'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: 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,". . .

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.

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. . .

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. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Foreclosures on million-dollar homes surge: More affluent folks are feeling squeezed and losing their mansions MSNBC.com, By Robert Frank, The Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2008
In 2003, Robert Provost snapped up a $2.5 million villa with its own boat dock in Sarasota, Fla. A finance chief for an auto-sales chain, Mr. Provost earned more than $250,000 a year and had an impeccable credit history. Then he lost his job. Mr. Provost missed one $10,500 mortgage payment, then another. This month, the 53-year-old put his house, a five-bedroom with sweeping views of an intercoastal waterway, on the market for $3.4 million. But the listing has thus far attracted little interest. Mr. Provost says he expects to receive a notice of default from the bank — the first step to foreclosure — in the next month or two. "A foreclosure would be devastating," he says. "My wife and I would have to start from scratch." The housing crisis that swept through working-class and middle-class communities across the country is now creeping into the leafy driveways and the gated communities of the nation's most exclusive towns. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage: Surviving the Financial Crisis AOL Health
It's hard enough to keep a marriage together these days, but when you factor in the current financial crisis the task seems even more daunting. AOL Money Coach and author Jean Chatzky, and Dr. Robert Puff, psychologist and author of "Living a Peaceful Life," offer advice on how to prevent your marriage from suffering under the country's current economic climate.

Presidential Candidates Differ Sharply on Abortion CNSNews.com, By Susan Jones, October 16, 2008
The topic of abortion finally came up in the third and final presidential debate Wednesday night at Hofstra University, and while Sen. John McCain stood up for life, Sen. Barack Obama stood up for Roe v, Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion on demand in the United States. A pro-life group later accused Obama of misleading voters about his position on various abortion bills; and the group also indicated that McCain missed an important opportunity to paint Obama as the extremist on abortion that many conservatives believe he is. . . . . In rebuttal, McCain said it’s important to “change the culture of America.” “Those of us who are proudly pro-life understand that. And it's got to be courage and compassion that we show to a young woman who's facing this terribly difficult decision.” McCain mentioned that Obama, when he was an Illinois state senator, voted against a bill that would have required life-saving measures for babies born after botched abortions. “He voted against that,” McCain said. Obama also voted against another Illinois bill banning partial-birth abortion – then voted “present” when the bill reached the Illinois Senate floor, McCain noted. “I don't know how you vote ‘present’ on some of that,” McCain said. “I don't know how you align yourself with the extreme aspect of the pro- abortion movement in America. And that's his record…” . . . . . .But McCain missed a key opportunity, pro-life advocates say. Obama in July 2007 promised Planned Parenthood that the first thing he would do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act, and McCain failed to mention that. The Freedom of Choice Act, a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, “would eliminate every abortion regulation in the country, including popular laws such as parental notification, informed consent, and bans on partial birth abortion,” said the legislative arm of Americans United for Life. “FOCA means abortion on demand, in all nine months of pregnancy, for any reason, nationwide and paid for by your tax dollars. . .

RELATED RESOURCE: On the Issues- Every Political on Every Issue: Barack Obama

RELATED RESOURCE: On the Issues- Every Political on Every Issue: John McCain

Presidential candidates differ sharply on abortion

RELATED AUDIO: Barack Obama’s defense of his Abortion vote Chicago Tribune

RELATED ARTICLE: Obama: Bill unnecessarily burdened doctors with … babies HotAir.com, By Ed Morrissey, August 21, 2008
Yesterday, a YouTubed audio snippet of Barack Obama’s defense of his vote against the Illinois state legislation that required medical providers to give normal life-supporting medical care to infants born alive during an abortion appeared on several blogs. Neither Allahpundit nor I could determine the legitimacy of the clip at the time.

RELATED ARTICLE: Obama's Infanticide Disgrace Townhall.com, By Guy Benson, August 18, 2008
Average Americans, many of whom hold complicated views on the issue of abortion, may wonder why such a bill would even be necessary in the first place. Once a child is born, she becomes an independent human being who's entitled to the same rights and legal protections afforded to all citizens, right? Wrong, said State Senator Obama. Earlier this decade, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act was introduced in the Illinois state legislature after a Chicago area nurse named Jill Stanek blew the whistle on a practice she personally witnessed at her hospital. Babies who managed to survive late term abortions were being abandoned in soiled linen closets and left to die.

RELATED ARTICLE: Above my Pay Grade? Townhall.com, By Kevin McCullough, August 17, 2008
When asked most forthrightly by Warren as to when a child should have its God given rights protected, Obama balked and claimed "knowing when something" that is obviously living, "begins to live" was, "above his pay grade." Even as a father he knew it was a lie. . . .And yet this flail speaks to his fundamental misunderstanding of morality and whether or not his moral judgement could be trusted as the most powerful man on earth. Obama has added even further doubt by outright lying about why he supported the exact same "Born Alive Infant Protection Act" that was even too radical and immoral for Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, and Dianne Feinstein to support. Put differently Obama is the only elected official on record to ever vote in favor of denying life-saving medical care to children who had been born but that were struggling for life. Is that a decision too confusing so as to be "above the pay grade" as well? It isn't for most Americans.

RELATED RESOURCE: Index of Documents regarding Obama Cover-up on Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Bill National Right to Life (NRL).org

RELATED SITE: National Right to Life
The Obama Born-Alive Infants Debate: On August 16 Obama Said NRLC Was "Lying" -- But What Does He Say Now?

RELATED ARTICLE: John McCain or Barack Obama? For us, there’s only one option The Real Proposal magazine, August 18, 2008
The sad reality is that both presumptive candidates for the presidency of the United States — chosen, ultimately, from a decidedly tainted pack from both sides of the Democratic-Republican divide — constitute a less-than-stellar reflection of our spiritual and moral condition as a nation, and it is delusional to believe that there isn't a leadership crisis in America. . . At election time, it is "we the people" that decide who our decision makers will be. But, as Daniel Taylor & Mark McCloskey point out in their recent article, How to Pick a President: Why Virtue Trumps Policy, all too often we decide poorly, largely because we ask the wrong questions.

The rebellion has begun - and it's not a partisan fight OneNewsNow.com, By Sandy Rios, October 16, 2008
This election long ago ceased to be a partisan battle between Republicans and Democrats. It really isn't a contest over big and small government, higher or lower taxes, or even abortion and homosexual rights. Somewhere along the way -- while most of us were enjoying our precious freedoms, taking kids to soccer, ordering pizza and listening to our iPods -- there was another group of people who were at work to destroy America. Even as they enjoyed with us its benefits, they schemed and planned and, moment by moment, inch by inch, gained a footing and we never realized the ground was shifting. . . . . . . For nearly four decades, while we were living our lives and enjoying our freedoms, they were working diligently to destroy them. And now their plans have found the perfect personification in the handsome and charismatic Senator Barack Obama. But while he seems to bring new inspiration, their philosophy is as old as time. They know who their inspiration is: Saul Alinsky, the '60s author and philosopher of the left who profoundly influenced Hillary Clinton, Bill Ayres and Bernadine Dohrn and Barack and Michelle Obama. Alinksy stated clearly in the dedication of his famous treatise, Rules for Radicals:

To the very first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom -- Lucifer.

The rebellion has found new strength. The attempted destruction of America has begun -- and it is not a partisan fight. . .

Madonna and Guy confirm they have agreed to divorce The Sun- UK, October 15, 2008
MADONNA and GUY RITCHIE confirmed this afternoon they will divorce. The singer's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said the couple had agreed to separate. In a short statement – co-signed by Guy’s representative – she added the couple had not agreed a settlement. It read: “Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven-and-a-half years of marriage, their representatives confirmed today. “They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time.” Earlier today The Sun sensationally revealed Madonna and Guy are going public with their divorce because they “can’t bear to live with the pretence any longer”. They have had a string of shouting matches about the amount of time each devotes to their careers, and over Madonna’s desire to adopt another child. These arguments smashed through their attempts at reconciliation “like a sledgehammer”. . . . .It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. They tried hard over the last few months but their fighting was getting out of control. “The final straw came before Madonna started her US tour. “Madonna wanted a highly stage-managed separation, with their split being announced when it was convenient for her. “She didn’t want the distraction while she is trying to concentrate on her tour. “But a series of rows around Guy’s 40th birthday last month were so bad that Madge ended up storming out of the house and Guy’s had enough. “Guy said if they were going to split, it has to be now — and their marriage will finally be over in a matter of weeks. . . . . . Madonna and Guy have also rowed about her desire to adopt another baby. Guy did not want to adopt initially because of his own family’s experiences. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The Singer & the Slugger Major League Mess People magazine, By Joey Bartolomeo, July 21, 2008
After batting away her own split rumors, Madonna lands in the center of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez's messy divorce and denies reports she and the baseball star had an affair.

Madonna and Guy confirm they have agreed to divorce

RELATED ARTICLE: Being a star is so much easier than working at a marriage: Belfast Telegraph, By Mark Frith, October 17, 2008
Frankly, it's a wonder any celebrity relationships function at all. Marriages and long-term relationships take work and famous people tend to get others to do their work for them. The constant discussion, quest for compromise and need for patience? Too much grind, frankly. Can't someone else do this for me? . . . . In the next few days there will be acres of print devoted to Madonna's love plight, people will say that it's impossible for the Queen Of Me Me Me, the patron saint of Girl Power, to ever find true, lifelong love. That will miss the point. In the world of celebrity it's difficult for anyone to make long-term love work. These are larger-than-life people with unreal lives and (often) complex personalities. It's tough for all of them. Being famous may bring you vast wealth and lots of freebies but boy is it rubbish for your love life...

RELATED ARTICLE: Why sad, haunted David Banda is the REAL victim of Madonna's divorce The Daily Mail- UK, By Natalie Clarke, October 16, 2008
The infant who had been born in a hut in the remote village of Lipunga to a father who earned £50 a year growing onions and tomatoes now has his own room in a Marylebone townhouse, ridiculously expensive toys and clothes, and his food prepared by a team of macrobiotic chefs. And everywhere he goes, he is accompanied by a huge, crazy entourage. But this madness, the Madonna circus, was supposed to be balanced by a stable family life. With the announcement that his adoptive parents are to divorce, that is no longer the case.

RELATED ARTICLE: The odd couple and the £100m divorce: Madonna and Guy Ritchie could star in the largest settlement in British history The Independent- UK, By Robert Verkaik, October 16, 2008
Their marriage in December 2000 shocked the worlds of film and pop and cemented an unlikely union between a truly global superstar and an up-and-coming British film director. Many said then that the intense media scrutiny of their celebrity relationship meant it was doomed from the start.

RELATED ARTICLE:   H-bloo On A-rod   The New Yorker magazine, By Ben McGrath, July 21, 2008
(“She’s my f*****g soul mate, dude,” A-Rod was reported to have told a friend in February, referring to Madonna, who is seventeen years his senior.). . . .“One of the dominant features of Kabbalah was teaching self-denial and asceticism,” he said. Nadler is an out-spoken critic of the Kabbalah Centre, in Los Angeles, where Madonna, Britney Spears, and Demi Moore, among others, have supposedly found inspiration. “It teaches self-fulfillment to the point of becoming God,” he said. “So these are gods-in-training.”

RELATED ARTICLE: Unexpected Legacy of Divorce   PBS.org, December 19, 2000
Judith Wallerstein discusses her latest book, "The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce," an analysis of the long-term effect of divorce on children. . . . The legacy-- and it's a very surprising legacy to me, but I think it's one that has really hit a chord throughout this country-- is that the major impact of divorce is not, as we thought, at the time of the breakup, although that's very hard, but the major impact of divorce happens when they enter young adulthood and they... when the man/woman situation, man/woman relationship moves center stage, and that's when the ghosts of the parent's divorce rise from the basement.

RELATED ARTICLE:   Dr. Bad News   Salon.com, By Cathy Young, October 3, 2000
After conducting a massive 25-year study, Judith Wallerstein concludes that children of divorce are hit hardest after they grow up. . . . .Wallerstein reports that divorce has a terrible impact on the ability of its young victims to form romantic relationships and build their own families. Children from broken homes grow up, she says, without an "internal template" of a successful partnership. "No matter how often they see their parents, the image of them together as a loving couple is forever lost ... As children grow up and choose partners of their own, they lack this central image of the intact marriage." Wallerstein notes that in her study, children of divorce, unlike their peers from intact marriages, hardly ever talked about their parents' interaction, before or after the separation.

Imposing San Francisco Values on First-Graders (Click for Related Video)

Imposing San Francisco Values On First-Graders Townhall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, October 15, 2008
. . .Their allegedly pro-gay marriage message? Labeling the concerns that public schools will teach about gay marriage, if we permit gay marriage to remain the law of the land, as just "lies!" Right. What do gay marriage advocates think public schools should teach about marriage if gay marriage is the law of the land? Could we have a reasonably honest discussion please about what you have in store for California's first-graders? Instead of standing their ground and defending their moral views, gay marriage advocates are simply pretending to voters that legalizing gay marriage won't affect anyone else at all. . . . . . So what does Mayor Newsom, the poster boy for arrogance among gay marriage advocates, do in the middle of this campaign to deceive California voters about the real consequences of gay marriage? Why, he presides over a lesbian teacher's wedding ceremony at City Hall, to which public school children are bused, at taxpayer expense, during school hours. (Newsom claims he wasn't aware of that fact when he agreed to preside.) That's right. Taxpayers paid for first-graders to take time from reading, writing and 'rithmetic to strew rose petals after a lesbian marriage ceremony -- no doubt in the belief that there was something educational about witnessing a historic ["]civil rights["] victory the courts have endorsed as the law of the land. . .

