'MARRIAGE' In The NEWS- October 2008: The REAL Proposal For Marriage magazine

Will the Return of Values Voters Bring Another Election Day Surprise? Townhall.com, By Michael Medved, October 29, 2008
The most startling factor in the Presidential election of 2004 could deliver an even bigger shock in the battle for the White House in 2008, if the nation witnesses the possible repeat of the decisive impact of “values voters”. Four years ago, the media largely ignored the significance of moral and family issues until Election Day exit polls revealed their crucial role in the GOP victory. In the same way, seasoned political observers – especially those who consider an Obama victory a foregone conclusion – have ignored the very real chance that social conservatives may bring about a stunning upset on November 4th. . . .Considering the hugely significant role of values voters in the last presidential race, it makes no sense for leading electoral experts to assume that they’ve become suddenly irrelevant in 2008. Did the social conservatives who tipped the scales to Bush and Cheney in a tough race four years ago somehow vanish or give up?. . . . . . Consider Obama’s promise of “universal pre-school” for all children age three and above. He insists that attendance at such federally mandated schools will remain voluntary, but paying for them will not. All citizens – including those mothers who choose to stay home with their little ones – will share in financing governmental day care, in effect punishing women who take care of their kids while rewarding those who want to leave them with someone else. At the other end of life, there’s also legitimate concern over Obama’s support for re-imposition of a crushing death tax, with a confiscatory rate of 45%. Nothing represents a more fundamental right for many families than the ability to pass on to their own children the wealth that they’ve accumulated through honest hard work –and on which they’ve already paid taxes as the parents earned the money. . .

Will the Return of Values Voters Bring Another Election day Surprise?

RELATED ARTICLE: California Same-Sex Marriage Initiative Campaigns Shatter Spending Records US News & World Report, By Justin Ewers, October 29, 2008
With less than a week to go before the election, the heated battle over a California ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage has begun to shatter spending records and draw high-profile political figures into the fray. According to outside estimates, the campaigns for and against Proposition 8 have raised more than $60 million in donations, setting a new record nationally for a social policy initiative—and trumping every other race in the country this year in spending except the presidential contest. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: An Open Letter to Evangelicals Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., October 27, 2008
The most frequent objection of those who fear the presence of believers in government is, “What right do you have to impose your morals on us?” Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council tells them, “The same right you have to impose your lack of morals on us.” Someone’s values will always be reflected in public policy. Almost every government policy decision is a value judgment. In this postmodern world, where moral relativism is the philosophy of choice, these value judgments are often based on the conditions of the moment rather than objective, transcendent, biblical truth. This is where the two sides diverge. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Liberal contempt: A Hard Habit to Break JosephCPhillips.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, September 29, 2008
I continue to be amazed at the contempt the new left has for the American people. Not satisfied with maintaining that Americans are too inept to own and invest our own retirement accounts, plan for our own healthcare or even educate our own children, they are now proclaiming in unison that our failure to see the brilliance of their current presidential candidate can only mean we are racists. . . . . . If John McCain should win in November, which is a distinct possibility, it will not be because Republicans reduced complex issues to scary sound bites or that the American people are simpleminded and stupid. Nor will it be because they are racists. If Obama loses the general election, it will be because the American people listened and rejected the vision of the new left, just as they have done seven out of the last 10 presidential elections.

After the Ball: The homosexual propaganda campaign in America's media (Click for Related Excerpt)

A Vote Against Gay Marriage is a Vote FOR Tolerance Townhall.com, By Frank Turek, October 26, 2008
Twenty years ago, a group of prominent homosexuals got together in Warrentown, Virginia to map out their plan to get homosexuality accepted by the general public. In the book [After the Ball] that resulted from their meeting, they revealed a strategy that achieves its effect "without reference to facts, logic or proof . . . the person's beliefs can be altered whether he is conscious of the attack or not." In other words, their strategy was pure propaganda. That propaganda campaign has many people today believing that denying same-sex marriage involves denying rights to a victimized minority. That belief could not be further from the truth. In fact, let me suggest what the same-sex marriage debate is not about.

         It is not about equality or equal rights.
         It is not about discrimination against a class of people.
         It is not about denying homosexuals the ability to commit to one another.
         It is not about love or private relationships.
        It is not about bigotry or homophobia.
         It is not about sexual orientation or being born a certain way.
         It is not about race or the civil rights struggle.
         It is not about interracial marriage.
       It is not about heterosexuals and divorce.
         It is not about the separation of church and state.
         It is not even about religion.

“But that’s all I hear about,” you say. Of course, that’s because the propaganda campaign continues to be successful. Those topics are all smokescreens designed to divert you. . . . Greg Koukl puts this very well: “Same-sex marriage is not about civil rights. It is about validation and social respect. It is a radical attempt at civil engineering using government muscle to strong-arm the people into accommodating a lifestyle many find deeply offensive, contrary to nature, socially destructive, and morally repugnant.”. . .

RELATED INFO: Putting strategies to work: the homosexual propaganda campaign in America's media MassResistance.org
Read below: The powerful, sophisticated psychological techniques that the homosexual movement has used to manipulate the public in the media. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: What same-sex "marriage" has done to Massachusetts: It's far worse than most people realize MassResistance.org, By Brian Camenker, October 20, 2008
Anyone who thinks that same-sex “marriage” is a benign eccentricity which won’t affect the average person should consider what it has done in Massachusetts. It’s become a hammer to force the acceptance and normalization of homosexuality on everyone. And this train is moving fast. What has happened so far is only the beginning. The public schools: The homosexual “marriage” onslaught in public schools across the state started soon after the November 2003, court decision. . . . Public health: The Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is “married” to another man. In 2007 he told a crowd of kids at a state-sponsored youth event that it’s “wonderful being gay” and he wants to make sure there’s enough HIV testing available for all of them. . . .Domestic violence: . . . . Business: . . . . . Legal profession: . . . .Adoption of children to homosexual “married” couples: . . . Government mandates:. . . . The public square: . . . The media: . . .

