tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81097032011-08-31T02:42:30.915-07:00A person who experiences same sex attraction and who endeavors to live chastely in accordance with his religious beliefs keeps an eye out for examples of gay activists' (1) showing intolerance and hatred of traditional religious and moral beliefs and believers, (2) attempting to deny freedom of speech, assembly and religion to others, and (3) trying to cause the government to impose liberal views on sexual morality on society. Other stuff of interest to blogger may also occasionally be posted.Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.comBlogger2511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1160256939275867642006-10-07T13:39:00.000-07:002006-10-07T15:32:38.366-07:00<p>I am utterly disgusted at the hypocrisy of the Democrats on this Mark Foley issue. I am also sickened that we are now apparently in for a round of politically motivated outings of homosexuals by gay activists with the blessing of the Democratic Party. </p><p>Republican Congressman Mark Foley made improper sexual comments via instant messaging with Congressional pages. Whether or not the recipient of the comments was legally considered a minor doesn't much matter to me, because I think taking advantage of any senior/junior work relationship to obtain sexual favors is wrong and should be condemned. Mr. Foley has, quite properly, resigned over this. Such behavior should not be tolerated in Congress, no matter what party the perpetrator might be. </p><p>However, since when have Democrats found anything wrong with this type of activity in their own ranks? Democrat Congressman Gerry Studds, who actually had a sexual affair with a page, not only did not resign, but was repeatedly reelected by his electorate and lionized by the Democratic party, as was Democrat Congressman Barney Frank, whose boyfriend ran a homosexual prostitution ring from Frank's house. Democrat President Bill Clinton never resigned over his indiscretions with a female intern, and in fact we were repeatedly told that in connection with the President's peccadilloes that it was unfair to even discuss such private matters. </p><p>But now the Democrats are hypocritically and from purely partisan electoral motives trying to blame the Republican Congressional leadership for not cracking down on Foley, even though there is no evidence that the leadership had been shown the salacious instant messages that caused the uproar. The double standard is crystal clear. It also looks increasingly also like Democratic operatives may have known about the damning instant messages several months if not years ago, but did nothing about them until now, just before the November 2006 midterm elections.</p><p>Now, creepy gay activist Mike Rogers is circulating a list of homosexual Republican Congressional staffers so as to "out" them for partisan political purposes. And absolutely no leading Democrat has condemned this. What utter jerks! Once again, the gay activists and the Democrats have demonstrated that they believe that no one who has same sex attraction is (a) entitled to keep their sexual proclivities private (or be "closeted", as the gay activist term of abuse goes -- everyone must "come out" or else will be forced to by the thuggish outing brigade), (b) entitled to hold conservative political beliefs or support Republican policies, or (c) object to items of the gay activist agenda such as same sex "marriage" or teaching that homosexual activity is moral in the schools). </p><p>Gay activist Andrew Sullivan's reaction to the Mark Foley incident is apparently to say that the "closet" corrupts, the implication therefore being that being in the "closet" is is what caused Foley to sexually abuse children. Of course Andrew Sullivan is known for smearing entire classes of people with a broad brush, as is demonstrated by his hatemongering abusive neologism "Christianists" to refer to traditional Christian believers (to people like Andrew Sullivan and Rosie O'Donnell, Christians are just the same as murderous Islamists, get it?). It is not surprising that to gay activists like Sullivan, any one with same sex attraction who chooses not to make homosexuality their primary public identity is automatically a child molester. Sullivan has some nerve to slime all "closeted" homosexuals as child molesters. Unfortunately, it is typical for him and many of his fellow gay activists, for whom everyone with same sex attraction must walk in lock step with every item on the gay activist political agenda. I know exactly how African-American conservatives feel when they are berated by their fellow African-Americans for daring to step out of line politically from the appropriate identity group. </p><p>Foley is an individual who has sinned, and who hopefully now realizes his fault. He deserves our prayers and compassion. However, to Democrats and gay activists, conservative homosexuals deserve nothing but scorn. If they continue their outing of conservative homosexuals, I have every belief that, like Democrat John Kerry's and John Edwards' extremely distasteful attempt to make Mary Cheney's lesbianism an issue in the last Presidential election, the good and decent people of American will see through their hypocrisy and mean-spirited attacks on those with same sex attraction who don't parrot the gay activist party line. </p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p></p><p>Here are some pertinent links:</p><p><a href = "http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110009056">James Taranto on Democratic dirty tricks re: Mark Foley</a></p><p><a href = "http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110009028">James Taranto on Andrew Sullivan</a></p><p><a href = "http://www.macsmind.com/wordpress/2006/10/07/gay-thug-to-out-republican-staffers-again-on-monday/#comments">Blogger Macranger on Mike Rogers' evil outing campaign</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-116025693927586764?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1160253577220337392006-10-07T13:36:00.000-07:002006-10-07T13:39:37.233-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/oct/06100601.html">Apparently, even raising the possibility of protecting free speech and religious exercise rights is controversial in Canada!</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-116025357722033739?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1157594550636654712006-09-06T18:59:00.000-07:002006-09-06T19:02:30.666-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=403815&in_page_id=1770">Christian faces court over 'offensive' gay festival leaflets</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115759455063665471?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1153240959525056872006-07-18T09:40:00.000-07:002006-07-18T09:42:39.536-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06071701.html">Spain to Teach Children From Age 10 to Accept Homosexuality</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115324095952505687?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1152907181852853042006-07-14T12:57:00.000-07:002006-07-14T12:59:41.863-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/14/a_new_intolerance_visits_provincetown/?page=full">A New Intolerance Visits Provincetown</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115290718185285304?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1151270021866743402006-06-25T14:11:00.000-07:002006-06-25T14:13:41.876-07:00<p>A most excellent critique of Andrew Sullivan's hatemongering and pontificating.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@hotmail.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115127002186674340?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1151001327224408112006-06-22T11:33:00.000-07:002006-06-22T11:35:27.236-07:00<p>Robert Smith is the USA's answer to Rocco Buttiglione, it would seem.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115100132722440811?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1150668769398905302006-06-18T15:07:00.000-07:002006-06-25T14:15:10.693-07:00<p><a href = "">John Leo</a> on the Governor Ehrlich/Robert Smith affair:</p><p><i>... </i></p><p><i>Ehrlich's third adjective, "unacceptable," is surely debatable. Did he mean that all members of Washington-area boards are required to approve of homosexuality, or just that they must suppress any non-positive views during TV discussions of same-sex marriage?</i></p><p><i>...</i></p><p><i>Why didn't Gov. Erhrlich simply say that he disagrees with Smith, but considers him an excellent public servant, which the Washington Post coverage of the story makes clear he is? The answer is that in Washington, and among the elites everywhere, approval of homosexuality is now mandatory. In the old days, employees were fired for being gay. Now they are far more likely to get fired for failing to approve homosexuality or for some remark that the gay lobby resents.</i></p><p><i>...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115066876939890530?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1150481821626395692006-06-16T11:15:00.000-07:002006-06-16T11:17:01.643-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.metro16jun16,0,5412195.story?coll=bal-local-headlines">Ehrlich appointee fired over remark</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115048182162639569?