VIEW RELATED AD: SF Mayor Gavin Newsom: Whether You Like it or Not!

RELATED SITE: ProtectMarriage.com: Yes on 8

RELATED ARTICLE: First Graders Taken To San Francisco City Hall For Gay Wedding Protect Marriage.com, October 11, 2008
– In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as “lies” claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

RELATED ARTICLE: Yes on Proposition 8: Gay Marriage Deprives Some Children of a Mom or a Dad Santa Barbara Independent, By Paul Sorensen, October 8, 2008
For starters, ask yourself: Which parent are you prepared to give up, your mom or your dad? Which grandparent are you prepared to give up, your grandfather or your grandmother? Does this seem outlandish? Let me explain: Imagine two wonderful human beings who are both women. Imagine two exceptional human beings who are both men. Now imagine two terrific human beings one of whom is a man, and one of whom is a woman. At the local adoption agency, which couple should get the next child up for adoption? What if that child were you?. . . . . .The science on parenting is in, and the consensus is overwhelming: the unique characteristics of both fathers and mothers are vital to the physical, mental, and emotional development of children. A vast body of social science literature demonstrates that healthy heterosexual marriage protects children from a host of social and economic problems. Child Trends, a nonpartisan research center reported that “family structure clearly matters for children, and the family structure that helps children the most is a family headed by two biological parents in a low-conflict marriage.” In contrast, reputable studies concluding children should ideally be raised by two moms or two dads are virtually unknown. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage Opponents "Thank" Obama: Californians Who Hope To Ban Gay Marriage Are Counting On Obama Voters To Give Them A Boost CBS Evening News, October 5, 2008
Those campaigning in California for Proposition 8, which would reinstate the ban on gay marriage, believe they'll get a lot of unintended help from Barack Obama on Election Day, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. "We thank Barack Obama, even though he's not supporting it, for helping us," says Sonja Eddings Brown, of an anti-gay-marriage group called Protect Marriage. "We think it's going to push us over the top." Obama is expected to bring African-American voters out in record numbers, and those voters are seen as often being more conservative on issues involving homosexuality. Pastor Edward Smith of Zoe Christian Fellowship has been urging members of his Los Angeles area church to vote for the gay marriage ban. "Marriage has always been defined as a man and a woman," Smith says. For Smith, it's the most significant item on the November ballot. "This issue is more important than who becomes president of our states to me and to our Christian believers," he says. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Is Gay Marriage Inevitable? Townhall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, June 20, 2008
A couple of hundred same-sex couples in California flock to the justice of the peace -- why should anybody care? This is the single most powerful argument for gay marriage out there: Why should you care? The second most powerful argument is its twin sister: Gay marriage is inevitable, so stop worrying about it. Oddly, at the moment of its greatest apparent victory, the consequences of gay marriage are becoming ever more clear. As the gay marriage movement becomes more confident of inevitable victory, it is also becoming more open and explicit about what gay marriage will mean for the rest of us. For example, redefining "infidelity.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Teacher reads 2nd-graders story about 'gay' wedding: Since same-sex marriage is legal in state, administrator says no parent ok needed WorldNetDaily, April 19, 2006
While two parents in Lexington, Mass., are upset about the fact their second-grade son was read a fantasy book in school about two princes getting married, what makes them even more angry is the fact the boy's teacher said because same-sex marriage is legal in their state there is no way a mother or father can opt out a child from such experiences.

RELATED ARTICLE: District lifts ban on parent over pro-'gay' book- Father allowed on campus, but notification policy unchanged WorldNetDaily, Nov 23, 2005

RELATED ARTICLES: David Parker -- his arrest, court appearances, abuse by school officials, harrassment by pro-gay activists in town, and federal civil rights lawsuit! Mass Resistance.org

PFOX Lawsuit charges ex-'gays' deprived of rights: 'Former homosexuals fired, ridiculed, assaulted, intimidated' (Click for Related Video)

Lawsuit charges ex-'gays' deprived of rights
'Former homosexuals fired, ridiculed, assaulted, intimidated' World Net Daily, By Bob Unruh, October 14, 2008
An organization working in support of individuals who have chosen to leave the homosexual lifestyle has filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., alleging its constituents are being subjected to discrimination for their "gender" identity and expression. "Shouldn't ex-gays enjoy the same legal protections that gays enjoy?" asked Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays. Her organization has filed a lawsuit in district court in Washington, D.C., over the failure by the district's Office of Human Rights to provide for former homosexuals the same rights as those granted homosexuals. "The ex-gay community is the most bullied and maligned group in America, yet they are not protected by sexual orientation non-discrimination laws," Griggs said. The organization also is seeking confirmation from Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama that he would affirm the rights of ex-"gays," since his campaign has refused to offer that assurance to PFOX. . . . . ."Like Senator Obama, we believe in change. But others do not. When ex-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin sang at an Obama fundraiser last year, gay groups demanded that Obama remove McClurkin from the program. On CNN Prime News, former Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Wayne Besen insisted that Obama should fire McClurkin just for being ex-gay," Griggs said. PFOX on Aug. 25 wrote to Obama asking whether "your outreach also includes the ex-gay community and if you campaign welcomes ex-gay volunteers.". . .

RELATED VIDEO: Can Someone's Sexual Preference be Changed? ABC-7 News, May 5, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: The Barack Obama/Donnie McClurkin Debacle AOL BlackVoices- Black Spin, By Clay Cane, November 16, 2007
For Obama, the "Embrace the Change" lineup seems contradictory from someone who refers to gays as his "gay brothers and sisters." Obama's camp repeatedly emphasized they were not aware of McClurkin's beliefs about homosexuality, which begs the question, if they did know of McClurkin's beliefs, would they have hired him anyway? No one at Obama's campaign headquarters, Obama For America, returned a request for comment.

RELATED ARTICLE: Now it's EX-'gays' getting pummeled: Verbal to violent, attacks rise against former homosexuals WorldNetDaily.com, By Bob Unruh, May 27, 2008
Homosexual activist groups long have denied that ex-"gays" exist and have charged those ministries that work with the needs of those desiring to leave the lifestyle are fraudulent. One such activist even recently attributed the crime of rape to the "sickness" of the ex-"gay" movement. But some attacks on those who have left the lifestyle, or are trying to, go far beyond verbal denigration, according to those who have experienced it, including Joe and Marion Allen. Their son Bart was in the process of leaving the homosexual lifestyle in 2001 when the "gay" with whom he'd shared an apartment strangled and killed him.

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study Of Religiously Mediated Change In Sexual Orientation' NARTH.com, By George A. Rekers, Ph.D.
This is clearly the best scientific study yet conducted on change of homosexual orientation and on the question as to whether attempts at such change are inherently harmful. My academic peer review found this investigation to be the most rigorous, well-designed empirical study to date on these questions. This study meets the high research standards set by the American Psychological Association that individuals be validly assessed, followed, and reported over time with a prospective, longitudinal outcome research design.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Best Research Yet: Two psychologists show that homosexuals should not be discouraged from seeking change Christianity Today, By Tim Stafford, September 13, 2007
When Stanton Jones first began to study psychology, homosexuality was a malady, listed and described in the official "diagnostic Bible," the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In 1973, that diagnosis was dropped. Now the American Psychological Association's official website states, "The reality is that homosexuality is not an illness. It does not require treatment and is not changeable." The website warns that "conversion therapy" is poorly documented and could cause potential harm. The American Psychiatric Association's website adds, "[T]here is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation. The potential risks of 'reparative therapy' are great, including depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior." What to make, then, of the apparently sincere personal testimonies of people claiming to be ex-gay?

RELATED ARTICLE: Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of the Gay Life, If You Want Out Venus Magazine, By Charlene E. Cothran- Venus Magazine Publisher, March 5, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Publisher of African American Magazine for Homosexuals Announces Conversion to Christ: She Publicly Rejected Her Old Lifestyle Associated Content, By Mike White, March 3, 2007

RELATED INTERVIEW: Michael Glatze: A former gay activist explains how he left homosexuality (pdf.doc.)
NARTH.com, Interviewed by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi

RELATED ARTICLE: PROFILE: Donnie McClurkin Religion & Ethics, May 6, 2005 Episode 836
. . .LAWTON: This Grammy award winning artist may sing for presidents, but he's known for "being real." And whether in his local church pulpit or on a stage before thousands, he preaches a forthright, often-provocative message about his troubled past, his struggle with homosexuality, and his faith in God. Music, he says, is his sermon. . . . . Pastor MCCLURKIN: There's a group that says, "God made us this way," but then there's another group that knows that God didn't make them this way. And for those that are looking for that exit -- there are those of us, and I'm not a lone wolf -- there are many more that can tell that God did it for us, and he will do it for them.

RELATED RESOURCE: National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)
We respect the right of all individuals to choose their own destiny. NARTH is a professional, scientific organization that offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality.

RELATED RESOURCE: Exodus International—The largest information and referral ministry in the world addressing homosexual issues

RELATED RESOURCE: Genesis Counseling
A nationally recognized ministry dealing with sexual addiction recovery and homosexuality, founded by Joe Dallas—a former homosexual— who is the author of several books on homosexuality:
* A Strong Delusion: Confronting the "Gay Christian" Movement
* Desires in Conflict
* Unforgiven Sins
* The Game Plan: The Men's 30-Day Strategy for Attaining Sexual Integrity
* When Homosexuality Hits Home: What to Do When a Loved One Says They're Gay

The End of 'We the People' Townhall.com, By Cal Thomas, October 14, 2008
Anyone desiring a preview of what the federal judiciary would look like under a Barack Obama administration need look no further than a narrow ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court allowing same-sex "marriage." By a 4-3 margin, the high court deprived Connecticut citizens of the right to limit marriage and, thus, societal approval, to the legal and covenantal relationship between a man and a woman. The ruling cannot be appealed, in keeping with the dictatorial mind-set of the majority. The court majority bought the legal pabulum served up by attorneys for the plaintiffs that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is akin to once prevalent laws prohibiting interracial marriage, as well as laws that discriminated against women for certain jobs and relegated blacks to "separate but equal" schools and other public venues. Writing for the majority, Justice Richard N. Palmer revealed his acceptance of the liberal doctrine of a "living Constitution" constantly in need of updating in keeping with the times: "our understanding of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection." Using such a standard, if the "understanding" of the endowed rights of blacks were to devolve to a pre-civil rights-era acceptance of black inferiority, would Justice Palmer argue that blacks would then have to give up their rights in order to serve "contemporary appreciation"? And what else would Justice Palmer and his three colleagues allow to be determined by contemporary whim?. . . Gay rights advocates will take their agenda to federal courts as soon as sufficient numbers of liberal judges are there to give them what they want. Watch them vote in overwhelming numbers for Barack Obama. He is their future. .

The end of 'We, the People' threatened by judicial activism?

RELATED ARTICLE: There Are Two Irreconcilable Americas Townhall.com, By Dennis Prager, October 14, 2008
It is time to confront the unhappy fact about our country: There are now two Americas. Not a rich one and a poor one; economic status plays little role in this division. There is a red one and a blue one. For most of my life I have believed, in what I now regard as wishful thinking, that the right and left wings have essentially the same vision for America, that it's only about ways to get there in which the two sides differ. Right and left share the same ends, I thought. That is not the case. For the most part, right and left differ in their visions of America and that is why they differ on policies. Right and the left do not want the same America.

RELATED ARTICLE: Biden’s Denial of Same-Sex Marriage Support at Odds with Obama’s Record CNS.com, By Pete Winn, October 03, 2008
- Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) placed himself and his running mate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), firmly on record in Thursday night’s vice presidential debate as opposing same-sex marriage. But Obama’s statements and actions on the issue say something else. . . . .In letters to homosexual groups, the Democratic presidential nominee said he opposes California’s Proposition 8, which California voters will face this November. He also said he supports repealing the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which also defines marriage as being between one man and one woman, and forbids states from being forced to accept any other definition of marriage under the U.S. Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: If Barack Obama Loses the Election Come November, It’s Won’t Be Because He’s Black BlackAmericaWeb.com, By: Joseph C. Phillips, September 30, 2008 (Re-routed link)
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.

