"MARRIAGE" In The News
 (October 2009)

The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society—and the world—today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"—outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"—will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.

• 18 couples share vows in joint Dallas wedding The Dallas Morning News, By Michael E. Young, October 27, 2009
  Down the long aisle at Concord Church, set off this Sunday by a soft, white border draped from pew to pew, the bride walked with stately deliberation, the crowd's applause ringing out as she glided toward her groom. And behind her, at a proper distance, came another bride, then another and another, until there were 18 in all, taking the walk many must have dreamed about as little girls. But few could have imagined this. The 18 simultaneous marriages in the Oak Cliff district of Dallas sprang from a six-week teaching series for couples called "The Real Flava of Love," led by Concord Senior Pastor Bryan L. Carter. "We described it as six weeks to discover God's plan for singles and how to really maximize the season of singleness," Carter said. "The last lesson was 'Let's Just Live Together,' which led me to deal with the whole issue of cohabitation, so prominent these days." And that culminated in a challenge: If you aren't honoring God by your behavior, move out. And if you want to get married, get married — the church will pay for it all, the gowns, tuxedos, rings, even the wedding cakes. "I told them, 'We've already made arrangements, and we'll have you married in 30 days,' " Carter said of that Sunday morning. "I said, 'Meet me at the church at 3 o'clock and we'll provide more details.' " Carter admitted he was a little apprehensive. What if no one came? Turns out, that wasn't a problem. "We ended up having about 30 couples. We interviewed and assessed each one, we did eight hours of counseling. The goal was to get people awakened, to see if they were really that compatible. And we ended up with 18 couples.". . . . When Carter spoke of a lifetime commitment, the crowd cheered. When he prayed for protection against divorce, they cheered even louder. And when he introduced each couple at the end of the ceremony, everyone in the sanctuary, more than 1,000 people, stood and applauded. Denise James, who married her fiance, LaPrie Townsend, stood in the long line of brides outside the sanctuary before the ceremony began, excited about the significance of this special day "and thankful to God for the opportunity." "Marriage was definitely in the works for us," she said, "but it just wasn't financially feasible. "But when God presented this opportunity, we knew we had to take it." The marriages cost the church about $8,000, Carter said. But he was thrilled to be a part of something no one at Concord had seen before, and something he hopes other churches emulate. . .

RELATED VIDEO:  Free Weddings  CNN.com, October 27, 2009
Thirty-six brides and grooms got married when a church took a stand against a common way of life for many Americans. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Pastor's challenge yields mass nuptials  Dallas Morning News, October 21, 2009
The Rev. Bryan Carter's eyes will not be tricking him Sunday when 19 couples face him to exchange vows in a mass wedding. Concord Missionary Baptist Church and volunteer sponsors are paying all expenses, covering gowns, tuxedos, wedding bands, decorations and 19 cakes. The church has provided counseling and is exploring overnight hotel stays for brief honeymoons. This largess of commitment results from the sermon series, "The Real Flava of Love," which Carter preached at the church, where he is pastor. . .

• Patrick Swayze's Widow: I Will See Him Again  People magazine, By Elizabeth Leonard, October 27, 2009
  Patrick Swayze's widow Lisa Niemi spoke from the heart Tuesday about losing her husband just six weeks ago, telling a women’s conference that the loss “is like an animal all of its own” and the sadness could be felt “on a cellular level.” "When the grief takes you, it's like your body is not your own,” Niemi, who was married to the actor for 34 years, said during a roundtable discussion on Grief, Healing and Resilience at the Women's Conference 2009 in Long Beach, Calif. “I'm just going with the flow. I know I have to go through it."Speaking for the first time since Swayze's death, Niemi says she's relied on a close group of friends to get through some of her darker hours. . . . . . Even though Niemi told Swayze many times every day in his last months, "I love you, I love you," and never left his side, she admits, "I've spent two thirds of my life with him. ... My regret is that I didn't tell him that I loved him enough over that entire 34 years." "I am so grateful for what I had and my connection to him, and part of me believes that I will see him again," says Niemi, her voice breaking, "and I'm just going to have to go on until then." Niemi was joined on-stage by Elizabeth Edwards and Susan St. James, both of whom lost children in accidents. The discussion, held before a crowd of 14,000, was moderated by California First Lady and Women's Conference host Maria Shriver, who this summer lost her mother Eunice Shriver and uncle Ted Kennedy. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Patrick Swayze's widow Lisa Niemi opens up about her grief for the first time since his death  The Daily Mail- UK, October 28, 2009
  Patrick Swayze's widow has spoken publicly about her husband's death from pancreatic cancer for the first time. Lisa Niemi, 53, who was married to Swayze for 34 years, described the body blow she felt when the Dirty Dancing Star eventually succumbed to the deadly disease. In an emotional speech, she revealed that she had hoped having months to absorb his illness would make his death easier to bear. But she explained that when the time came, she was so overcome that the pain dwarfed everything that had gone before while he was desperately clinging to life. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Famous Women Gather to Discuss Grief: Maria Shriver, Lisa Niemi, Elizabeth Edwards, Susan St. James on Coping With Loss  ABC News- GMA, By Claire Shipman and Sarah Amos, October 28, 2009

RELATED VIDEO: Lisa Shares Her Grief  AP, October 28, 2009
Patrick Swayze's widow talks about coping with his death at The Women's Conference 2009 in California on Tuesday. (Oct. 28)


RELATED VIDEO: Women's Conference: Dealing With Grief   Good Morning America, October 28, 2009


RELATED VIDEO:  Womens Conference Maria Shriver Part 1 of 3 October 27th, 2009    Part 2,   Part 3

RELATED ARTICLE:  "In sickness and in health..." It's for more than just the flu  Editorial- The Real Proposal magazine, By Donna Kassin, Originally Published June 24, 2009
Over the past year or so, I have watched with careful interest the struggles with cancer of the late, former White House press secretary, Tony Snow, "Last Lecture" sensation Randy Pausch, and UK reality-TV celebrity Jade Goody, as well as actors Patrick Swayze and Farrah Fawcett, and certainly identified closely with different aspects of their much-publicized scenarios as only one who is “walking the walk” can. To be sure, I was not the one diagnosed with colorectal cancer that later metastasized to the liver and to both lungs; it was my husband. But I had become his fierce and unwavering advocate, determined to remain one step ahead of his current treatment options and beat this “mistress” that threatened to consume and snatch him away at will. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Searching for a 'Sole' Mate  FOTF.org, By Gary Thomas
Our culture has embraced a rather absurd notion that there is just one person who can, in the words immortalized by Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, "complete us." This is a disastrous mindset with which to approach a lifelong marital decision. The notion of a "soul mate" is actually pretty ancient. Well over two thousand years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato surmised that a perfect human being was tragically split in two, resulting in a race of creatures sentenced to spend the rest of their lives searching for that missing other who can complete them. The real danger in this line of thinking is that many people mistake a storm of emotion as the identifying mark of their soul mate. How else can you identify "destiny"? Such individuals marry on an infatuation binge without seriously considering character, compatibility, life goals, family desires, spiritual health, and other important concerns. Then when the music fades and the relationship requires work, one or both partners suddenly discover that they were "mistaken": this person must not be their soul mate after all! Otherwise, it wouldn't be so much work. Next they panic. Their soul mate must still be out there! Such people can't get to divorce court fast enough, lest someone steal their "one true soul mate" meant only for them. When we get married for trivial reasons, we tend to seek divorce for trivial reasons. . . . . .Next Article in Series: Soul Mates or 'Sole' Mates? A sole mate is someone who walks with us as together we apply biblical love. . .

• Focus of Gay-Marriage Fight Is Maine  New York Times, By Abby Goodnough, October 27, 2009
  A week before Maine voters decide whether to repeal the state’s new same-sex marriage law, donations and volunteers are pouring in to sway what both sides call a nationally significant fight. Supporters of the marriage law, which the Legislature approved in May, have far more money and ground troops than opponents, who have been led by the Catholic Church. Yet most polls show the two sides neck and neck, suggesting that gay couples here, as in California last year, could lose the right to marry just six months after they gained it. Although Maine’s population is a tiny fraction of California’s and the battle here has been comparatively low profile, it comes at a crucial point in the same-sex marriage movement. Still reeling from last year’s defeat in California, gay-rights advocates say a defeat here could further a perception that only judges and politicians embrace same-sex marriage. But if Maine’s law is upheld, it would be the movement’s first victory at the ballot box; voters in about 30 states have banned same-sex marriage. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont allow gay couples to marry, but courts and legislatures, not voters, made it possible. . . . . .Maine had planned to allow same-sex marriage starting in September, but put it off until the outcome of the referendum. It is the only state with a same-sex marriage question on its ballot this fall. The outcome could have particular resonance in California, where same-sex marriage supporters have been debating how soon to seek a repeal of their own state’s ban. . . . . With no big races drawing voters to the polls this year, both sides say that get-out-the-vote efforts will be crucial. Supporters of same-sex marriage are targeting college students, while opponentsare focusing on older voters from the state’s more conservative central and northern regions. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Voter Turnout Likely to Determine Fate of Gay Marriage Law  Maine Public Broadcasting System, By A.J. Higgins, October 23, 2009
  [On November 3,] Mainers will head to the polls to decide whether to repeal Maine's new same-sex marriage law. Now some election watchers are saying that because new voter surveys show Mainers are equally divided over Question 1 on the ballot, the outcome of the vote hinges on which campaign gets its supporters to the polls -- and gay marriage proponents may be at a disadvantage. . . . It's not just an off-year election. It's an off-off-year election. And that means that on election day, there will be no presidential candidate at the top of the ticket, no congressional race, no governor's contest or even a contested legislative seat. Instead, the most prominent ballot issue is Question 1. . .

RELATED SITE: Stand For Marriage Maine
Marriage Matters! Vote to Preserve Marriage! A Yes vote on Question 1 prevents homosexual marriage from becoming law in Maine, preserves the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Yes! Yes! and Yes! on California, Arizona and Florida Propositions 8, 102, and 2!  The Real Proposal magazine, October 22, 2008 
(Editor's Note: Vote Yes in Maine too!)
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.". . .

• Marriage and divorce - rude awakening #2: "hit and run" is NOT the way to go  Examiner.com, By Susan Pease Gadoua, October 25, 2009
  If I had a dime for every story I've heard about one spouse announcing one day, out of the blue, "I'm not happy. I want a divorce," I would be quite wealthy! I call this a "hit and run" way to tell your spouse you want out of the marriage and, in my professional opinion, it is the most hurtful, hateful and heinous way to exit your nuptials. Those on the receiving end of this proclamation would surely agree with me. A hundred per cent of the people who come to see me after their spouse has dropped this two ton bomb on them have been nothing short of devastated, bleary eyed and incapacitated - often for a long time. What, when and how you tell your spouse you want a divorce will depend greatly on whether the two of you have had any previous conversations about divorce. Couples who have been mutually unhappy or have had conversations using the "D" word will obviously be less thrown off than those who didn't see it coming. One woman described the day she was told this way: "My biggest concern that morning as we went to work was what we would be having for dinner that night." She had no idea that her husband was even unhappy, let alone that he was thinking of leaving. It makes me wonder why so many people take this strategy. What could they be thinking? Or not thinking? Feeling? Or not feeling? Although I don't know these to be true for everyone, I have come up with FIVE REASONS (and rebuttals) I believe "hit and runs" are so prevalent:. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Marriage & divorce - rude awakening #1: finding out "worse" wasn't so bad after all   Examiner.com, By Susan Pease Gadoua, October 19, 2009
  Before you jump ship from your marriage, you may want to do some research to find out what normal is when it comes to marital discord. Simply having problems or issues with your spouse can certainly give many reason to question whether the marriage is workable or not, but is it reason enough to leave? For many, the answer is a surprising "no." Why is this so? Well, this is obviously a generalization and if the problem is something like violence or physical abuse, you may have to leave your marriage. But for the sake of keeping it simple in this article, I'm talking about more common issues such as one spouse being controlling, or emotionally unavailable. Every couple experiences uncomfortable interactions with their spouse but the problems arise when they wait too long to tell their spouse about their feelings (hurt, anger, resentment, etc) and/or too long before getting counseling to work on changing relationship dynamics. . . If you find yourself contemplating divorce, before you make such a drastic decision, ask yourself the following five questions : . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Pillow talk cost us our marriage: The daring new TV show where couples reveal their true feelings   The Daily Mail- UK, By Amanda Cable, October 24, 2009
A daring new TV show asked couples to bare all about their relationships as they lay in bed - and the results were as explosive as they were revealing...

RELATED ARTICLE:  Tragically Widening the Grounds of Legitimate Divorce  DesiringGod.org, By John Piper, October 17, 2007
The October issue of Christianity Today carried an astonishing article on divorce and remarriage by David Instone-Brewer. What makes it especially amazing is that CT simply published it as if it were faithful to Scripture, with no counterpoint, and used the phrase on the cover “when to separate,” not “whether to separate”—even though Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:9). To put it bluntly, the implication of this article is that every marriage I am aware of could already have legitimately ended in divorce. I knew I disagreed with Instone-Brewer’s position. I wrote three chapters on marriage and divorce and remarriage in What Jesus Demands from the World and considered Instone-Brewer’s views more fully at that time. But I did not expect to read this astonishing extension of the divorce license. It is, in our context of easy divorce and cavalier covenant-breaking, tragic. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  What God Has Joined: What does the Bible really teach about divorce?  Christianity Today, By David Instone-Brewer, October 5, 2007
I'd read the biblical texts on divorce many times in the past, but I found something strange as I did so again. They now said something I hadn't heard before I read the rabbis! The texts hadn't changed, but my knowledge of the language and culture in which they were written had. I was now reading them like a first-century Jew would have read them, and this time those confusing passages made more sense. My book, Divorce and Remarriage in the Church (InterVarsity Press), is a summary of several academic papers and books I began writing with this new understanding of what Jesus taught. One of my most dramatic findings concerns a question the Pharisees asked Jesus: "Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?" (Matt. 19:3). This question reminded me that a few decades before Jesus, some rabbis (the Hillelites) had invented a new form of divorce called the "any cause" divorce. . .

