Values Voter Summit set for September
With a crucial election looming in November, this year’s
Values Voter Summit could not come at a more critical time.
“Our Republic has reached one of those times in our
history where the choices we make could very well determine if our system of
government will survive,” said AFA president Tim Wildmon. “This summit comes at
a crucial hour.”
The summit is sponsored by AFA Action, the legislative
arm for American Family Association, as well as other pro-family organizations,
such as Family Research Council, American Values, Heritage Foundation, Liberty
University and Liberty Counsel.
The event is scheduled for September 14-16 at the Omni
Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
With critical congressional races and a presidential
election coming in November, event sponsors expect a record turnout. Last year
almost 3,200 people attended.
Speakers invited and expected to attend include: those
pictured at right in addition to Bill Bennett, best-selling author; House
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH); House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA); Sen. Jim
DeMint (R-SC); Sean Hannity, radio/television host; Laura Ingraham, radio host;
Michelle Malkin, author; Star Parker, president of CURE; Sen. Marco Rubio
(R-FL); AFA founder Don Wildmon; and presumed GOP presidential nominee Gov.
Mitt Romney.
AFA president Tim Wildmon, AFA executive vice president
Buddy Smith, and AFA Journal staff writer Ed Vitagliano will also address the
summit.
For more information or to register for the 2012 Values
Voter Summit, visit www.valuesvotersummit.org or call 877-372-2808.
Home Depot shrugs off growing boycott
AFA again appeared before Home Depot’s annual
shareholders’ meeting in May, asking the giant home improvement retailer to
stop supporting homosexual activism.
Randy Sharp, director of special projects for AFA,
presented to the Home Depot chairman, board of directors and shareholders more
than 254,000 new signatures on a petition saying that they would boycott the
company until it became neutral in the culture war.
Those signatures added to ones gathered previously mean
that about three quarters of a million people have pledged to boycott the firm.
Even so, company officials have reconfirmed their pro-homosexual policy.
AFA has set up an internet site
(www.boycottthehomedepot.com) to provide information for those who are curious
about AFA’s reasons for responding so strongly to Home Depot.
AFA retreat at The Cove
The beautiful mountain retreat at the Billy
Graham Training Center at the Cove in Asheville, North Carolina, will be the
location for an AFA retreat September 11-13, 2012. Hosted by AFA president Tim
Wildmon, featured speakers will include Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Don Wildmon.
For more information visit www.afr.net.
Hollywood hears OMM, AFA protest
In May the ABC network announced it was canceling its
controversial series GCB, after a persistent campaign by AFA’s One Million Moms
caused advertisers to shrink from the drama.
GCB sto
od for “Good Christian Belles,” itself altered
from its original title, “Good Christian B-----s,” following complaints from
AFA and other groups.
“GCB was a bigoted and ugly portrayal of Christians and
Christianity,” said One Million Moms director Monica Cole. “Through the hard
work of concerned women, many advertisers heard our voices and decided that
sponsoring disrespect for Christianity was not in their best financial
interest.”
Moral, social issues still important to evangelicals
Evangelical Christians appear to be the only group of
likely voters who place abortion and same sex marriage high on their list of
issues that could affect their vote in November.
The results come from a new survey released in April by
the Barna Group, a polling company that pays particular attention to religious
trends in the U.S.
Among all “likely voters,” the major areas of concern –
which they said would influence their choice of candidates “a lot” – were
connected to the economy. Health care (74%), tax policy (62%), and employment
policy (54%) topped the list of 12 issues.
Candidate positions on homosexual marriage (31%) and
abortion (29%) were in the bottom three concerns for likely voters.
For evangelical likely voters, however, abortion ranked
third as the most influential issue, according to Barna, while same sex
marriage ranked fifth.
Barna said: “People who read the Bible, attended a church
service, and prayed during the past week were substantially more likely than
likely voters who are less active in pursuing their faith to rate candidate
positions on abortion [and] gay marriage … as significant in their candidate
selection process.”
www.barna.org, 4/18/12
TV networks get graphic
A study released by the Parents Television Council, a
media watchdog group that monitors content on television, reveals that TV
continues its headlong rush into the toilet.
One aspect especially troubled the PTC: What our parents
told us were our “private parts” have become very, very public on television.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the PTC
study showed that in just nine episodes of the sitcom 2 Broke Girls (CBS) last
fall, there were more references to a woman’s genitals than in the entirety of
network programming for a given season just 10 years ago.