Gift Reminder

RELATED ARTICLE: Same-Sex Marriage — Challenges & Responses Townhall.com, By Gregory Koukl, February 11, 2007
A few years ago, the L.A. Times quoted a homosexual mayor in New York State dismissing the cultural significance of same-sex marriage. “I’ve never heard of anyone’s life being destroyed because someone got married,” he sniffed. Reading this assertion charitably (he couldn’t have meant no one’s life was ever destroyed by marriage), I take it this government official was mystified by the idea that anything bad could come of men marrying men or women marrying women. I immediately knew I was listening to a man who didn’t understand a simple truth: Ideas have consequences. In the case of same-sex marriage, the consequences will be massive. . . . . Unfortunately, addressing this issue requires refined distinctions and careful thinking that are easily overwhelmed by sound-byte rhetoric and broad, indiscriminate appeals to “rights.” What follows is a point-by-point reply to those who are demanding this revision of civilization. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The Intolerance of Tolerance Townhall.com, By Gregory Koukl, December 14, 2006
Probably no concept has more currency in our politically-correct culture than the notion of tolerance. Unfortunately, one of America's noblest virtues has been so distorted it's become a vice. There's one word that can stop you in your tracks. That word is "intolerant." . . . . The tolerant person allegedly occupies neutral ground, a place of complete impartiality where each person is permitted to decide for himself. No judgments allowed. No "forcing" personal views. That all views are equally valid is one of the most entrenched assumptions of a society committed to relativism. And it's a myth.

A line in the Sand for Same-sex marriage Opponents

A Line in the Sand for Same-Sex Marriage Foes New York Times, By Laurie Goodstein, October 27, 2008
While the battle over same-sex marriage has been all but invisible in the presidential race this year, it is raging like a wind-whipped wildfire in California. . . . . “This vote on whether we stop the gay-marriage juggernaut in California is Armageddon,” said Charles W. Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and an eminent evangelical voice, speaking to pastors in a video promoting Proposition 8. “We lose this, we are going to lose in a lot of other ways, including freedom of religion.” Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian lobby based in Washington, said in an interview, “It’s more important than the presidential election.” “We’ve picked bad presidents before, and we’ve survived as a nation,” said Mr. Perkins, who has made two trips to California in the last six weeks. “But we will not survive if we lose the institution of marriage.”. . . . Nevertheless, the “Yes on 8” campaign has brought over from Sweden a pastor named Ake Green, who a few years ago was sentenced to a month in prison under Sweden’s law banning hate speech, because he gave a sermon denouncing homosexuality. Mr. Green’s testimony was featured in a 90-minute “Yes on 8” satellite simulcast that was recently downlinked to 170 churches throughout the state. “He is a symbol of what is ahead,” said the Rev. Jim Garlow, the senior pastor of Skyline Church in the San Diego area, a leading organizer of the “Yes” ranks. “When you have laws that make homosexual marriage a protected class, then the government has a compelling interest to normalize that and must declare anything in opposition to that hate speech,” said Mr. Garlow, who hosted both the recent simulcast and regular conference calls with as many as 2,000 pastors, to motivate the ranks. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Calif. gay marriage ban becomes big money race Associated Press, October 27, 2008
— At least 64,000 people from all 50 states and more than 20 other countries have given money to support or oppose a ban on same-sex marriage in California, reflecting broad interest in a race that some consider second in national importance only to the presidential election. . . . On the yes side, the Knights of Columbus, based in New Haven, Conn., is the measure's largest single contributor so far, having given $1.4 million. Other top contributors to the Yes on 8 campaign were Irvine banking heir Howard Ahmanson Jr.'s Fieldstead and Co. foundation ($1.1 million); John Templeton Jr., son of the late Bryn Mawr, Pa., investor John Templeton ($900,000); the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association ($500,000), and Elsa Prince, ($450,000), mother of Blackwater founder Erik Prince. . . . . . On the no side, wealthy individuals making million-dollar gifts account for all but one of the gay marriage ban's top six opponents. The California Teachers Association, the state's largest teachers union, is first, having pledged $1.3 million to fight the initiative. Giving $1 million or more were retired New York hedge fund manager Robert W. Wilson; GeoCities founder David Bohnett; Jon Stryker, an heir to a Michigan media supplies company; WordPerfect software founder and Utah resident Bruce Bastian; and philanthropist David Maltz of Cleveland. . . . The contest also has drawn contributions from notable names in government, business and entertainment, most opposing the measure. Among them: Hollywood producer Stephen Bing ($500,000); actor Brad Pitt ($100,000); producer George Lucas and Lucas Films ($100,000 combined); director Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw ($100,000); talk show host Ellen DeGeneres ($100,000); House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's campaign fund ($10,000); audio systems inventor Ray Dolby and his wife, Dagmar ($135,000); and personal finance guru Suze Orman ($10,000). . . . Campaign spending on Proposition 8 dwarfs the total of $11.3 million channeled into gay marriage measures this year in Florida and Arizona. "This is the ball game. There is no other battle than this one, with all due respect to my colleagues in Arizona and Florida,". . .