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1150398871683696652006-06-15T12:05:00.000-07:002006-06-15T12:14:31.743-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06061410.html">Seven-Year-Old Beaten at School For Father's Stand Against Homosexual Activism<br /></a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-115039887168369665?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1149948482172447692006-06-10T07:05:00.000-07:002006-06-10T07:08:02.183-07:00<p>John M. Templeton Jr., M.D. has an important piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:</p><p><a href = "http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06161/697111-109.stm">Some preachers deeply believe that homosexuality is a sin. What if 'hate speech' laws prosecute them for saying so?<br /></a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114994848217244769?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1149454226298593962006-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:002006-06-04T13:50:26.306-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06060101.html">Gov't Agrees to Mandatory Homosexual Curriculum with No Opt-Out for Students or Parents</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@hotmail.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114945422629859396?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1149174024401343132006-06-01T07:58:00.000-07:002006-06-01T08:00:24.413-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/may/06053109.html">Canadian Prof Faces Human Rights Complaint Over Religious Views on Homosexuality</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114917402440134313?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1147192531823802782006-05-09T09:33:00.000-07:002006-05-09T09:35:31.836-07:00<p>David French nails it: <a href = "http://phibetacons.nationalreview.com/post/?q=N2E5ZmRmN2Q1ZDcxMjllYzU2NGFlZTMwMGM3NDM0MGU">Universities Prove Maggie Right</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114719253182380278?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1146927229154823572006-05-06T07:50:00.000-07:002006-05-06T07:53:49.156-07:00<p>Read Maggie Gallagher's important article in the Weekly Standard on the coming conflict between same-sex marriage and religious liberty.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114692722915482357?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1146927033484151632006-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:002006-05-06T07:50:33.496-07:00<p>Parents of public schoolchildren are fighting back:</p><p><a = href "http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/05/gay_marriage_opponents_say_ruling_stifles_their_rights_in_schools/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Massachusetts+news">Gay marriage opponents say ruling stifles their rights in schools</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114692703348415163?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1145750549766396712006-04-22T17:00:00.000-07:002006-04-22T17:02:29.766-07:00<p><a href = "http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20060420/lo_wcvb/3412169">Gay Book Flap Erupts Again At Lexington School</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114575054976639671?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1145750387382356832006-04-22T16:54:00.000-07:002006-04-22T16:59:47.390-07:00<p>This is the first published incident where a gay activist in government has used the fact of someone's signing the petition to protect traditional marriage to punish and intimidate them. Make no mistake about it, the gay activists will criminalize any objection to same sex "marriage" if they can.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S. </a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114575038738235683?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1145452096789995372006-04-19T06:05:00.000-07:002006-04-19T06:09:58.656-07:00<p><a href = "http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49809">Book-banning 'gay' profs <br />forced to drop allegations</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114545209678999537?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1144958770438835882006-04-13T13:00:00.000-07:002006-04-19T06:11:55.003-07:00<p>Some good news from up north for a change:</p><p><a href = "">Canadian Victory for Christian Freedom: Bible = Hate Literature Ruling Reversed</a>.</p><p>Although they should gone farther and struck down the notion that one can simply outlaw speech because it offends somebody, I took some comfort from the following:</p><p><i>The ruling stressed that s. 14(1)(b) had to be read and interpreted in a way which respected the fundamental freedoms of speech and religion as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As a result, citing Supreme Court authority, the Court said s. 14(1)(b) must be read as applying only in cases where the message in question involved extreme emotions and strong feelings of detestation, calumny and vilification. The Court also stressed that any message impugned under s. 14(1)(b) must be carefully examined with regard to its full context in order to determine whether the section has been offended.</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114495877043883588?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1144270419274454662006-04-05T13:47:00.000-07:002006-04-05T13:53:39.276-07:00<p>It's Happening! See: <a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/apr/06040305.html">EWTN Catholic Network Being "Cautious" With Programming on Homosexuality in Canada and Europe</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114427041927445466?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1144270052060924762006-04-05T13:44:00.000-07:002006-04-05T13:47:32.063-07:00<p>See: <a href = "http://www.thomasmore.org/news.html?NewsID=410">San Francisco's Hateful Anti-Catholic Resolution Prompts Lawsuit</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114427005206092476?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1144269814853181212006-04-05T13:40:00.000-07:002006-04-05T13:43:57.040-07:00<p>See <a href = "http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/32006e.asp">here</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-114426981485318121?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1138393700713705962006-01-27T12:26:00.000-08:002006-04-19T06:11:31.586-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jan/06012609.html">French Parliamentarian Fined Thousands of Euros for 'Homophobia'<br /></a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113839370071370596?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1138379497440815232006-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:002006-01-27T08:31:37.453-08:00<p>Read "<a href = "http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/26/BAGHRGT0GD1.DTL">Tensions Ease over Gay Posters; Conflict Resolved by Faculty Meetings, Principal Says</a>" in the San Francisco Chronicle.</p><p>People, including teachers, have a right to believe that homosexual activity is immoral. This is the liberals' imposing their views on sexual morality on everyone else, and using the government to do so, exactly what the Left always accuses Christians of doing.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113837949744081523?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1137770013105656862006-01-20T07:09:00.000-08:002006-01-20T07:13:33.120-08:00<p>See <a href = "http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=41919">here</a>. The EU Commission is helping lead the way in making illegal in Europe the belief that homosexual activity is immoral and that the government shouldn't promote it through same sex "marriage." There is a move to punish those persons and nations whose thought on this matter is not politically correct...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113777001310565686?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1135400513121540462005-12-23T20:55:00.000-08:002005-12-23T21:04:42.533-08:00<p>This is just getting out of control. The mere expression of the belief that homosexuality is immoral and shouldn't be promoted by government gets one a visit from the police in Britain. Unbelievable in a supposedly human rights-observant nation! And these people were 73 and 68 years old -- do they remotely present a threat to public order? This is so unnecessary, and such a waste of police resources.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113540051312154046?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1135270710755302202005-12-22T08:55:00.000-08:002005-12-22T09:03:05.186-08:00<p>Gay activist thugs in Massachusetts <A href = "http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=118155">follow through</a> on their threats of intimidation against traditional marriage supporters. Image the hue and cry were traditional marriage supporters to post the names of gay marriage supporters!</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113527071075530220?