Connecticut same-sex marriage decision influenced by American Psychiatric Association ruling on homosexuality

Jenner & Block's work weighs in Connecticut same-sex marriage ruling
Court's opinion reflects some of brief's thinking Chicago Tribune, By Ameet Sachdev, October 14, 2008
Jenner & Block had a hand in Friday's groundbreaking decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage. A team led by partners Paul Smith and William Hohengarten co-wrote a legal brief on behalf of the American Psychological Association and other organizations in support of eight same-sex couples who sued in 2004 after they were denied marriage licenses. The document cites scientific research to strike at some of the conventional notions about gay parents not being as fit as heterosexual parents and children of same-sex couples struggling with sexual identity issues. These arguments have been used to support gay-marriage bans in several states. "We come in and say, 'Look, none of this is true,' " Smith said. "Children do just as well when they have same-sex parents." Smith took a measure of pride in the outcome because the court's opinion reflects some of the thinking in the brief. . . . . This is the not first time Smith, 53, who works out of the law firm's Washington office, has weighed in on the same-sex marriage controversy. He has represented the American Psychological Association, a longtime client, in several state cases, including California, Massachusetts and Iowa. Connecticut became the third state, behind Massachusetts and California, to legalize gay marriages. "The country is getting used to the idea of same-sex marriage," Smith said. "This is a process that will go on culturally and legally for a number of years." His reputation as a legal advocate for gay rights goes beyond the issue of same-sex unions. In 2003, he delivered the oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court for two Texas men who had been charged with violating the state's anti-sodomy laws. The case invalidated not only the Texas law, but all anti-sodomy laws.

RELATED SITE: Jenner & Block Law Firm-- LGBT Diversity
The Firm worked alongside the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which forever altered the LGBT civil rights landscape.

COUNTER RESOURCE: Same-Sex "Marriage": The battle for same-sex "marriage" does concern you Alliance Defense Fund

RELATED ARTICLE: How America Went Gay Leadership U, By Charles W. Socarides, M.D.
Gays said they could "reinvent human nature, reinvent themselves." To do this, these reinventors had to clear away one major obstacle. No, they didn't go after the nation's clergy. They targeted the members of a worldly priesthood, the psychiatric community, and neutralized them with a radical redefinition of homosexuality itself. In 1972 and 1973 they co-opted the leadership of the American Psychiatric Association and, through a series of political maneuvers, lies and outright flim-flams, they "cured" homosexuality overnight-by fiat. They got the A.P.A. to say that same-sex sex was "not a disorder." It was merely "a condition"-as neutral as lefthandedness.

RELATED ARTICLE: Liberals Reveal 'Hidden Politics': The hidden politics of mental health associations are revealed in what some call "the most important book of the decade." Family.org, By Aaron Atwood
In 1973, another major mental health group, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of clinical disorders. Robert L. Spitzer of Columbia University, then a member of the Nomenclature Committee, argued for homosexuality's removal from the "Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)." In "Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The well-intentioned path to harm," William T. O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles explain that there is more to this removal than meets the eye. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Homosexuality and the Truth First Things- The Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life, By Elizabeth Moberly, March 1997
During the early 1970s, gay activists had made a number of disruptive demonstrations at professional meetings, placing considerable pressure on psychiatrists to revise their designation of homosexuality as a disorder treatable by psychiatry. In 1973, the board of the American Psychiatric Association voted to change the classification of homosexuality in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The members of the APA who specialized in treating homosexuals protested the board’s decision, but immediately before a general referendum on the issue, a letter went out in the name of the board, urging APA members not to reverse the board’s decision. It was not known until after the vote that this letter was in fact written and paid for by the National Gay Task Force, and the final tally in the referendum upheld the board’s decision to reclassify homosexuality. The 1973 decision was based not on any advance in scientific or medical knowledge. It occurred instead as a result of successful gay lobbying—and a considerable body of psychological data on homosexuality was dismissed as no longer relevant.

RELATED ARTICLE: Kinsey's Secret: The Phony Science of the Sexual Revolution Catholic Culture, By Sue Ellin Browder
Alfred C. Kinsey had a secret. The Indiana University zoologist and "father of the sexual revolution" almost single-handedly redefined the sexual mores of everyday Americans. The problem was, he had to lie to do it. The weight of this point must not be underestimated. The science that launched the sexual revolution has been used for the past 50 years to sway court decisions, pass legislation, introduce sex education into our schools, and even push for a redefinition of marriage. Kinseyism was the very foundation of this effort. If his science was flawed — or worse yet, an outright deception — then our culture's attitudes about sex are not just wrong morally but scientifically as well.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Might Homosexuality Develop? Putting the Pieces Together NARTH, By Jeffrey Satinover, M.D.
Excerpted from "The Complex Interaction of Genes and Environment: A Model for Homosexuality"

RELATED RESOURCE: Same-Sex "Marriage": The battle for same-sex "marriage" does concern you Alliance Defense Fund — Defending Our First Liberty
The problem here is that the issue will not be left to the states to decide. Same-sex “marriage” proponents claim that the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution compels states to legally recognize marriages formed in other states. While states have never been compelled to recognize marriages that violate their own public policy, lawsuits have been filed in several states demanding recognition of same-sex “marriage” licenses. There is a strong likelihood a federal judge will eventually rule that states must recognize same-sex “marriages” from another state. Unless such a decision is overturned by the Supreme Court, same-sex “marriage” would then become the law of the land.
Download Pamphlet (PDF doc): The Truth About Same-sex "Marriage"

RELATED RESOURCE: National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)
We respect the right of all individuals to choose their own destiny. NARTH is a professional, scientific organization that offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality.

RELATED RESOURCE: Exodus International—The largest information and referral ministry in the world addressing homosexual issues

Gay Marriage Is Ruled Legal in Connecticut: In Hartford, Crystal Pretzman of Willimantic, Conn., celebrated the State Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage (Click for Related Video)

Gay Marriage Is Ruled Legal in Connecticut New York Times, By Robert D. McFadden, October 10, 2008
A sharply divided Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the state’s civil union law on Friday and ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Connecticut thus joins Massachusetts and California as the only states to have legalized gay marriages.The ruling, which cannot be appealed and is to take effect on Oct. 28, held that a state law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples, and a civil union law intended to provide all the rights and privileges of marriage to same-sex couples, violated the constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law. Striking at the heart of discriminatory traditions in America, the court — in language that often rose above the legal landscape into realms of social justice for a new century — recalled that laws in the not-so-distant past barred interracial marriages, excluded women from occupations and official duties, and relegated blacks to separate but supposedly equal public facilities. . . . . The ruling was groundbreaking in various respects. In addition to establishing Connecticut as the third state to sanction same-sex marriage, it was the first state high court ruling to hold that civil union statutes specifically violated the equal protection clause of a state constitution. The Massachusetts high court held in 2004 that same-sex marriages were legal, while California’s court decision in May related to domestic partnerships and not the more broadly defined civil unions. . . .

RELATED VIDEO: Connecticut Court Allows Gay Marriage Associated Press

RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage ruling not the end of debate in Conn. Associated Press, By Pat Eaton-Robb, October 12, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Using Biology, Not Religion, to Argue Against Same-Sex Marriage   New York Times, By Ray Rivera and Christine Stuart, October 11, 2008
Patricia and Wesley Galloway could not have children of their own. Yet for them, the essence of marriage is rooted in procreation. “It takes a man and a woman to create children and thus create a family,” Mrs. Galloway, 60, told a legislative panel in Connecticut last year as it was considering a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill never went to a vote, but on Friday the Connecticut Supreme Court eliminated the need for a bill when it struck down the state’s civil union law and ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Viewpoint: For Gay Marriage, Time to Go Beyond the Courts TIME magazine, By John Cloud Friday, October 10, 2008
The Connecticut justices spend most of the remainder of the 85-page decision explaining how gays have been victimized. The court felt this was necessary in order to classify gays as a "quasi-suspect class" entitled to heightened protection under the state constitution. And so there is page after page on how powerless gays and lesbians are. . . . . . There are two problems here. First, it's not true that gays play only a small and insular role in politics. According to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute, there are 398 openly gay elected officials in the U.S., nine of them in Connecticut. The treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, Andrew Tobias, is openly gay, and wealthy gay people are among the top donors to the Barack Obama campaign and to outside groups helping Obama. The second problem is that as long as gays are portrayed as victims who must get special treatment (or "quasi-suspect" status) from the courts, our rights will never be as durable as when we win them through the vote. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: California gay marriage decision: The battle is on for our freedoms!   The Real Proposal magazine, May 22, 2008
As revolutionary — or conservative, depending on your worldview — as one might deem it by today’s standards, The Real Proposal magazine endorses neither same-sex marriage, nor civil unions or domestic partnership agreements for either same-sex or heterosexual couples as a matter of basic "fairness" for the very reasons that the California Supreme Court handed down its ruling. Essentially, the court put no stock in the state's argument that same-sex and opposite-sex couples already have equivalent rights under California law. In fact, the 4-3 majority found that the Legislature's decision to treat gay relationships as worthy of marriage-like benefits actually bolstered the plaintiffs' argument that domestic partnerships are discriminatory. Since the Legislature has treated same-sex and opposite-sex couples equally, said the court, withholding the marriage label from gays is a "mark of second-class citizenship." Ironically, the court suggested that it might have reached a more moderate conclusion — such as requiring the Legislature to institute domestic partnerships, rather than to redefine marriage — if lawmakers had not already given substantial benefits to gay couples.

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay "Marriage" Townhall.com, By Thomas Sowell, August 15, 2006
The "equal protection of the laws" provided by the Constitution of the United States applies to people, not actions. Laws exist precisely in order to discriminate between different kinds of actions.

RELATED ARTICLE: The road to gay marriage   Jewish World Review, By Marianne M. Jennings, August 8, 2003
Infiltration of policy-maker ranks. . . . Infiltration of corporations. . . . Alignment with minority groups. . . . The gay gene myth. . . . Use of AIDS. . . . Demonizing opponents. . . . Economic pressure. . . . Suppressing free speech. . . . Infiltration of schools. . . . The anti-anti-gay movement. . . . Incremental legal inroads. . . . Silence. . . .This piece will bring condemnation, hate mail, and the usual threats to my employer. But years from now, as we assess the degradation same-sex marriage will bring to society, I shall be able to say, "I tried."

The gay uprising in the Caribbean The Jamaican Gleaner, October 12, 2008
Fingers pointing to the sky are shaped in the form of guns. Imaginary triggers are squeezed as crowds of partygoers react with approval to a popular song by Jamaican dancehall icon Buju Banton at Grenada's top nightclub, Fantazia. "Boom bye bye in ah b---- boy head/Rude boy nah promote dem nasty man/Dem ha fi dead" Banton's controversial homophobic lyrics blare from the speakers. This scene could very easily be anywhere in the Caribbean or the diaspora. While the plethora of homophobic reggae songs might have contributed to a subgenre of its own, it seems to underline the region's strong resentment to the gay lifestyle. But Grenadian sociologist Claude Douglas argues that the Caribbean's attitude to homosexuality is changing. Douglas, a lecturer at St George's University, says tolerance has increased significantly in recent years and partly blames the United States' cultural invasion of the Caribbean. "Yesterday's deviants will become today and tomorrow's norms. Let us take, for example, the wearing of earrings by men. This was actually taboo in Grenada many years ago. Today, there are men who appear almost feminine," Douglas said in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation. "As the society evolves, people become more accepting of certain behaviour, and we see the trend developing right now in Grenada." Douglas makes his case in his new book, Homosexuality in the Caribbean - Crawling Out of the Closet, which examines the rise of this alternative lifestyle in the region. In his 60-page book, Douglas explores issues ranging from biological origins and the "gay-tourist phenomenon" to the campaign to decriminalise homosexuality. . .

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 RESOURCE: Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. . . especially AIDS US Food and Drug Administration
Q: Are condoms strong enough for anal intercourse?
A: The Surgeon General (C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General 1982-1989) has said, "Condoms provide some protection, but anal intercouse is simply too dangerous to practice" Condoms may be more likely to break during anal intercourse than during other types of sex because of the greater amount of friction and other stresses involved. Even if the condom doesn't break, anal intercourse is very risky because it can cause tissue in the rectum to tear and bleed. These tears allow disease germs to pass more easily from one partner to the other. . .

The lonely death of Charles's other mistress, Kanga Tryon

The lonely death of Charles's other mistress The Daily Mail- UK, By Christopher Wilson, October 11, 2008
She was the Australian who married a peer and became a prince's lover. But the affair broke her heart and unhinged her mind. The name is largely forgotten. The big hair, the luscious lips, and the constant partying have so faded in memory that they might never have existed. When Kanga Tryon - once a household name and a central figure in the life of the Prince of Wales - died almost three months after Princess Diana, in 1997, she was quickly forgotten. Nobody ever quite understood how she fitted into the royal jigsaw. For most people, the battle for Charles's heart was a straight playoff between two women - married Camilla, his one true love, and virginal Diana, a knee-jerk response to a nation baying for a royal bride. But, for a time, Kanga was just as important to Charles as Camilla. Yet the story of how she came to love and lose her prince has never been fully told. Until now. For the first time, a Channel 4 documentary reveals the extraordinary bed-hopping antics of the heir to the throne in the years leading up to his marriage to Diana. High Society reveals how, for a period during the 1970s, when both women were married to friends of his, HRH bounced from the bed of Camilla to that of Lady Tryon, then back again. While dithering over the very necessary duty of finding a suitable wife, Charles was happily having his cake and eating it. For both women were his mistress. Both bore sons whose godfather he became. Both named them Charles (in Camilla's case, it was a second name). And, in the end, both hated the other with a loathing that bordered on the pathological. Yet we only know about Camilla. . . .