Teacher outrage over dues money to homosexual agenda OneNewsNow, October 27, 2008
The president of the Pacific Justice Institute says a large percentage of California public school teachers are outraged over the California Teachers Association's support for homosexual marriage. According to Pacific Justice Institute president Brad Dacus, the CTA has funneled more than $1.2 million into the fight against California's Proposition 8. That proposition, if passed on November 4, would define marriage as between one man and one woman and amend the state constitution accordingly. Dacus also stated CTA's opposition to Prop. 8 has angered many public school teachers whose CTA membership fees have been used to fund the opposition campaign. In response, his group has launched a project called ChooseCharity.org. "And what we are doing...is educating and defending the rights of teachers to opt completely out of their union and give all of their union dues, every single penny of it, instead...to a charity that's in agreement with their faith -- and our phone is ringing off the hook," he adds. . .

Teacher outrage over California Teachers Association dues money to homosexual agenda

RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Parents Organize Prop. 8 Support Protest In School CBS13.com

RELATED ARTICLE: Protectmarriage.com - Yes on Prop 8 Challenges Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to Live Debate MarketWatch.com- The Wall Street Journal, October 28, 2008
-- Yes on 8 Says Debate Will Make It Clear: If we do not Pass Proposition 8, Gay Marriage Will Be Taught in California Public Schools, and that is Already Happening. . . . . "The No on Proposition 8 campaign has been airing television and radio ads featuring Jack O'Connell accusing us of running a 'shameful' campaign," said Ron Prentice, chairman of Protectmarriage.com - Yes on 8. "There is nothing shameful about telling the truth. This is the most critical issue of the campaign. Voters deserve an opportunity to hear for themselves what will happen, and indeed what is already happening, if we do not restore traditional marriage in California on Election Day. Given his strong statements, I'm sure O'Connell will have no problem accepting." The debate challenge comes as it becomes increasingly clear that indoctrination of young school children about gay marriage is already happening. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Traditional marriage is vital to kids and education Townhall.com, By Star Parker , October 27, 2008
In a recent ad run by "No on 8", California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell, says "Proposition 8 has nothing to do with schools or kids .... our schools aren't required to teach anything about marriage." To call this misleading would be the understatement of the 2008 campaign season. . . . If Proposition 8 has "nothing to do with schools or kids,'' then why has the California Teachers Association, the union of California's teachers and public school employees, contributed well over $1 million to the "No on 8" campaign? The teachers union opposes school choice and vouchers, claiming on its Web site that vouchers "hurt students and schools by draining scarce resources away from public education." Yet the union somehow sees it helping education to write a check for a million dollars to keep homosexual marriage legal.

RELATED ARTICLE: Parents Protest Prop. 8 Donations: California Teachers Association says schools, teachers hurt by protest NBC San Diego, October 27, 2008
Tensions have been running high lately over one proposition in particular --Proposition 8 -- which would amend the state constitution and ban gay marriage. On Monday, upset parents in Carlsbad took a stand by keeping their kids home from school in opposition to the $1.25 million donation given by the California Teachers Association to the "No on Prop. 8" campaign. The parents are upset because they say the union should be fighting for legislation that will actually affect schools -- legislation like the budget and class size -- not gay marriage.

RELATED ARTICLE: CTA gives $1M more to fight gay marriage ban Silicon Valley Mercury News- AP, October 15, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO—California's largest teacher's union has given another $1 million to defeat a Nov. 4 ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in the state. The contribution recorded Tuesday makes the California Teachers Association the largest institutional donor to the No on 8 campaign. CTA also gave $250,000 in August to Equality for All, a coalition of gay advocacy and civil rights groups opposing Proposition 8. Union spokeswoman Sandra Jackson says CTA's 800-member policy body voted overwhelmingly to oppose the gay marriage ban. Jackson says the issue concerns educators because "teachers teach the importance of equal rights for all." She says CTA leaders made the second contribution this week because the No campaign seems to be struggling.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) paying price for homosexual support

Utility paying price for homosexual support OneNewsNow, By Charlie Butts, October 25, 2008
Proposition 8 is designed to overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing homosexual "marriage." Brad Dacus of Pacific Justice Institute tells OneNewsNow why many voters are upset with the utility. "Pacific Gas & Electric shocked and stunned many of its customers and shareholders when it decided to give $250,000 dollars -- a quarter of a million dollars -- specifically to oppose Proposition 8, which is a pro-marriage amendment to recognize marriage between one man and one woman," he explains. American Family Association, a pro-family group based in Mississippi, sent its California subscribers an e-mail on the subject and, so far, 4,500 PG&E customers have cancelled service. Dacus expects that number to be 10,000 to 20,000 by Election Day. "People need to understand that there's [sic] two ways they can vote on this issue," he contends. "One is by going to the polls and voting for Prop. 8. The other is by choosing to switch from PG&E to an alternative natural gas provider -- and I think that in the long run, the latter can be just as important." Dacus suggests those interested in alternative utility providers visit NOtoPGE.com.

RELATED ARTICLE: Stand Up to PG&E's Attack on Marriage
Just a few months ago, the CA Supreme Court breached the trust of California's voters and decided to rule that marriage is no longer only a union between a man and a woman. Similarly, PG&E breached the trust of its customers and has recently given $250,000 to oppose Proposition 8, an initiative to amend the California Constitution to once again define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. You can make a difference! California law says you can switch from PG&E and choose an alternative provider of natural gas. In addition, our alternative provider (Tiger Natural Gas) can save PG&E customers up to 10%+ off their annual natural gas bill. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Apple joins fight against same-sex marriage ban Houston Chronicle, By Michelle Quinn- LA Times, October 25, 2008
Apple said Friday it was donating $100,000 to fight the proposed ban on same-sex marriages in California, taking a rare political stand that may win some customers and irk others. The computer and gadget maker joined Google, Qualcomm and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in declaring opposition to Proposition 8, which would define marriage as only between a man and a woman. . . .But Apple’s decision could drive away customers who disapprove of same-sex marriage, said Peter Sealey, adjunct professor of marketing at the Peter Drucker Graduate School of Management at the Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif. Sealey said he personally opposes Proposition 8 but thinks Apple’s decision was “wrong-headed.” “It will hurt shareholders of Apple,” he said. “People will not buy a Mac because of this decision.”