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1134666609631401422005-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:002005-12-15T09:10:09.646-08:00<p>Yet <a href = "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/15/wgay15.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/12/15/ixworld.html">more</a> European stifling of freedom of speech when it comes to homosexuality, this time in France.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113466660963140142?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1134352548302386222005-12-11T17:53:00.000-08:002005-12-11T17:55:48.313-08:00<p><a href = "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/10/ngay10.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/12/10/ixhome.html">Police warn author over gay comments</a><p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113435254830238622?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1133970446506812422005-12-07T07:44:00.000-08:002005-12-07T07:47:26.523-08:00<p><i>Greg Popcak, who is usually right all along, is wrong. Along with a number of other readers, he thinks ASCII should not be expended on Andrew. As a rule, I think he's right, but I plead special circumstances. </i></p><p><i>Last week, as my readers know, I remarked on Sullivan's incredibly cheap shot at Pope Benedict, in which he as much as said that the man was a medieval Jew hater, because he made a couple of comments about usury. This latest in a long line of low slanders is due to one thing and one thing only: Benedict's refusal to edit Catholic teaching so that Andrew can homosexuality is compatible with the Catholic faith.</i></p><p><i>My irritation at him stems from the fact that I think he's done some very good work critiquing the Bush Administration on the matter of torture. The problem is: I know as well as my readers that part of what drives Sullivan to attack Bush is his hostility over Bush's "betrayal" of gays by supporting the FMA. So every time I cite him, I can be guaranteed that any reader capable of reading will point out that Sullivan does such a sleazy job smearing the Pope, he can hardly be relied upon as an objective critic of Bush. It's hard to gainsay that.</i></p><p><i>Now, when I pointed this out, Sullivan, the 800 lb. gorilla of the blogsophere, did what he has frequently done in the past to little bloggers who dare to cross him, he posted an edited link back to my blog and sicced a bunch of his angriest, most obscene readers on me. Some of them called me an anti-semite (somehow under the mysterious impression that I had declared Jonah Goldberg a Christ-killer or something. Don't ask). Another guy amazed some of my readers by declaring that this blog is predicated on "blind faith in the Bush Administration". So you can tell that these are close readers. Others just did the usual stuff that trolls do, dropping F bombs and speculating about my sex life.</i></p><p><i>Now, the name in English for Sullivan's behavior is "bullying". He has a readership that is orders of magnitude larger than mine. And I am not the only small blogger that Sullivan has done this to. In addition, first Opinion Journal and then NRO picked up the controversy. So it seemed to me I had an obligation to challenge Sullivan on his dishonesty. Because, as I say, I'm not the first person he's done this too. Amy Welborn, for instance, has been slimed by him and then ignored when she responded with facts. So I took the temporary spike in readership and challenge Andrew to retract his slander of Benedict (he ignored it) and to point out places where he himself had admitted that his journalism was colored by his homosexuality.</i></p><p><i>My assumption is that this week, my readership has resumed roughly its original size. This being so, I think I've done my bit as the Little Guy blogger to say to the 800 Gorillas that they can't, on the one hand, blather about the blogosphere as the new Democratic Media that gives the little guy a voice while, on the other hand, acting like the most arrogant NY Times editor, twisting the words of good men like Benedict, creating like journalistic jihads against critics, and refusing to acknowledge the existence of opposing views which inconvenience them. I may not be able to get Andrew to post a link to my challenge that he retract his slander of Benedict. But I can certainly continue to blog here--and now that I'm on the radar for a few more people than last week, I can do a little bit to turn up the heat on Sullivan's dishonesty when he attacks the Catholic faith. That seems worthwhile to me.</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113397044650681242?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1133882064731453522005-12-06T07:04:00.000-08:002005-12-06T07:14:56.943-08:00<p></p>Zenit has a good summary and roundup of the current attacks on freedom of speech and religion by gay activists and Western governments subservient to them:<p><p><i>STOCKHOLM, Sweden, DEC. 4, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Public critics of homosexuality increasingly run the risk of being penalized with sanctions. Laws designed to punish so-called hate crimes mean that opposition to homosexual behavior, even when based on moral grounds, is often risky. </i></p><p><i>The Church carefully distinguishes between judgments about acts and the person involved. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in Nos. 2357-8, clearly states that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered," and that "under no circumstances can they be approved."</i></p><p><i>At the same time, the Catechism asks Catholics to treat men and women who have homosexual tendencies with "respect, compassion and sensitivity." The text exhorts: "Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."</i></p><p><i>This distinction by the Church regarding homosexual behavior, nevertheless, is lost on many critics. A case in point is this week's publication of the Vatican document regarding candidates for the priesthood who have homosexual tendencies.</i></p><p><i>The document, issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education, cited the numbers from the Catechism quoted above and stipulated that persons with homosexual tendencies "must be accepted with respect and sensitivity."</i></p><p><i>Reacting to the document, South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: "For me, to make someone suffer penalties because of their sexual orientation is on the same level as making people be penalized for their gender, or race," Reuters reported Tuesday.</i></p><p><i>"It's incitement to hatred," claimed Eoin Collins, director of policy change with the Irish group Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. He was quoted by the Irish Examiner. "It goes back to this continuing prejudice and hatred that the official Church has for gay people."</i></p><p><i>Swedish pastor finally acquitted</i></p><p><i>Accusations of hatred can have serious legal consequences, as one Swedish pastor found out the hard way. Ake Green was accused of hate speech for having criticized homosexuality in a 2003 sermon. The Pentecostal pastor reportedly told the congregation that homosexuality was "a deep cancerous tumor on all of society."</i></p><p><i>In 2004 a court declared Green guilty of violating Swedish hate-crimes laws, sentencing him to a month in prison. The ruling was later overturned by an appeals court, but Sweden's chief prosecutor appealed the acquittal to the Supreme Court.</i></p><p><i>On Tuesday, the Sweden's Supreme Court decided that his comments were protected by the guarantees of freedom of speech and religion present in the European Convention on Human Rights, the Associated Press reported that day.</i></p><p><i>Green is not the only one to run foul of Sweden's hate laws. According to the October 2004 issue of the U.S. evangelical magazine Charisma, another pastor, Ulf Ekman of the Uppsala World of Life Church, was told he would be prosecuted for alleged hate speech.</i></p><p><i>Authorities subsequently decided not to proceed with the accusation, but Ekman told the magazine: "There is a deliberate political move in all of Europe toward restricting the freedom of religion, with Sweden serving as a sort of European Union pilot project."</i></p><p><i>Canada's tribunals</i></p><p><i>Also on Tuesday, in Canada, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal decided that a Catholic group, the Knights of Columbus, was within its rights to reject a request by a lesbian couple who wanted to hold a wedding reception in its property.</i></p><p><i>The tribunal accepted arguments made by the Knights of Columbus that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protected it from using its property for a purpose that contradicts its beliefs.</i></p><p><i>But the decision had a sting in its tail. The tribunal held that the group had offended the couple's "dignity, feelings and self-respect," for which it was ordered to pay $1,000 to each woman, the national newspaper Globe and Mail reported Wednesday.