Angelina Jolie breastfeeding photographs taken by Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie has been photographed by Brad Pitt as she breastfeeds in a set of intimate portraits for an American fashion magazine. The Telegraph- UK, By Urmee Khan, October 10, 2008
The actress sits with the top of her blouse pulled down, exposing her breast, which is covered by the tiny fingers of one of her suckling twins. The mother of six allowed herself to be pictured for the forthcoming issue of American style magazine W. The Hollywood pair are used to being snapped, but these pictures taken by Pitt, the actor, reveals a more private side to the couple. The shoot, which took place inside their French chateau, is not the first time the couple have let cameras inside their family home. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Jolie apparently breastfeeding on W magazine cover AP, October 10, 2008
Another breast-feeding cover that got people talking was in the summer of 2006, when Babytalk magazine published a photo of a baby and part of a woman's breast in profile. The magazine conducted a poll of more than 4,000 readers; a quarter of responses were negative, finding the photo inappropriate. La Leche League International, the world's oldest breast-feeding support organization, applauds Jolie's apparent decision to be photographed nursing. "Breast-feeding in public reveals a whole lot less than what has been revealed on the red carpet. ... I think we do need more role models like Angelina Jolie willing to be photographed and say, `Hey look, it can be done, it oughta be done,'" said La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse. . .

Angelina Jolie breastfeeding photographs taken by Brad Pitt (Click for Related Video)

RELATED ARTICLE: One Week: Brad & Angelina W magazine, By Christopher Bagley; Photographs by Brad Pitt, November 2008 Issue

RELATED VIDEO: Jolie: Brad and I will adopt again MSNBC.com, October 16, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Breast-Feeding Best Bet for Babies US Food and Drug Administration, By Rebecca D. Williams
New parents want to give their babies the very best. When it comes to nutrition, the best first food for babies is breast milk. More than two decades of research have established that breast milk is perfectly suited to nourish infants and protect them from illness. Breast-fed infants have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies. . . . . Human Milk for Human Infants:. . . . Benefits to Mothers :. . . . When Formula's Necessary: . . . . Possible Problems:. . . . Tips for Breast-Feeding Success:. . . . Medicines and Nursing Mothers:. . . . Drugs That Are NOT Safe While Nursing:. . .

RELATED RESOURCE: Breastfeeding Answers from La Leche League
Welcome! Here you will find answers to your breastfeeding and parenting questions, drawn from the various resources on our site, conveniently grouped by topic. Resources come from NEW BEGINNINGS (our publication for parents), LEAVEN (our publication for our volunteer Leaders), BREASTFEEDING ABSTRACTS (our publication for professionals), our Frequently Asked Questions collection, or our podcasts.

Interested women or couples are welcome to attend La Leche League meetings without charge. League leaders offer advice by phone as well. To find a convenient La Leche League chapter, call (1-800) LA-LECHE.

RELATED ARTICLE: Angelina Jolie admits she and Brad Pitt fell in love while he was married to Jennifer Aniston The Daily Mail, By Lizzie Smith, October 18, 2008
Angelina Jolie has admitted that she and Brad Pitt fell in love while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston. Hollywood's most glamorous couple have always stressed that they only fell for one another AFTER Brad had split from the Friends star. But Jolie has now confessed that they found love on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith in 2004, when rumours of romance first emerged but long before Brad's break-up. However, it was not clear if the 'confession' was a bid for more openness - or an accidental slip-up during an interview with The New York Times which she was 'jet-lagged'. The revelation came during a seemingly innocent aside that she is excited about her children being one-day able to see their mother and father in Mr And Mrs Smith. Tellingly, she explained: 'Not a lot of people get to see a movie where their parents fell in love.' . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Brangelina Triangle Tragedy: Marriage Vows Don't Count The Real Proposal™ magazine BlogSpot, December 22, 2006
One of the things we know for sure in life is that nothing just happens. Science bears out this point with a well-established, immutable law of cause and effect. So, to hear Angelina Jolie play the "it-just-happened” card in a recent interview for the January 2007 issue of Vogue magazine to explain how her relationship with Brad Pitt evolved on the movie set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while he was still married to "best friend," Jennifer Aniston, was very disappointing. Ms. Jolie's moral and ethical conscience appears, at times, to be otherwise alive and well, as witnessed by her stance on several global sociopolitical issues. Therefore, as difficult as it might have been for Ms. Jolie to speak truth on this matter, we would have had a lot more respect for her honesty—and thought her interview less disingenuous—to hear her readily admit, without excuses, that she coveted Ms. Aniston's husband, and that they both suffered moral failure in doing the honorable thing, which would have been to walk away from each other—for good—with their integrity in tact. . .

On CNN: 'The proper way to be friends with benefits.' (Click for Related Broadcast)

The proper way to be friends with benefits CNN.com, By Judy McGuire- The Frisky, October 9, 2008
Story Highlights
* Negotiating a long-term, friends-with-benefits type situation can be tricky for women.
* The trick is to accept what you've got and avoid trying to make it something else
* All talk of plans further into the future than an hour or two away is forbidden
* He doesn't meet your friends, you don't meet his

-- There are times in every woman's life where her body wants either what her heart can't handle or her brain knows better. You know the drill -- you want a man, but not a relationship. Or, more to the point, you want some loving, but don't want the strings attached. Maybe you're wildly attracted to a dude physically, but find him mentally or morally lacking -- like a tanning technician or a bounty hunter. There's no way you'd ever date him, but why should you deny yourself entirely? Answer: Not a reason in the world. Negotiating a long-term, friends-with-benefits type situation can be tricky for us ladies. Dudes are seemingly born knowing how to detract emotions from physical activity. In fact, with many of them, I think it's their default setting. They can spend the night with a woman and then meander off into the sunset without giving the assignation a second thought. But women can have a harder time of it. We worry that we're being "used" (hello? Pot meet Kettle!) or feel like we're being promiscuous -- talk about a double standard! The trick is to accept what you've got with this person and avoid trying to make it something it'll never be. I've certainly been guilty of trying to turn a completely fine FWB into a BF, and the results were predictably disastrous. So here are some pitfalls to avoid:. . .

RELATED BROADCAST: Sex Has a Price Tag (Part 1) TruthsThatTransform.org, Speaker: Pam Stenzel
Do you have all the facts about sex?

Part 2: If you want respect, you have to demand it. If you demand respect, you get it. That is not something you are going to hear in the popular media but it needs to be told!

Part 3: Guess who is having the best sex in this nation? Married Christian monogamous women!

RELATED ARTICLE: What Our Daughters Must Know Townhall.com, By Miriam Grossman, M.D., September 4, 2008
As millions of American parents send their daughters off to college this week, many have a silent prayer on their lips. For good reason: sexual behavior is a serious matter, and a single encounter can have life-long consequences, especially for a woman. Listen up, Planned Parenthood, SIECUS, and Columbia University: That’s not sexist—it’s biology. And ignorance or denial of this fact only increases a girl’s vulnerability. We need to remind girls that the characters on Grey’s Anatomy are not real. In real life, Meredith would have herpes or warts. In real life, she’d be paying a price for her choices. Young women must know that now more than ever, it’s wise to follow the lesson of hard science: be very, very careful about who you allow close to you.

RELATED ARTICLE: Shocked Townhall.com, By Dr. Miriam Grossman, M.D., March 17, 2008
That so many American girls have a sexually transmitted infection should come as no shock. Rather, the shock should be at the madness in our country that we call sexuality education.

RELATED ARTICLE: Casual sex left me feeling worthless: How a one-night stand left one woman emotionally destroyed: New research says women bitterly regret one-night stands. But the emotional damage can go deeper than you think... The Daily Mail- Uk, By Helen Weathers, July 3, 2008
When seen in the cold light of the morning after the night before, what had seemed like a rather thrilling idea at the time suddenly felt anything but for 28-year-old PR executive Aisling.

RELATED ARTICLE: The 36-Year-Old Virgin: How abstinence champion Lakita Garth kept the faith during the long years before her wedding night—and beyond Christianity Today, By Pamela Toussaint, March/April 2006
Last summer, 36-year-old Lakita Garth kissed her boyfriend of two years for the very first time—at the altar after they said, "I do." She and her Mr. Right (literally—her husband's name is Jeffrey Wright) met at a health conference through a mutual friend. . . . . A brainy former beauty queen (she was 1995's Miss Black California), Lakita travels the nation telling "the naked truth" about sexual compromise. She has spoken at countless youth functions, been featured on MTV, and was a regular guest on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect. One of her upcoming books on abstinence until marriage is titled Give Him the Finger.

RELATED ARTICLE: Sex Outside of Marriage: What's the Big Deal? Good News magazine, By Noel Honor, July/August 2002
The sexual revolution of the '60s encouraged us to liberate ourselves from old sexual taboos. Millions did. What have we learned?

RELATED ARTICLE: Spiritual Sexuality? Net-Burst
So astonishingly powerful is sex that it is divinely designed to superglue you to one person for the rest of your life. God entrusted this treasure to you to empower you to maintain exclusive intimacy with the one person you are selflessly committed to for life. To use sex for any other purpose is to take the road to ever-increasing frustration and gnawing emptiness. Whether it be in thought or action, to fritter away your sexuality on someone you are not committed to for life is to become like someone who enjoys burning hundred dollar notes and can’t figure why he is continually impoverished. . . . In God’s eyes, sex is the sealing of a lifelong contract. You are bound, not by the giving of your word, but by the giving of your very body. The consequences of casual sex cannot be undone. To suppose that it is harmless is like sexually violating someone and then thinking if you say you didn’t mean it, it will cease to be a crime.

Hef Talks About Splitting With Holly, Then His Impending New Gaggle PopEater.com, October 9, 2008
- It's probably a pretty safe bet to say that Hugh Hefner is the only 82-year-old guy who can break up with a 28-year-old model-actress and already have a handful of replacements ready to beat down his door. But, such is the life of the Playboy king, and he's opening up about his recent split from 'Girls Next Door' starlet Holly Madison. Hefner said he's been "down in the dumps" about the split. The 28-year-old Madison stars in the reality series with Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt as one of the 82-year-old publisher's girlfriends who live with Hefner in the Playboy Mansion. "If Holly says it's over, I guess it's over," Hefner said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "She's still here in the house. Until a few days ago, we were still sharing the same bed." Hefner was surprised to hear Madison discussing their breakup, but acknowledged he knew a split was imminent after he told Madison that they would never wed or have children. . . . . "The Girls Next Door" premiered on E! in 2001 and is in its fifth season. Hefner said he and the three women are committed to a sixth season, but he plans to seek out new live-in lovers. Hefner said 19-year-old Playmate twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon are living in the mansion, but they're aren't his girlfriends - yet. . .

Hef talks about splitting with Holly, then his impending new gaggle

RELATED ARTICLE: The Girls Next Door are anything but reality! Crosswalk.com, By David Burchett, May 21, 2007
I rarely open the regret lock-box these days. But a recent news story about a reality TV show on the E! Network sent me there. The show is called the Girls Next Door and the premise is to look inside life at the Playboy mansion. Another sign of the apocalypse is that this is the third season of this show. I was blissfully unaware of the show until just recently. Here is why I opened the regret box. I am unlocking a personal regret to plead with any young man who might read this to not get hooked by the “playboy” lure. I did. I regret that.

RELATED ARTICLE: The New Monogamy: Until death do us part—except every other Friday New York magazine, By Em & Lo, November 12, 2005
For years, we have said—to each other, to our boyfriends, to people writing in to our advice column—that monogamy is a choice, and if you expect it to come naturally, then your relationship (or your shot at one) is doomed. In other words, don’t take monogamy for granted; take the urge to stray for granted. But then again, our underlying assumption was that of course you’d choose monogamy, because what other choice was there? That’s what happily-ever-after requires. Although we may crave a fling on the side, the thought of our partner’s doing the same is heartbreaking, and so we agree to fidelity in order not to drive each other crazy. But lately, these questions have become more than just theoretical.

Ultimate marital split: Married Cambodian couple saw house in half after separation!

Married Cambodian couple saw home in half after separation
A married couple in Cambodia who had "finally had enough" of each other have gone their separate ways by literally cutting their home in half The Telegraph- UK, By Thomas Bell- South East Asia Correspondent, October 9, 2008
The wife will stay put with the upright half while her husband has carried away his half to start again on the other side of the village. Neighbours said the couple saw the radical action as the most cost-efficient and equitable way to avoid each other in a country where divorce lawyers can be expensive. Vorng Morn, the headman of Cheach village, fifty miles from the capital Phnom Penh, told the Phnom Penh Post: "We tried to persuade them to think clearly before they did this because they had been married for nearly 40 years. But they did not listen." Mr Morn refused to identify the couple to protect their privacy. The impetus for the break up was the husband's alleged malingering, or the wife's alleged lack of care, depending on your point of view. "His wife said that if her husband got sick and stayed at home, she was made to pay for his medicine, but if he stayed at his parent's house, she wouldn't have to pay. So they separated," said Mr Morn. Following the spat, the husband's friends helped him move his wife's belongings to one side of the property, before chiselling and sawing half of the building off, in a drastic move that even Steptoe and Son did not quite manage. . .