Marriage contest has hitch: No sex The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, By Helena Oliviero, October 23, 2008
There seems to be one small problem with a contest that would pay $10,000 to an engaged couple —- they can’t be engaged in premarital sex. How else to explain that in this sinking economy, no one has stepped forward to enter the Marriage for a Lifetime contest? Did we mention the cash prize? Or the free flowers, the invitations and other bridal goodies? The Oct. 31 deadline is fast approaching —- but so far, no entries. “Someone asked me, ‘Is anyone going to respond?’ ” said contest organizer Phillippia Faust, director of an abstinence education program for Rockdale, DeKalb and Newton counties. “In our society, it is going to be hard to find [a couple who has not had premarital sex]. … But the standard is the standard.”. . . . .The contest is only open to couples with at least one of them living in Rockdale, DeKalb or Newton. And there are other strings attached, too. The winning couple must agree to open up the ceremony to the public (up to 100 people) and undergo premarital counseling. Faust said the stipulations are designed to promote a marriage that will “really last a lifetime.” “There is a romantic end of it, but we are also looking for a couple that is committed and who will work through struggles,” said Faust, director of Marriage Appreciation Training Uplifting Relationship Education, a nonprofit organization not affiliated with any church. “And we are looking for a couple that is choosing a lifestyle that is not compromising, and premarital sex is a compromiser.”. .

CONTEST DETAILS:. . .

Marriage contest has a hitch: No Sex (Click for Related Video)

RELATED VIDEO: Couples Saying No to Abstinence Before Marriage Contest MyFox Atlanta
Reports

California: Vote NO on Proposition K! (Click for Related Video)

San Francisco Decriminalizing Prostitution? CBNNews.com, October 23, 2008
- In San Francisco, prostitutes may soon be allowed to freely work the streets. Next month, voters will decide on a measure that prevents authorities from arresting anyone who sells sex. The law, called Proposition K, would not technically legalize prostitution, since state law still prohibits it. However, it does give prostitutes freedom to work the streets without fear of legal consequences. Proponents argue the measure would save the city $11 million. . . . . But San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris isn't buying it, arguing that Proposition K makes the faulty assumption that prostitution is a victimless crime. "The crime of prostitution does not exist by itself," Harris said. "Along with it come pimps, johns and other crimes that really impact the safety of neighborhoods." San Francisco policeman Al Pardini added, "The proponents usually paint a fairly rosy picture of two consenting adults and a monetary exchange at the end." He said, "They don't factor in the people that are being exploited and people that are being controlled, the ones manipulated both physically and chemically.". .

RELATED INFORMATION: California Proposition K SmartVote.org

RELATED VIDEO: Hookers off the hook? CNN.com, October 23, 2008

Parental Notification Initiative Leads 52% to 33% Among Likely CA Voters Wall Street Journal- Market Watch, October 22, 2008
76% of CA likely voters and 60% of self-described pro-choice voters want significant abortion restrictions. A newly released survey of California voters shows support for Proposition 4 - a proposed law that requires a waiting period and parental notification before a girl under 18 is allowed to have an abortion. The initiative holds a 19 percentage point lead among likely voters, 52% to 33%. The survey was conducted for the Knights of Columbus by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion between September 28 and October 5, 2008. The survey shows that Proposition 4 has majority support among women (55% to 31%), Latinos (61% to 27%), those who are married (59% to 25%) and those age 45 or older (55% to 28%). The initiative also leads among men (49% to 34%). Those opposed include likely voters 18 to 29 years old (52% to 41%). The poll also shows that Proposition 4 leads by double digits in every region of California except the Bay Area, where a plurality of 48% is opposed. Among California likely voters, 75% say that parents or legal guardians have the right to know if their underage daughter is seeking an abortion. The survey also found that 76% of likely California voters favor significant restrictions on abortion, including 47% who believe abortion should be restricted to cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, or should never be permitted. . .

California's Parental Notification Initiative leads 52% to 33% among likely Ca. voters

RELATED INFO: California Proposition 4 (2008)
Proposition 4, or the Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative, also known to its supporters as Sarah's Law, is an initiated amendment that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in California. It proposes a new amendment to the California Constitution. The initiative would prohibit abortion for unemancipated minors until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent, legal guardian or, if parental abuse has been reported, an alternative adult family member.

RELATED ARTICLE: Proposition 4: Safety before ideology Ventura County Star, By Catherine Short, October 19, 2008
Take this parental notification pop quiz: Who said: "A parent's input is the best guarantee that a teen-ager will make a decision that is correct for her — be it abortion, adoption, or keeping the baby. And it helps guarantee that if a teen-ager chooses an abortion, she will receive appropriate medical care." Answer: Dr. Bruce Lucero, who performed more than 45,000 abortions in his 15 years of practice. Although Dr. Lucero is staunchly pro-choice, he believes that in the same way society determines at what age teen-agers should have other rights, such as driving or voting, "society should determine at what age a minor has the right to abortion without notifying her parents."