</i></p><p><i>The couple, Deborah Chymyshyn and Tracey Smith, decided to wed after same-sex marriage became legal in British Columbia. They booked the Knights of Columbus hall in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam for a reception. The women alleged that they were unaware the hall was operated by a Catholic organization and said they would not have rented the hall if they had known. Those who accepted the booking were unaware it was for a same-sex couple. The booking was canceled once the Knights realized it was for a homosexual couple.</i></p><p><i>The matter might well not be over, the Edmonton Sun newspaper reported Thursday. The couple announced they are planning to appeal the decision.</i></p><p><i>Another human rights commission, this time in Alberta, received a complaint, subsequently withdrawn, about comments made by Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary, reported the National Post on April 4. The complaint came after Bishop Henry published a letter in January explaining Catholic opposition to same-sex marriage. The article noted that when Parliament debated last year, adding sexual orientation to the hate law bill, religious organizations warned it could lead to restrictions on religious freedom.</i></p><p><i>Homosexual activists also have the tax status of churches in their sights, according to a report published June 22 on the Canada.com Web site. Kevin Bourassa, who in 2001 was one of the first to be married in a same-sex ceremony, said that churches opposed to same-sex marriage should lose their tax status of charitable organizations, awarded by the federal government.</i></p><p><i>Churches on edge</i></p><p><i>Concern over hate crimes legislation exist in a number of other countries. In France, late last year legislation was approved curbing insults against homosexuals.</i></p><p><i>The law put anti-gay and sexist comments on an equal footing with racist or anti-Semitic insults, the British newspaper Guardian reported Dec. 24. In theory courts could fine offenders up to €45,000 ($52,800) and hand out jail sentences of up to 12 months.</i></p><p><i>Critics of the law warned that Christians who denounce homosexuality as "deviant" could be prosecuted, the Guardian reported. And the Catholic Church in France expressed concern that the law might prevent it from opposing same-sex marriage.</i></p><p><i>In Britain, meanwhile, a bank forced an evangelical group to close its account because of its opposition to homosexuality, the BBC reported June 24. The Co-operative Bank, based in Manchester, said the opinions of Christian Voice were incompatible with its support for diversity.</i></p><p><i>"It has come to the bank's attention that Christian Voice is engaged in discriminatory pronouncements based on the grounds of sexual orientation," a spokesman for the bank said.</i></p><p><i>In the United States, anti-homosexual views got a Christian fired from an insurance company. The Chicago Tribune reported Aug. 18 that J. Matt Barber, wrote an essay, published online, denouncing same-sex marriage.</i></p><p><i>Afterward, his employers at Allstate Corporation told him he was suspended without pay and had him escorted from the company grounds in Northbrook, Illinois. He was fired three days later, setting off a legal dispute that is still unresolved.</i></p><p><i>Barber said he never mentioned his Allstate affiliation in the biographical information that accompanied his articles. But the Web site included the information without his permission when it published his article.</i></p><p><i>On Nov. 23, Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley published a pastoral letter on the theme of homosexuality. "The Church's efforts to defend the institution of marriage," he noted, "has been interpreted by some as an indication of the Church's hostility toward homosexual persons."</i></p><p><i>The Church, the archbishop explained, is not motivated by any such hostility, and regards all persons as equal in the eyes of God. He also argued that the Church must strive to eradicate prejudices against homosexuals.</i></p><p><i>"At the same time the Church must minister to all people by challenging them to obey God's commands," he explained. "It is important to express the moral teachings of the Church with clarity and fidelity," and with "compassion and humility." A combination that is increasingly running into legal barriers. </i></p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113388206473145352?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1133705756150839522005-12-04T06:13:00.000-08:002005-12-04T06:15:56.163-08:00<p>Here's John Leo:</p><p><i>...Some campuses elevate anti-discrimination rules over religious freedom in large part because gays are very powerful on campus and Christians are not. In effect, evangelicals are being punished for failing to have the views of the dominant campus culture. Someone should explain to the campuses</i> [...]<i> what religious freedom means.<br /></i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113370575615083952?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1133703390966711582005-12-04T05:33:00.000-08:002005-12-04T05:36:30.980-08:00<p>British Columbia: Knights of Columbus held not legally required to rent out hall for lesbian wedding, but fined for being discourteous about it.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113370339096671158?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1133487981134621952005-12-01T17:41:00.000-08:002005-12-01T17:46:21.146-08:00<p><a href = "http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051201/lf_afp/safricajusticegay_051201154438">South African Court Approves Same-Sex Marriages</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113348798113462195?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1133270061198061052005-11-29T05:12:00.000-08:002005-11-29T05:14:21.210-08:00<p>A victory for freedom of speech and religion in Sweden!</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113327006119806105?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1131460308758046572005-11-08T06:29:00.000-08:002005-11-08T06:31:48.760-08:00<p>I guess some in the Episcopal church don't believe in ecumenical respect for differences of belief when it comes to Catholicism and the Church's teaching on homosexuality...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113146030875804657?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1131460059644087132005-11-08T06:23:00.000-08:002005-11-08T06:27:39.656-08:00<p>gay activists strike again in <a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/nov/05110703.html">DC</a> and <a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/nov/05110204.html">Boston</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113146005964408713?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1131376153373845762005-11-07T07:06:00.000-08:002005-11-07T07:09:13.383-08:00<p>A glimpse at the Orwellian new gay activist order north of the border...</p><p><a href = "mailto: silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-113137615337384576?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1128884066655864122005-10-09T11:51:00.000-07:002005-10-09T11:54:26.660-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=9144">More</a> on the effort to indoctrinate public school children in the gay activist ideology, from the Concerned Women for America...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112888406665586412?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1128396885092944852005-10-03T20:21:00.000-07:002005-10-03T20:34:45.146-07:00<p>Byron York copied on the Corner <a href = "http://corner.nationalreview.com/05_10_02_corner-archive.asp#078428">a post of Andrew Sullivan's</a> from when he thought Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was associated with Exodus International (he later deleted the post when he found out it was not the Protestant ministry for those seeking to escape from homosexuality that Miers was associated with, but a different ministry for ex-prisoners). I wrote the following email to Mr. Sullivan:</p><p>"So what if Ms. Miers had worked for Exodus International? I hate to break it to you liberty-denying gay activists, but this is a free country, and not only do people have the inherent human and civil right to believe that homosexual activity is wrong and that the inclination is disordered, they have every right to seek reparative therapy for it if they choose. Whether or not it works, and one can never know for any individual, gay activists have absolutely no right to tell others with same sex attraction whether or not to pursue this option. As a Catholic with same sex attraction, I personally only desire to remain chaste, but I don't deny others the right to seek change therapy if they wish. Your incipient effort to make disassociation with Exodus International yet another religious litmus test for federal judges is equally as despicable as Senator Schumer's attempt to make acceptance of gay activist orthodoxy a prerequisite for federal judgeships by making an issue of Judge Pryor's preference not to frequent the Disney "gay days". You gay activists are the enemies of freedom. Look all over the world at the utter intolerance of traditional Christian believers that you gay activists are promoting. Look at the disgusting epithets and ad hominem attacks you yourself are constantly spewing forth against traditional Christian believers and anyone who exercises their God-given right to believe and express their belief that homosexual activity might be immoral or wrong. Look at gay activists' successful attempts to criminalize free speech on homosexuality in Canada, Sweden, UK and many European countries. Look at your efforts to obtain government imprimatur of homosexual activity through civil same sex "marriage". Look at your efforts to impose your gay activist moral views on children in public schools in this country, even when parents object to the extremist gay activist indoctrination. Just look at the treatment of David Parker in Lexington, MA, look at the "fistgate" scandal here in Massachusetts, look at the "gay-straight alliances" being pushed in public schools across the country by intolerant liberal and gay activist fanatics like yourself. The gay activist hegemony is the enemy of freedom of speech, religion and conscience. It must be fought and defeated in its efforts to use the government and public schools illegitimately to impose the gay activist ideology on society. People, including federal judges, have a right not to agree with the gay activist agenda!"