Brinkley Ex Exclusive: Affair 'Was My Failing' (Click for Related Video)

Brinkley Ex Exclusive: Affair 'Was My Failing'
Peter Cook Talks to Barbara Walters About His Marriage and Affair ABC News- 20/20, By Katie Escherich, October 10, 2008
Former supermodel Christie Brinkley's ex-husband said he "failed as a human being" by being unfaithful in the marriage. "It was my failing," Peter Cook told Barbara Walters in an exclusive interview. "I was a great father, a great husband, and I failed as a human being. I failed myself. Christie is mad at me, she's entitled to be mad at me; I'm an idiot, I made a mistake." In his first interview since his bitter public divorce from Brinkley this summer, Cook told Walters that "I felt like I was a guest in someone else's life" and said he had an affair with a teenager because he was "seeking a connection I could not find in my own marriage.". . . .In 2004, Brinkley gave an interview to Good Housekeeping magazine in which she said, "This marriage is forever. We have a foundation of love, honesty and respect." When asked by Walters if he felt the same way, Cook said, "I did." "I think the emotional aspect of our lives had changed," Cook told Walters. "I think we were both feeling more like we were living with a brother and sister than a life partner. … I think I just suddenly realized when I was getting attention from someone else that this is something that is missing in my life." When asked what he wanted, Cook said, "I wanted a little acknowledgement, a little attention, a little thank you every now and then for my efforts, for the amount of time I took to care for her and my family, for the wealth I was building. Just the tremendous amount of work I was putting into my family. … My world became her world. It had to be that way. . .

RELATED VIDEO: Peter Cook: 'I Failed Myself'
Christie Brinkey's ex talks about why he cheated with a teenager.

RELATED ARTICLE: Revealed: The secret scientists say will guarantee a happy marriage... But if you're hoping for a miracle fix, look away now The Daily Mail- UK, By Daily Mail Reporter, October 1, 2008
Anybody reading this hoping for a quick fix formula for a successful marriage, look away now. According to a poll of 4,000 married couples, the secret to a happy marriage is spending at least 22 periods of 'quality time' together a month, with at least seven cosy nights in and two proper dinner dates. Cuddles, it seems hold the key, with couples who cuddle four times a day rating their marriage as very happy. And romantic gestures such as running a nice bath or a back massage are necessary every 10 days. Those who described themselves as 'very happy' say the key to a successful partnership lies in spending lots of quality time together.

RELATED PHOTO ESSAY: Divorce-Proof Your Marriage AOL Health, By Vicki Salemi
In 2006, nearly 2.2 million people were married in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. We've all heard the statistic. Nearly 50 percent of those marriages are doomed to fail. But is it really true? Empirical data aside, what facets of a marriage determine what chances it has for success or failure? Our experts say it is indeed possible to yearn for happily ever after, but you need to work toward it.

RELATED PHOTO ESSAY: How to Catch a Liar: Truth & Consequences AOL Health, By Robynne Boyd
Pinocchio wasn't very good at it. And neither are most of us. There are dozens of verbal and non-verbal cues that suggest a person is fibbing, says Bella DePaulo, PhD, a psychologist specializing in relationships. So if you can handle the truth, here are the signs that are as obvious as Pinocchio's nose.

AFA ends boycott: McDonald's agrees to changes

AFA ends boycott: McDonald's agrees to changes American Family Association. (AFA), October 9, 2008
McDonald's has told AFA they will remain neutral in the culture war regarding homosexual marriage. AFA is ending the boycott of McDonald's. As you know, AFA called for the boycott in May after McDonald's joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). McDonald's said McDonald's Vice President Richard Ellis has resigned his position on the board of NGLCC and that his seat on the board will not be replaced. McDonald's also said that the company has no plans to renew their membership in NGLCC when it expires in December. In an e-mail to McDonald's franchised owners the company said, "It is our policy to not be involved in political and social issues. McDonald's remains neutral on same sex marriage or any 'homosexual agenda' as defined by the American Family Association." We appreciate the decision by McDonald's to no longer support political activity by homosexual activist organizations. You might want to thank your local McDonald's manager.

RELATED SITE: Donate to the AFA
If you feel the AFA's efforts are worthy of support, and would like to consider making a tax-deductible contribution to help their efforts, donate here.

RELATED ARTICLE: McDonald’s Accused of Equating Defense of Marriage with ‘Hatred’ CNS News, By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor, July 18, 2008
“Morality is not hate. Judeo-Christian beliefs are not bigotry,” LaBarbera told Cybercast News Service. “This is a canard that the homosexual activists have been pushing for years – that if you oppose homosexual activism you are somehow a ‘bigot,’ or a ‘hater’ or a ‘homophobe.’ It’s a scandal to see a spokesman for a seemingly pro-family organization like McDonald’s echoing the gay line like this.” “It’s a shame that McDonald’s, which purports to serve anyone, would essentially abandon the business of selling hamburgers, and essentially join sides with radical homosexual activists in a culture war on a very polarizing subject. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Gay' McDonald's prompts boycott: AFA urges millions to shun fast-food giant over its promotion of same-sex marriage   World Net Daily, July 3, 2008
The American Family Association, whose earlier boycott of Ford Motor Co. over its promotion of homosexuality was dropped after company sales fell 8 percent per month for two years, now is asking consumers to stop buying Big Macs and Happy Meals at McDonald's.  In a brief announcement today, AFA, whose constituents number in the millions, said it is "asking its supporters to boycott the restaurant chain." "This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals, or homosexuals eating at McDonald's or how homosexual employees are treated. It is about McDonald's, as a corporation, choosing to put the full weight of their organization behind promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage," . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: 'McDonald's disingenuous about homosexuality': American Family Association criticizes restaurants' defense of activism   World Net Daily, April 9, 2008
McDonald's restaurants, famed for the Golden Arches, Ronald McDonald and kids meals, launched an e-mail response defending its advocacy for homosexual influences in business after the American Family Association alerted its constituency about the company's activities. But the AFA now is calling on the giant fast-food corporation to be honest in its discussion. . .

'Real Housewives of Atlanta': Tacky knows no color! (Click for Related Video)

TV REVIEW: "Real Housewives of Atlanta": Tacky knows no color! Palm Beach Post, By Leslie Streeter, October 8, 2008
I have been eagerly waiting for the premiere of Bravo's new indulgence-fest "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" since I saw a sneak preview at my sister's house this summer. It was so over-the-top and fabulous in a hideous way that we were afraid we'd hallucinated the whole thing in a haze of plum wine and that endless "Law and Order" marathon we'd been watching for four hours. But "Real Housewives: Atlanta" is, indeed, a reality, and its pilot Tuesday night proved that Bravo is truly a crusader for equality - it's proved that just as there is no certain race, gender or sexual orientation required to be a talented hair dresser, fashion designer, interior decorator or chef, there is truly no reason that rich black women can't be every bit the materialistic, petty, social-climbing nightmares as their Caucasian sisters. Not sure that this is progress. I'm actually sure that it's not. But it sure is fun to watch. As tacky as these ladies are, I do like the fact that black women, who almost never, ever, ever are presented as sexual and gorgeous on their own TV shows, get to be the leads. Of course, it's as the leads in a Tackyfest. But there's a weird leveling of the playing field here. And they're exactly what they're supposed to be - beautiful, weird and apparently unaware how awful they are. Just like the white women on all the other shows. . .

RELATED VIDEO: Miss the Premiere? Watch the entire episode whenever you want!

RELATED SITE: Real Housewives of Atlanta Bravo TV.com

Queen Latifah: I Don't Care If You Think I'm Gay FOX News.com, October 8, 2008
Queen Latifah says she doesn't care if people think she's gay. "I don't have a problem discussing the topic of somebody being gay, but I do have a problem discussing my personal life," Latifah, 38, told Sunday's New York Times magazine. "You don't get that part of me. Sorry," she added. "We're not discussing it in our meetings, we're not discussing it at Cover Girl...nobody gets that. "I don't feel like I need to share my personal life, and I don't care if people think I'm gay or not," she said. "Assume whatever you want. You do it anyway." Latifah had been linked to her longtime personal trainer. Last December, she denied rumors that they were getting married. "People will make up all sorts of things that are not true," she told the Chicago Sun-Times. "There ain't gonna' be no wedding.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Her Highness Still Rules New York Times magazine, By Alex Witchel, October 3, 2008
She generally avoids reading about herself online. “A lot of people are crazy, cruel and negative,” she said. “They got a little too much time on their hands to discuss everybody else. I have a limited amount of energy to blow in a day. I’d rather read something that I like or watch a program I enjoy or ride my damn motorcycle or throw back a couple of shots of tequila with my friends. Laughing and joking and actually living life. To sit there reading about myself, I don’t see the point of it. I’m bein’ myself.”

Queen Latifah: I don't care if you think I'm gay

RELATED ARTICLE: Father kills family and himself, despondent over financial losses Los Angeles Times, By Richard Winton, Evelyn Larrubia and Kimi Yoshino, October 7, 2008
Karthik Rajaram was found dead in his Porter Ranch home along with his wife, mother-in-law and 3 sons. Neighbors and coworkers say he was a loving father, but 'very intense' and at times unstable. . . .Karthik Rajaram had fallen hard. The 45-year-old Porter Ranch financial manager who once made more than $1.2 million in a London-based venture fund had lost his job. His luck playing the stock market ran out.

RELATED ARTICLE: Fannie Mae forgives loan for woman who shot herself CNN.com, October 3, 2008
Story Highlights:
* Company says it will return home to woman who shot herself during eviction
* Neighbor climbs through window, finds woman bleeding
* Congressman mentions incident during House debate on bailout
* Kucinich: "This bill does nothing for the Addie Polks of the world"

RELATED ARTICLE: In Crisis, Wall Street Turns to Prayer: Financial meltdown triggers prayer sessions citywide Christianity Today, By Tony Carnes, September 19, 2008
The emotional impact of the current crisis on Wall Streeters is amplified by attitudes like those described by the chief operating officer. "There is an element of, 'I am master of my fate. I put in 18-hour days and am making it.' Then, this crisis pulls the rug out from under them. This may be the first dislocation of their lives. Their savings have disappeared in 15 minutes.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Foreclosure-Related Suicide: Sign of the Times? Massachusetts Woman's Suicide Followed Foreclosure ABC News, By Dan Childs— ABC News Medical Unit, July 25, 2008
"By the time you foreclose on my house, I'll be dead." So read the note that 53-year-old Carlene Balderrama of Taunton, Mass., faxed to her mortgage company, according to Taunton Police Chief Raymond O'Berg. The message turned out to be tragically prophetic.

Marriage: Wedge Issue or Prelude to Disaster? (Click for Related Video)

Marriage: Wedge Issue or Prelude to Disaster? Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., October 6, 2008
The last few weeks have been filled with political drama. The economic bailout, discussions about Sarah Palin, and the vice presidential debate have kept millions of Americans occupied with their own debates about America’s future. While all this excitement is taking place nationally, there is a quiet tragedy brewing that can have just as much impact as the financial crisis. It is the battle to protect marriage. Three states have marriage amendments on the ballot this November - Arizona, California, and Florida. The California battle is especially significant because judges have made same sex marriage into law in that state. These battles have been relegated to the back pages of the national papers and hardly covered at all on national television because the protection of marriage is often called a “wedge issue.” Due to the lack of media coverage, many people are unaware of how much is at stake in this battle. Same sex marriage could become the law of the land in three years or less. The only speed bump that could slow this process down (or derail it) is passing a constitutional amendment in these three states. The problem with redefining marriage is that it is more than a civil rights issue concerning how gay people are treated. . .

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

RELATED VIDEO: Can Someone's Sexual Preference be Changed? ABC-7 News, May 5, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage Tramples Religious Liberty Virtue Online, By Mike McManus, July 13, 2008
The California Supreme Court refused to stay its own ruling. It clearly wants thousands of legal gay marriages on the ground before the amendment is voted upon. Why? "They are deliberately trying to influence the referendum by creating these facts on the ground," said Peter Sprigg, Vice President of the Family Research Council (FRC). "Supporters of same-sex marriage can then argue,'You will be taking away something these couples have been given,' rather than voting to deny them something they never had."

RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: Yes on Proposition 8: Gay Marriage Deprives Some Children of a Mom or a Dad Santa Barbara Independent, By Paul Sorensen, October 8, 2008
Nobody I know wants to be a bigot. In the American psyche, bigotry translates to the KKK, witch hunts, etc. That is why most of us will go out of our way to avoid any behavior that could even be construed as bigotry. The accusation alone makes us recoil! So it is no wonder proponents of gay marriage have found it so effective to label anyone who supports Proposition 8 as a bigot.