RELATED ARTICLE: Proposition 4: What's wrong with respecting everyone's 'right to choose'? Ventura County Star, By Scott Harris, October 19, 2008
Patients' rights advocates argue that an unwillingness to perform an abortion, or refer the patient to someone who will, is a violation of a patient's civil rights. Hogwash. Pro-life physicians are not prohibiting anyone from getting an abortion, they are simply unwilling, for reasons of conscience, to perform or participate in any way. . . . . How is it possible that a group of people whose position is "my uterus, my choice" cannot understand a physician saying "my hands, my choice"? Many Americans who do not personally believe in abortion still support the right of others to make what is unquestionably a difficult and personal choice. However, it is the height of selfishness, narcissism and hypocrisy not to extend that same right to choose to physicians whose morals do not permit them to participate in abortion. If we are going to respect an individual's right to choose, we must respect it for everyone.

RELATED ARTICLE: Efforts to Sell Obama to Pro-Life Americans Collide With His Support for Sweeping Pro-abortion Policy Changes National Right to Life Committee, By Douglas Johnson-Legislative Director, October 7, 2008
More and more Americans are learning that the real Barack Obama is firmly committed to an agenda of sweeping pro-abortion policy changes that, if implemented, could be expected to drastically increase the numbers of abortions performed. One component of the Obama abortion agenda, the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA, S. 1173), is coming under increased scrutiny from many quarters. The FOCA is the most sweeping piece of pro-abortion legislation ever proposed in Congress. It is a bill that would establish a federal "abortion right" broader than Roe v. Wade and, in the words of the National Organization for Women, "sweep away hundreds of anti-abortion laws [and] policies." . . . . In his too-little-noted speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on July 17, 2007, Obama said, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."

School holds surprise 'Gay Day' for kindergartners

School holds surprise 'Gay' Day for kindergartners
Parents outraged at public elementary's secretive 'coming out' event World Net Daily, By Chelsea Schilling, October 22, 2008
– Some parents are shocked to find their children are learning to be homosexual allies and will participate in "Coming Out Day" at a public elementary school tomorrow – and they claim the school failed to notify parents. One mother of a kindergartner who attends Faith Ringgold School of Art and Science, a K-8 charter school in Hayward, Calif., said she asked her 5-year-old daughter what she was learning at school. The little girl replied, "We're learning to be allies." The mother also said a Gay Straight Alliance club regularly meets in the kindergarten classroom during lunch. According to a Pacific Justice Institute report, Faith Ringgold opted not to inform the parents of its pro-homosexual activities beforehand. The school is celebrating "Gay and Lesbian History Month" and is in the process of observing "Ally Week," a pro-"gay" occasion usually geared toward high school students. The school is scheduled to host discussions about families and has posted fliers on school grounds portraying only homosexuals. According to the report, a "TransAction Gender-Bender Read-Aloud" will take place Nov. 20. Students will listen to traditional stories with "gay" or transgender twists, to include "Jane and the Beanstalk.". . . . . When asked if the school made any efforts to inform parents, she refused to answer and said Hayward Unified School District would have to respond to additional questions. However, the district did not answer its phones or e-mails, and a voicemail recording would not take messages. "Coming Out Day" is not listed on the district's online school calendar. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: California's Largest Community College Supports Traditional Marriage MarketWatch- Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2008
The students of American River College, the largest community college in California, rejected an attempt to recall nine student council members in response to their endorsement of Prop. 8. Results of the vote were released by college officials Thursday afternoon. All of the student council members targeted survived the recall by a 200-300 vote margin out of the 3,531 ballots cast on Tuesday and Wednesday. "This is a great development for supporters of traditional marriage. Despite the efforts of gay activists and a media frenzy, the students themselves have reaffirmed support for traditional marriage," said Chip White, press secretary for Yes on 8. "This is exactly what will happen when voters finally have their say on November 4." According to the Sacramento Bee, student council member Viktor Choban, 25, said he voted his conscience. "This resolution has everything to do with education because it affects all the public schools and colleges," the Bee quoted Choban as saying. "If Proposition 8 fails, schools will absolutely be required to teach that gay marriage is equal to normal marriage, thereby confusing students and children about the most basic roles of men and women in society.". .

Yes! Yes! and Yes! on California, Arizona and Florida Propositions 8, 102, and 2! The Real Proposal magazine, October 22, 2008
Who knew that we would ever see the day when it became necessary to define what marriage is in America... or the world for that matter? That said, no one could follow, for any length of time, our continuing coverage on this very critical sociopolitical issue without realizing that, whether we like it or not, the on-going and increasingly aggressive battle to redefine marriage is the next civil rights frontier in America! Most people do not fully comprehend how we got to this place. Many have a distorted perspective on the issues based on what is being fed to us by the mainstream media, who are largely complicit with the homosexual agenda and follow their playbook and manifesto quite diligently in the effort to convert straight America into accepting homosexuality as anything but deviant behavior. Therefore, we urge you to spend some time going through our coverage on the issue. For, without a doubt, the blinders will fall away and it will become clear that there is a very careful, very deliberate, very well financed and orchestrated marketing strategy being executed by radical homosexual activists to normalize same-sex relationships in this country. And you will likely be outraged that somewhere along the way — while most of us who believe in traditional marriage were enjoying our precious freedoms, taking kids to soccer, ordering pizza, and watching our favorite shows — we were being manipulated and vilified as society’s new "haters," "bigots," and "homophobes.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage in Peril in California Wall Street Journal, By Jim Carlton, October 22, 2008
A state ballot measure to ban gay marriage in California is gaining momentum, with polls showing almost even odds of it passing after trailing by double digits a month ago. . . .A group leading the fight against the measure, Equality for All, said this week that one of its internal polls shows Proposition 8 leading by four percentage points. The close results of that poll, too, may suggest a dead heat as the Nov. 4 election approaches. "The outcome will be close because Californians are evenly divided on gay marriage," said Mark Baldassare, chief executive of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco. A new poll by the institute, due out late Wednesday, is expected to show a tight race. The measure needs a simple majority vote to pass.