References to women’s genitals are eight times higher on
networks in 2012 than 2002, while references to male genitalia are almost four
times higher.
www.latimes.com, 3/21/12
Supreme Court may hear Jackson case
A court decision in the infamous “wardrobe malfunction”
that occurred during the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl has been appealed
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The incident resulted from the exposure of singer Janet
Jackson’s breast during a song with singer and actor Justin Timberlake. The
Federal Communications Commission responded to the resulting public outcry by
slapping a $550,000 fine on CBS, which aired the NFL championship game that
year.
CBS appealed the fine, and last fall the 3rd U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals sided with the network, stating that the FCC had acted
“arbitrarily and capriciously.”
The FCC has now appealed to the Supreme Court, with the
Obama administration arguing that there is no “fleeting images exemption from indecency
enforcement,” according to CNN.
www.cnn.com, 4/18/12
Not a person in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Supreme Court voted unanimously in April
that a state effort to grant personhood to unborn children is “clearly
unconstitutional.” Opponents of the measure say it would ban abortion without
exception and interfere with a woman’s right to use certain forms of
contraception and medical procedures, such as in vitro fertilization.
Dan Skerbitz, with Personhood Oklahoma, said, “We will
consider our legal options in response to this and we’ll also have to
reconsider our on-the-ground strategy here.”
Personhood USA says attempts have been made in 30 states
to enact personhood measures that would protect an unborn baby with the right
to life. While none have passed yet, several were very close to being adopted,
and the move continues in many states.
www.theblaze.com, 5/1/12
32 and counting
North Carolina became the 32nd state in the U.S. to vote
in defense of traditional marriage, when voters handily passed a constitutional
amendment in May to ban same sex marriage.
The amendment in the Tar Heel State passed 61-39%.
“We are not anti-gay – we are pro-marriage,” said Tami
Fitzgerald, chairwoman of the executive committee of Vote for Marriage NC, a
group that pushed the amendment. “And the point, the whole point, is simply
that you don’t rewrite the nature of God’s design for marriage based on the
demands of a group of adults.”
Washington Post, 5/8/12; New York Times, 5/9/12
"[A]t a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me
personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex
couples should be able to get married. … [Michelle and I] are both practicing
Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with
the views of others but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at
root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf,
but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to
be treated."
President Barack Obama, in an interview with ABC News’
Robin Roberts, explaining that he is in favor of homosexual marriage, and that
his change of heart on the issue is partially based on his faith
www.abcnews.com, 5/9/12
"People around the country are watching [North Carolina],
and they’re really confused to have seen such a progressive, forward- thinking,
economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the
civil rights people, including the civil rights marches back in the ’50s and
’60s and ’70s. People are saying what in the world is going on with North
Carolina; we look like Mississippi."
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue (D), complaining to
NBC affiliate WITN about the results of her state’s vote to ban same sex
marriage
www.mediaite.com, 5/12/12
"We salute the voters in North Carolina who decisively
declared that marriage, as rooted in nature and the Judeo-Christian worldview,
is between a man and a woman."
AFA president Tim Wildmon, after the North Carolina vote
Hmmm
Most business-friendly states
From a study conducted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation and Thumbtack.com, these are the most business-friendly states:
Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma and Utah.
California, Hawaii, Vermont and Rhode Island made it the
most difficult for those starting a small business.
www.theblaze.com, 5/8/12
Transgender ‘woman’ loses Canadian beauty pageant
For the time being, the winner of the Miss Universe
Pageant will still be a “miss,” after a transgender contestant lost in the
preliminary Canadian competition in May. One of the eligibility rules for the
pageant includes the requirement that all contestants be “naturally-born
females.” (Photo at right: Talackova (right) with high profile attorney Gloria Allred)
However, when 23-year-old Jenna Talackova was ruled
ineligible for the Miss Universe Canada Pageant because he did not meet that
requirement, he pitched a very public fit. Talackova, who had gender
reassignment surgery when he was 19, hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred and
went before the cameras.
“I am a woman,” Talackova said in a CNN press conference
with Allred beside him. “I have never asked for any special consideration. I
only wanted to compete.”
Pageant owner and real estate magnate Donald Trump told
ABC’s 20/20 program in April that Talackova would be allowed to compete as a
woman.
www.cnn.com, 4/3/12; www.huffingtonpost.com, 4/9/12
"[T]he drive for same sex marriage is not simply about
same sex marriage or the moral legitimization of homosexual behavior; it is
also about the de-legitimizing of Christian morality. … But the Christian moral
system is no minor part of Christianity, any more than the heart or lungs are minor
parts of the human body. Overthrow the Christian moral system and you will have
overthrown Christianity itself. Therefore, those who are pushing for the
institution of same sex marriage are ipso facto pushing for the elimination of
the Christian religion."