• Rosie O'Donnell Marriage Breakup A Legal Nightmare, Says Lawyer  Radar Online, October 23, 2009
  Breaking up is indeed hard to do. Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter could be facing a potential legal minefield as they try and decided what to do with their four kids and their assets as their relationship crumbles, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned. As RadarOnline.com was first to report, the marriage of the former actress/talk show host and Carpenter is over. Gay marriage expert and lawyer Frederick Hertz claims that same sex divorces are more difficult to deal with than traditional ones because the law is so murky towards them. The author of Making It Legal, A Guide To Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships & Civil Unions said: “My advice to them would be to try and work out things privately because there is a tremendous burden on same sex couples as the law is so unclear. “Both Rosie and Kelli should try and acknowledge all the complexities and try and come-up with a solution that suits both them and their kids and not be inflicted by any legal laws that they are supposed to follow.” According to the legal expert, O’Donnell and Carpenter’s 2004 marriage in San Francisco was invalidated after the California Supreme Court avoided all these marriages in their Proposition 8 ruling in May. It is unknown if the couple exchanged vows once again during the amnesty period prior to the May ruling or if they became a legally registered couple or entered into a civil union in another state. Fredrick’s added: “Much depends where their legal residency is because the laws are so different in New York and Florida where the couple has homes. “If it is the case that they are not legally married or have not registered as a couple or entered a civil union then they will essentially be treated as single people. This means for money and property aspects each will own whatever they own neither have any rights to alimony or property claims. If their children were legally adopted by both parents then these adoptions are recognized in New York State but they may not be recognized in Florida. If one of the couple did not legally adopt one of their children then the second parent may or may not have rights depending on what state their residency is given as.” Frederick goes onto say: “Rosie and Kelly certainly have a lot to deal with because not only are there legal complexities but their divorce is very public too.Ideally, as with all divorces they need to work together privately and come-up with a working solution that suits them and not necessarily the courts.” The couple have four children Parker 14, Chelsea, 12, Blake, 9, and Vivienne, 6, who was conceived through a sperm donation to Carpenter. It’s understood that Carpenter has moved-out of their Manhattan condo as the couple try and thrash-out their difficulties. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Rosie O'Donnell hints at a split with longtime partner Kelli Carpenter  NY Daily News, By Cristina Kinon, October 19, 2009
Rosie O'Donnell and longtime partner Kelli Carpenter are having "issues." The 47-year-old actress responded to questions about the status of her five-year marriage in an interview Tuesday with USA Today, saying "We are a family. We will remain a family forever. And we are working on our issues." . . .



RELATED ARTICLE:  Collateral Damage? Children With a Gay Parent Speak Out  FOTF.org, By Amy Tracy
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. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  APA 'ignoring the science' on homosexual reparative therapy  OneNewsNow, By Jim Brown and Charlie Butts, August 07, 2009
"When it declassified homosexuality in the 1970s, it did it against the background of a lot of science that continued to classify it as a mental disorder. It also ignored over 120 years of research, which by the way has recently been published showing that individuals who are same-sex attracted can change," he notes. "Consequently, the APA's position that you're born with it and that it would be detrimental to counsel someone to change or leave behind their same-sex attractions is simply ignoring the science.". . . . The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is pleased the APA recognizes the importance of client self-determination and appreciates any study on the subject. But spokesman David Pruden implies the study was one-sided. As he points out, there was no one on the study panel representing successful reparative therapy. "There was absolutely no diversity whatsoever," he notes. "Every one of the members of the committee were [sic] individuals who were very openly gay and gay activists.". . .


RELATED ARTICLE: Dr. Byrd Provides Testimony In English Court Case Regarding Same-Sex Adoption  Narth.com, . Dr. A. Dean Byrd, February 1, 2007
Dr. A. Dean Byrd, NARTH's President- Elect, provided evidence in an English court last month in support of a judge who was required to make judicial determinations incompatible with his philosophical beliefs about the nature of the family. Dr. Byrd???s testimony provided scientific evidence for judge Andrew McClintock???s belief that mothers and fathers are required for optimal child development Judge McClintock had asked to be excused from those cases which might require him to place children in permanent motherless or fatherless homes, deeming that such placements are not in the best interest of children. . .


RELATED ARTICLE: What Research Shows: NARTH's Response to the APA Claims on Homosexuality  NARTH.com
The American Psychological Association (APA) and other mental health organizations have objected to providing psychological care to those who are distressed by unwanted homosexual attractions on a number of grounds. . . . In What Research Shows, we offer a landscape review of more than one hundred years of experiential evidence, clinical studies, and research studies that demonstrate that it is possible for men and women to diminish their unwanted homosexual attractions and develop their heterosexual potential; that efforts to change unwanted homosexual attractions are not generally harmful; and that homosexual men and women do indeed have substantially greater experiences of and risk factors for medical, psychological and relational pathology than do the general population. Based on our review of 600 reports of clinicians, researchers, and former clients—primarily from professional and peer-reviewed scientific journals, we conclude that reorientation treatment has been helpful to many and should continue to be available to those who seek it. Further, mental health professionals competent to provide such care ethically may do so. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:   Two Mommies Is One Too Many. Mary Cheney is starting a family. Let's hope she doesn't start a trend   Time magazine, By James C. Dobson, December 10, 2006
According to educational psychologist Carol Gilligan, mothers tend to stress sympathy, grace and care to their children, while fathers accent justice, fairness and duty. Moms give a child a sense of hopefulness; dads provide a sense of right and wrong and its consequences. Other researchers have determined that boys are not born with an understanding of "maleness." They have to learn it, ideally from their fathers. But set aside the scientific findings for a minute. Isn't there something in our hearts that tells us, intuitively, that children need a mother and a father? Admittedly, that ideal is not always possible. Divorce, death, abandonment and unwed pregnancy have resulted in an ever growing number of single-parent families in this culture. We admire the millions of men and women who have risen to the challenge of parenting alone and are meeting their difficult responsibilities with courage and determination. Still, most of them, if asked, would say that raising children is a two-person job best accomplished by a mother and father. . .

• Hate crimes bill goes to Obama for signature  CNN.com, October 22, 2009
  Story Highlights
  * NEW: Senate approves bill expanding hate crimes law
  * Measure would make it a crime to assault person because of sexual orientation
  * Religious groups fear law could criminalize conservative speech
  * Attorney general says it will be used only to prosecute violence
  
  The Senate passed groundbreaking legislation Thursday that would make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. The expanded federal hate crimes law now goes to President Obama's desk. Obama has pledged to sign the measure, which was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill. President George W. Bush had threatened to veto a similar measure. . . . . Several religious groups have expressed concern that a hate-crimes law could be used to criminalize conservative speech relating to subjects such as abortion or homosexuality. Attorney General Eric Holder has asserted that any federal hate-crimes law would be used only to prosecute violent acts based on bias, as opposed to the prosecution of speech based on controversial racial or religious beliefs. mHolder called Thursday's 68-29 Senate vote to approve the defense spending bill that included the hate cries measure "a milestone in helping protect Americans from the most heinous bias-motivated violence.". . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Those Hateful Hate Crimes  BloggerNews.net, By WhymRhymer, May 19, 2009
  George Orwell drafted the first hate crimes legislation in his book 1984 when he introduced the “thought police”. That is essentially what hate crimes legislation is all about — what you were thinking when you committed the crime. It’s sad we have degenerated as a society to that point. Sadder still, we will never get back to the day when all people were protected equally and none were considered special cases — legislation never seems to go away, it is just amended!
  

RELATED RESOURCE:  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
This bill includes the "hate crimes" amendment. Senate Roll Call No. 327 111th Congress, 1st Session  Agreed to: 68-29 (see complete tally). By 68 yeas to 29 nays (Vote No. 327), Senate agreed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 2647, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for military activities of the Department of Defense. In a devious maneuver by Democrats, a "Hate Crimes" amendment was attached to this bill. Though AFA supports adequate funding for the military, this attachment is a poison pill that makes the bill unacceptable. Our military deserved a stand-alone vote on funding. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Hate crimes law - ungodly, unconstitutional, unnecessary  OneNewsNow, By Jim Brown, October 29, 2009
A Christian evangelist who was once arrested, jailed, and charged under Pennsylvania's hate crimes law says the federal hate crimes bill signed into law by President Obama is one of the most dangerous laws in the history of the United States. With the stroke of President Obama's pen yesterday, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act became law. It creates additional penalties for violent crimes motivated by the victim's "actual or perceived" gender, "gender identity," sexual orientation, or disability. Michael Marcavage, director of Philadelphia-based Repent America, was one of 11 Christians who were jailed and charged with a hate crime for carrying Bible verse banners and preaching at a 2004 homosexual pride event in Philadelphia. . . 

RELATED ARTICLE:  Accusation: Google targets, blocks pro-family website again  OneNewsNow, By Pete Chagnon, July 15, 2009
Google is still being accused of causing problems for the website of a Massachusetts-based pro-family organization. . . . Google allegedly blocked the pro-family website MassResistance.org, when viewed through their search engine, because officials claimed the site contained malware (malicious software). MassResistance staff scoured the site for the alleged malware and found nothing. The site was then unblocked after much hassling and a $1,000 price tag to MassResistance. Now Google is blocking the MassResistance blog, says the group. Google claims that some readers have contacted the company and complained that the blog material is objectionable. Google's answer was to post a content warning page that requires users to select whether they wish to proceed to the blog. Brian Camenker, who heads MassResistance, says the warning page went up without any notice to his organization. He also believes the warning page was posted because some people claim his organization promotes hatred towards homosexuals. Camenker refers to the user policy of the Google blog site. "'Users may not publish material that promotes hate towards groups based on race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity,'" he reads. "Of course we are not promoting hate against anybody; all we're saying is that this is what's happening and there's some dangerous stuff going [on] here.". . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  'Thought Crimes' Bill Advances  Real Clear Politics, By Nat Hentoff, May 13, 2009
Why is the press remaining mostly silent about the so-called "hate crimes law" that passed in the House on April 29? The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed in a 249-175 vote (17 Republicans joined with 231 Democrats). These Democrats should have been tested on their knowledge of the First Amendment, equal protection of the laws (14th Amendment), and the prohibition of double jeopardy (no American can be prosecuted twice for the same crime or offense). If they had been, they would have known that this proposal, now headed for a Senate vote, violates all these constitutional provisions. . . .  .state "hate crime" law - like the newly expanded House of Representatives federal bill - "does not apply equally" (as the 14th Amendment requires), essentially instead "criminalizing only politically incorrect thoughts directed against politically incorrect victim categories." Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, think hard about what Corry adds: "A government powerful enough to pick and choose which thoughts to prosecute is a government too powerful.". . .

• View from planet bloke: I know a guy who was there when his son was born and his marriage was never the same  The Daily Mail- UK, By Sam Leith, October 22, 2009
• Michel Odent, an obstetrician, has been saying that having a man present when his child is born might be a bad thing. Odent believes that the anxious dad might make the expectant mum anxious herself. Then she might release the wrong kind of hormones, complicating the birth. Labour becomes longer, more painful, and more difficult,' says Odent. Also, he says, men who see their children being born might stop being attracted to their partners, or even become depressed. Well, I'll have to take his word for it. But my experience was quite the opposite. When my son was born, the whole thing made me elated, in a way I'd never imagined possible. And more, not less, attracted to my partner. My God, how could it be less? Was I anxious? Of course. As an expectant father, you are charged with strong feelings. You're highly emotional. It's not just the woman who is full of hormones - you are, too. As the birth approaches, you feel pumped up, alert, ragingly happy and full of energy. On the day itself, you are whacked out on a heady brew - passionate and mad with excitement. Never has life been more fully charged, more full of meaning. Sure, there have been other milestones - exams, jobs, all that stuff. But these are just pieces of paper. And you suddenly understand this fact. Up until now, your life has been about pieces of paper. And now there is something more. . . . . .I wonder: should dads consider staying away from the births of their children? I know my dad wasn't there when I was born. And I know his dad wasn't there when he was born. And I know a guy who was there when his son was born, and, for whatever reason, his marriage was never the same again. He said his wife felt totally exposed, and undignified, and whatever it was they had before, they didn't have it afterwards. . . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Beware the BUMP in your relationship - why some men are unfaithful when their partner is pregnant  The Daily Mail- UK, By Anna Moore, October 24, 2009
  While newly pregnant women are grappling with swirling hormones and a rapidly changing body shape, men have their own issues to fret over: responsibility, commitment and, realistically speaking, a lot less sex. An affair offers a refuge and, if need be, an exit. . . .Simon Jacobs, a psychotherapist who specialises in group counselling for men, certainly thinks that expectant fathers are affected. ‘Pregnancy – particularly when it’s your first – can be quite a lonely experience for men,’ he says. ‘There’s a lot of support for a woman – she slots into a community and has a high social status. There’s an excitement around her. People give her their seat on the train. She almost becomes public property. Her partner can soon start feeling like a spare part.’ At the same time, almost without exception, the man will be experiencing a whole range of emotions – from elation to pure panic. ‘There are fears around loss of control, loss of independence and feeling suddenly depended upon,’ says Jacobs. ‘The responsibility is a huge thing. A baby means a much bigger commitment than mere marriage.’ On top of this is a loss of identity. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Paternity leave? Any man who says he wants it is really a liar...  The Daily Mail- UK, By James Delingpole, October 22, 2009
  Nearly half of all new fathers are refusing to take their paternity leave entitlement because they'd rather be at work, a survey has found. Well, quelle surprise. I could have told you that. In fact, it was a point I was arguing a month ago on Radio 4's Woman's Hour when I told Jenni Murray that men aren't nearly as well designed for childcare as women; that, frankly, we'd rather be in the office than at home with the children. My goodness, you should have heard the foaming outrage! Many women listeners said I was a Neanderthal sexist pig, completely out of touch with the modern world. What really took me aback, though, was the male response. I was amazed by how cross some of my fellow men got. . .
  
  
  
  

RELATED VIDEO: Vatican Targets Disillusioned Anglicans  The Associated Press, October 19, 2009
Pope Benedict has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Catholic Church, responding to the disillusionment of some Anglicans over the ordination of women and election of openly gay bishops. . .

RELATED VIDEO:  Pope creates ordinariates for Anglican dioceses  RomeReports, October 19, 2009
The bishops, priests and faithful Anglicans that until now have gone to the Catholic Church were received individually. Now, Benedict XVI has created a system so that Anglican parishes or entire dioceses, even, be received in the Catholic Church. Some 50 Anglican bishops have asked for their dioceses to be welcomed in this way. . .

• Bridge Over Troubled Tiber: Holy See Welcomes Anglican Christians into Catholic Church
  The prayers of millions have been answered and Christian history has been made on October 20, 2009. 'May They Be One'.  CatholicOnline.org, By Deacon Keith Fournier, October 20, 2009
  In an absolutely stunning announcement on the morning of October 20, 2009, the Holy See has, by Apostolic Constitution, provided the canonical vehicle for Anglican Christians to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. Throughout the evening expectations rose throughout the world along with the fervent prayers of millions who have longed to see this day. Many Catholics have watched in prayer with hopeful, heartfelt longing for their Christian brethren in the Anglican Communion. Many Anglican Christians have suffered from the ravages of their community from within brought about by moves away from Christian orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Now,there is a way to the safe harbor of the Catholic Church. This morning the Vatican offered a lifeline into the Ark of Peter for Anglican Christians who wish to avail themselves of the invitation. Expectations had been that, in response to the formal petition of the “Traditional Anglican Communion” for a vehicle for corporate entry into full communion, the Holy See would offer a juridic structure under Canon Law similar to the “personal prelature” which is the global organizing vehicle for the ecclesial movement Opus Dei. In essence it provides a “floating” global Diocese wherein the prelature has its own Bishops and its own priests while welcomed alongside of the existing Dioceses of the Catholic Church. However, the announcement from Rome is much farther reaching and, for Vatican watchers, nothing short of spectacular in its implications for Anglican Christians seeking a place in the Church captained by the successor of Peter. . . .That spiritual patrimony will include enabling married men called after marriage to serve as priests. Following the ancient Christian tradition they are allowed to do so now in the Eastern Christian Churches, both Orthodox and Catholic. However, again following the practice of the ancient Christian tradition, the Bishops of these Ordinariates will be chosen from among the ranks of the celibate clergy. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED BLOG:  Why the Vatican Wants Anglicans  New York Times blog, By The Editors,  October 20, 2009
  The Vatican announced on Tuesday that it would make it easier for Anglicans who are uncomfortable with the Church of England’s acceptance of women priests and openly gay bishops to join the Catholic Church. The Vatican will set up a formal conversion structure to allow Anglicans to preserve some of their liturgical traditions, including allowing married Anglican priests to remain married after they convert to Catholicism. What does this announcement say about the Catholic Church and its willingness to grant such flexibility?
  