	Opposition to California Proposition 8: Hate in the Name of Love Townhall.com, By Dennis Prager, October 21, 2008 Next to the presidential election, California Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America. It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues. . . .What we have here is truly manipulative. Four justices create a right, and then a sympathetic attorney general renames a proposition so as to protect a 4-month-old right that no one had ever voted to create. And the left accuses the right of imposing its values on society. . . . .These charges of "hate" against proponents of retaining the man-woman definition of marriage do not speak well for those who make them. I, for one, find it easy to believe that most opponents and most proponents of Proposition 8 are decent people. There are millions of decent people who think marriage should be redefined. I think they are wrong, but I do not question their decency. Why won't those who favor redefining marriage accord the same respect to the millions of us who want gays to be allowed to love whom they want, live with whom they want, be given the rights they deserve along with the dignity they deserve, but who still want marriage to remain man-woman? RELATED ARTICLE: So, What's Really at Stake in the Gay Marriage Debate? Part Two AlbertMohler.com, October 20, 2008 Editor’s note: The following two excerpts are from the weblog of R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. While it reflects Dr. Mohler’s comments regarding California’s proposed marriage amendment, Proposition 8, his comments are relevant to the proposed Florida and Arizona marriage amendments, known respectively as Proposition 2, and Proposition 102. Same-sex marriage is, for now, legal in three of fifty states in the United States. Beyond our borders, it is legal in the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, South Africa, Canada and Norway. This represents a very small percentage of the world's population. Same-sex marriage is, by any measure, the exception rather than the rule. Even when legalized civil unions and domestic partnerships are thrown into the mix, the countries that consider same-sex unions and heterosexual marriages to be equal before the law represent a small percentage of the world's nations. Keep that in mind when you observe the media's coverage of the issue. By and large, the mainstream media have presented opposition to same-sex marriage as the odd and out-of-step position and support for same-sex marriage as the mainstream assumption. . . RELATED ARTICLE: So, What's Really at Stake in the Gay Marriage Debate? Part One AlbertMohler.com, October 17, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: The "Gay Gene" Controlling The Media The Real Proposal magazine, April 1, 2008
When all is said and done in this LBGT debate, it would appear that there is none more fundamental a consideration than whether homosexuality is hardwired in our DNA. But the truth, as Robert Knight points out, is that, since 1991, the media has periodically reported scientific claims of a genetic component to homosexuality — often as front-page news of such luminaries as The New York Times — and none of them have held up under scrutiny. And none of them have been replicated, which, as he rightly indicates, is a necessary element for scientific validity. Yet, the media continues to perpetuate this "gay gene" myth. We urge you to read Robert Knight's very compelling supporting article, "Born or Bred? Science Does Not Support the Claim That Homosexuality Is Genetic," which demonstrates clearly how the media continues to distort public understanding of a complex issue and why gay rights strategy architects Kirk and Madsen — wherever they are today — must, as Knight says, “be smiling.” For to be sure, their After the Ball "handbook of gay rights activism," which dictates that any efforts to explain homosexual behavior as anything but deviant must be stymied and silenced, is accomplishing the purpose for which it was written. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Hope for Homosexuals Good News magazine, Interview with Dr. Joseph Nicolosi conducted by Melvin Rhodes
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi is a clinical psychologist. He is the president of NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, a 1,000-member organization. Dr. Nicolosi has successfully treated thousands of patients to help men transition from homosexuality to heterosexuality. He is author of several books, including A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality and Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality: A New Clinical Approach. He has spoken at hundreds of conferences worldwide and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs around the world as the preeminent authority on reparative therapy. He also heads the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, California. . . . .

GN: In the last few years, AIDS has become primarily a heterosexual problem internationally. In the United States it still affects gays disproportionately. Why is that?
JN: AIDS affects gays disproportionately because of the behavior that they engage in, behaviors that will spread AIDS. Anal intercourse is the way of spreading AIDS. And there is a great deal of sexual promiscuity and a lot of reckless self-deceiving, self-destructive impulses in gay men and they are killing each other. Paradoxically, all this talk about homophobia and hatred toward gays—when you think about it, who is really killing gays? Other gays! A very sad irony is that they are killing each other through a behavior that should be associated with love. Paradoxical, isn't it?. . .

Finally, "Straight Talk" From the Homosexual Agenda Townhall.com, By Austin Nimocks, October 20, 2008
We all love and appreciate honesty, and it’s finally coming from the most unlikely of sources—the homosexual agenda. No matter what side of the issues of homosexual behavior you may find yourself supporting, a standing ovation is appropriate. John Corvino, I salute you. You see, back in August, my jaw hit the floor when I read a column Corvino wrote that was breathtakingly honest. You see, for many years, the homosexual agenda’s intentions, goals, and beliefs have been shrouded in smokescreens of “equality,” “benefits,” and “fairness.” Yet Corvino provided a breath of fresh air, telling us what those who engage in homosexual behavior really want: moral approval. Of course, many of us have known this all along, but it’s nice to finally hear about it from the other side. This groundbreaking concession now provides an opportunity for an honest public discourse on what homosexual advocates are really after. They want your heart and soul. It’s not enough to just be tolerant. Now, I realize that you probably believe that your fair-mindedness is sufficient for any number of circumstances in life, but on this issue, you have been duped. You see, moral approval goes well beyond fairness or tolerance. It requires you to look upon the homosexual behavior of another and say to yourself and others, "That’s a good thing". . . . . Well, there’s no need to accept something just because I say it. Instead, look at the strategy employed by those who promote this agenda—in the courts. That alone tells you something. Courts are not sought by people who simply want you to tolerate an idea. Courts order people to do things. . .