RELATED ARTICLE: Don't be manipulated by the master marketers Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, October 4, 2005
As David [Kupelian] notes in his new book, The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom: “The plain truth is, within the space of our lifetimes, much of what Americans once almost universally abhorred has been packaged, perfumed, gift-wrapped and sold to us as though it had great value. By skillfully playing on our deeply felt national values of fairness, generosity and tolerance, these marketers have persuaded us to embrace as enlightened and noble that which all previous generations since America’s founding regarded as grossly self-destructive -- in a word, evil.” . . .

'Bride' and 'groom' to be restored to Calif. marriage forms thanks, in part, to newlyweds Rachel Bird and Gideon Codding, who refused to be recognized legally as 'Party A' and 'Party B'

Party is Over, 'Bride' & 'Groom' Back on Marriage Form LAist, By Zach Behrens, October 6, 2008
My oh my, how things change fast. California's marriage licenses identified each of the couples by either bride and groom before gay marriage was legalized in May when it changed to Party A and Party B. But after many complaints and one couple threatening to sue, the state changed it back--this time with a few changes. "The new form will apply for same-sex and heterosexual marriages, and applicants may also decline to check any box at all," reported The Granite Bay View who quoted Suanne Buggy, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Public Health, saying "You could check bride and groom, bride and bride, groom and groom. And it is completely optional if a couple decides they don’t want to check anything at all.” The new forms will be available in November.

RELATED RELEASE: Information and Documents Regarding California Marriage Licenses California Department of Public Health, October 3, 2008
(New marriage license forms for November announced to county clerks on October 3, 2008)
Many Californians have asked to have the option to identify as “bride” and “groom” on their marriage license form. The California Department of Public Health has been reviewing how we can provide those options in a way that is consistent with court rulings on marriage. The state will begin using new forms effective November 17th that will include boxes for “bride” or “groom.” Identifying as a “bride” or a “groom” is optional, not mandatory.

RELATED ARTICLE: State will process Roseville couple’s marriage form: Lawsuit still pending Granite Bay View, By Nathan Donato-Weinstein , October 6, 2008
In a major policy reversal, the state agency responsible for overseeing marriage licenses this week said it would allow applicants to identify themselves as brides or grooms – a key demand raised by a Roseville couple who last week announced they would sue state and local officials over the gender-neutral form. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: QUEERLY BELOVED: California bans 'brides,' 'grooms': License rejected for couple seeking traditional marriage World Net Daily, September 8, 2008

Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw: "Divorce Is Not an Option" Ladies Home Journal, October 6, 2008
After 32 years of marriage, Dr. Phil and wife Robin have very definite ideas about how to make a relationship survive -- and thrive. Here they tackle tricky married-life pitfalls and address rumors that their own union is on the rocks.

Inside the McGraw Home: Consider the rabbit hopping around Dr. Phil's Beverly Hills backyard, munching on a pink begonia petal. Her name is Carmen, his housekeeper's pet, and the bunny never bothers anyone, never tries to enter the house, so why not let her have the run of the place? Dr. Phil's beloved dog, Maggie (a pooch he got at the pound that turned out to be a rare, purebred Korean Jindo dog), plays with Carmen. Sometimes, the two pets curl up together in a show of family harmony. That's the feeling here in the richly appointed McGraw home. Sure, the house is fancy: thick, dramatic draperies, large statues, Gothic crosses, crowns, pedestal candles, couches adorned with piles and piles of tapestry pillows. A lot of what Robin McGraw, Dr. Phil's wife of 32 years and best-selling self-help-book author, has chosen to say with her prodigious decorating skills is borrowed from royalty. This is Dr. Phil's house and this is a place that proclaims: king! That's the setting, but the activity is distinctly down-home. . . . . .Financial Stress and Fighting:. . . . It works to say we're going to be happily married for the rest of our lives. Divorce is not an option for us. It never has been. We had the divorce conversation early on. We needed to make it clear: We're never divorcing. And Phillip has said, you need to look me in the eye because I'm telling you I will never leave you. . .

Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw: Divorce is not an option

RELATED ARTICLE: WETZSTEIN: Mutual consent divorce Washington Times, By Cheryl Wetzstein, September 30, 2008
For more than 30 years, most Americans have told the General Social Survey (GSS) that they approve of divorce as a cure for a sick marriage. But they also strongly support making divorce harder to get. Political leaders ought to tap into this public disenchantment with easy divorce, says Michael McManus, veteran syndicated columnist and pro-marriage gadfly. Congress should do for divorce what it did for drunken driving - reduce it by tying federal funding to state behavior, he told me at the recent Values Voter Summit in Washington. The outcome could be a 50 percent drop in divorce and preservation of homes for millions of children. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: How to break the cycle of divorce: Author Daisy Goodwin was 5 when her parents split up. After 21 years of marriage she explains why she would never put her daughters through the same heartache The Times Online- UK, By Daisy Goodwin, September 13, 2008
This January I will have been married for 21 years, to the same man. Nothing so very special about that, were it not for the fact that when I got married I never expected it to last. Not that I didn't love my husband, far from it; but in my family marriage could be seen only as the triumph of hope over experience. My parents divorced when I was 5 and every single member of my mother's family is on their second or third marriage. . . . This blend of cynicism and a romantic vision of the perfect marriage is common among the children of divorced parents. My perfectly married friend says “other people lust after fast cars and fancy houses, but for me the ultimate aspiration is a family kitchen with everyone sitting round the table. That seems magical and precious - precisely because that's what I didn't have when I was growing up”. . .

The Separate Peace of John And Carol: In the Demise of His First Marriage, John McCain's Life Seems to Have Found a New Path

The Separate Peace of John And Carol
In the Demise of His First Marriage, John McCain's Life Seems to Have Found a New Path The Washington Post, By Paul Farhi, October 6, 2008
In early 1980, John McCain was a man in transition -- and in a hurry. Nine months earlier, at a cocktail reception in Hawaii, he met a glamorous young heiress named Cindy Lou Hensley and, by all accounts, fell instantly in love. McCain spent months flying from Washington to Arizona pursuing this new relationship. Soon, the 43-year-old naval attache and his 25-year-old sweetheart were engaged. There was only one complication: McCain was still married. Carol Shepp McCain, then 42, had endured much in more than 14 years of marriage to John. . . . . . In one of the few public comments she has made about the marriage, Carol McCain -- now 70 and living quietly in retirement in Virginia Beach -- told Timberg in 1995: "The breakup of our marriage was not caused by my accident or Vietnam or any of those things. I don't know that it might not have happened if John had never been gone. I attribute it more to John turning 40 and wanting to be 25 again than I do to anything else." Carol has never publicly criticized McCain; she has been supportive of his political career. She has contributed money to several of his campaigns and today sports a "McCain for President" bumper sticker on her car, according to Bookbinder. During McCain's first race, an opponent called her seeking "negative material" to use against him, she once said. She not only declined but also told her ex-husband about the call. As she later said in an interview with an Arizona newspaper: "I told [the opponent] I believe in John McCain. He's a good person. I wish him every bit of success." . . .

Bible not against gay marriage The Arizona Republic, By Leonna Graf, October 6, 2008
Regarding Proposition 102, which seeks a constitutional amendment to define marriage in Arizona: It's amazing that there are those who believe they know more than God, Jesus or the authors of our Constitution. There's a wonderful DVD, For the Bible Tells Me So, that helps to unravel why so many "believe" that the Bible denounces homosexuality. The truth is it does not. References used to support this belief have been taken out of context. Jesus, when asked which is the greatest commandment, responded that the two greatest commandments are: First, love God with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your mind. Second, love your neighbor as yourself. In loving God in this way, there's no room for judgment and condemnation toward your neighbor. Jesus doesn't qualify anything about your neighbor or you. Those pushing for this amendment are throwing stones at their neighbors like those in Jesus' day threw stones at Mary Magdalene. While there's no sin involved, there's a correlation. It's time to let go of fear and judgment and to live from our hearts. Our differences create a beautiful tapestry. . .

New DVD, 'For the Bible Tells Me So' asserts that the Bible is not against same-sex marriage (Click for Related Video)

RELATED DVD TRAILER: For the Bible Tells Me So YouTube.com

RELATED BROADCAST: Preserving Marriage Foundation- Part 1 Focus on the Family.org, September 29, 2008
Radio talk show host Dennis Prager discusses the biblical foundation of marriage and offers a thoughtful examination of how that foundation is being undermined in American culture.

RELATED BROADCAST: Preserving Marriage Foundation- Part 2 Focus on the Family.org, September 30, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Judaism's Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism (and then Christianity) Rejected Homosexuality OrthodoxyToday.org, By Dennis Prager
When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world. The Torah's prohibition of non-marital sex quite simply made the creation of Western civilization possible. Societies that did not place boundaries around sexuality were stymied in their development. The subsequent dominance of the Western world can largely be attributed to the sexual revolution initiated by Judaism and later carried forward by Christianity. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The Gay Activists Are Headed For The Churches Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., June 2, 2008
So why did they come to our church along with TD Jakes’ Potter’s House, Eddie Long’s New Birth Community Church, and Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church? And why are they going to Willow Creek Community Church and Saddleback Community Church? The answer is simple. Their goal is to force us to accept their lifestyle by slowly desensitizing us to their aberrant theology and practices. This change in tactics is an attempt to play the pity card.

RELATED ARTICLE: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr. May 19, 2008
I first learned that my church was scheduled for a visit by SoulForce last December. The PR campaign about the event was announced long before this group asked for an opportunity to have a discussion on this topic of gay inclusion in the Church. This tactic seems to be a continuation of a four-year strategy. . . . The mission statement of this organization was surprising to me. It reads as follows: “The mission of Soulforce is to cut off homophobia at its source --- religious bigotry. . . . . Since when is preaching gospel morality for all people a form of oppression?

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Pro-Gay Theology Leadership U, By Joe Dallas
This three-part series will address the pro-gay theology by dividing its arguments--or tenets--into three categories: social justice arguments, general religious arguments, and scriptural arguments. A brief description of these arguments will be provided, followed by a response/rebuttal to each.

Major denominations ordaining homosexuals, priests and clergy presiding over same-sex weddings, sanctuaries invaded by boisterous gay activists, debates over homosexuality ripping congregations apart-who would have guessed we would ever reach such a point in church history? . . . . When God is reputed to sanction what He has already clearly forbidden, then a religious travesty is being played out, and boldly. Confronting it is necessary because it (the pro-gay theology) asks us to confirm professing Christians in their sin, when we are Biblically commanded to do just the opposite.

Women who conceive accidentally on purpose

Women who conceive accidentally on purpose
A growing number are intentionally becoming pregnant by men they don't expect to be involved. Is it feminism or folly? The Sunday Times- UK, By Clover Stroud, October 5, 2008
Katya’s entire adult life has been characterised by driving ambition, which has seen her achieve a first-class degree in classics from Cambridge and a six-figure salary as a barrister. Now approaching 37, she hasn’t let singledom get in the way of her next goal: motherhood. And because she is accustomed to taking the initiative, she was less than careful when she had a two-week affair with Phil, her cousin’s friend, earlier this year. Of course, he wasn’t consulted about whether he wanted to become a father, but when a man sleeps with a woman without using contraception... Most men I’ve been out with have been pretty disappointing,” she says, one hand on her pregnant tummy. “I’m not making any demands on Phil, and I’m not expecting him to be involved. I’m financially independent, so I know I can give this baby an amazing life. I will be able to offer a more stable life than some of my girlfriends, who gave up their jobs a decade ago to have children, and who are now in failing marriages and have no independent income.” Katya’s attitude might seem blunt, reducing it to nothing more than a biological transaction between herself and a suitable stud, but as a fiercely independent and financially secure woman, she is not alone. . . . . .Unsurprisingly, few women will admit to having actively stolen a man’s sperm. It’s still one of the last sexual taboos in an age when almost anything goes — sleep around as much as you like, but don’t do that. “People have a real problem with the fact that I positively chose this course,” says Sarah. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Births outside marriage - a real cause for concern BBC NEWS Blog, By Mark Easton, September 24, 2008
Unless trends change, in just eight years time most babies in Britain will be born outside marriage. Already the majority of newborns in Wales (52%) and the North East of England (55%)are delivered to parents who are not married. Nationally, the figure for 2007 is 44.3%, having risen from just 8% in 1971. If the rate of increase remains as it has been since 2000, my maths shows that by 2016 more than 50% of UK babies will be born outside wedlock. Does this matter? Well, today the Economic and Social Research Council pulled together some of the key findings from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) - a huge study of 10,000 British adults interviewed every year since 1991. In an article entitled 'Births outside marriage: the real story', Professor John Ermisch from the Institute for Social and Economic Research, assesses the evidence and concludes that "the rise in births outside marriage is a real cause for concern".