      * David Gibson, author, “The Rule of Benedict”
      * John L. Allen Jr., The National Catholic Reporter
      * M. Cathleen Kaveny, professor of law and theology
      * Colleen Carroll Campbell, Ethics and Public Policy Center. . .
  

RELATED ARTICLE:  Anglican Church offshoot founded by traditionalists in Jerusalem   The Telegraph- UK, By Martin Beckford, June 29, 2008
A new church representing almost half of the world's 80 million Anglicans has been officially formed, posing a serious challenge to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The organisation created by traditionalists - called the Gafcon movement after the Global Anglican Future Conference which led to its creation - will retain ties with Dr Rowan Williams and will technically remain within the global Anglican Communion. But it is also likely to lead to orthodox Anglicans severing all links with the main churches in America and Canada, whose liberal leaders are blamed for sparking the current crisis by breaking with the Bible's teaching and by consecrating openly gay clergy and blessing gay "marriages". . .


RELATED BLOG:  Historical Christianity Can Not be Reconciled with Gay Christian(*a) Theology  Scripture Refiner's Fire- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth in Love, January 26, 2008
. . .We believe God can forgive any sin including gay-sex, and we believe gays should be accepted in the church body like any other sinners. However, we do not accept their brazen attempt to legitimize immoral conduct that the Bible never commanded us to accept. It is not required for a sinner to repent first before they attend church, and they are welcome to attend, but it is required that they must abstain from injuring the church body by trying to legitimize immorality. In our opinion the gay Christian Movement is a Trojan horse to launch the gay-political agenda into the church. . .


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. . . . .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. . .
. .


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. . .

• Removing a justice of the peace in Louisiana no cakewalk  CNN.com, By By Khadijah Rentas, October 20, 2009
  Story Highlights
  * State statute doesn't require justices of peace to perform marriage ceremonies
  * Power to oust justice of the peace rests with Louisiana Supreme Court
  * Judiciary Commission would make recommendations to the court
  * Supreme Court spokeswoman Valerie Willard: "It's up to the judges"
  
  Two disgruntled Louisiana newlyweds have called for the dismissal of a justice of the peace who refused to marry the interracial couple, and have even been joined in their fight by the governor, who said the official's license should be revoked.  But unseating a Louisiana justice of the peace isn't easy. Beth and Terence McKay -- who are now married -- stepped into the national spotlight when Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, refused them a license. Bardwell told Hammond's Daily Star last week that he was concerned for the children who might be born of the relationship and that, in his experience, most interracial marriages don't last. "I'm not a racist," Bardwell told the newspaper. "I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children." Despite a national uproar and a call by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for him to lose his license, Bardwell, 56, said he has no regrets. "It's kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven't done wrong," he told CNN affiliate WAFB on Saturday. A state statute says justices of the peace may perform marriage ceremonies, but it does not require such officials to do so, Tammi Arender, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana attorney general, told CNN on Monday. To push for Bardwell's removal, the McKays must look to the Louisiana Supreme Court. . .
  
  
  RELATED VIDEO: The Buzz: Interracial Couple Denied Marriage  FOX Providence, October 19, 2009
  A white Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. . .
  
  
  RELATED PHOTO ESSAY:  Color of Love: Celebs in Interracial Relationships  Essence.com, October 19, 2009
  Some of our favorite stars have found happiness with someone of another race. See their stories of love. . .
  
  

RELATED VIDEO: Justice Says Law Wasn't Broken   CBS News, October 19, 2009


RELATED VIDEO:  La. Official Refuses to Marry Interracial Couple  AP, October 16, 2009
Several organizations are calling on a justice of the peace to resign after he refused to marry an interracial couple, saying any children the couple might have would suffer. Keith Bardwell has served as a justice of the peace for 34 years.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Same-Sex Marriage — Challenges & Responses   Townhall.com, By Gregory Koukl, February 11, 2007
. . . 2. “They said the same thing about interracial marriage.”
This challenge has great rhetorical force, but it is a silly objection. Consider two men, one rich and one poor, seeking to withdraw money from their bank. The rich man is denied because his account is empty. However, on closer inspection, a clerk discovers an error, corrects it, and releases the cash. Next in line, the poor man is denied for the same reason: insufficient funds. “That’s the same thing you said about the last guy,” he snaps. “Yes,” the clerk replies. “We made a mistake with his account, but not with yours. You’re broke.” In the same way, it simply is not relevant that the same objection has been used to deny both interracial and homosexual marriage. It’s only relevant if the circumstances are the same, regardless of the objection. They are not. Same-sex marriage and interracial marriage have nothing in common. There is no difference between a black and a white human being because skin color is morally trivial. There is an enormous difference, however, between a man and a woman. Ethnicity has no bearing on marriage. Sex is fundamental to marriage. This approach won’t work to justify polygamous or incestuous unions (“In the past people wouldn’t allow interracial marriages, either.”). It is equally ineffectual here. The objection may be the same, but the circumstances are entirely different. . .

• Where We Stand: Lord of the Wedding Dance
  What a Christian marriage ceremony is all about  Editorial- Christianity Today, October 19, 2009
  It's you and me, moving at the speed of light into eternity …." So begins this past summer's viral YouTube video, "Jill and Kevin's Wedding Entrance." What at first seems like a somber church processional becomes choreographed exuberance, as the couple and their friends shake and boogie down the aisle to Chris Brown's club hit, "Forever." Little did Jill and Kevin know that 22,875,767 others would join those in the pews to watch the show. The video has triggered varied responses from evangelicals. Many have compared the couple's dancing to King David's joyful jig, while others have questioned the couple's silliness upon entering such a serious affair. Others just turned their speakers up and watched again, "because it just makes me feel so darn good!" as one commenter put it. In the midst of this, perhaps it's time for the church to ask, What is the purpose of the wedding ceremony, anyway? To answer faithfully, it's wise to start by forgoing the persistent myth that the wedding ceremony is all about you, the individual that also looms large in contemporary politics and all consumerist rhetoric. Since marriage is at root about two individuals fulfilling their needs and wants, the cultural logic goes, the wedding day is therefore about reflecting those needs and wants. This creed is especially pervasive in Modern Bride and other wedding industry magazines, which remind every young woman that "her day" will be a disaster unless all the details match her wishes. Other couples design the ceremony based on their personalities and shared history, wanting attendees to walk away thinking, "That was so Kevin and Jill." . . . . . While no Christian wants to omit God from the wedding guest list, many weddings do so functionally by drawing attention to all the wrong things. More time is devoted to the processional than the vows. Eye-popping amounts of money are spent on details that few will remember a week later. Clothing and music are chosen expressly to stand out rather than to honor and edify those gathered. Vows are made up to reflect the couple's individuality rather than scriptural wisdom or church teaching on marriage. If Augustine of Hippo was right about finding virtue in properly ordered loves—a hierarchy where God is our supreme love, who rightly orients all our other loves—it seems the Christian wedding has become disarranged. . .
  
  
  

• Debate over gay marriage heats up in Maine  NECN.com, October 19, 2009
  On November third, Mainers will be asked if they want to overturn a new law that allows same sex couples to marry. In other words, a "yes" vote would outlaw gay marriage; a "no" vote would keep it legal. And with only 15 days to go, both campaigns are turning up the heat with dueling ad campaigns. Flanked by Maine's Speaker of the House and a former state Attorney General, supporters of same sex marriage came out swinging at a morning press conference. Jessie: "The truth is question one has never had anything to do with schools, books or curriculums." The no on one campaign which seeks to uphold same sex marriage, was taking issue with this new ad from the stand for marriage Maine campaign. It's the latest in a series of ads from the stand for marriage Maine campaign-warning voters that if the new law is upheld, Maine kids will learn about same sex marriage at school. Hannah: "They're running a campaign trying to scare children it's false they're desperate" Same sex marriage opponents stand by the campaign ad. Not surprisingly, they take issue with the no on one campaign's latest spot, featuring a gay couple, their, son, and a French catholic grandmother. Mutty: "The mother is misquoting her catholic faith because marriage is between a man and a woman." No on one has spent twice as much money, about 2.7 million so far, and claims double the volunteers--about 8000 in all. But the latest polling gives same sex marriage supporters only a modest advantage, about 9 percent over gay marriage opponents. So both sides agree this race will be a fight to the finish. Jessie: "We're doing a massive get out the vote effort...this office is humming... Meaning Mainers can expect more TV ads, more phone calls, and more strangers at the door asking for their vote on question one on Election Day. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Justices Uphold Ban on Releasing Names on a Petition  New York Times, October 20, 2009
  The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld an order preventing Washington State from releasing the names of more than 120,000 people who signed petitions seeking a voter referendum on whether to give same-sex couples most of the same rights as married couples. The 8-to-1 decision, with Justice John Paul Stevens dissenting, upheld a recent ruling in Federal District Court in Washington that was overturned last week by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The order by the Supreme Court said the injunction against releasing the names would remain in place at least until parties involved filed new motions. That process could take months and essentially assures that the names will remain anonymous through the Nov. 3 referendum. . . See SCOTUS blog
  

RELATED ARTICLE:  Get Your Slingshots Ready  Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., October 19, 2009
 The media would have you think that same sex marriage in the US is inevitable. Gay marriage activists would also have you believe that public opinion has suddenly shifted in their favor. Nothing could be further from the truth. A Pew Research Survey was released last week that shows our citizens’ true views on same-sex marriage. The poll found that 53 percent of Americans oppose allowing couples of the same sex to marry legally. This number is hardly an endorsement of gay marriage. On the other hand, 57 percent of Americans want to give same-sex couples rights afforded married couples by allowing civil unions. This is a 3 percent increase since 2008. The numbers suggest that this is not a losing battle. We are not ready to give in to a small segment of society who wishes to completely redefine family, marriage and our society. The battle for marriage reminds me of the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines in the Old Testament. . . . . Our fight for marriage needs a David spirit…one that exudes the belief that a stone placed in the right way can truly make a difference in our battle. We have several stones to choose from: righteousness, truth, and justice. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Yes! Yes! and Yes! on California, Arizona and Florida Propositions 8, 102, and 2!  The Real Proposal magazine, October 22, 2008 
(Editor's Note: Vote Yes in Maine too!)
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 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. . .

• Are You Watching This? Why Some Stories Captivate
  What Was It About a Balloon Drifting for Two Hours That Made It Impossible to Turn Away  ABC NEWS- GMA,  By John Donvan and Kate Santichen, Oct. 17, 2009
  The public is bombarded daily with serious news about the health care debate, the economic downturn and two wars. Such complex stories can be like spinach for the brain -- somehow good for you but not necessarily palatable. Maybe that's why when news broke that a 6-year-old boy was sailing through the Colorado sky in a saucer-shaped helium balloon, the story transfixed the nation. The story was simple, dramatic and literally spectacular. The spinning silver balloon was in the sky for just two hours Thursday, but if you multiplied those two hours by, say, a million TV viewers who couldn't stop watching, that's still 228 years. That's more than two centuries' worth of human brain devoted to just a lot of hot air. . . . . The 1987 rescue of baby Jessica McClure, the toddler stuck in a well in Midland, Texas, captivated a huge audience. She was trapped below ground for 59 nail-biting hours as the world watched, even when there was nothing to see. But that's the point. It's the future you can't see, and the outcome you can't predict. That's what keeps us riveted. Psychologists explain that such attentiveness to extreme circumstances isn't as voyeuristic as it may seem. "Part of it is empathy," said Nando Pelusi, a clinical psychologist and contributing editor to Psychology Today. "I mean, we put ourselves in the circumstance. So, we're on that cliff, on a cliffhanger. We want to know how it's going to turn out, partly because we're invested." Pamela Rutledge, director of the media psychology research center at Fielding Graduate University, in Santa Barbara, Calif., believes it's the story that keeps us so glued to these news events. "The narrative is [a] very compelling motif for all human beings," Rutledge said. "It's how we make meaning of the world. It's how we put everything in context. So an open-ended narrative leaves us hanging. It leaves us needing some kind of closure." Of course we love happy endings. We love that those passengers experienced a miracle on the Hudson, that the JetBlue plane landed safely, that baby Jessica was pulled from the well and grew up to have a baby of her own. But it's the disaster that didn't happen that makes us watch. If we don't feel it, then we don't really care. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  'A Hoax ... a Publicity Stunt': Sheriff Lowers Boom on Heene Family Over Balloon Gambit. Sheriff Hopes for Multiple Felony. Charges in 'Hoax' Disappearance of Boy in Balloon  ABC NEWS- GMA, By Ryan Owens, Tom McCarthy and Dean Schabner, October 18, 2009
The sheriff leading the investigation of a runaway balloon and the little boy once feared to be an accidental passenger on board flatly declared today that the event was a "hoax" and "a publicity stunt." "We have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt, done with the hope of marketing themselves for a reality show at some point in the future," said Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff Jim Alderden. The statement represented a 180-degree shift from the sheriff's public position two days earlier, when he said authorities did not suspect Richard Heene's report that his son Falcon, 6, was trapped in a runaway balloon he launched from his Fort Collins, Colo., home was a hoax. . .