Finally, 'Straight Talk' From the Homosexual Agenda (Click for Related Video)

RELATED VIDEO: Homosexual Activist Says There’s No "Gay Gene" CitizenLink.org, August 7, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Beyond Tolerance 365Gay.com, By John Corvino, August 15, 2008
"Why do you need other people’s approval?” The question came from an old (straight but gay-supportive) friend, as we sat over breakfast discussing progress in the gay-rights movement. He meant it sincerely. “After all,” he continued, “if you like rap music, and I hate rap music, you don’t need my approval to pursue your tastes. Indeed, even if I think listening to rap music is a mind-numbing waste of time, so what? Live and let live.” That’s true. But when it comes to gay rights, “live and let live” may no longer be enough. The difference between what he describes and what I seek is sometimes described as that between tolerance and acceptance. Roughly, “tolerance” involves leaving people alone to live as they choose, even when you don’t approve, whereas acceptance involves somehow affirming their choices. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Homosexuality: it isn’t natural: Ignore those researchers who claim to have discovered a ‘gay gene’, says Peter Tatchell: gay desire is not genetically determined Spiked.com, By Peter Tatchell, June 24, 2008
There is a major problem with gay gene theory, and with all theories that posit the biological programming of sexual orientation. If heterosexuality and homosexuality are, indeed, genetically predetermined (and therefore mutually exclusive and unchangeable), how do we explain bisexuality or people who, suddenly in mid-life, switch from heterosexuality to homosexuality (or vice versa)? We can’t.
[Editor's note: Peter Tatchell is a human rights campaigner, and a member of the queer rights group OutRage! and the left wing of the UK Green Party.]

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage Advocates Don’t Want Tolerance, They Want Their Lifestyles to Become Mainstream BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, November 07, 2006
It is not tolerance gay activists are after. They already have that. Generally speaking, Americans do not overly concern themselves with what their neighbors do in the privacy of their own homes. "Live and let live" is the American refrain -- that is, until one decides to expose those private behaviors to the light of day, and demands are made that those behaviors are sanctioned and condoned by the larger society. . . . . Indeed, it seems schizophrenic to argue on the one hand that there is no substantive difference in the types of homes in which children are raised at the same time we complain about the rates of illegitimacy in communities across the country. If it is true that all family combinations are equal, then let us put to bed for good any further concern over the rising number of single-parent homes. . .

Opponents of Traditional Marriage Engage in More Dirty Tricks; Supporters Create a YouTube Video (Click for Related Video)

Opponents of Traditional Marriage Engage in More Dirty Tricks; Supporters Create a YouTube Video MarketWatch- Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2008
-- Thefts, vandalism, and harassment of Prop. 8 supporters continues. Some enthusiastic volunteers for Prop. 8 have created a YouTube video of signs defaced and mangled by No on 8 forces, even though the No on 8 campaign claims to be one of tolerance: Many opponents of Prop. 8 are stealing only the plastic bags that slip over the metal frames for the signs. Because so many Yes on 8 signs have been stolen, ProtectMarriage.com has had to order 50,000 plastic bags to replace ones that have been stolen.

ORANGE COUNTY
Orange
-- During the night someone took down a supporters' Yes on 8 yard sign and tacked the sign up by the front door, and defaced it. Similar messages were written on their sidewalk. Police were notified and a police report was filed.

Huntington Beach / Fountain Valley
-- Numerous Yes on 8 signs have been slashed, torn, ripped, defaced, and stolen. At least two Prop. 8 supporters have created enclosed plexiglass frames (with 6-foot deep 4x4 anchors) to enclose and secure their frames. . . .

LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Santa Monica
-- On Sunday a Yes on 8 bumper sticker was put on a supporter's car, and on Tuesday while they were in a local store for only 2-5 minutes someone vandalized their car, peeled off the bumper sticker and then keyed the entire length of their car. . .

RELATED VIDEO: Where's the Love? -- Yes on Proposition 8 (Prop 8) - Yard SIgns

RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Prop 8 Fight Turns Violent in Modesto

California gay marriage fundraiser reaches for stars Reuters, October 16, 2008
- Battling to save the right to same-sex marriage in what is expected to be a close state vote next month, California gay rights backers are turning to Hollywood celebrities for help at a major fundraiser. Actress and singer Barbra Streisand is expected at the event on Tuesday and singers Melissa Etheridge and Mary J. Blige will perform, organizers said on Thursday. Supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle will host the event at his Beverly Hills home, with a private $25,000-a-plate dinner. Among other entertainment figures planning to attend are actor/director Rob Reiner. In recent weeks, director Steven Spielberg and actor Brad Pitt each donated $100,000 in support of the campaign to preserve the right to gay marriage. . . . .The "Yes" campaign has raised $25.4 million, compared with $15.8 million for those who wish to maintain the right to gay marriage. In recent weeks, advocates of same-sex marriage have chided the Hollywood community for failing to contribute cash to the campaign to defeat Proposition 8. But Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said the fundraiser would show Hollywood's support for same-sex marriage rights. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Ellen buys $100,000 TV time to support gay marriage Reuters, October 17, 2008
- Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has bought $100,000 of television airtime to urge Californians to vote to save the right to gay marriage in a November ballot, campaign organizers said on Friday. Claiming that opponents of gay marriage are twisting the truth and trying to scare voters, DeGeneres will appeal in a television ad to vote for equality, compassion and fairness. . .

Ellen Degeneres, who recently wed lesbian partner Portia De Rossi, buys $100,000 TV time to support gay marriage (Click for Related Video)

RELATED VIDEO: Ellen's Plea- 'The Tonight Show' Video
Ellen talks passionately to Jay Leno about California's Proposition 8, which she feels could take her 'rights' away.