</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112839688509294485?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1128259086643184072005-10-02T06:14:00.000-07:002005-10-02T06:18:06.650-07:00<p>John Leo weighs in on the David Parker affair in Lexington, MA:</p><p><i>...One problem is that gay activists tend to blur the line between tolerance, which the majority of Americans favor, and approval of homosexuality, which meets greater resistance. Another problem is that public schools often view parents not as allies, but as annoying obstacles. </i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112825908664318407?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1128029587997813172005-09-29T14:30:00.000-07:002005-09-29T14:33:08.003-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/sep/05092901.html">Same-Sex “Marriage” to “Usher in an Era of Intolerance and Discrimination the Likes of Which We Have Rarely Seen Before,” Writes [Calgary] Bishop</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112802958799781317?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1126300673105459982005-09-09T14:14:00.000-07:002005-09-09T14:17:53.110-07:00<p>Yet more thuggish intimidation and intolerant attacks on freedom of religion in Boston...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112630067310545998?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1126182653419208672005-09-08T05:26:00.000-07:002005-09-08T05:30:53.426-07:00<p>Once again demonstrating that at least some gay activists are not "decent people" (to use Mrs. Cheney's phrase), two activists are planning to "out" online those who do not believe in the redefinition of marriage in Massachusetts.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112618265341920867?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1124314724965066612005-08-17T14:31:00.000-07:002005-08-17T14:38:44.973-07:00<p>Here are the concerns that forced a committee member of the "Diversity Committee" to resign:</p><p><i>The 19-member Diversity Committee came under fire this summer over its treatment of the Anti-Defamation League's We Are Family video, which features Barney, Kermit the Frog and other children's characters singing about their friends.</i></p><p><i>While discussing the video, committee member and radio host Steve Kane said he worried it could be used to promote a pro-gay agenda and introduce children to homosexuality. He resigned last week.</i></p><p>Me: Apparently those with traditional moral values are not permitted in the so-called "Diversity" regime to which our public schools are succumbing. </p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112431472496506661?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1124278910758113792005-08-17T04:39:00.000-07:002005-08-17T04:41:50.766-07:00<p>Good editorial on the Parker situation in Lexington, MA. </p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112427891075811379?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1122672297667292452005-07-29T14:17:00.000-07:002005-07-29T14:24:57.676-07:00<p>The Pope hits the nail precisely on the head with respect to the illiberal "liberal" left, and not just in Europe, but here in North America as well.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112267229766729245?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1122482989044138312005-07-27T09:40:00.000-07:002005-07-27T09:49:49.053-07:00<p>For the following offending words a William Paterson University employee was penalized:</p><p><i>On March 8, Daniel clicked to privately reply, "Do not send me any mail about 'Connie and Sally' and 'Adam and Steve.' These are perversions. The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion. That is why in these classes the Creator of the heavens and the earth is never mentioned."</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112248298904413831?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1122024685626387802005-07-22T02:27:00.000-07:002005-07-22T02:31:25.633-07:00<p>Lee Harris, who claims in the article to experience same sex attraction, writes a long and scholarly, but very interesting, analysis of the concept of tradition and its critics, ending with a strong defense of traditional marriage. Definitely worth reading.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112202468562638780?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1121937727522499132005-07-21T02:13:00.000-07:002005-07-21T02:22:07.530-07:00<p>Article <a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071906.html">here</a>. The voices of intolerance of religion and religious freedom emanating from Canada are truly frightening. Why doesn't Canada simply establish a Canadian Catholic Patriotic Association similar to the Communist-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association to run the Catholic Church...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112193772752249913?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1121907848690452792005-07-20T17:51:00.000-07:002005-07-20T18:04:08.696-07:00<p>The despicable gay activist outing machine is at it again, this time with the Philadelphia Inquirer helping out. A gay activist website has apparently "outed" an aide to Senator Santorum in punishment for his heresy of working for the Republican senator. To gay activists, no one with same sex attraction is allowed to think for his or herself or hold any conservative principles. As Mrs. Cheney would say, these are not decent people...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112190784869045279?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120229445798481012005-07-01T07:49:00.000-07:002005-07-01T07:50:45.796-07:00<p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112022944579848101?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120229295978547252005-07-01T07:37:00.000-07:002005-07-01T07:48:15.983-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Calgary/Link_Byfield/2005/06/30/1112603.html">Good editorial</a> from our free-speech- and free-religious-exercise-suppressing neighbors to the North...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112022929597854725?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120228639529712062005-07-01T07:31:00.000-07:002005-07-01T07:37:19.536-07:00<p>Ramesh Ponnuru on the Corner has a frightening quotation from Nancy Pelosi which encapsulates how the Supreme Court is viewed by many Democrats as some sort of moral arbiter to whose moral judgments we must all defer:</p><p><i>...It is a decision of the Supreme Court. If Congress wants to change it, it will require legislation of a level of a constitutional amendment. So this is almost as if God has spoken. It's an elementary discussion now. They have made the decision...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112022863952971206?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120134087731215002005-06-30T05:19:00.000-07:002005-06-30T05:21:27.733-07:00<p><a href = "http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050630/ap_on_re_eu/spain_gay_marriage_9">Spain Legalizes Same-Sex Marriages</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112013408773121500?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120133964005372372005-06-30T05:17:00.000-07:002005-06-30T05:19:24.006-07:00<p><a href = "http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050629/wl_nm/canada_marriage_dc_6">Canada Parliament Approves Same Sex Marriage</a></p><p><a href = "mailtoi:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112013396400537237?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120133753581555022005-06-30T05:10:00.000-07:002005-06-30T05:15:53.583-07:00<p><a href = "">Montgomery [County] Reaches Sex-Ed Agreement</a></p>From article:</p><p><i>Montgomery County schools will exclude any reference to specific religious beliefs from its soon-to-be revised sex education curriculum -- but may still include discussion of sexual orientation -- under the terms of an agreement approved by the school board last night...