RELATED ARTICLE: Births outside marriage: the real story Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), By John Ermisch
Four in ten births are outside marriage, compared with under ten per cent a quarter of a century ago. Most of these births, however, are to cohabiting couples, not single mothers. But, explains John Ermisch, the rise in the proportion of births outside marriage should still be a source of serious concern. . . . . . Only 35% of children brought up by unmarried parents will live with both parents throughout their childhood. For those with married parents the figures rises to 70%. As Professor Ermisch puts it: "Having a child in a cohabiting union is often not indicative of a long-term partnership." What is more, if an unmarried mum breaks up with her partner, it can take a long time to find a new relationship. More than half are still without a partner five years after the break up. The conclusion, according to Professor Ermisch, is that "non-marital childbearing in cohabiting unions tends to create lone mother families".

RELATED ARTICLE: The Parent Hood: How technology and social progress are turning procreation into self-actualization. The Daily Standard, By Claudia Anderson, December 4, 2006
"Around the world, the two-person, mother-father model of parenthood is being fundamentally challenged," begins the report. Produced by the Commission on Parenthood's Future, an independent, nonpartisan group of scholars and leaders, and written by Elizabeth Marquardt, the document is an appeal for "reflection, debate, and research about the policies and practices that will serve the best interests of children" at a time when a redefinition of parenthood is taking place "at breakneck speed around the world."

RELATED ARTICLE: The Revolution in Parenthood: The Emerging Global Clash Between Adult Rights and Children's Needs AmericanValues.org

RELATED ARTICLE: Ziggy breaks music, marriage barriers Jamaica Gleaner, By Teino Evans, December 31, 2006
The eldest son of reggae legend, Bob Marley, and his wife, Rita, Ziggy Marley, has indeed picked up where his father left off, breaking down barriers in more ways than one. . . . There had been widespread rumours that Marley had either converted to Judaism or was considering it, but Ziggy says that is completely false. What is true is that he is in fact married to an Israeli. "Yeah, my wife (Orly) is from Israel. She is a Jew." Ziggy says at first it was difficult for members of her family to accept the relationship, but he was not about to allow religious barriers to separate him from his true love. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Why so many singles can't find love MSNBC.com- Today show, Feb 8, 2006
Jillian Straus, a successful TV producer, dated many men, but she couldn’t find Mr. Right. She wasn’t alone. Her single girlfriends had the same problem. So Straus, who now lives in New York City, decided to research a book on why it was so hard for singles to settle down. She interviewed 100 men and women in their 20s and 30s around the country about their dating habits—and disappointments. In Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We're Still Single, Straus, who was invited to appear on the “Today” show, reveals why singles remain single. Here’s an excerpt:. . .

After Heather Locklear's recent troubles and DUI arrest, what will happen to her daughter, Ava?

What About Ava? OK magazine, October 3, 2008
When Heather Locklear was arrested this weekend after driving erratically, she wasn't the only one to be affected in the incident: her daughter, 11-year-old Ava Elizabeth, from her marriage to ex Richie Sambora, is sure to face some trying times ahead. “Heather needs to set a good example for Ava, or the effects are going to be harmful for her daughter,” relationship expert Cooper Lawrence tells OK!. . . .In addition to this most recent rough patch, Ava's borne her share of tough changes for such a young girl: her parents divorced in 2006 amidst rumors of an affair between Richie and Denise Richards, her mother now has a new boyfriend in Jack Wagner, and Heather checked into a psychiatric hospital in June for anxiety and depression. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Was Heather Locklear Set Up? Crazy Arrest Details Huffington Post, October 1, 2008
— An attorney for the woman whose 911 call led to Heather Locklear's arrest says she also snapped paparazzi photos, but alerted authorities for safety's sake. Attorney Nicholas Tepper says Jill Ishkanian, who operates Sunset Photo & News, acted heroically when she reported an erratic driver Saturday. Ishkanian photographed Locklear's sobriety test, then sold the pictures to TMZ for more than $27,000, Tepper said. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Monica Epperson Experiences a ‘Heart With Two Homes’ GTR News, By By K.J. WEBB
After listening to Monica Epperson’s story, most would say that she is a survivor. They would be wrong. Monica Epperson is an over-comer, a vivid example of how a child can overcome the trauma of divorce. Epperson’s story is particularly compelling. She was not a child of one divorce. The first divorce happened when she was only one year old. Four more would happen before she reached the age of 12. It is the sum of these experiences that led Epperson to write “A Heart With Two Homes” to help children living with divorce. Her personal experience has made her keenly aware of the issues and problems that children of divorce confront, and the impact it has on them. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Decline of marriage is destroying our pupils, say teachers The Daily Mail- UK, By Laura Clark, March 19, 2008
• They're too mixed up to learn
• They've more eating disorders
• They're more prone to suicide

RELATED ARTICLE: For better or worse: The good divorce guide The Independent- UK, By Virginia Ironside, March 18, 2008
Obviously, there are some couples who sail through divorce. They both agree that the marriage isn't working out, they divide the goods and chattels without acrimony, and when they're all done and dusted they go out for a blissfully unromantic dinner. But, for most couples, it's a painful business – and the agony starts long before the proceedings are even instigated. . . . . After the brief moment of elation that comes with initial separation (the "Free at last! The world's my oyster," feeling), most people find that the world isn't actually their oyster. It's a bleak and often unfriendly place. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:   Divided they fall   TownHall.com, By Jennifer Roback Morse, October 17, 2005
Marriage is the most basic unit of social cooperation. If spousal cooperation breaks down, the available substitutes are expensive and inadequate. I’ve always talked about this as a fiscal and political issue. Now an adult child of divorced parents makes the same point from a psychological perspective. Elizabeth Marquardt’s book, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce, tells the poignant story of kids trying to make sense of their worlds after divorce. Even when the parents are conscientious and loving, the children still struggle to resolve conflicts that are usually an adult responsibility, not a child’s. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:    Child's-eye view of divorce The Telegraph- UK, By Olga Craig, July 12, 2005
What does a child really feel about his parents' divorce? The BBC gave 10 year-old Ben a video camera and asked him to confide in it. For his family, Olga Craig learns, the results add up to an uncomfortable evening's viewing.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Top Ten Myths of Divorce: Discussion of the most common misinformation about divorce, with references to social science literature   The National Marriage Project- Rutgers University, By David Popenoe, April 2001
. . . 3. Divorce may cause problems for many of the children who are affected by it, but by and large these problems are not long lasting and the children recover relatively quickly. . . . . 6. When parents don’t get along, children are better off if their parents divorce than if they stay together. . .

Do the veeps agree on homosexual marriage? OneNewsNow, By Jim Brown, October 2, 2008
Vice presidential nominees Joe Biden and Sarah Palin agreed in their only head-to-head debate that marriage should be limited to one man and one woman, and that special benefits should be extended to homosexual couples. Senator Biden made it clear that from a constitutional and legal standpoint in an Obama-Biden Administration, there would be "absolutely no distinction" between a same-sex and a heterosexual couple. "The fact of the matter is that under the Constitution, we should be granted, same-sex couples should be able to have visitation rights in the hospital, joint ownership of property, life insurance policies, etcetera," Biden pronounced. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin told debate moderator Gwen Ifill that she would not support expanding the same-sex domestic partner benefits offered in Alaska to other states in the U-S if such benefits would redefine the traditional definition of marriage. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Poll: Biden wins debate, Palin exceeds expectations CNN.com- Political Ticker, October 2, 2008
– A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate suggests that Democratic Sen. Joe Biden won but also hints that Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations.

Do Vice Presidential nominees Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin agree on homosexual marriage?

RELATED ARTICLE: Transcript of Palin, Biden debate CNN.com, October 2, 2008
The vice presidential candidates, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden and Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, debated in St. Louis, Missouri, Thursday night. Gwen Ifill of PBS was the debate moderator.

RELATED ARTICLE: Biden’s Denial of Same-Sex Marriage Support at Odds with Obama’s Record CNS.com, By Pete Winn, October 03, 2008
- Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) placed himself and his running mate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), firmly on record in Thursday night’s vice presidential debate as opposing same-sex marriage. But Obama’s statements and actions on the issue say something else. . . . .In letters to homosexual groups, the Democratic presidential nominee said he opposes California’s Proposition 8, which California voters will face this November. He also said he supports repealing the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which also defines marriage as being between one man and one woman, and forbids states from being forced to accept any other definition of marriage under the U.S. Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The Palin Problem Townhall.com, Kathleen Parker, September 26, 2008
Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick -- what a difference a financial crisis makes -- and a more complicated picture has emerged. As we've seen and heard more from John McCain's running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn't know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion. . . . Palin's recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

RELATED ARTICLE: Biden's Financial History Disqualifies Him For High Office Townhall.com, By Michael Medved, September 24, 2008
If a candidate for high office does a spectacularly poor job in managing his own family's finances, why on earth should we trust him in a national leadership position at a time of acute economic crisis? Senator Joe Biden's recently disclosed tax returns display a consistent pattern of poor judgment and shabby values that ought to disqualify him for the vice presidency or any other post of significant responsibility. . . . As the Washington Post sympathetically observed: “Biden has spent virtually his whole life in public service and does not have much else aside from a small array of mutual funds and cash accounts.” In June of 2008, he even listed significant liabilities including a loan up to $50,000 against his life insurance policy and line of credit indebtedness of more than $100,000 to the Wilmington Savings Fund Society. . . . . What, exactly, did the Senator do with the literally millions of dollars he earned in recent years?

RELATED ARTICLE: Who are the Hypocrites When it Comes to the Sanctity of Life? Start with Sen. Joe Biden BlackAmericaWeb.com, By: Joseph C. Phillips, September 23, 2008
A hypocrite is a “person whose actions belie stated beliefs.” Both Joseph Biden and Barack Obama profess a private conviction that life begins at conception. Yet, they both take the morally ambivalent public position of choice -- an unfettered right of a woman to destroy that life. In fact, Obama is so uncommitted to his private principle that he possesses the unique distinction of being the only elected politician to oppose life-saving measures being provided for a child born alive following an unsuccessful abortion. Gov. Palin, on the other hand, has been frank in her belief that life begins at conception and has lived her private principles publically by, among other things, choosing to carry her developmentally disabled child to term rather than kill it in utero. Moreover, Palin does not oppose stem cell research. What Palin opposes (and what most conservatives oppose) is government funding of embryonic stem cell research. You will find no such opposition to adult stem cell research.

RELATED ARTICLE: John McCain or Barack Obama? For us, there’s only one option The Real Proposal magazine, August 18, 2008
The sad reality is that both presumptive candidates for the presidency of the United States — chosen, ultimately, from a decidedly tainted pack from both sides of the Democratic-Republican divide — constitute a less-than-stellar reflection of our spiritual and moral condition as a nation, and it is delusional to believe that there isn't a leadership crisis in America. . . At election time, it is "we the people" that decide who our decision makers will be. But, as Daniel Taylor & Mark McCloskey point out in their recent article, How to Pick a President: Why Virtue Trumps Policy, all too often we decide poorly, largely because we ask the wrong questions.

RELATED ARTICLE: Pelosi Backs Obama on Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act CNS News.com, By Josiah Ryan, August 1, 2008
– If Barack Obama is elected president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will support him in fulfilling his vow to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which currently protects states from having to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in other states as they ordinarily would be required to do by the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution.

RELATED RESOURCE: Candidate Match Game USA Today

RELATED RESOURCE: On the Issues- Every Political on Every Issue: Barack Obama

RELATED RESOURCE: On the Issues- Every Political on Every Issue: John McCain

RELATED RESOURCE: Project VoteSmart: The Voter's self defense System

In The name of the father: The fallout of leaving a long-standing marriage for a homosexual lifestyle (Click for Related Video)

In the name of the father Canada.com, By Sarah Treleaven- The Ottawa Citizen, October 2, 2008
When Jonathan's middle daughter gets married this year, he won't be walking her down the aisle. Jonathan's children, two girls and a boy, don't talk to him anymore. The uneasy peace brokered after Jonathan came out to his family in 2000 after 25 years of marriage, was severed nine months ago when his children found out that Jonathan had quietly wed his much younger lover. "When my partner and I decided to get married, I didn't want to rub salt into the wound," says Jonathan. "They found out, as did my ex-wife, through mutual friends. So now I have a situation where my kids are in a real standoff that I withheld something from them. Not that they would have said, 'Good for you.'" Despair creeps into Jonathan's voice as he wonders whether his ties to his children can ever be rehabilitated. Over the past several months, he has received letters from his adult children indicting his fathering skills, questioning his character, and asking him to stay out of their lives. "I'm basically shut out," he says. That kind of discord isn't entirely unpredictable when dad announces that he's gay after decades of marriage to mom. For gay men who marry women, the decision to bury their authentic sexuality is often an act of denial and self-preservation. But when an identity crisis erupts in midlife, it presents an adjustment for the entire family. And coming out to older kids, kids with a full grasp of the potential implications and a fully formed impression of who their parents are supposed to be, can be the toughest part. For Jonathan, coming out wasn't a choice implemented as part of a strategic game plan. He was forced to come out to a disbelieving family when his son, then 18, stumbled across Jonathan's Internet history. . .