RELATED ARTICLE: Celebrities Mold The Young Townhall.com, By Brent Bozell III , October 24, 2008
If celebrities can move young people not just to buy their music and movies, not just to troll the malls looking for their officially authorized fashion lines, not just to change the slang they use, but to get out of the house or the dorm and vote, then why is it preposterous to suggest that these same celebrities can weaken the magnetism of the moral compass in the young? What a Christina Aguilera or P. Diddy defines as cool on MTV can often take hold overnight in high school hallways and college student unions. If celebrities have the power to push political mountains, then everybody should acknowledge they have an even greater ability to shape the moral landscape in America. And any politician seeking their assistance for the sake a few votes is enabling -- and advancing -- the culture rot these punks propose. . .

RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Ellen DeGeneres Tells Sarah Palin Don't Ban Gay Marriage People magazine, By Elaine Aradillas, October 22, 2008
Ellen DeGeneres had a message for Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on her talk show Wednesday: "We should all be equal." The TV host took aim at the Alaska governor for favoring a federal ban on gay marriages. "Basically, she wants to change the Constitution," DeGeneres, 50, said of Palin, 44. "I don't like it. I don't agree! And maybe it's because I'm gay that I think we should all be equal."

RELATED ARTICLE: John McCain’s Disappointing Defense of Marriage Townhall.com, By Paul Edwards, May 28, 2008 (corrected link)
Ellen denies these fundamental principles of marriage, arguing for same-sex marriage on the basis of erotic love, grounding her argument in the mistaken idea that marriage is a civil right denied to gays and lesbians in the same way this country denied the freedom of slaves and the suffrage of blacks and women. . . . .There is absolutely no correlation between the equality denied blacks and women and marriage being denied to gays and lesbians. All humans, regardless of ethnic or gender differences, have been endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights on the basis of their common humanity. When Ellen argues that “we are all the same people” she is absolutely correct that, in terms of our humanity, we are all equal. But she misapplies the equality standard to sexuality, insisting that there is no difference between the erotic love and relational commitment of homosexual persons versus that of heterosexual persons. She couldn’t be more wrong.

RELATED ARTICLE: Same-Sex marriage: Hijacking the Civil Rights Legacy
The indiscriminate promotion of various social groups' desires and preferences as "rights" has drained the moral authority from the civil rights industry. The Weekly Standard- By Eugene F. Rivers & Kenneth D. Johnson, June 1, 2006
It is precisely the indiscriminate promotion of various social groups' desires and preferences as "rights" that has drained the moral authority from the civil rights industry. Let us consider the question of rights. What makes a gay activist's aspiration to overturn thousands of years of universally recognized morality and practice a "right"? Why should an institution designed for the reproduction of civil society and the rearing of children in a moral environment in which their interests are given pride of place be refashioned to accommodate relationships integrated around intrinsically non-marital sexual conduct?. . . . . People are equal in worth and dignity, but sexual choices and lifestyles are not. That is why the law's refusal to license polygamous, polyamorous, and homosexual unions is entirely right and proper. In recognizing, favoring, and promoting traditional, monogamous marriage, the law does not violate the "rights" of people whose "lifestyle preferences" are denied the stamp of legal approval. Rather, it furthers and fosters the common good of civil society, and makes proper provision for the physical and moral protection and nurturing of children. . .

JOKE OF THE DAY: The Lighter Side:

The best credit crunch jokes to have you laughing all the way to the bank The Daily Mail - UK, October 17, 2008
Thank goodness for gallows humour, as the credit crunch has provided ample material for jokes and internet virals, the best of which we present to you below:

— How do you define optimism?
A banker who irons five shirts on a Sunday.

— What's the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza?
The pizza can still feed a family of four.

— As a surprise, a chief exec's wife pops by his office. She finds him in an unorthodox position, with his secretary sitting in his lap. Without hesitation, he starts dictating: '. . . and in conclusion, gentlemen, credit crunch or no credit crunch, I cannot continue to operate this office with just one chair.'

— Why have estate agents stopped looking out of the window in the morning?
Because otherwise they'd have nothing to do in the afternoon. . .

Tom Dart, left, Chicago's Cook County Sheriff, has refused to have his deputies act upon court-ordered foreclosure evictions

States act for renters caught in foreclosure trap
New laws require mortgage holders to give sufficient notice to tenants MSNBC.com, October 16, 2008
MIAMI - Tita Mendoza and her husband moved into their Miami Beach condo in June and have been dutifully paying the $1,800 rent on time every month. And yet, they could be evicted any day now. Last month, the Mendozas were served with court papers notifying them that their landlord was being foreclosed on, meaning the couple could be turned out on the street. “It’s unbelievable to me that people could be so irresponsible,” said Mendoza, who moved to Miami Beach from Chicago, where the couple had owned a home. “We’re just waiting to see what happens next.” Across the country, thousands of renters have become innocent victims of the mortgage crisis: They have been forced to move because the owner of the property was in foreclosure. Security deposits have been lost and lives turned upside-down as people scramble to find a new place to live on short notice. A few states recently passed or proposed laws to protect renters by requiring mortgage holders to provide sufficient notice for tenants living in foreclosed properties. . . . Almost 15 million renters, or 40 percent of all renters, live in single-family homes, townhouses, condos or duplexes, according to Census data. While there are no national figures on foreclosure-related evictions, these types of rental properties have been vulnerable to foreclosure because they tend to be owned by small investors. According to RealtyTrac, about one-third of the 378,250 properties with valid mailing addresses that were in default or waiting for a foreclosure sale in May were not occupied by the owner. That would indicate they are investment properties or rentals. . .

"Marriage In The News" is not a representation of The Real Proposal magazine...