RELATED VIDEO:  Sheriff: Wayward Balloon a 'hoax'   AP Video, October 2009

RELATED ARTICLE: Balloon boy hoax driven by quest for fame, fortune  Globe & Mail- CA, By Anna Mehler Paperny, Oct. 18, 2009
Police say the Richard and Mayumi Heene's larger-than-life stunt was motivated by the desire to get the family its own reality TV show, the likes of which have paid off big time for such now-famous families as Jon and Kate Gosselin, who are reported to earn more than $20,000 per episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 , and “Octomom” Nadya Suleman, who stands to make $250,000 over three years for a series about her 14 children. The Heenes have reportedly been working on a reality TV deal in Los Angeles. This bizarre bluff is seen as an extension of a culture celebrating “reality entrepreneurs,” who find themselves lucratively rewarded for turning their lives into a spectacle for the masses. “It was very Truman Show . Kind of fascinating, kind of sad, but understandable, in a broader sense. … There are a lot of rewards for being famous, and there's now a huge industry devoted to turning reality into entertainment,” said Joshua Gamson, a sociology professor at the University of San Francisco. “Without that industry, the behaviour wouldn't make any sense.”. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Money, fame at any cost  Deccan Chronicle, By Gayatri Reddy, July 31, 2009
Reality TV appears to be the best way for z-listers and ordinary mortals to make quick money and even enjoy a bit of fame during recession. Long forgotten faces have successfully crawled out of the wood works and are enjoying months of fame and fortune too, thanks to these shows. They all want to do a Shilpa Shetty, live in a fish bowl for a bit and revive their career afterwards. Instead of keeping a diary, the in thing right now is to pour your feelings out on national television. People are looking towards reality TV for easy money and fame. Casting couch isn’t a worry. There is a risk of humiliation maybe, but the lure of greater things are giving contestants strength to endure hardships. And these shows demonstrate to what lengths people can stoop to make a quick buck. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  AMERICA’S IDOLS: Why the Obsession With the Rich and Famous?  The Real Truth magazine, By Justin T. Palm, November 03, 2006
Millions sit hypnotized by the celebrity life. Why are the lives of the rich and famous so fascinating?

• Parenting Issues:  MTV’s Exotic Marathon  Townhall.com, By Brent Bozell, October 17, 2009
  The programming gurus at MTV are basing their profit-making strategy on the viewer demographic of 12 to 34 -- as if there’s no difference in maturity level between 12 and 34. MTV’s brand of sensationalistic "reality TV" was easily demonstrated on the night of Oct. 5, when they aired a primetime marathon (from 7 p.m. Eastern to 1 a.m.) of their hour-long documentary series called "True Life." Just the episode titles were jaw-dropping:
  1. "I’m Out."
  2. "I’m Polyamorous."
  3. "I’m Bisexual."
  4. "I’m Changing My Sex." (This ran twice in a row.)
  5. "I’m In The Sex Industry."
  Some of these ("Polyamorous," "Bisexual," "Sex Change") debuted in the last few months. Others weren’t (the "Sex Industry" show debuted last year, "I’m Out" in 2006). Recent "True Life" programs without the Behind the Zipper focus, such as "I’m a Sports Fanatic," were somehow not sexual or outrageous enough to be selected for this marathon targeted at 12-year-olds and up. MTV isn’t kidding when they tout the series as "remarkable real-life stories of young people and the unusual subcultures they inhabit." Just for the record, the MTV website advertises these "True Life" programs are not given content ratings, so there was no chance a parent relying on the empty promise of V-chip technology would keep these programs out of their home. . . . . ."What makes this so unfortunate is that they target this message to an audience who is still, by and large, afraid to talk about sex. Kids don't want to talk to parents about this stuff. Schools and school districts are fighting over how to educate kids about it. And so, they're left to get most of their education from their friends, who largely learn it from other kids, and the stuff they read, hear and see. And that stuff includes MTV," . . .

RELATED VIDEO:  Jack Black Gives A Prayer to Satan Live At the 2009 VMAS  YouTube, September 2009 

RELATED ARTICLE:  Prayer to Satan during MTV telecast - sign of the times?  OneNewsNow, By James L. Lambert,  Guest Columnist, October 16, 2009
During last month's MTV music video awards ceremony, actor Jack Black urged the audience join hands and pray to "dear dark lord Satan." In his prayer, the actor prayed that the musicians and nominees would have "continued success in the music industry." The awards program was broadcasted on the MTV network (a subsidiary of the Viacom Corporation) throughout the country through cable and satellite television. The Radio City Hall audience readily acquiesced to Black's invitation to pray to the devil. In a video posted on YouTube, Black encouraged the large audience to join in by saying, "let me see those horns." Black, dressed in a "muscle suit" continued by asking the awards ceremony audience to join hands during "the prayer." He then held hands with actress Leighton Meester while he prayed aloud. Black's prayer went basically unnoticed among most conservative and Christian media circles -- perhaps because they feel the comedian was simply joking as he displayed his contempt for Christianity with the prayer invocation. In fact, this would be in keeping with Black's previous behavior. MTV logoIn 2008 he participated in a video that mocked supporters of California's marriage initiative, Proposition 8. . . . But regardless how one looks at Black's actions, it sets a dangerous precedent. Author and King's College professor Paul McGuire labels Black's prayer to Satan as "just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in our nation and in the entertainment industry." The conservative commentator contends that "although it is hidden, Satanism is one of the fastest growing religions in America." He adds: "We can expect to see Satanists demanding and getting the same rights as any other religion.". . .

• Judge rejects bid to quash same-sex marriage suit
  The refusal to dismiss the case against Proposition 8 means it will proceed to trial in January, unless appeals delay it.  Los Angeles Times, By Maura Dolan, October 15, 2009
  Reporting from San Francisco -  A federal judge refused Wednesday to dismiss a constitutional challenge to Proposition 8, ruling that a trial was required to resolve legal and factual disputes over the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, ruling after nearly two hours of argument in San Francisco, rejected arguments by Proposition 8 proponents that precedent and tradition clearly showed last November's ballot measure was permissible under the U.S. Constitution. Walker's decision means the case will proceed to trial as scheduled in January unless appeals delay it. The California Supreme Court ruled in May that Proposition 8, passed by 52.3% of voters, did not violate the state Constitution. The suit before Walker says the measure violates the federal Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process. During the hearing, Charles Cooper, representing the Proposition 8 campaign, argued that marriage historically has been reserved for unions between a man and a woman because only opposite-sex couples can procreate "naturally." Walker, however, noted that not all married couples can procreate. . . . . He also rejected the campaign's contention that Proposition 8 must be upheld if it was justified by "rational" reasons. Walker said the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet made clear the legal standard for weighing claims of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The judge previously ordered the Proposition 8 campaign to disclose its internal strategy memorandums and communications, an order the campaign is appealing to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on 1st Amendment grounds. Theodore Olson, representing same-sex couples in the case, told Walker that if the appeal delays the trial, he may ask for a preliminary injunction to suspend Proposition 8. . . . A ruling on a preliminary injunction could be appealed, and higher courts could resolve Proposition 8's constitutionality without a trial. Walker said he thought it would be "unfortunate to short-circuit the process" that way. Walker also ordered written arguments on a request by the Proposition 8 campaign to remove Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown as a defendant and make him a plaintiff in the case. Brown, who was sued in his position as the state's chief law enforcement officer, has said in court papers that he agrees with plaintiffs that the ballot measure was unconstitutional. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Homosexuality 'not a civil right'  OneNewsNow, By Jim Brown, October 14, 2009
The chairman of the Orange County (California) Board of Education says she is "appalled" that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking schools to set aside a day to honor a controversial homosexual activist. Schwarzenegger signed a bill earlier this week creating an annual day of recognition for Harvey Milk. The designation of each May 22 as "Harvey Milk Day" encourages schools around the state to commemorate the murdered homosexual politician and activist. Last month, the Orange County Board of Education voted unanimously (5-0) to oppose the creation of Harvey Milk Day. Dr. Alexandria Coronado, chairman of that board, says she is "absolutely furious" that the homosexual community is claiming that passage of the Harvey Milk bill is a civil rights victory. "I think it just absolutely denigrates the entire civil rights movement. Homosexuality is not a civil right," Coronado emphasizes. "I don't remember the last time that a homosexual person was forced to move out of their seat on a public bus, like Rosa Parks. And I don't remember the last time that a homosexual person or student...was forced to go to a segregated school, as in the case of Mendez v. Westminster, which took place right here in Orange County, California." . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  California Legislature Passes Senate Bill 54 - Promotes Same-sex Marriage in California   California Family Council, Contact: Everett Rice, September 10, 2009
 Late yesterday the California State Legislature approved Senate Bill 54, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). SB 54 would require California to validate and recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state prior to November 5, 2008, when California voters approved Proposition 8. SB 54 was approved by the Democrat majority on a party-line vote in both the Assembly and Senate. In response to the Legislature's approval of SB 54, the California Family Council issued the following statement: The California Legislature's majority continues its disregard for the expressed will of their constituents and the state Constitution which affirms traditional marriage's definition. Article I, Section 7.5 of the California Constitution specifically states "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." SB 54 explicitly violates California's Constitution. "The Legislature's approval of SB 54 demonstrates the Legislature's contempt and lack of respect for their constituents," stated Everett Rice CFC's Legislative Coordinator. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Same-Sex 'Marriage' Is Not a Civil Right  Family Research Council, By Peter Sprigg, January 27, 2005
Individuals may choose to marry for all kinds of private reasons, but the reason marriage is a public institution is because it brings together men and women for the purpose of reproducing the human race and keeping a mother and father together to cooperate in raising to maturity the children they produce. The public interest in such behavior is great, because thousands of years of human experience and a vast body of contemporary social science research both demonstrate that married husbands and wives, and the children they conceive and raise, are happier, healthier, and more prosperous than people in any other living situation. In fact, I would suggest that the argument in favor of same-sex marriage can only be logically sustained if one argues that there is no difference between men and women--that is, if one argues not merely that men and women are equal in value and dignity, a proposition with which I'm sure we all agree, but that males and females are identical and thus able to serve as entirely interchangeable parts in the structure of marriage. The contention is absurd on its face. Thus, "same-sex marriage" is a contradiction in terms. . . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  The Deceit of Gay "Marriage"  Boundless.og, By David Orland
To justify giving privileges or exemptions or subsidies to some particular group in society, the benefit of doing so for society at large must first be shown. With heterosexual marriage, the case is clear enough. Heterosexual marriage is a matter of genuine social interest because the family is essential to society's reproduction. The crux of my argument, in other words, was that married couples receive the benefits they do, not because the state is interested in promoting romantic love, or because the Bible says so or because of the influence of special interest groups but rather because the next generation is something that is and should be of interest to all of us. And, by definition, this is not a case that can be made for homosexual unions. To that degree, the attempt to turn the question of domestic partnership into a debate about fairness falls flat. . . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  The Deceit of Gay Marriage: Round Two  Boundless.org, by David Orland
Where to start? In the first place, homosexuals are not denied the right to marry — they are denied a right to marry other homosexuals, which is something else altogether. Next, the argument trades on the idea — superficially appealing but practically empty — that discrimination is by definition a bad and evil thing. Denying legal status to gay marriage does indeed involve discrimination — but it is discrimination of a perfectly legitimate kind. Finally and most crucially, the argument assumes what it is meant to prove: the rights of gays are being violated only if you already agree that one of their rights is to get married to a person of the same sex as themselves. But that, of course, is precisely what is at issue. It's as if proponents of gay marriage believe that saying you have a right, loud enough and often enough, gives you one. While this tactic may succeed in silencing some of their opponents, it falls miserably short of making the sort of case that needs to be made if a specifically "gay right" to marriage is to be recognized. If gays hope to show that they have a right to marry one another, they will have to prove that they meet the same conditions that give heterosexual couples this right. There's no way around it: any discussion of gay marriage must begin with a discussion of marriage in general. So why is heterosexual marriage recognized as a right? . . .

• The States of Marriage and Divorce
  Lots of Ex’s Live in Texas   Pew Research Center, By D’Vera Cohn, October 15, 2009
  In Arkansas and Oklahoma, men and women marry young -- half of first-time brides in these states were age 24 or younger on their wedding day. These states also have above-average shares of women who divorced in 2007-2008. It's the opposite state of affairs in Massachusetts and New York. Their residents marry late -- half of ever-married New York men were older than age 30 when they first wed. These states also have below-average shares of men and women who divorced in 2007-2008. . . . . . .On the national level, the Census Bureau survey showed that a shrinking share of Americans are married2 -- 52% of males ages 15 and older and 48% of females ages 15 and older. The proportion of Americans who are currently married has been diminishing for decades and is lower than it has been in at least half a century. The age range used in standard Census tabulations dates back to the days when more people married as young teenagers. Among Americans 18 and older, the proportion currently married, but not separated, is 55% for men and 50% for women. Nationally, the median age at first marriage has been climbing for decades: It now stands at 28 for men and 26 for women, meaning that half are younger and half are older when they wed. Among married Americans, the median duration of their married life in 2008 was 18 years. Among men, 9% are divorced; among women, 12% are. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  More divorcing couples separating after getting '11 year itch', figures suggest  The Daily Telegraph-UK, By Andrew Hough and Amy Willis, October 19, 2009
  While the old saying refers to couples separating after getting the “seven year itch”, the Office of National Statistics figures appear to suggest that in Britain that is slightly longer. Of the 144,220 couples who divorced in 2007, the average length of a marriage in Britain was 11.7 years, the figures showed. The divorce rate is at its lowest level since 1981, with experts putting it down to the fact that fewer people are getting married. The figures came as a study claimed marriage should be viewed as an “economic partnership”, where relationships failed during times of emotional and economic decline. . .
  

RELATED INTERACTIVE MAP: Marriage and Divorce: A 50 State- Data From the 2008 American Community Survey   Pew Research Center

RELATED ARTICLE:  Admitting Sex Is Procreative--A Surprising Proposal to Curb Nonmarital Births  Culture of Life.org, By Helen Alvare, October 2009
[F]or brevity's sake, as well as to get at the conceptual nub of my proposals, I would suggest that any response to these issues must "put the baby back into sex." By this I mean that men and women need to acknowledge the overwhelming importance of heterosexual relations' orientation to the procreation of children - helpless creatures who require decades of intensive labor, a lifetime of interaction, and who apparently come into the world with an inbuilt desire to remain connected to both their father and their mother. No matter the heights and depths of couples' romantic aspirations and experiences, these can never be divorced from the crucial reality that heterosexual relations are procreative. The law has always known this. Most churches did or still do. And now couples must acknowledge it too, with help from every possible governmental, religious and other social institution. Once the baby is re-introduced into couples' sexual consciousness, they can better understand that nonmarital sex has its own intrinsically public significance. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Marriage More than Cohabiting  Washington Times, By Cheryl Wetzstein, October 13, 2009
Sparked by the David Letterman sex scandal, the nation is again talking about the "rules of engagement" in love. Plenty of chatter has focused on the famous talk-show host's affairs with female co-workers and on the workplace suite (dubbed "the bunker" by insiders) that he used for trysts. There's also the blatant hypocrisy -- Mr. Letterman routinely mocked people for their sexual peccadillos. Now it's his turn to look hangdog into the cameras. My take is that Mr. Letterman is now a poster boy for an aspect of cohabiting often gets glossed over: Cohabiters are more likely to cheat than married spouses. Marriage is built on sexual exclusivity, and spouses typically vow to forsake all others in front of witnesses (and God). But cohabiters take no such vows. They may not even promise privately to be faithful. And while society expects married spouses to be faithful, it shrugs its shoulders about cohabiters' fidelity. Listen to what a former staff member at "Late Show With David Letterman" told People magazine this month: Mr. Letterman had an affair with an older female staff member, too, the anonymous staff member said, but it "wasn't a big deal because he wasn't married." "We heard he had a girlfriend, but she never came around, so it just wasn't a big deal," the staff member added, referring to Regina Lasko, Mr. Letterman's longtime girlfriend, cohabiting partner, mother of his young son and wife since March. I suppose in coming days we will hear whether Ms. Lasko agrees that it "wasn't a big deal." Mr. Letterman said she was "horribly hurt by my behavior." Was it normal for Ms. Lasko to have expected fidelity from her longtime cohabiting partner? The answer is yes, according to the landmark 1994 National Sex Survey from the University of Chicago. That survey of 3,500 people found that 94.6 percent of cohabiters and 98.7 percent of married people expected sexual exclusivity from their partners. .