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112013375358155502?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1120133381065753522005-06-30T05:06:00.000-07:002005-06-30T05:09:41.070-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.news10.net/storyfull.asp?id=11753">State Supreme Court Upholds Domestic Partnerships</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-112013338106575352?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1119631829407800232005-06-24T09:45:00.000-07:002005-06-24T09:50:29.420-07:00<p>Whether this would be legal in the US would presumably depend on whether a private bank is a "public accommodation." However, whether it's legal or not, it is simply Orwellian to claim that discrimination against Christians is justified by "support for diversity."</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111963182940780023?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1119621943108095562005-06-24T07:03:00.000-07:002005-06-24T07:06:23.276-07:00<p>Allstate has apparently discriminated against an employee by firing him for writing an article critical of homosexuality based on his religious and moral beliefs. We'll keep an eye on how this court case progresses...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111962194310809556?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118943912798170662005-06-16T10:36:00.000-07:002005-06-16T10:45:12.813-07:00<p>This is just horrible! Basically, teachers are not allowed to publicly express their views on homosexuality outside the classroom in British Columbia:</p><p><i>The B.C. Court of Appeals has upheld the B.C. Supreme Court's ruling that Chris Kempling committed "conduct unbecoming of a teacher" by publicly expressing his disapproval of homosexuality outside of a school context. The court handed down its decision June 13. </i></p><p><i>The BC College of Teachers suspended Kempling because it said the opinions expressed in his writings, mostly letters to the editor of a local newspaper, would have an impact in the school. The Quesnel public school counselor, a Christian, is currently driving a dump truck to pay the bills while he serves a separate suspension for a letter he wrote about the Christian Heritage Party objecting to Bill C-38, the federal government's same-sex marriage bill. </i></p><p><i>"My career as public school teacher is in considerable jeopardy now," Kempling told CC.com. "I'm discussing whether to appeal or not, though they can choose not to hear an appeal if they don't want, if the case has no merit. In September, I'll return to the school district, although I have applied for a different position." </i></p><p><i>The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada represented freedom of religion in the case, but Janet Epp Buckingham, director of law and public policy for the EFC, told CC.com the court didn't deal with that aspect of the case. </i></p><p><i>"I didn't get the sense that religion impacted it one way or the other," she said. "Unfortunately, the Court of Appeals said that some of Kempling's expression was legitimate public expression on a public policy issue but that he crossed the line into discriminatory rhetoric. But they didn't tell him what it was that crossed the line. At the Supreme Court level, the judge looked at some specific statements. But that doesn't mean the Court of Apeals necessarily agreed with the Supreme Court judge. It leaves people without any guidance so people don't know what they can say and what they can't." </i></p><p><i>Murray Mollard, executive director for the BC Civil Liberties Association, told CC.com the BCCLA protects freedom of speech "because words matter." </i></p><p><i>"The court wasn't saying that he couldn't articulate these views," he explained. "He just can't articulate them while holding a position of trust in a place that holds commitment to the community. </i></p><p><i>"The BCCT needs to have confidence that he can uphold his duties. That's the responsibility of everyone in a public job. We recognize that people have the right to say things freely, but what you say matters at times. And the comments he wrote have a direct impact on his ability to fulfill his job." </i></p><p><i>The open-endedness of the decision has left Buckingham wary of the subjective power now held by organizations and companies employing public servants. </i></p><p><i>"It does restrict freedom of expression and it'll put a real till on all professionals to speak out publicly on controversial issues for fear they won't be sanctioned by their profession," she said. "It gives these associations license to censor their members. I am hoping Kempling will seek an appeal." </i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111894391279817066?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118930121172194852005-06-16T06:47:00.000-07:002005-06-16T06:55:21.180-07:00<p>Douglas Ireland writes about boycotts by traditional religious groups of businesses that promote homosexual activity and the gay activist ideology. On the substantive issue at hand, I feel anyone can boycott anyone they want, whether they are gay activists or pro-family people. But what is amazing about the article is the utter hatred and intolerance of Christians dripping from the writer's pen, particularly his repeated use of the term "Christers". I suppose Mr. Ireland wouldn't dream of hurling abusive and insulting epithets at Jews or Moslems as a group, but with liberals, it's currently open season on Christians. Howard Dean has even made it official Democratic policy to hate Christians. Hugh Hewitt takes apart the article <a href = "http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/727gylvi.asp">here</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111893012117219485?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118886397340236592005-06-15T18:40:00.000-07:002005-06-15T18:46:37.346-07:00<p>Efforts in Canada to discriminate against and deny the rights of churches that speak out against same sex "marriage" are discussed in <a href = "http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=7799b5f4-f6ca-4dd4-86e3-861546f99428">this Ottawa Sun article</a>.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111888639734023659?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118761931166943562005-06-14T08:08:00.000-07:002005-06-14T08:12:11.176-07:00<p>James K. Fitzpatrick has it right:</p><p><i>...</i></p><p><i>What am I missing? How does it work? Is it that it is admirable to refer to Christian values to garner support for the policies favored by liberal Democrats — big government wealth redistribution programs, affirmative action programs, and an end to the war in Iraq, for example — but “theocratic” and “extremist” when Christianity shapes your policy preferences on issues such as abortion, stem-cell research, and homosexual marriage? That doesn’t make sense. </i></p><p><i>Conservative Christians are citizens too. It would be a violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion for Catholics to seek laws requiring everyone to say the rosary or go to Confession or for Southern Baptists to require that we all submit to baptism by full immersion. That would be the imposition of sectarian religious beliefs on non-believers. But that is not what is going on. Dowd and Dean and Kerry know that. Or they should.</i></p><p><i>It is not a violation of the First Amendment for Christians to work to protect human life or safeguard our societies’ understanding of marriage, any more than it is a violation of the First Amendment to give our support for laws against murder, theft and perjury because we take seriously the injunctions “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Christians are under no obligation to limit our participation in the debate over public policy to those issues where it will lend support to the causes favored by the secular Left.</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111876193116694356?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118413369600005672005-06-10T07:20:00.000-07:002005-06-10T07:22:49.606-07:00<p>Catholic World News tells how the Canadian government is intimidating the Catholic Church to give up its freedom of speech on same-sex "marriage." </p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111841336960000567?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118329015768619732005-06-09T07:48:00.000-07:002005-06-09T07:56:55.770-07:00<p>Article <a href = "http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-68gayflags,0,277561.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines">here</a>. I just think this decision is so wrong. Gay activists have every First Amendment right to make their views known publicly, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. But they have no right to have the government do their work for them and impose their ideology on society, using public property. People have a right to dissent from the gay activist ideology that the "gay pride" flag represents. I view this as oppression, as is the participation by public officials in an official capacity in "gay pride" events generally, or government declarations of "gay pride" days, weeks or months.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111832901576861973?