David R. Carlin Jr., a Catholic sociologist and author of
Can a Catholic Be a Democrat?
Crisis Magazine, 5/11/12
Study reveals top U.S. porn cities
Men’s Health magazine drew from statistics based on the
number of X-rated DVDs purchased, rented or streamed; the number of adult
entertainment stores; porn searches on Google in relation to a geographical
location and Cinemax-subscribing households to determine the top porn-consuming
cities in America.
Orlando, Florida, came out on top with Las Vegas, Nevada;
Wilmington, Delaware; and Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina rounding out
the top five.
The study also revealed cities with the smallest appetite
for pornography. Jackson, Mississippi, led the pack with Baton Rouge,
Louisiana; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Charleston, West Virginia; and
Lubbock, Texas, finishing the top five.
www.dailymail.co.uk, 5/8/12
Stem cell expert caught in alleged lie
Ophthalmologist Peter Francis has obtained permanent
resident status in the U.S. on the basis that he continues to provide the
country
with embryonic stem cell clinical research. Since getting his
residential status, he has also been given two federal grants for research.
But Dr. David Prentice, spokesman for Family Research
Council, says the money should be taken back because Francis fabricated the
research results.
Prentice said, “[Francis] put in a couple of grant
proposals to the National Institutes of Health where he claims that he’s gotten
these great results, essentially restoring sight to blind rats using embryonic
stem cells. But he made the whole thing up.”
Now the NIH has given Francis only a slap on the wrist by
making him show his work to a second party before it is published.
Prentice said he has a problem with federal tax dollars
going first to the use of embryonic stem cells, which uses the stem cells from
an aborted fetus, and second to a person who makes fraudulent claims to receive
said money.
www.onenewsnow.com, 5/7/12
$1 Million for proof of sex
New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has been outspoken
and consistently criticized about his Christian faith and sexual purity.
AshleyMadison.com, a website that provides matches for married individuals
looking for extramarital relationships, is now offering $1 million for anyone
with proof that they have slept with Tebow.
AFA president Tim Wildmon said, “This is just disgusting.
It isn’t enough to just mock Christianity and sexual purity anymore. Now
culture must try to destroy the lives of those attempting to pursue righteous living.”
www.cnsnews.com, 4/24/12
Obesity grows in U.S.
Research economists with Duke University Global Health
Institute released projections in May warning that by 2030 more than 40% of
Americans might be obese.
The personal health consequences connected with obesity
include increased risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Furthermore, the
social costs run into the tens of billions of dollars.
It also appears that Christians may be more susceptible
to obesity. Last year a study released by researchers from Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine found that young people who attend
church more regularly are more likely to be obese when they reach middle age.
One explanation was the Christian emphasis on gathering
to eat. However, Matthew Feinstein, lead author of the study, emphasized that
religion overall has a positive impact on the health and well being of
participants. “It’s just this specific area where there appears to be room for
improvement,” Feinstein said.
www.usatoday, 5/7/12; www. cnn.com, 3/24/11
Majority says judges hostile to religion
Most Americans believe the judicial branch of U.S.
government has departed from the role intended for it by the founding
generation in at least one important area: religion.
Rasmussen conducted the survey via telephone with 1,000
adults. They asked each person, “Have rulings by judges in recent years
regarding religion in public life correctly interpreted the Constitution or
have these rulings been more anti-religious than the Founding Fathers
intended?”
The results indicate that 53% of respondents feel that
yes, judges are more anti-religious than the founders intended. Only 28% said
the judges were performing as intended, and the other 19% weren’t sure either
way.
www.rasmussenreports.com, 5/6/12
How to contact your elected officials
• The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Salutation: Dear Mr. President
Comment line: 202-456-1111
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov
Web: www.whitehouse.gov/contact
• U. S. House of Representatives
The Honorable _____________________
Washington, DC 20515
Salutation: Dear Congressman (or
Congresswoman) ___________________
• U.S. Senate
The Honorable _____________________
Washington, DC 20510
Salutation: Dear Senator _____________
• Washington switchboard: 202-224-3121
• votervoice.net/groups/AFA/address – Links
to contact information for federal and state officials as well as media
companies