• Parenting Issues:  Disney elevates homosexual to studio chief  OneNewsNow, By Allie Martin, October 13, 2009
  A pro-family activist says he's not surprised that the Walt Disney Company has named an open homosexual as studio head. Disney announced last week it had named Rich Ross as studio chief. The 47-year-old television executive helped to revive the Disney Channel, and now will oversee all production, distribution, and marketing for the company's live-action and animated feature labels. It is the first time an open homosexual has been named to such a position. Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. He says although a boycott of the entertainment giant (initiated by the American Family Association) was called off several years ago, the company is still very homosexual-friendly. The sad reality is that whenever you see a homosexual activist at the top, nine times out of ten they end up pushing that gay agenda using their influence to push it wherever they can," states LaBarbera. "It's the way the homosexual movement ends up influencing the country far beyond its tiny numbers," he explains. "They get in key positions of power, and then they use that power to advance their agenda." LaBarbera says it is time for parents to get educated and to move away from Disney to family-friendly entertainment companies. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Disney's Rich Ross: Hollywood's first openly gay studio chairman   LA Times Blog- The Big Picture, By Patrick Goldstein, October 6, 2009
  Disney has long been the most gay friendly studio in Hollywood, having had a couple of gay production chiefs over the years, most recently Nina Jacobson, now an independent producer after being forced out in a studio purge several years ago. The studio's theme parks have allowed unofficial Gay Day celebrations for years, prompting a host of venemous attacks from various Christian right anti-gay zealots. But Disney now has a really big first -- Rich Ross, Hollywood's first openly gay studio chief. Ross, who had been head of the Disney Channel, hasn't been giving interviews since he was named studio chief Monday. So I started reading old Ross interviews, eager to discover what his creative tastes were like, figuring it might give me insight into the kind of movies he'd want to make. That led me to a story from this year by one of my colleagues, Dawn Chmielewski, who did an in-depth profile of Ross and his tenure at Disney TV. I found this: "The 47-year-old Ross and his partner of more than 20 years, Adam Sanderson, live in the Hollywood Hills and have no children of their own. However, he maintains a close relationship with the 14- and 10-year-old daughters of his former roommate and best friend from Fordham Law, who serve as an informal focus group." After a little more hunting, I found that the Advocate has just posted a small story, titled: "Disney Goes Gay with New Top Exec.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Disney's Decline  Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, August 25, 2009
The Disney girls like Snow White and Cinderella were always so innocent, beautiful and kind. They taught little girls that we too should be generous and gracious - that our lives should be marked by goodness and virtue. The Disney message was clear: regardless of your circumstances, you can be lovely and thoughtful, and - if your heart is pure and with a little help from your fairy godmother - you might also find your handsome prince and live happily ever-after. My, how times have changed. This is not your mamma's Disney. The lifestyles and fantasies they are selling our young women are anything but wholesome. Disney has deliberately and successfully transformed its brand from one of innocence and family entertainment, to a purveyor of promiscuity. A recent case in point is Disney star Miley Cyrus. Last week I wrote in this column how, once again, Disney created a young, innocent heroine and then morphed her into a tramp. (Is Miley a tramp in real life? I don't know. But she has agreed to be packaged as one.) The larger point is that Disney itself has also morphed. They've gone from selling just childhood fantasies into also selling sexual ones. This new corporate image was missed by many adults, but to my surprise, it seems that some teens recognize -and are beginning to reject - the newer, uglier, Disney. . . . . .So what's a mother to do?. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Miley Cyrus and Trampy Teen Idols  Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, August 18, 2009
Moms everywhere are aghast at teen idol Miley Cyrus' recent pole dancing and exaltation of Britney Spears as her hero. The "Hannah Montana" superstar morphed overnight from a bubbly starlet into just another trashy singer, leaving moms feeling betrayed. Many thought they had finally found a " Hollywood type" their daughters could look up to. . . . Then came the photo of Miley sprawled across a boy, her bright green bra in clear view. Next, the 15-year-old posed in nothing but a sheet for the cover of Vanity Fair. After a public outcry, the teen and her superstar dad Billy Ray apologized saying they had been tricked by the photographer. Right. The sorrow only came when parents protested en masse. Given that moms are desperate for role models for their daughters, we quickly forgave, only to be let down again this week when Miley pole danced her way as the heir apparent of the cute-girl-gone-trashy super star phenomenon.  Left in her wake? Millions of pre-teen girls who are left thinking they have to be sex objects to "make it" in life. Face the facts: There is a pattern here and it will not change as long as we don't recognize that our little girls are being used. . .


RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO:  'Gay Days' Expected To Bring In $100 Million  WFTV, June 05, 2009
The annual Gay Days event is expected to bring 150,000 people into Orlando. The event caused a lot of controversy when it was first held in Orlando 19 years ago, but now organizers say Orlando's tourism industry is supporting it like never before. An estimated $100 million is expected to be generated thanks to the Gay Days event. Gay Days has grown from a one day event to a week long event. About 3,000 people showed up for the event it’s first year. Now, an estimated 150,000 people are expected to fill Central Florida, bars, theaters, malls, restaurants and theme parks. In the past, finding sponsorship was a problem. Are you having the problem any more?" asked WFTV reporter Q McCray. "No we're not," replied Alexander-Manley. As a result, a number of big-time attractions are looking to get a piece of the pie. Universal Studios Blue Man Group and Sea World's Discovery Cove are now sponsors of the event for the first time. Organizers say they know why. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  There's nothing "gay" about gender-disorientation pathology   PatriotPost.us, By Mark M. Alexander, June 2, 2006
It's that time of year again, when many unsuspecting American families travel to one of the nation's favorite family-theme parks only to find themselves at the epicenter of cultural degradation. This week, hordes of extroverted homosexuals congregated in Orlando at Disney's Pleasure Island for the annual exercise in societal entropy they call "Gay Days at Disney.". . .

• Obama: Homosexual Relationships ‘Just as Real and Admirable’ as Heterosexual Marriage  CNS News.com, By Pete Winn, October 13, 2009
  President Obama delivered an unprecedented message to the Human Rights Campaign Saturday night. Sounding more like a homosexual activist than a sitting president, Obama went well beyond his expected message of “I’m here with you” on the homosexual agenda. “My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians -- whether in the office or on the battlefield,” Obama told an estimated audience of 3,000. “You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.” Even Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese was stunned at the breadth of  Obama's statement, calling it “something quite remarkable.” "This was a historic night when we felt the full embrace and commitment of the President of the United States,” Solmonese said in a post-speech statement. “It’s simply unprecedented." But Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, called the president's remarks “appalling.” “Barack Obama is basically declaring that these relationships are basically equal to the real thing,” LaBarbera told CNSNews.com. “I think this is the ultimate Obama audacity play – for him, just declaring it seems to make it so.” . . . . . .But the president also characterized those who oppose the homosexual agenda in terminology reminiscent of last year’s presidential campaign, when then-candidate Obama, campaigning in Pennsylvania, referred to “bitter” residents of small-town America who “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them.” Obama told Saturday's event that there are still people "who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; who would deny you the rights most Americans take for granted." . . . .LaBarbera said Obama's comments went far beyond using the presidency as a bully pulpit. “The condescension is glaring," LaBarbera said. "He’s really putting down millions and millions of faithful, moral-minded citizens and dismissing traditional beliefs with such arrogance, it is almost indescribable. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Support for Same-Sex Civil Unions, Not Marriage, Up  The Christian Post, By Nathan Black, October 10 2009
A new Pew Research Center survey shows 57 percent of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions, or legal agreements that would give them many of the same rights as married couples. . . .The Pew survey, however, found little change in attitudes on same-sex marriage. More than half (53 percent) of Americans oppose marriage for gay and lesbian couples and 39 percent favor it. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Translating the president  World magazine, By Ken Blackwell, October 14, 2009
Americans needed to be wearing those headphones that are so popular at the UN to receive a translation of the president’s speech last Saturday night to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)—first of all, to help us with the name of the group. The Human Rights Campaign is one of the richest and most powerful of homosexual advocacy organizations. There is no human right properly understood that gays and lesbians have not had in this country, but the name “human rights” lends their aggressive agenda a moral patina. President Obama hailed the “Stonewall protests, when a group of citizens . . . stood up against discrimination to inspire a movement.” The riots in Lower Manhattan in the summer of 1969 did indeed spark the “gay rights” movement. But the transvestites who rioted against police were not the usual sort of civil rights pioneers. They were fighting against a New York law that said men could not dress as women. They were also battling against New York laws against solicitation for prostitution. They were also fighting against the exploitation of the mob-owned Stonewall Bar that was a public health hazard. For those of us who remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers’ brave stand at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala, those screaming, kicking, biting “drag queens” in Manhattan seem pretty far from civil rights pioneers. . . 


RELATED ARTICLE:  Bigot Bonus  Townhall.com, By Jacob Sullum, October 14, 2009
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which President Obama plans to sign soon, is named after two men who were murdered in 1998. Shepard, a gay college student, was beaten to death in Wyoming. Byrd, a black hitchhiker, was dragged to death behind a pickup truck in Texas. Bigotry seemed to play a role in both crimes. Here is something else Matthew Shepard and James Byrd have in common: Their killers were arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison or death, all without the benefit of hate crime laws, state or federal. Hence it is very strange to slap their names onto a piece of legislation based on the premise that such crimes might go unpunished without a federal law aimed at bias-motivated violence. . . . . Although such serial prosecutions are permitted under the doctrine of "dual sovereignty," they look an awful lot like double jeopardy, prohibited by the Fifth Amendment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., nevertheless claims the federal hate crime law upholds "the ideals of our Founding Fathers," who evidently were big on punishing people for their beliefs, retrying defendants after they're acquitted and letting Congress make a federal case out of anything that attracts its attention. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  President taps lesbian activist to EEOC   OneNewsNow, By Allie Martin, October 12, 2009
President Barack Obama continues to deliver on his promises to the homosexual activist community. The president has nominated Chai Feldblum, a lesbian activist, to be commissioner for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her appointment is awaiting Senate confirmation. Feldblum, a law professor at Georgetown University, has signed an online petition titled, "Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision for All Our Families and Relationships." That petition chides conservatives for opposing same-sex "marriage" and also calls for a "new vision" for achieving recognition from the government and private sector for diverse kinds of partnerships. Peter LaBarbera"Chai Feldblum is on record saying that the battle between our religious freedoms and homosexual so-called rights is a zero sum game," says Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. "She says she can't think of a case where the religious rights -- in other words, our moral right to oppose homosexuality, our First Amendment freedom -- trump their gay rights. So, effectively, Chai Feldblum is for superior rights for homosexuals, and I think that's very dangerous for our country." Speaking at a forum in 2004, Feldblum stated that "gay sex is morally good." (View her comments on YouTube)


RELATED ARTICLE:  Besieged czar, EEOC chief safe, Obama tells homosexual crowd: 'I'm here with a simple message: I'm here with you in that fight'  WorldNetDaily, October 10, 2009
President Obama last night received a warm welcome at the annual dinner of the homosexual support group Human Rights Campaign, promising to sign hate crimes legislation, to repeal both Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act and to continue supporting his besieged appointments as "safe schools czar" and head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. WND revelations about Kevin Jennings, the safe schools czar, and Chai Feldblum, his EEOC nominee, have resulted in criticism in Congress and from group's concerned about their actions and statements from the past. A dozen members of Congress demanded Friday that Obama dismiss Jennings following WND disclosures about his past, including an incident in which he counseled a 15-year-old student to keep quiet about being seduced by an older man. WND disclosures that Feldblum proclaimed "gay sex is morally good" have also made her a target for criticism. . . .

• Parenting & Health Issues:  Commies, Fascists and Perverts, Oh My!  Townhall.com, By Matt Barber, October 06, 2009
  Obama’s inner-circle is shaping-up like the bar scene from Star Wars. It’s a swollen throng of unaccountable czars and policy advisors comprised of some of the most bizarre fringe leftists imaginable. As mom always said, you’re known by the company you keep and Obama keeps some downright creepy company. . . . . .But perhaps the creepiest of Obama’s advisers is “safe schools” chief Kevin Jennings. Jennings – an open homosexual activist – is former director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), a highly controversial group of adult homosexual activists who promote sexual anarchy and tacitly work to normalize the criminal practice of pederasty. GLSEN’s primary purpose is to push dangerous and even deadly homosexual and cross-dressing behaviors in our government schools on children as young as five. So bold is Jennings in his promotion of homosexual behavior among children that he even penned the foreword to a book entitled “Queering Elementary Education.” (I don’t know about you, but Jennings and his ilk will “queer” my elementary-age kids over my dead body.). . . . . While the medical consensus is that smoking knocks from two to 10 years off an individual’s life expectancy, the IJE study found that homosexual conduct shortens the lifespan of “gays” by an astounding “8 to 20 years” – more than twice that of smoking. “[U]nder even the most liberal assumptions,” concluded the researchers, “gay and bisexual men in this urban centre are now experiencing a life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871. … [L]ife expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.” The risks associated with homosexual conduct are so drastic, in fact, that U.S. health regulations prohibit men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have had sex with MSM, from ever donating blood. (Yet Jennings and GLSEN encourage children to engage in the very behaviors that – for quantifiable health related reasons – would preclude them from giving blood … ever.)  Consider that, according to the Food and Drug Administration, MSM, “have  an HIV prevalence 60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first time blood donors and 8,000 times higher than repeat blood donors.” Adults and children who engage in homosexual conduct – especially males – are also susceptible – at an astronomical rate – to nearly all other forms of sexually transmitted disease (STD).  For example, the Hepatitis B virus is about five to six times more prevalent among “gays,” and Hepatitis C is twice as common. Furthermore, a 2007 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, although homosexuals make-up only a fraction of the population (one to two percent), they account for an epidemic 64 percent of all syphilis cases. So, all of this begs the question: Why on God’s earth is this Kevin Jennings nut – whose entire life’s work has irrefutably placed children at risk – in charge of promoting “safe schools”? He’s even bragged in his personal memoirs about his own drug and alcohol abuse. .  .
  
  
  
  RELATED RESOURCE:  Q & A:  Blood Donations from Men Who Have Sex with Other Men Questions and Answers  US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Page Last Updated: July 10, 2009

RELATED ARTICLE:  Obama's HRC appearance will 'alienate' Americans  OneNewsNow, By Allie Martin, October 07, 2009
On Saturday night, Obama will deliver the keynote address at the 13th annual National Dinner in Washington, DC -- an annual event organized by the Human Rights Campaign, the largest homosexual activist group in the United States. Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says it is clear President Obama is trying to appease homosexual activists, many of whom have been vocal about their disappointment with the chief executive. . .