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

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: The 'Real' New Gay Marriage GayWired.com, By Ross von Metzke, May 7, 2008
What we aren’t, however, is Norman f*****g Rockwell… we’re not Ivy League, bucking for country club membership or any other idealistic relationship stereotype—which is probably what bothered me so much about a recent cover story in The New York Times Magazine, documenting what writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis dubs “the new gay marriage.” . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples Family Research Council, By Timothy J. Dailey, Ph. D. (Posted March 2008)
The “I’m boring.” down-home portrayals of homosexual couples are meant to provoke the question: Since gay couples really differ only in that both partners are of the same sex, what rational basis exists for denying them full marriage rights? Are homosexual households, as the article suggests, simply another variant of human relationships that should be considered, along with marriage, as “part of mainstream American society”? On the contrary, the evidence indicates that “committed” homosexual relationships are radically different from married couples in several key respects:
· relationship duration
· monogamy vs. promiscuity
· relationship commitment
· number of children being raised
· health risks
· rates of intimate partner violence . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Collateral Damage? Children With a Gay Parent Speak Out Family.org, By Amy Tracey
In addition to feeling a sense of loss, especially if a parent has left the home, children may experience shame, humiliation, fear, instability, and confusion. This may manifest in any number of ways, including behavioral problems at home and school, nightmares, even alcohol and drug use.

RELATED ARTICLE: Adult children speak out about same-sex parents TownHall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, July 7, 2007
It was the TV pictures that first got to Bronagh Cassidy. Same-sex couples marrying in San Francisco: "They were so proud of themselves. And then they had these little children with them." Cassidy, a 27-year-old married mother of two, sighs. "Something inside of me wants to be able to help those kids, because I know they are going to have problems." Sound ignorant, maybe even bigoted? This week, as the Senate is expected to begin debate on a constitutional amendment to protect marriage, many voices will try to convince you that people like Cassidy are, as Cheryl Jacque, head of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, put it in a recent letter, "hate-filled people who will stop at nothing to achieve their discriminatory, offensive goals." But Cassidy knows better: She is one of the first generation of "gayby boom" babies, raised by two moms. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Nancy Heche Writes Her Memoir Exodus: Live out Loud, Posted by Randy Thomas, September 14, 2006
The Chicago Sun Times reporter, Leslie Baldacci, wrote an article, Cleaning the Closet: Heche's Mom Publishes Memoir, that gives a good overview of the book [The Truth Comes Out: The Story of My Heart's Transformation]. The article slants a bit but in general appears to be fair after my first read-through. From the article:
What are the chances that three out of four women in a single family would each write memoirs? That depends on the family. The Heche family has experienced enough dysfunction to produce three volumes so far. Actress Anne Heche (Call Me Crazy, 2003) and her older sister, Susan Bergman, (Anonymity, 1994) told their stories about their upbringing with father Don, a devout Christian and closet homosexual who, after 25 years of marriage, died of AIDS in 1983. Now their mother, Nancy Heche, a Chicagoan, psychotherapist and part-time college professor, has constructed her own memoir as she spreads the fundamentalist Christian message that people don't have to be gay. Heche won't use the word "accept" when it comes to homosexuality, and she can't yet say she has "forgiven" her husband. But she has, she says, turned her anger and resentment toward homosexuality into a position of love and respect. . .

Parenting Issues: Parents Give Up Youths with Law Meant for Babies New York Times, By Erik Eckholm, October 2, 2008
The abandonments began on Sept. 1, when a mother left her 14-year-old son in a police station here. By Sept. 23, two more boys and one girl, ages 11 to 14, had been abandoned in hospitals in Omaha and Lincoln. Then a 15-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl were left. The biggest shock to public officials came last week, when a single father walked into an Omaha hospital and surrendered nine of his 10 children, ages 1 to 17, saying that his wife had died and he could no longer cope with the burden of raising them. In total last month, 15 older children in Nebraska were dropped off by a beleaguered parent or custodial aunt or grandmother who said the children were unmanageable. Officials have called the abandonments a misuse of a new law that was mainly intended to prevent so-called Dumpster babies -- the abandonment of newborns by young, terrified mothers -- but instead has been used to hand off out-of-control teenagers or, in the case of the father of 10, to escape financial and personal despair. The spate of abandonments has prompted an outcry about parental irresponsibility and pledges to change the state law, which allows care givers to drop off children without fear of prosecution. But it has also cast a spotlight on the hidden extent of family turmoil in the country and what many experts say is a shortage of respite care, counseling and especially psychiatric services to help parents in dire need. Some who work with troubled children add that economic conditions, like stagnant low-end wages and the epidemic of foreclosures, may make the situation worse, adding layers of worry and conflict. . .

Parents Give Up Youths with Law Meant for Babies

Leonardo DiCaprio: I want to stand for something (Click for Related Video)

Leonardo DiCaprio: 'I Want To Stand For Something' Parade magazine, By Dotson Rader, October 5, 2008 Issue
‘I feel like a whole era in my life is over,” Leonardo DiCaprio tells me. He’s dressed in baggy jeans and a blue polo shirt, with a blue baseball cap backward on his head. Tall and lanky, he’s one of the world’s biggest box-office stars, making $20 million a picture. But today he looks more like a young guy who just came in from doing yard work. He looks unhappy and tired. “My grandma died last week,” he says quietly, explaining his pensiveness. “I have no more grandparents. I feel that coming ahead in my life is more stripping away, for sure. I feel very sad that Oma is gone.”. . . . .“I am proud to have been in Titanic,” he says. “I’m grateful for the possibilities it’s given me. If it hadn’t been for that movie, I wouldn’t have been able to take control of my career. It was during that time that I started to think about things that meant more to the world than this glorified, superficial media exposure of me, something I never felt was justified.” The media are sure to be out in force again when he’s reunited with his Titanic co-star Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road, opening this December. . . . Over the years, Leonardo has had romantic relationships with a series of exceedingly beautiful women, principally models, among them Kristen Zang, Vanessa Hayden and, most important, Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen. His turbulent affair with Bündchen lasted nearly five years. They split up in November 2005. Most recently, he’s been involved with a stunning Israeli model, Bar Refaeli, 23. They have been a couple, on and off, for two years. “It’s hard to talk about this stuff,” he says. “I want to keep some of this for myself. When we talk about ourselves, we know the bad parts, too.” In the past, Leonardo has refused to discuss his romantic relationships, explaining that he has “few emotions,” has “never been in love,” and “does not believe in marriage.” I ask if he still believes what he once said. “No, I don’t agree with any of that,” he replies. “It sounds like the ignorance of youth to me. When did I say that? Three or four years ago? Hey, we grow up real fast. . . .

RELATED SLIDE SHOW: Leonardo DiCaprio Parade.com — Rodolfo Martinez

Lady in Waiting: Will’s Cup of Tea Vanity Fair, By Vicky Ward November 2008 Issue
For more than four years, Kate Middleton has navigated the perilous waters of being Prince William’s girlfriend, handling the snobbery, sniping, and spotlight without official support or guidance. As Britain’s odds-makers bet on a wedding, the author takes a look at the bonds—and the breakup—that cemented Middleton’s place in both the Prince’s heart and the Palace fold. . . . At the Garter ceremony, she was her usual glowing self. She had plenty to smile about. This was the first time Kate had attended an official royal engagement in public. She has now been at two royal weddings, on William’s behalf. “He sent out a message,” says the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay, who was one of Princess Diana’s closest confidants in the British media. “[He’s saying,] ‘I’m not there, but this girl is very important in my life. She’s representing me. Read what you like into that.’ And, so, one tends to read into that, well, the girl is almost in the homestretch to be his wife.” Echoing Kay’s sentiments, British bookmakers are now taking money only on details surrounding the wedding date—which many think will be in 2009. Some royal correspondents believe an engagement could come by the end of this year. Woolworths at one point even planned memorabilia china bearing the couple’s faces. If these predictions are right, then Middleton, the granddaughter of a store clerk and a builder, will become a princess—an unprecedented elevation, which is both a sign of the times and, perhaps, a tribute to the caliber of the young woman. “In all these years,” says a relative of the Prince’s, “without any training, quite simply she has never put a foot wrong. It’s remarkable.” Still, there are plenty of snobbish insults from people who, despite Middleton’s obvious attributes, believe that the monarchy needs to stop marrying “out” of its class. . .

Kate Middleton: Prince William's Lady in Waiting?

RELATED PHOTOS: Queen Material: Kate Middleton’s Reign of Glamour Vanity Fair.com, October 1, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Live in sin and pay the price Brisbane Times- Austrailia, By Miranda Devine, April 19, 2007
Poor Kate Middleton, dumped by the second in line to the British throne then displayed humiliatingly to the world as Prince William's "practice chick", the mere recipient of some of his wild oats. But judging by the astonishing Pommy snobbery unleashed in the week since the break-up of her almost five-year relationship, Middleton, 25, is well off out of it. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The art of etiquette Belfast Telegraph, By Andy McSmith, April 17, 2007
Mixing with royals is a tricky business, as Kate Middleton's mother discovered. So how should one behave in the company of the upper classes? Andy McSmith finds out. If Kate Middleton was feeling miserable yesterday, it is nothing to what her poor mother must have been going through. Carole Middleton once had a future as the nation's top mother- in-law. Now, she is being reviled as number one embarrassing mum.

RELATED ARTICLE: Wills and Kate Split The Sun, By Duncan Larcombe- Royal Correspondent, April 14, 2007
Prince William’s romance with Kate Middleton was doomed when he decided to put Army life first, pals claimed last night.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Marrying Kind: Which Men Marry and Why The National Marriage Project- The State of Our Unions 2004, By Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe

RELATED ARTICLE: Ten Important Research Findings on Marriage and Choosing A Marriage Partner: Helpful Facts for Young Adults The National Marriage Project- Rutgers University, By David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, November 2004

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: CAUSE CÉLÈBRE: Hollywood's in slo-mo on Prop. 8 fight Los Angeles Times, By Tina Daunt, September 26, 2008
The liberal-leaning show-business industry would seem a natural opponent of the measure that would ban same-sex marriage, but campaign contributions have been sluggish. Is Hollywood afraid of Proposition 8 -- or has it just been slow to notice its presence on the California ballot?

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: School’s in (especially for John McCain): A “conservative” defense of Marriage The Real Proposal magazine, May 28, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: California gay marriage decision: The battle is on for our freedoms! The Real Proposal magazine, May 22, 2008
Anyone who thinks that the watershed issue of same-sex marriage is ultimately about what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms or a fundamental constitutional right to marry whomever we fall in love or want to form a family with, regardless of their gender, is being either naive, misinformed, misled...or, simply, disingenuous.

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay "Marriage" Townhall.com, By Thomas Sowell, August 15, 2006
The "equal protection of the laws" provided by the Constitution of the United States applies to people, not actions. Laws exist precisely in order to discriminate between different kinds of actions.

RELATED ARTICLE (PDF): Female Homosexual Development NARTH.com
It is often claimed that sexual orientation is an innate and normal variation of sexuality and therefore immutable or unchangeable aspect of a person's core self or identity. But there is no conclusive evidence that female homosexuality is innate or solely genetic or biologically based. Most respected scientists agree that homosexuality is due to a combination of social, psychological, and biological factors. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Protect Marriage - Yes on Prop 8 Campaign Releases Second Television Commercial: 'It's Already Happened' The Wall Street Journal— Market Watch, October 8, 2008
-- ProtectMarriage.com - Yes on 8 today released its second television ad of the campaign focused on consequences to Californians if the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling is not overturned by enacting Proposition 8. The ad features a young girl arriving home from school to show her mother a picture book that was read to her class by their teacher that day. The book, "King and King," is about a prince marrying another prince, "and I can marry a princess" the girl says, to her mother's disbelief. The ad features Pepperdine University School of Law Professor Richard Peterson asking and answering the question: "Think it can't happen? It's already happened.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE: CBS 5 Poll: Young Voters Lead Prop 8 Support Shift CBS 5.com, October 6, 2008
A new CBS 5 poll finds that California's Proposition 8 has picked up support in the wake of a television ad campaign that features footage of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaiming same-sex marriage is here to stay "whether you like it or not." The poll conducted for CBS 5 by SurveyUSA indicates that support for the measure to ban gay marriage has grown among voters in the state over an eleven day period — most especially among young voters.

RELATED ARTICLE: Protect Marriage/Yes on Prop 8 Campaign Releases First Television Commercial: 'Whether You Like It or Not' MarketWatch- Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2008
The ProtectMarriage.com - Yes on Proposition 8 campaign released its first television advertisement of the campaign Monday, an ad titled "Whether You Like It or Not." The ad features footage of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom arrogantly speaking of gay marriage, declaring to Californians, "The door's wide open now. It's gonna happen, whether you like it or not!" The ad goes on to remind voters that gay marriage was imposed on California by a narrowly divided California Supreme Court overturning the vote of over 4 million Californians who overwhelmingly passed Proposition 22. Then, opening a new front in the debate on gay marriage and Proposition 8, the ad features Pepperdine University Law Professor Richard Peterson detailing some of the many consequences to society at large - especially children - if the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling is not reversed.

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