:
http://www.battlecry.com/
View the photo essay:
http://www.zombietime.com/walk_for_life/
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
San Francisco City Government Calls Catholics ‘Hateful, Discriminatory, Insulting, Ignorant’
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06032203.html
Men’s Basketball Advances To Final Four With 75-62 Victory Over Villanova
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Minneapolis, MN
Sophomore Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) had 21 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and five blocks to help the Florida men’s basketball team became the final squad to punch its ticket to the Final Four as the Gators defeated No. 1 seed Villanova 75-62 in the regional final Sunday evening in Minneapolis, Minn. The appearance in the Final Four is the third for the Gators in program history and the first since 2000.
Florida will face No. 11 seed George Mason in the national semifinal Saturday night at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind., at 6:07 ET.
Florida’s victory moved its season record to 31-6 building on what is the most successful year ever in terms of total wins. Villanova fell to 27-5 on the year in what was the 11th Elite Eight game for the Wildcats.
Noah was named the MVP of the Minneapolis regional and was one of three Gators named to the regional’s all-tournament team as forward Al Horford (Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic) and guard Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) were also honored.
Noah was one of four Gators in double figures where he was joined by Green who had 19, Horford who added 12 points and 15 rebounds and Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.) who totaled 11 points.
The first few minutes of the game were back and forth before Florida went on a 16-2 run midway through the first half triggered by a technical foul on Villanova’s Allan Ray.
Florida built the lead to 12 with 3:31 remaining before the break; however, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run with all the points coming at the foul line before the half ended with UF holding a 35-30 advantage.
After only playing six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Brewer helped spark a 15-0 run in the second half by scoring six of his 11 points within the first four minutes. Green added to the lead with running shot inside the lane, followed by a 3-pointer to put the Gators up by 12.
Florida held Villanova to 24.0 percent shooting from the field and limited the Wildcats to 4-of-23 shooting from 3-point range.
-UF-
Florida defeats Villanova 75-62
The Associated Press
Florida County Wants to Force Churches to Stay Small
March 24, 2006
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Commissioners seek to amend zoning laws to ensure new churches have limited pews. Pastors and concerned citizens in Palm Beach County , Fla. , are protesting as both unrealistic and unconstitutional a proposed amendment to zoning laws that would limit the size of future church-building projects. County officials maintain residents in some communities have complained about the noise and traffic associated with church expansion. The only way to solve the problem, they maintain, is to keep churches small. Palm Beach County commissioners have requested that the Planning and Zoning Department draft an amendment to the land development code that would severely limit the size of any future church to a scale based on the density of the neighborhood population. Steve Stewart, senior pastor of Church in the Farms — a conservative Southern Baptist congregation — was one of many who spoke at a public meeting on the matter this week. “We strongly encouraged them to find better ways to accomplish the same thing,” he said. “If they wanted to accomplish some traffic congestion issues, some better traffic accommodations, you can do that with a slightly different code.” Current zoning is divided into three tiers: low-density, medium-density and high-density population areas. Under the proposal, a church in a high-density area could cover 75,000 square feet and have 750 seats, while a medium-density area could have 50,000 square feet and 500 seats. Buildings in low-density areas would be limited 25,000 square feet with just 250 seats. “That 250 seats means everywhere (in the building),” Stewart explained. “If you have a fellowship hall with 100 seats, you can only put 150 in the auditorium.” Churches, he said, would be discouraged from buying property in low-density areas because they couldn’t develop it. “If this is happening in Palm Beach County , it could be happening in other quickly developing counties throughout various states,” Stewart said. “We can’t let this become a legal precedent — if this became a precedent, my word, what it could do.” At the public meeting, he asked planners to consider what would happen if a church was a highly effective at ministry. “What if we deliver relevant sermons, we have great worship, we have great children’s and youth programs, we have great addiction therapy — we have great ministry, and people drive over from other neighborhoods?” he asked. “And here was their response: ‘Well, they can go to church in their own neighborhood.’ ” Proponents of the amendment say they simply want churches to fit the size and look of their neighborhoods and want to avoid traffic problems every Sunday morning. “We are totally sympathetic to that,” Stewart said. “We understand that we have a responsibility in a county to beautify it and to keep the problems to a minimum. Not one pastor I know would argue that. We have a responsibility to be good neighbors. “But at the same time we have a responsibility to our communities, and if a church happens to be effective at ministry, they are going to attract a crowd.” The proposal doesn’t just affect Christian churches, either. “This affects synagogues, mosques, every house of worship,” Stewart said. “They are trying to say this is for all nonprofit assembly, but interestingly it is not for schools or anything commercial. In other words, it doesn’t apply to anything they would get tax income from.” TAKE ACTION
If you are a resident of Palm Beach County , please write the county commissioners and urge them not to amend zoning laws to restrict church size. For contact information, visit the CitizenLink Action Center.
FINAL FOUR!!! Again!!! AWESOME!!!
The Florida Gators defeated Villanova Wildcats 75 to 62 to advance to the Final Four to be played next Saturday in the NCAA Tournament!
Next Game April 1, 2006 at 06:05pm v. George Mason
GO GATORS!
The “Triumph” of Socialism
Posted: March 24 2006
By Thomas E. Brewton
France, the birth-place of socialism, is now living socialism’s logical end-game.
Mobs in the streets of France, led by university students, are smashing store-fronts, burning automobiles, barricading streets, and their labor union buddies are threatening a syndicalist general strike.
The occasion for this fulmination is the proposed enactment of a first-job contract law that would permit businesses to fire a worker under the age of 25 for any reason during his first two years of employment.
These reactions are idiotic. Students are rioting against legal action to make it easier for them to get jobs, a process with limited prospects of success today.
Unemployment overall is somewhere well north of 10% and nearly 25% among people under age 25.
The reason for this is, in short, socialism.
More specifically, the problem is similar to what labor unions working with welfare-state government have created in the United States. Employers are reluctant to hire new workers full time, resorting to temp agencies instead, because union contracts and government regulations make hiring full-time extraordinarily expensive and layoffs both costly and time consuming.
France’s proposed first-job contract law was intended to diminish this punitive burden and thereby to encourage employers to hire more young people.
This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. Even for those fortunate enough to have jobs, the French economy is in worse shape than any of the other majors in Europe. And this is just what the French seem to desire, because the idea of free-market competition, the only route to innovation and job growth, is regarded as American barbarism.
The French, in effect, don’t want cradle-to-grave government benefits; they want to be embalmed and laid to rest at birth.
As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in the 1850s, after half-a-century of socialism in France, the French had become a nation of self-centered people, heedless of the greater good of society, intent only upon getting their prescribed government benefits, and prepared to endure any degree of despotism, so long as the benefits arrived.
Thomas E. Brewton is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance, Inc. The New Media Alliance is a non-profit (501c3) national coalition of writers, journalists and grass-roots media outlets.
His weblog is THE VIEW FROM 1776
http://www.thomasbrewton.com/
Email comments to viewfrom1776@thomasbrewton.com
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