RELATED SITE:  Mission America 
Stop the two major groups promoting homosexuality, bisexuality and cross-dressing to even elementary school children. Learn more about PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network).

RELATED ARTICLE:  Group wants Obama pick's resignation   OneNewsNow.com, By Pete Chagnon and Jody Brown, October 08, 2009
A grassroots organization that is dedicated to preserving America's Judeo-Christian history and values is calling for the resignation of one of President Obama's appointees. Kevin Jennings is currently the head of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education, having been selected for that post by Barack Obama in May and taking office in early July. He is also the founder of the controversial and pro-homosexual Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), as well as author of several books on homosexual rights and education. Bishop E.W. Jackson, president and founder of Staying True to America's National Destiny (STAND), has written a letter to President Obama calling for Jennings' resignation. Jackson says that Jennings, as head of GLSEN, was involved in a cover-up. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  The "Fistgate" incident: What homosexual activists in schools do with children. Students as young as 12 given graphic instruction in bizarre homosexual sex acts by state employees  MassResistance.org, June 15, 2009
NOTE: Kevin Jennings, the founder of GLSEN, was recently appointed by the Obama administration to run the Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools in the US Department of Education!  GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) is a national homosexual organization that targets children in the public schools, and has formed "gay straight alliance" clubs in schools across the country. Jennings was the Executive Director of GLSEN at the time of this conference and defended it. . . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Trends in HIV/AIDS Diagnoses Among Men Who Have Sex with Men --- 33 States, 2001--2006  Centers For Disease Control, June 27, 2008
Editorial Note:  During 2001--2006, male-to-male sex remained the largest HIV transmission category in the United States and the only one associated with an increasing number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses. In this analysis, statistically significant decreases in HIV/AIDS diagnoses were observed for all other transmission categories (i.e., among persons likely to have been infected through high-risk heterosexual contact, IDU, MSM and IDU, and other routes). Among MSM aged 13--24 years, statistically significant increases in diagnoses were observed in nearly all racial/ethnic populations. These findings underscore the need for continued effective testing and risk reduction interventions for MSM, particularly those aged <25 years. . . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Rise Seen in H.I.V. Infections Among Young Men  NY Times Blog- City Room, By Sewell Chan, September 11, 2007
H.I.V. infection rates have risen substantially among young New York City men who have sex with men, indicating a shift in the population most vulnerable now to contracting AIDS, city health officials announced ( http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2007/pr079-07.shtml ) today. Over a five-year period, the number of new H.I.V. diagnoses in men under the age of 30 who have sex with other men increased by 33 percent, to 499 in 2006 from 374 in 2001. During the same period, the infection rate for men over 30 decreased by 22 percent. The group with the fastest-growing rates of H.I.V. infection was made up of men between the ages of 13 and 19, for whom H.I.V. diagnoses doubled during between 2001 and 2006, according to preliminary data from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Towards universal access: scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector  World Health Organization- Progress report, September 2009
 In 2008, more data became available on access to HIV services for populations at high risk of HIV infection, including sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users. While HIV interventions are expanding in some settings, population groups at high risk of HIV infection continue to face technical, legal and sociocultural barriers in accessing health care services. "All indications point to the number of people needing treatment rising dramatically over the next few years," said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. . .

• Washington Council to Consider Same-Sex Marriage  NY Times, By Ian Urbina, October 6, 2009
  City Council members introduced legislation Tuesday to allow same-sex marriage here. If it passes, as expected, Washington would be the first city below the Mason-Dixon line to allow such unions. The city’s bill is expected to become law by December. But the measure is likely to draw harsh criticism from Congressional Republicans and conservative Democrats, many of whom face midterm elections next year, and they could act to overturn it. . . . . .But the measure, whose main author was Councilman David Catania, still faces obstacles. Last month, opponents of same-sex marriage filed a petition for a referendum on the subject. If approved by the Board of Elections and Ethics, the initiative would give city residents the chance to vote next year on whether to legalize same-sex marriage. “ ‘Let the people vote’ is the cry that is rising among the many ministers and churches in the D.C. area,” said Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church and chairman of a group called Stand4MarriageDC. Bishop Jackson, who helped file the petition for a referendum, said: “The faith community has been concerned for months that it’s been cast as bigots, racists, and worse. Nothing could be further from the truth.” The board rejected a similar effort in May seeking a referendum on the city’s law recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl has also opposed the legislation. “Marriage is a path toward holiness,” he wrote in a letter to about 300 Roman Catholic priests. “As members of the church, we are obliged to be all the more attentive to the challenges that weaken marriage.” Mr. Catania pointed out that the measure protected clergy members from being forced to take part in same-sex marriage ceremonies. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Marriage At Risk In D.C.  Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., October 06, 2009
  If Lady Liberty could cry, she would be weeping now. Among her many burdens would be the abuse of democracy and our constitution’s first principles on many fronts. Her most recent wound might be that DC residents are being shut out of the decision-making process. This week, the DC City Council introduced a same-sex marriage bill that would allow homosexual marriages to be performed in the nation’s capital. The ten co-sponsors of the bill announced via interviews and media statements that they would not allow the people of the District of Columbia to vote on this landmark decision.With an issue as controversial as same-sex marriage, one would think that the voice of the people should be heard. . .

 RELATED ACTION: Tell Congress to vote “No!” on “thought crimes” bill — Urgent: E-mail your representative and two senators today!   AFA.com, October 07, 2009
So-called "hate crimes" laws are really laws that criminalize thought, because they punish an individual not for what he did but for what he thought. Politically incorrect thoughts about homosexual behavior will result in enhanced criminal sanctions under this law. Everywhere hate crimes laws have gone into effect, they have been quickly used to intimidate, silence and punish people of faith who express deeply held religious objections to the normalization of homosexuality. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Arrogance: Texas family court judge tosses state marriage amendment  CitizenLink.org,  By Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst, October 08, 2009
A family court judge in Dallas has unwittingly provided us with a "teachable moment" as to: 1) What does a judicial activist look like? and 2) How does a Massachusetts gay "marriage" become a tool to undermine the traditional marriage policy of another state, say, like Texas?. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Microsoft donates $100K in R-71 battle  Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), October 06, 2009
Microsoft Corp. has donated $100,000 to “Washington Families Standing Together,” an organization formed to support passage of Referendum 71, which would expand the rights given same-sex partners to be equivalent to those given married spouses in Washington state. The Redmond computer giant’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) contribution dwarfs other cash contributions raised by the pro R-71 group, which has raised a total of about $780,000 as of Oct. 5. Other companies that have given money to the pro R-71 effort include Puget Sound Energy of Bellevue, which gave $15,000 on Sept. 25. The Perkins Coie law firm in Seattle has donated about $143,000 in in-kind, pro bono legal services to the effort. Microsoft’s donation came before campaign laws change next week, as the Nov. 3 election nears, and campaign contributions will be limited to $5,000 from companies and individuals. In contrast, Protect Marriage Washington, the anti R-71 effort, has raised about $60,000 in cash and in-kind contributions as of Oct. 5. “Redefining marriage to include same-sex unions poses significant threats to the religious liberties of people who continue to believe that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman,” the group writes on its web site. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Maine gay marriage early voting looms as rhetoric intensifies  EverydayChristian.com, By Peter Elliot, September 22, 2009
With early voting in Maine’s gay marriage referendum beginning perhaps as soon as next week, both sides in the debate are stepping up their campaign rhetoric. Maine has become the latest battleground in the state-by-state debate over gay marriage. Petition signatures were gathered over the summer by gay marriage opponents to trigger a “people’s veto” referendum aimed at overturning a state law passed last spring allowing gays and lesbians to wed. If Maine voters vote “no” on the ballot question to keep the law, it would become the first state in the country to approve of gay marriage through a voting process. The five other states which allow gay marriage – New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa – did so with direct legislative or judicial action. A representative of the Elections Division of the Maine Secretary of State’s office said Tuesday early voting can begin once ballots are printed up which could be by the end of this week. Election Day is Nov. 3rd. The salvos began in earnest last week when Yes on 1/Stand for Marriage Maine aired a television commercial featuring Boston College Law School professor Scott FitzGibbon talking about the potential consequences of approving gay marriage. . . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Boston College Professor's Appearance in Pro-Gay Marriage Ad Sparks Outrage  FOX News, By Ana Lopez, September 25, 2009
The appearance of Scott Fitzgibbons, a professor in the Boston College Law School, in an ad campaign in support of the Maine Marriage Initiative, which seeks to overturn Governor John Baldacci's signature of the same-sex marriage bill, has sparked controversy in the BC Law School. Fitzgibbons did not obtain clearance from the BC Law School before appearing in the advertisement, in which he stated his opposition to gay marriage and identified himself as a BC professor. In the advertisement, Fitzgibbons said that he is concerned by the detrimental legal consequences that would arise from allowing the legalization of gay marriage. "Unless question one [which overturns the movement to legalize gay marriage] passes, there could be real consequences for Mainers," he said in the advertisement. "Legal experts predict a flood of lawsuits against individuals, small business, and religious groups. Church organizations could lose their tax exemption [and] homosexual marriage would be taught in public schools, whether their parents like it or not." In the advertisement, Fitzgibbons is identified as a professor at the Law School, with a footnote admitting that the title was for "identification purposes only," and that no endorsement on behalf of the university was meant to be implied. . . . . . Fitzgibbon said that his interest in supporting the initiative comes from the serious legal concerns he perceives stem from the redefinition of the institution of marriage in Maine to allow for homosexual as well as heterosexual couples. . . .

• Parenting Issues:  A Letter from a Child   Townhall.com, By Thomas Sowell, October 06, 2009
  Recent videos of American children in school singing songs of praise for Barack Obama were a little much, especially for those of us old enough to remember pictures of children singing the praises of dictators like Hitler, Stalin and Mao. . . . . Parents send their children to school to acquire the knowledge that has come down to us as a legacy of our culture-- whether it is mathematics, science, or whatever-- so that those children can grow up and go out into the world equipped to face life's challenges. Too many "educators" see teaching not as a responsibility to the students but as an opportunity for themselves-- whether to indoctrinate a captive audience with the teacher's ideology, manipulate them in social experiments or just do fun things that make teaching easier, whether or not it really educates the child. You can, of course, call anything that happens in a classroom "education"-- but that does not make it education, except in the eyes of those who cannot think beyond words. Unfortunately, the dumbed-down education of previous generations means that many parents today see nothing wrong with their children being manipulated in school, instead of being educated. Such parents may see nothing wrong with spending precious time in classrooms chit-chatting about how everyone "feels" about things on television or in their personal life. But while our children are frittering away time on trivia, other children in other countries are acquiring the skills in math, science or other fields that will allow them to take the jobs our children will meed when they grow up. Getting students used to looking to so-called "famous" people for answers is the antithesis of education as a preparation for making up one's own mind as citizens of a democracy, rather than as followers of "leaders." Nearly two hundred years ago, the great economist David Ricardo said: "I wish that I may never think the smiles of the great and powerful a sufficient inducement to turn aside from the straight path of honesty and the convictions of my own mind." . . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE: Why We're Failing Math and Science: A panel of experts talks about what's wrong with our education system—and how to fix it  Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2009,
  The problem is well-known: The U.S. lags far behind other developed countries at the K-12 level in terms of measured performance in math and science courses.What can be done to change that? The Wall Street Journal's Alan Murray posed that question to three experts: Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education; Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania; and Christopher Edley Jr., dean of the law school at the University of California at Berkeley, who was also a member of the Obama administration transition team working on education issues. Here are edited excerpts of their discussion:. . .
  
  
  
  

• Tyler Perry Reveals Childhood Abuse in an Open Letter  AOL Black Voices, Posted by Wilson Morales, October 6, 2009 
  With less than a month to go before the emotional and uplifting film 'Precious' opens, executive producer Tyler Perry decided it was time to open up about his own personal demons. "I'm tired of holding this in," he wrote in a long and revealing letter on his Web site. "I don't know what to do with it anymore, so I've decided to give some of it away." Perry said watching 'Precious,' which tells the story of a teen who endures molestation and physical abuse, inspired him to recall his own past. "I watched all the things that Precious, a 16-year-old girl in the film, went through. I watched her mother be unusually cruel to her, and I realized at that moment that a large part of my childhood had just played out before my eyes," he wrote. In the letter, Perry recalled some of the most painful memories he faced as a child, and the beatings that his mother endured at the hands of his father. He also recalled an incident of what appears to be molestation at age 10 by the mother oftyler perry a childhood friend, and he also mentions being molested by a man at an unspecified age. "I got a call not long ago from a friend. He told me that a man that I knew from church when I was a kid had died and...his family was trying to reach out to me to see if I would pay for his funeral. I quickly said no, but I wish I would have said yes. There is something so powerful to me in burying the man that molested me. I wish I would have dug the grave myself." He also tells of the time his mother tried to leave his abusive father when he was just a tot. . . . Along with Oprah Winfrey, Perry will help promote 'Precious.' He says he is not making any money from the film (which he neither directed nor wrote), and that both he and Winfrey will give all the proceeds to charity. "If life begins at 40, then I owe the little boy that I was my life...[the film] hit me so hard, I sat there in tears realizing that somehow, by the grace of God, I made it through. My tears were tears of joy, being thankful that I made it.". . .
  
  
  
  RELATED INFO:  Tyler Perry  Wikipedia.com
  
  
  RELATED LINK: Precious - Feature Trailer - Lionsgate Entertainment
  

RELATED ARTICLE:  AT HOME WITH: Tyler Perry; God Must Love Gilt  New York Times, By Lena Williams, July 8, 2004
The actor and playwright Tyler Perry had barely set foot in Avec Chateau, his 26-room mansion here, when he made a confession. ''I used to be embarrassed to show people my house,'' he said, standing in his Italian marble foyer. Mr. Perry, who has parlayed writing comic plays larded with music into a multimillion-dollar industry, said he feared that relatives and friends would find his $5 million home -- with swimming pool, waterfall, two prayer gardens, tennis courts, an indoor theater and a soon-to-be-constructed amphitheater -- ostentatious. He designed the house, in this Atlanta suburb, and is now building seven other stately homes to sell nearby. ''When I built this house a year ago, everyone asked why a single man, with no family, needed a house this big,'' he said. ''But I realized this house was a testament to my religious faith.''. . .

RELATED RESOURCE:  Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect Factsheet  ChildWelfare.gov, Author(s):  Child Welfare Information Gateway, Year Published:  2008
An estimated 905,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2006 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). While physical injuries may or may not be immediately visible, abuse and neglect can have consequences for children, families, and society that last lifetimes, if not generations. The impact of child abuse and neglect is often discussed in terms of physical, psychological, behavioral, and societal consequences. In reality, however, it is impossible to separate them completely. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Child Abuse can Cause Schizophrenia  PsychCentral.com, By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor, Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D., June 13, 2006
University of Manchester researcher Paul Hammersley is to tell two international conferences, in London and Madrid on 14 June 2006, that child abuse can cause schizophrenia. The groundbreaking and highly contentious theory, co-presented by New Zealand clinical psychologist Dr John Read, has been described as “an earthquake” that will radically change the psychiatric profession. Clinical psychologist and writer Dr Oliver James commented: “The psychiatric establishment is about to experience an earthquake that will shake its intellectual foundations [and] may trigger a landslide.” Mr Hammersley, Programme Director for the COPE (Collaboration of Psychosocial Education) Initiative at the School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Work, said: “We are not returning to the 1960s and making the mistake of blaming families, but professionals have to realize that child abuse was a reality for large numbers of adult sufferers of psychosis.”. . . . . Hammersley and Read argue that two-thirds of people diagnosed as schizophrenic have suffered physical or sexual abuse and thus it is shown to be a major, if not the major, cause of the illness. With a proven connection between the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia, they say, many schizophrenic symptoms are actually caused by trauma. . .

• The dream is over for Chris Evert and her Great White Shark - after just 15 months  The Daily Mail- UK, By Sharon Churcher, October 04, 2009
  Chris Evert has broken up with her multi-millionaire husband Greg Norman, just 15 months after their fairytale £500,000 wedding in the Caribbean. The tennis champion and the golfing legend, both 54, announced their separation in a statement that has stunned the sporting world. When they took their vows in front of 140 family friends in a sunset ceremony in the Bahamas in June 2008, Evert declared that they would be together for the rest of their lives. ‘At our age, over 50, it’s not like you’re 18,’ she said. ‘Both of us have lived long enough to know what we’re doing.’ However, she admitted that the lavish nuptials followed an impulsive love affair that had ruined both of their previous marriages. . . . .The couple said in a statement: ‘We will remain friends and supportive of one another’s family.’ However, Norman’s ex-wife said last night: ‘I didn’t think it would last because they are both too alike. They are both high-profile narcissistic people. But even I am shocked that it ended so quickly.’ Andrassy, a former air hostess who was married to Norman for 25 years, added: ‘(Greg) made his bed. Both he and Chris are adults and they were supposed to know what they were doing. ‘But they were in the throes of lust and weren’t thinking. Being with Chris is what Greg wanted. Well, he got it. ‘You just can’t get into a relationship like that so quickly. You go from a 25-year marriage to something new slowly. You need to get to know each other first and they didn’t do that.’. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  The divorce-ometer: What the stars have paid - by the hour - for their broken marriages  The Daily Mail- UK By Claudia Connell, March 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE:  'It's horrible, what they've done' - Chris Evert's ex   News.com-Au, By Carly Crawford, October 05, 2009

The fallout from Greg Norman's split with tennis great Chris Evert has deepened, with her former husband branding the failed relationship "destructive". Ex-Olympic skier Andy Mill also said the sports couple's crumbling union had hurt two loving families. "I just feel really badly for these two families, thinking about the destruction in the wake of what they've done," Mill said. "It's horrible, what they've done." Evert and Norman, who was once Mill's best mate, this weekend announced they had separated, 15 months after their lavish wedding in the Bahamas. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Norman's ex tees off on Evert  Stuff.co.nz- New Zealand, December 17, 2007
Greg Norman has been advised not to remarry quickly by his ex-wife after news that the former world golf number one had proposed to his girlfriend Chris Evert, the former world number one ranked tennis player. Norman's ex-wife Laura, who now uses her maiden name Andrassy, and was embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Norman this year, told London's Sunday Telegraph yesterday: "If I had any advice, I'd tell them to enjoy a long period between the two - marriages.". . . . Evert divorced her second husband, Andy Mill, a former US Olympic skiing champion, in December with Mill accusing Norman of stealing his wife. Andrassy meanwhile accused Evert of betrayal and pursuing her husband during visits to the Normans' home on Jupiter Island in Florida. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Divorce Reduces Chance Of New, Successful Relationship  Science Daily, September 26, 2007


RELATED ARTICLE:  Pursuit Of Happiness Is Not A Straight Path  Science Daily, March 11, 2007


RELATED ARTICLE:  Happiness  eGraceBibleChurch
. . . Seven Negative Principles on Happiness
You cannot build your happiness on someone else’s unhappiness
You cannot build your happiness on the details of life.
You cannot build your happiness on pleasant environment.
You cannot build your happiness on loved ones.
You cannot build your happiness on fame or celebrityship.
You cannot build your happiness on the overthrow of establishment by violent revolution.
You cannot build your happiness on lust. . .

• Family values groups give marriage in U.S. today an 'F'  Chicago Sun Times, By Zine Chen Sampson, October 03, 2009
  If marriage in America were given a grade, it would be failing, says a new "Marriage Index" released by two family groups. The Institute for American Values in New York and the National Center on African American Marriages and Parenting, based at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., produced a scorecard based on what they say are the five "leading indicators" of the health of America's unions. Based on census and other survey data, the indicators found:
  
  •Percentage of married adults (age 20 to 54): 57.2 percent in 2008, down from 78.6 percent in 1970
  
  •Percentage who say their marriage is "very happy'': 62 percent; down from 67 percent in 1970
  
  •Percentage of first marriages intact, (age 20 to 59): 61.2 percent, down from 77.4 percent in 1970.
  
  •Percentage of births to married parents: 60.3 percent; down from 89.3 percent in 1970.
  
  •Percentage of children who live with their own married parents: 61 percent in 2008; down from 68.7 percent in 1970
  
  Among African Americans, about 40 percent of adults were married in 2008 (down from 70.3 percent). About 29 percent of children were living with their parents. (Data for 1970 were not included in the report.) The group wants more public support for marriage, including the teaching of its value in schools, more tax credits for married couples, and creation of one- to two-year waiting periods for divorce. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  First-ever index of leading marriage indicators: Bipartisan group of scholars argues marriage as important as the economy to nation’s overall health  Examiner.com, October 02, 2009
  Family scholars from six major universities and four leading research institutes have launched a U.S. Marriage Index, the first attempt to track, with a clear, accessible measure, the health of marriage in America. The full report—including a special index focused on the African American community—is available at www.americanvalues.org (PDF).
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  OnLove: Wedded to the Idea of Promoting Black Marriages  Washington Post, By Ellen McCarthy, October 04, 2009
  Eleanor Holmes Norton started to become concerned about marriage among black people when her first child was born in 1970. She told those gathered at an Urban League convention there was reason to worry -- fully 30 percent of black children were then being born out of wedlock. Two weeks ago, before a standing-room-only crowd at the Congressional Black Caucus Conference, she provided a startling update: "What was 30 percent then is 70 percent today," she said, eliciting a collective murmur of disapproval. . . . "For the first time, young black women cannot necessarily look forward to marriage as the next natural state of life," Norton said. "They are finding themselves without comparable mates." . . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Why Marriage Matters, Second Edition: Twenty-Six Conclusions from the Social Science  American Values.org
  Sixteen of the top scholars on family life have re-issued a joint report on the importance of marriage. First released in 2002, the newly revised edition highlights five new themes in marriage-related research. Why Marriage Matters, Second Edition: 26 Conclusions from the Social Sciences was produced by a politically diverse and interdisciplinary group of leading family scholars, chaired by W. Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia and includes psychologist John Gottman, best selling author of books about marriage and relationships, Linda Waite, coauthor of The Case for Marriage, Norval Glenn and Steven Nock, two of the top family social scientists in the country, William Galston, a Clinton Administration domestic policy advisor, and Judith Wallerstein, author of the national bestseller The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce. . .
  
  

• Hollywood's Favorite Rapist  Townhall.com, By Brent Bozell, October 02, 2009
  Something wildly unexpected happened the other day: Film director Roman Polanski was taken into custody in Switzerland for his rape of a 13-year-old girl at Jack Nicholson's house in 1977. The grand jury transcript is stomach-turning. His victim, Samantha Gailey, said the director plied her with champagne and drugs and asked her to remove her clothes for pictures in a hot tub. Polanski then had sex with her despite her resistance and requests to be taken home. He pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of sex with a minor, but fearing a prison term, he fled the country. Now something utterly expected is happening: Morally bankrupt libertines in Hollywood and other artistic banana republics are rushing to Polanski's defense. Welcome to the world of Roman Polanski, Child Rapist/Victim. . . . . .Then there's Whoopi Goldberg, whose defense of Polanski on ABC's "The View" was that "it wasn't rape-rape," since he pleaded guilty to sex with a minor. Earth to Whoopi: It was statutory rape. It was non-consensual. Goldberg claimed everybody needed to wait for facts, even though the facts of the rape are crystal clear, as is the justice this man tried to evade. None of that matters to her. . . . .But as more than one Catholic leader has observed, what if his name were Father Roman Polanski? Oh, then they'd all be singing a different tune, wouldn't they? Hypocrites. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Defending deviancy  OneNewsNow, By James L. Lambert, October 03, 2009
  Polanski' supporters continue to ignore the stark facts of the case. Polanski not only gave his victim Quaaludes, but forced her into one uncompromising situation after another on the original pretext of "photographing" her. How many times have I heard this type of rationalization before?  As the author of Porn in America (Huntington House Publications), I have read of similar situations of young girls who first become models then get involved in the porn industry. . .
  

RELATED ARTICLE:  Stars Stand by David Letterman  People magazine, By Jeffrey Slonim, October 06, 2009

RELATED ARTICLE:  Child Rape and the Values of People Who Make Films   Townhall.com, By Dennis Prager, October 06, 2009
We have reason to be grateful to the Polanski affair. It offers that most needed of virtues: clarity. It has made the average citizen aware of how broken the cultural elite's moral compass is. And it has illuminated how equally distorted their self-image is. They see themselves as morally superior. They see themselves as worldly when in fact they are profoundly insular. And they see themselves as courageous artists when in fact the rarest films are those that involve any moral courage (for example, how many films about Islamic terror and the world that incubates that terror can you name?) But the greatest benefit of the Polanski affair may be that the next time you see the Hollywood elite come out on behalf of or against some public issue, you can most likely assume the opposite is the morally correct position. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  A Right-Left consensus building on Polanski  HotAir, by Ed Morrissey, October 01, 2009
Every once in a while, an issue comes along that has such clear-cut implications that it rearranges the usual political alignments — perhaps especially so when the issue has little to do with electoral politics.  Such is the case with Roman Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland on the basis of a 32-year-old arrest warrant for jumping bail and fleeing the US after admitting to statutory rape — and committing rape and sodomy on a 13-year-old girl he’d first drugged.  After an initial blast of outrage from the Hollywood Left, those cultural elites find themselves further and further marginalized as the vast majority of people from across the political spectrum vent their own outrage over the shabby and despicable excuses offered for Polanski’s actions. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with  Spectator, By Cass Sunstein, July 04, 2009
Cass Sunstein — co-author of the hugely influential Nudge and an adviser to President Obama — unveils his new theory of ‘group polarisation’, and explains why, when like-minded people spend time with each other, their views become not only more confident but more extreme. . . . . This tale reveals a general fact of social life: much of the time groups of people end up thinking and doing things that group members would never think or do on their own. This is true for groups of teenagers, who are willing to run risks that individuals would avoid. It is certainly true for those prone to violence, including terrorists and those who commit genocide. It is true for investors and corporate executives. It is true for government officials, neighbourhood groups, social reformers, political protestors, police officers, student organisations, labour unions and juries. Some of the best and worst developments in social life are a product of group dynamics, in which members of organisations, both small and large, move one another in new directions. . .

• Letterman Admits Affairs In $2 Million Extortion Case  Washington Post, By Lisa de Moraes, October 2, 2009
  David Letterman surprised his studio audience Thursday during the taping of his CBS show when he announced that he'd had sex with female "Late Show" staffers and that someone had tried to extort $2 million from him to keep quiet about the relationships. CBS issued a statement late Thursday night acknowledging that the man who attempted to extort the money was an employee of the CBS newsmagazine "48 Hours" who was subsequently arrested Thursday on charges of attempted grand larceny in the first degree. Letterman told the somewhat baffled audience at Manhattan's Ed Sullivan Theater that about three weeks ago he got into his car at 6 a.m. and discovered a package that contained a letter from a man who threatened to write a screenplay about "every terrible thing you've ever done in your life." . . . . ."This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," Letterman told audience members. "I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury."  In his testimony, he acknowledged having sex with members of his staff. "My response to that is: Yes, I have," Letterman said on camera. "Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would." He added, however: "I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family." Letterman and longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko married in March. Their son, Harry, was born in November 2003. Letterman has been the victim of an extortion attempt before. According to authorities, there was a plot in 2005 to kidnap Letterman's son for a $5 million ransom. House painter Kelly Frank was later charged with the crime. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Dump depraved Dave now, CBS!  NY Post, By Andrea Peyser, October 5, 2009
  Americans would not stand for this kind of behavior from a government official. Should a jock act in a like manner, his morals clause would likely kick in. Letterman's contract expires at the end of next year. I count on CBS to pull Letterman off the air, then kick him to the curb. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. . .
  
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEOS:  Letterman Apologizes to Wife: "Late Show" Host Apologizes to Staff, Wife in First Show Taping Since Revelation of Sex with Co-Workers   CBSNews.com, October 05, 2009
  Late-night TV host David Letterman apologized to his wife on Monday's "Late Show," saying she had been "horribly hurt by my behavior." Letterman vowed to repair his relationship with his wife, Regina Lasko. "Let me tell you folks, I got my work cut out for me," said Letterman. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Letterman is target of the kind of jokes he tells   Townhall.com-AP, By David Bauder, October 03, 2009
  Late-night hosts didn't waste a moment poking fun at the troubles of one of their own, after a CBS newsman was charged with trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million in a plot that forced the late-night comic to acknowledge having sex with some of the women who have worked for him. . .
  
  
  RELATED VIDEO:  David Letterman Extortion Bombshell  Washington Post, October 02, 2009
  David Letterman admitted sexual relationships with female employees and announced he is the subject of an extortion plot by a CBS employee, Kelly Wallace reports. Legal Analyst Lisa Bloom dissected the case. (CBS News)
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE: Letterman Extortion Details: Fox 5 News Sees Search Warrant  MyFOX NY,  October 02, 2009
  A producer for the CBS News show '48 Hours' has pleaded "not guilty" to charges that he attempted to extort $2 million from 'Late Show' host David Letterman. Letterman's lawyer worked undercover to arrange a transfer of a phony check to Robert "Joe" Halderman, 51, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. The Connecticut resident threatened to make public a screenplay he had written about Letterman with private and personal details about his life. Halderman faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. According to Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, Halderman was outside Letterman's home in Manhattan at 6 a.m. on September 9 when he handed the TV host the screenplay. Letterman contacted his attorney. The District Attorney's office set up an undercover sting at a hotel.  New York police detectives were in an  adjoining room with recording equipment and surveillance. Fox 5 News Reporter Giovanna Drpic has seen the search warrant in the extortion plot that lead to a sting involving three meetings between Halderman and investigators. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  The Woman At Center Of Letterman Extortion Plot  Radar Online, October 02, 2009
  Stephanie Birkitt, the woman used by Robert Halderman without her knowledge at the center of the David Letterman extortion plot, met Halderman at CBS about 15 years ago, a source close to the situation tells RadarOnline.com exclusively. At the time, Halderman was in one of his two past marriages, and our source says Halderman did not have a relationship with Birkitt at that time. Birkitt later got a job on Letterman’s show and has worked there for more than a decade, often appearing on air. Our source tells RadarOnline.com that Birkitt and Letterman slept together for a period of time before he married his girlfriend Regina and had their son Harry. . .
  
  
  
  

• TLC Suspends Show, But Blasts Jon Gosselin's Cease-and-Desist Order  People magazine, October 01, 2009
  On the heels of news that Jon Gosselin is trying to shut down production of Kate Plus 8, the network that made him famous is firing back with claims that his latest legal move is purely in his own self-interest. "We are aware of Jon Gosselin's recent statements, and remain deeply disappointed at his continued erratic behavior. He and the family were shooting as recently as last Friday, without incident, and his latest comments are grossly inaccurate, without merit and are clearly opportunistic," TLC said in a statement to PEOPLE. "Despite Jon Gosselin's repeated self destructive and unprofessional actions, he remains under an exclusive contract with TLC. Direct filming of the children has been currently suspended, pending further conversations between both parents.". . .
  
  
  
  

RELATED ARTICLE:  The Unreal Rise of Jon and Kate Gosselin  Vanity Fair.com, By Nancy Jo Sales WEB EXCLUSIVE, October 19, 2009
How did two average parents from rural Pennsylvania with an outsize brood rise to such dizzying heights of stardom and tabloid infamy? The author peers behind the curtain of the biggest celebrity story of the year. . . . .How did Kate Gosselin become a reality superstar? What perfect storm made “Jon and Kate” this year’s tabloid obsession? “It surprised the hell out of me,” says TMZ’s Harvey Levin. “Watching a woman push a wagonful of kids up the street is just not interesting to me. But then when it started to unravel, it became interesting in a different way.” “It became a show that was completely suited to a multi-platform world,” says Ginia Bellafante, TV critic at The New York Times. “You can’t just watch Jon & Kate on television and understand it anymore. You have to participate in it on all these different levels—tabloids, news shows, talk shows, the blogosphere. Jon & Kate became unintentionally brilliant because it demanded so much other consumption to find out what was ‘real.’” From its inception, the show was like a petri dish of American culture. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Michael Lohan Says Jon Gosselin Wants Off TLC To Pursue New Show  RadarOnline, October 01, 2009
While the world and TLC is still reeling from Jon Gosselin's recent announcement that he wants to shut down filming of Jon & Kate Plus 8, his friend Michael Lohan tells RadarOnline.com exclusively that the reality dad wants out of his TLC contract to pursue a new show. “All I can tell you from my conversation with him two days ago is that he does want to pursue the Divorced Dads Club,” Lohan said. “Michael Heller, he and I represent Jon on a business level, wants him to do the show. Mark is trying to get him out of the TLC contract so he can.”. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Children of Divorce Are Good Actors   Psychology Today blog, By Illiana Simons, July 30, 2009
Children of divorcing parents tend to be good actors. They put on different masks to fit into their parents' different worlds. All of us put on and take off masks depending on whom we're with. . . . .we don't need computer analysis to know that when we're with different people, we play out different roles, or different parts of our personality come into relief while others parts retreat. Young children of divorce might just have it worse than most: being one side of themselves with mom, and another side with dad. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  TLC Threatens To Sue Jon Over TV Interviews  RadarOnline, October 01, 2009
The war between Jon Gosselin and the network that made him a fortune is growing more intense by the minute. TLC is furious that Jon is going on Larry King Live tonight and sources tell RadarOnline.com exclusively that Jon's contract prohibits giving such interviews. In the hours leading up to the Larry King Live interview, the animosity and threats between TLC and Jon Gosselin reached an all time high RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.  The cable network asserted that it had the right to prevent Jon from doing other cable interviews and an insider says TLC execs had no intention of letting Jon bash them unanswered. A source tells RadarOnline.com that CNN has worked out an agreement that will allow Jon to appear on Larry King Live Thursday night while an attorney for Kate Gosselin will be on the second half of the program to respond. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Jon Gosselin's Lawyer Lashes Out at TLC  People magazine, By Liz McNeil, October 01, 2009
Jon Gosselin is not going down without a fight. The embattled reality star of what was once called Jon and Kate Plus 8 is hitting back at the network that made him a household name. On Thursday, Gosselin's outspoken attorney Mark Heller entered the increasingly ugly struggle between the reality dad and TLC, releasing the following statement: As legal counsel for Jon Gosselin, I am totally confident that he will be completely successful in his quest to take back control of his family and preserve, protect and ensure their future well-being by putting the brakes on his divorce and pulling the plug on TLC, the media giant that he perceives as a monster that has exploited and manipulated his family and has been partially responsible for the breakdown of his marriage. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Jon Gosselin: I'm Not Being Spiteful  People magazine, By Liz McNeil and Michael Y. Park, October 01, 2009
Don't point the finger at Jon Gosselin for all the madness surrounding his attempted shutdown of Jon & Kate Plus 8, his manager says. The fault, claims the rep, is with the show – which Gosselin says is now hurting his family – even though Jon and the kids were happily filming just six days ago. "Basically we've put a halt on the show," manager Mike Heller tells PEOPLE. "Jon has been talking to TLC for a long time to cut back on the production and still honor his contract – because it's been getting in the way of his family, his children are complaining." "It's been hurting the relationship that he's trying to reconcile with his wife – he's trying to get back with her as a parent," Heller adds. "They are the mom and dad of their children [but] they talk by text message. He wants to take 90 days.". . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Jon Gosselin Tries to End Kate Plus 8  People magazine, By Michael Y. Park, October 01, 2009
Days after learning that TLC would continue with a new version of Jon & Kate Plus 8 that didn't include him as a major factor, the estranged husband of Kate Gosselin has demanded through his lawyers that the show cease production immediately or face potential criminal charges. . .

• Parenting Issues:  I was told off by a stranger for disciplining my child... no wonder we're in danger of producing a generation of brats  The Daily Mail- UK, By Rachel Halliwell, October 01, 2009
  This weekend, at the end of a two-hour trip to an adventure playground, my three-year-old cut up rough when it was time to go home. With the queue of children waiting to get on the swing she was hogging getting ever bigger, I picked up the balloon I'd just bought her and said that if she didn't get climb down immediately I would pop it. It did the trick and she jumped straight off. As I congratulated myself on another win in the war that is raising a wilful toddler, I realised that a hush had descended among nearby parents. From the dirty looks and appalled gasps thrown my way, you'd have thought they'd witnessed me threatening to beat my little girl with a branch from the nearest tree. 'That kind of comment could really scar her,' one mum scolded. 'Maybe you should try negotiating with her next time.' As I explained that I don't negotiate with three-year-olds, this woman shook her head in disbelief. Then she warned me that I would pay the price when my daughter ended up in therapy in years to come. Needless to say, I didn't stick around to debate it. Modern parenting has become so bogged down with psychobabble that I fear it's in danger of producing a generation of brats. The old adage that babies don't come with a manual doesn't ring true any more, with a plethora of parenting books now available to new parents to advise them how best to do a job that is as old as life itself. . . . But at least I'm not alone in thinking that this namby-pamby brand of parenting is doing our children more harm than good. An explosive new book, called Nurtureshock, written by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, two highly regarded social commentators, challenges this modern-day belief that high self-esteem must be nurtured in children at all costs. In fact it warns that, having analysed ten years worth of scientific studies, they believe this relatively new way of parenting is breeding a generation of praise junkies, who won't be able to cope with life in the real world. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Household Idols: The pace of modern life makes it more challenging to raise a family without giving in to culture's pet idolatries.  FOTF.org, By Bob Hostetler
Many fine Christian families today are in a situation like Jacob's when he left Paddan Aram. God told Jacob to leave the land of his father-in-law, Laban, and return to his ancestral home (Genesis 31:3). So Jacob made his escape. But his caravan included cargo Jacob didn't know about: Laban's household gods, secretly taken by Jacob's wife Rachel (Genesis 31:19). God had blessed Jacob, and God was preparing him for yet greater things. But pagan idols had slipped into Jacob's household. So it is in many of our homes today. We haven't turned our backs on God; we haven't stopped worshiping Him or enjoying His favor. Nonetheless, idols have been brought into our households. Sometimes we have lugged them in ourselves, adopting — or adapting — some of the pagan idols that surround us. Misplaced worship: The idols in our homes aren't like the little clay statues Rachel hid in her saddlebags. We don't bow to golden calves in our living rooms or chant prayers to an image, but that doesn't mean we are free of idols. It may just mean our idols are more subtle or we worship in ignorance, like the ancient Athenians (Acts 17:23). The pace of modern life makes it more challenging to raise a family without giving in to culture's pet idolatries. Here are a few common household idols:. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Teaching children to be grateful and generous  FOTF.org, By Dr. Bill Maier
On Christmas morning, after devouring Mom's legendary homemade sticky buns, the Stevens family gathers around the Christmas tree. The three kids — 10, 8 and 6 — excitedly begin opening their presents. But their parents' joy soon turns to dismay. Like hungry sharks in a feeding frenzy, Danny, Molly and Christopher greedily rip open each gift only to toss it aside, searching for another package bearing their names. None of the kids acknowledges the relatives who sent the gifts in the first place. They show zero interest in opening the cards attached to the gifts. After each child opens the final gift, all three continue to search for still more presents, making comments such as "Is that all I get?" or "How come Molly got more presents than I did?" Unfortunately, the Stevens' experience is common. In a materialistic, consumer oriented culture, we face a real challenge in teaching thankfulness and contentment to children. They are conditioned to believe they are entitled to everything they want — now! Kids have also come to believe they should always get the biggest and best. The Center for a New American Dream reports another disturbing trend known as the nag factor. . .

• Friends call me selfish - but not having kids is the best thing I’ve ever done   The Daily Mail- UK, October 01, 2009
  Laura Scott has lost count of the times she’s been quizzed on the most intimate details of her life. Why? Because she dares to admit she doesn’t want children. Laura, 47, who has written a book on this complex decision, lives with businessman husband, Robert, 61. Here she argues her case. . . . My girlfriends and I were sharing a bottle of wine in my friend’s kitchen one Friday evening. Glass in hand, I was feeling warm and mellow as the conversation turned to our plans for the weekend. I was looking forward to playing a few rounds of golf while my husband, Robert, a vintage car enthusiast, was zipping off to a rally. In the evening, we’d be dining out at our favourite Italian restaurant. Innocent enough pleasures, you’d have thought. But I might as well have confessed I was planning a shoplifting spree. ‘It’s all very well for you, doing what you want,’ my friend Marie snapped. ‘You’re just so selfish.’ I was stunned. I’ve known Marie, a mother of three, for years. I thought we were friends. What was my crime? Suddenly, I realised I’d done the unforgivable. I’d dared to admit I lead a full, happy and satisfying life — and all because I don’t have children. While she was spending the weekend shuttling children between ballet classes, swimming club, football practice and sleepovers, I was doing exactly as I pleased. But why shouldn’t I? Marie has chosen to have children. And I have chosen not to. Does that really make me a bad person? We are living in the 21st century. Yet we are still shackled by the medieval notion that every woman should want to be a mother. And if — heaven forbid — she doesn’t, then she’s a selfish freak. Over the years I’ve been swamped by hurtful and sometimes vicious comments from virtual strangers. I’ve received everything from pitying glances to offers of prayers. But I know I’m far from alone. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  My husband is punishing me for not wanting a third child. What can I do?  The Daily Mail- UK, By Clare Campbell, October 01, 2009
  Exchanging confidences at a Pilates class has opened a door into women's inner lives for Clare Campbell. This week Rachel, a GP, confides to the class that her husband, David, also a doctor, wants her to have another baby. As they already have two children under five and Rachel would like to return to work part-time, she is reluctant. David has now started coming home late from work, punishing Rachel, she feels, for not going along with his wishes. . .
  
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  The Harried Life of the Working Mother  Pew Research Center, By Kim Parker, Senior Researcher, October 1, 2009
  Women now make up almost half of the U.S. labor force, up from 38% in 1970. This nearly 40-year trend has been fueled by a broad public consensus about the changing role of women in society. A solid majority of Americans (75%) reject the idea that women should return to their traditional roles in society, and most believe that both husband and wife should contribute to the family income. But in spite of these long-term changes in behaviors and attitudes, many women remain conflicted about the competing roles they play at work and at home. Working mothers in particular are ambivalent about whether full-time work is the best thing for them or their children; they feel the tug of family much more acutely than do working fathers. As a result, most working mothers find themselves in a situation that they say is less than ideal. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Spencer Pratt 'Barely Having Sex' with Heidi Montag  People magazine, By Michael Y. Park, September 30, 2009
There are many things most people would rather not dwell upon when considering the facts behind the marriage between Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, perhaps the most reviled pairing in reality TV. Thank God sex isn't really a fact in their marriage, according to Pratt. Speaking to the New York Post's PopWrap on Tuesday, Pratt, 26, says that he's tried to prevent Montag, 23, from realizing her dreams of becoming a young mother – by refusing her sex. . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Tweeting Your Miscarriage: Is Nothing Sacred?  Politics Daily, By Melinda Henneberger, September 30, 2009
Short answer: R U kidding? No bodily function, emotional trauma or personal exchange is beyond bounds or beneath broadcasting these days. Thus did 43-year-old Penelope Trunk, CEO of the aptly named "Brazen Careerist'' blog, Twitter her recent miscarriage: "I'm in a board meeting. Having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there's a f***-up 3-week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin." (The asterisks are mine, not hers.). . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Yes, women had it all - but can they STILL have a career, husband and children?  The Daily Mail- UK, By Becky Sheaves, April 4, 2008
Plenty of women were sacrificing motherhood and marriage for careers, but not so many were managing to achieve all three. The bad news is that two decades on, and armed with wisdom, experience and hindsight, all three women believe it is harder than ever for women to "have it all". . .


RELATED ARTICLE:  Skip work, make babies, says Russian governor  Reuters, By James Kilner, September 12, 2007
Russia wants to reverse a trend in which the population is shrinking by about 700,000 people a year as births fail to outpace a high death rate boosted by AIDS, alcoholism and suicide. This is the third year Ulyanovsk region, famous as the birthplace of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, has dedicated a day to encouraging couples to produce more babies. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Sorry, but my children bore me to death!  The Daily Mail, By Helen Kirwan-Taylor, July 26, 2006
It's the start of the summer holidays, when millions of mothers despair at how to entertain their children for the next six weeks. What none of them dare say is that they would rather their children were still at school or, frankly, anywhere else. Helen Kirwan-Taylor, a 42-year-old writer, lives in Notting Hill, West London, with her businessman husband Charles and their sons Constantin, 12, and Ivan, ten. Here, she argues provocatively that modern women must not be enslaved by their children. . .

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