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118328532788522622005-06-09T06:59:00.000-07:002005-06-09T07:48:52.873-07:00<p>The New York Times has <a href = "http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/09/education/09clash.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5094&en=5397ed0e383318b7&hp&ex=1118289600&partner=homepage">finally gotten around to acknowledging this issue</a>, although it doesn't really get at the core of the issue, which is whether the government should impose one viewpoint on the morality of homosexual activity when people have and have a right to hold differing opinions on the subject.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111832853278852262?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118325558103123352005-06-09T06:53:00.000-07:002005-06-09T06:59:18.106-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=1ba9d160-4ffd-4408-9660-50bdfe2abcb8">Ottawa can't Ensure Religious Protection in all Same-sex Fights: Cotler</a></p><p>The Canadian Justice Minister admits that religious organizations may be forced to perform same sex "marriages." </p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111832555810312335?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118241988119438652005-06-08T07:41:00.000-07:002005-06-08T07:47:29.056-07:00<p>It's official -- the Democratic Party is now the party of anti-Christian hatred. Just keep it up demonizing entire classes of people, Howie. I'm sure it will win you a lot of friends and influence people...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@hotmail.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111824198811943865?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118177117865069452005-06-07T13:43:00.000-07:002005-06-07T13:45:17.873-07:00<p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@hotmail.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111817711786506945?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118155085483087162005-06-07T07:34:00.000-07:002005-06-07T07:38:05.490-07:00<p>Phyllis Schlafly writes about the Montgomery County ruling referred to previously in this blog.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111815508548308716?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1118067320300261032005-06-06T07:09:00.000-07:002005-06-06T07:19:21.110-07:00<p>ACT-UP, the militant gay activist group that disupted services at St. Patrick's catherdral in New York many years ago, hasn't been heard from in a while (perhaps there is no need for their demonstrations what with the Rainbow Sash people's carrying on their disruptive campaign against religous freedom and traditional Catholic believers). But apparently ACT-UP is back in France, carrying on anti-Catholic disruptions at Notre Dame cathedral...</p><p><a href "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111806732030026103?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1116611805522512952005-05-20T10:51:00.000-07:002005-05-20T10:56:45.530-07:00<p>Good article by Ilana Freedman:</p><p><i>...How can we expect our children to grow up healthy, with sound minds and hearts, when the schools we have taught them to respect and obey have taken it upon themselves to teach them values that contradict our own core beliefs on issues of right and wrong? </i></p><p><i>I was raised to respect every person, not by the cut of his clothes or by the church in which he prays, but by the goodness of his heart. I am not homophobic, nor would I deny anyone the right to live as he chooses. But I was brought up to believe that your freedom ends where my nose begins. The right of a small minority to live as they choose is unimpeachable. But they have no right to impose their values on me or my children, or to demand my approval. </i></p><p><i>The gay population in this country has been estimated at approximately 3 to 6 percent. Yet they have managed to hijack our schools and impose their values on our children. And in the name of political correctness, they demand that we accept this. </i></p><p><i>I don't know if Jennifer will ever be able to find herself. I do know that today she is a confused and unhappy young woman who has broken with her family and that she is as alone and lost as she has ever been. We will never know if her "coming out" was an act of rebellion or self-discovery. But it is clear that she was encouraged to cross that invisible line that separated her from her roots by the very school system that was supposed to keep her safe. </i></p><p><i>My children are grown and now have children of their own. My advice to them is to be very watchful. I tell them to pay attention to the new school programs that are described by vague and innocuous names like "character education" and "diversity training." </i></p><p><i>I want my grandchildren to be kind and caring about other human beings. I want them to respect other children and allow them to be who they are. But I want those who oppose my traditional ways to afford me the same respect and keep their sexuality issues outside of the public schools. </i></p><p>Me: My only quibble is that it is not the entirety of persons with same sex attraction who are imposing these doctrinaire views on homosexual activity in public schools, it is the gay activists. Don't blame all of us! I, for one, want nothing to do with the sickening gay ideological agenda being forced down children's throats in public schools these days.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111661180552251295?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1116459561222379282005-05-18T16:37:00.000-07:002005-05-18T16:39:21.223-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/may/05051804.html">Saskatchewan Man Convicted of “Hate Speech” for Flyer Warning of Harm from Sodomy</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111645956122237928?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1116459389654368452005-05-18T16:25:00.000-07:002005-05-18T16:36:29.680-07:00<p>Yes, it's true. Homosexual pornographic material was distributed to minors at the GLSEN event at Brookline High School referred to below. Get a load of this statement accompanying the Brookline Superintendent of Schools' apology:</p><p><i>We were very pleased to be able to host this GLSEN event. However, I am very concerned that the conversation about this conference not focus on this document but, instead, remain on the positive nature of the experience, which was very well received by our attending students. Moreover, I want to be very clear that, while we will revisit our procedures for granting access to outside groups wanting to utilize our facilities, we will continue to emphasize our core values in all that we do here in Brookline. Specifically, our core value of "Respect for Human Differences" demands that we not only ensure that all students learn in an environment that is safe, respectful and supportive, but that we continually seek out ways of educating our students, parents and community members of the need to respect the views and lifestyles of all of our citizens.</i></p><p>Me: What slippery doubletalk! Basically, the Superintendant is saying that they were sorry they got caught, and they hope that this will not be used to prevent their continued indoctrination of young people in the morality and normality of homosexual activity. And also, speaking of respect for differences, when have these public school officials and their gay activist friends EVER shown one ounce of respect or tolerance for those with traditional religious or moral beliefs who believe, as they have a right to do in a free society, that homosexual activity is immoral?</p><p><A href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111645938965436845?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1116336237983675832005-05-17T06:20:00.000-07:002005-05-17T06:23:57.990-07:00<p>Yet more government-promoted gay activism in Bay State public schools...</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111633623798367583?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1116334581759303632005-05-17T05:54:00.000-07:002005-05-17T05:56:21.766-07:00<p>Hadley Arkes weighs in on Montgomery County, Maryland's attempt to establish the liberal religion on homosexuality.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111633458175930363?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1116249916823342952005-05-16T06:21:00.000-07:002005-05-16T06:25:16.830-07:00<p>John Leo has a good take on the recent liberal homosexualist indoctrination attempt in Montgomery County (Maryland) public schools:</p><p><i>...Even apart from church-state entanglement, the Montgomery curriculum is out of line in dismissing moral claims as myths. On what basis can a state institution tell parents and children that their morality is faulty? In dealing with homosexuality, the job of the school is to teach tolerance, not to disparage traditional views. Gays are our neighbors and should be treated with respect. Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, one of two local groups opposing the curriculum, makes this point clearly. "Teaching respect for persons with same-sex attraction is appropriate and right," the group says. "But demanding affirmation of a homosexual orientation and behavior goes beyond the ethic of tolerance." The curriculum does in fact teach approval of homosexuality. Understandably, gays want that approval, but it can't be imposed by state schools...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111624991682334295?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115990412534673842005-05-13T06:13:00.000-07:002005-05-13T06:20:12.563-07:00<p>Stanley Kurtz has a good analysis of the latest federal court case overturning Nebraska's consitutional amendment on same-sex marriage. It was of course only a matter of time before federal judicial activists got into the act of promoting same sex marriage -- why let state judges have all the fun? This latest case simply points out the pressing need for a federal constitutional amendment protecting the traditional and universal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. </p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111599041253467384?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115926339493002272005-05-12T12:31:00.000-07:002005-05-12T12:32:19.496-07:00<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111592633949300227?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115669930186809592005-05-09T13:04:00.000-07:002005-05-12T12:33:58.106-07:00<p>It's worse than I thought. <a href = "http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2005_05_01-2005_05_07.shtml#1115401487">Eugene Volokh</a> has the goods on the effort of Montgomery County, Maryland to preach its own liberal interpretation of the Bible and what should be the appropriate religious views on sexual morality:</p><p><i>A. The curriculum involves the public school unconstitutionally taking a stand on theological questions (as the court correctly held). Consider this excerpt from a "Myths and Facts" handout that was part of the curriculum: </i></p><p><i>"Myth: Homosexuality is a sin."</i></p><p><i>"Facts: The Bible contains six passages which condemn homosexual behavior. The Bible also contains numerous passages condemning heterosexual behavior. Theologians and Biblical scholars continue to differ on many Biblical interpretations. They agree on one thing, however. Jesus said absolutely nothing at all about homosexuality. Among the many things deemed an abomination are adultery, incest, wearing clothing made from more than one kind of fiber, and earing shellfish, like shrimp and lobster."</i></p><p><i>"Religion has often been misused to justify hatred and oppression. Less than a half a century ago, Baptist churches (among others) in this country defended racial segregation on the basis that it was condoned by the Bible. Early Christians were not hostile to homosexuals. Intolerance became the dominant attitude only after the Twelfth Century. Today, many people no longer tolerate generalizations about homosexuality as pathology or sin. Few would condemn heterosexuality as immoral — despite the high incidence of rape, incest, child abuse, adultery, family violence, promiscuity, and venereal disease among heterosexuals. Fortunately, many within organized religions are beginning to address the homophobia of the church. The Nation Council of Churches of Christ, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Society of Friends (Quakers), and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches support full civil rights for gay men and lesbians, as they do for everyone else."</i></p><p><i>This material, which the school would apparently be conveying as its own views,</i></p><p><i>- Describes one interpretation of the Bible as "myth."</i></p><p><i>- Suggests that the most important question in interpreting the Bible is what Jesus said, and that the Bible's use of "abomination" in different contexts should lead us to think that the items thus labeled are morally equivalent — not implausible claims about Scriptural interpretation, but nonetheless claims about Scriptural interpretation.</i></p><p><i>- Implicitly — but I think quite strongly — suggests a particular reading of the Bible is theologically correct.</i></p><p><i>- Condemns particular religious groups by name, not just as part of a discussion of history, but in an attempt to discredit the present religious teachings of at least some religious groups (quite possibly the same ones).</i></p><p><i>- Specifically praises by name certain denominations — again, not just in a context which seems to be describing the facts, but one which suggests that their theology is more sound.</i></p><p><i>The Court has repeatedly held that the Establishment Clause bars public schools from endorsing and disapproving of theological beliefs. Schools are quite free to express the view on whether homosexuality is wrong and on whether hostility to homosexuality is wrong; that some view on a secular topic corresponds to or is opposed to a religion's view doesn't keep the school from teaching that view. But schools are not free to express views on how the Bible should be interpreted, what is or is not sin from the Biblical perspective, and which religious groups have good interpretations of the Bible and which have bad ones.</i></p><p><i>B. The curriculum contains at least one factual error, and quite possibly others (though as to the others the matter is more complex). The curriculum says that "a significant percentage of the population is gay, lesbian or bisexual (Approximately 1 in 10)." Earlier, the curriculum makes clear that it treats whether "a person is a homosexual" as a matter of what constitutes his "long-term sexual orientation," not whether someone has had at least one same-sex attraction or experience. Under that definition, the best evidence is that the about 2-3% of all U.S. residents are homosexual; the number might be somewhat different in Canada, but I suspect not vastly. The 10% estimate has long been discredited.</i></p><p><i>C. More importantly, the curriculum is chock full of unsound reasoning, the very sort of thing we shouldn't be teaching kids. For starters, labeling moral claims as "Myth" (e.g., "Myth: Children raised by gay men and lesbians will be exposed to an 'immoral' environment") and "Fact" (e.g., "Fact: Morality is concerned with principles of 'right' and 'wrong' behavior") strikes me as erroneous and unhelpful. Even if one believe that certain things are objectively immoral, one should recognize that such a judgment is not the sort of thing that one should label "fact"; if anything, we should be teaching students to better distinguish facts from value judgments, even while recognizing that value judgments may be very important and even objectively right.</i></p><p><i>Moreover, consider this item: "Myth: If you are 'straight,' you can become a homosexual." "Fact: Most experts in the field have concluded that sexual orientation is not a choice." That "most experts" conclude something doesn't make it a fact; one would think that the fact that some experts conclude the opposite should be occasion for students to express some doubt and healthy skepticism, but the curriculum tells them that, no, most experts say it, so it's a fact.</i></p><p><i>Or how about this? "Myth: Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals do not make good parents." "Fact: One out of four families has a lesbian, gay or bisexual in the immediate family. Heterosexual parents are consistently not found to be more loving or caring than gay parents." I'd hope that any teacher who teaches logical reasoning would give a pretty low grade to a paper that says that. The first part of the "Fact" is a non sequitur (even if it's factually accurate, which I doubt); whether or not a family has a lesbian, gay or bisexual "in the immediate family" tells us nothing about whether lesbians, gays, and bisexuals make good parents. The second part is at least logically related to the attempt to rebut the "Myth" — but how? Even if it true, it merely shows that heterosexual parents are not more loving or caring than gay parents (which is a somewhat imprecise way, I take it, of saying "lesbian, gay male, or bisexual parents"); but there are lots of other ways in which people can be not very good parents than by being un-loving or un-caring...</i></p><p>Me: I don't see how this is anything other than liberals using the government to impose their religious views on others.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111566993018680959?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115389253762308322005-05-06T07:15:00.000-07:002005-05-06T07:20:53.766-07:00<p>Gotta love this quote:</p><p><i>The Rev. Bob Edgar, a former Democratic congressman and general secretary of the National Council of Churches, strongly favors religious politicking but said in an interview that he draws the line when groups say "we are right and everyone else is evil" or claim that "another point of view is illegitimate."</i></p><p>Sounds like a perfect description of the intolerant, traditional-Christian-hating left, from Howard Dean on down to Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, Bill Maher, Andrew Sullivan, etc.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111538925376230832?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115387667854876332005-05-06T06:50:00.000-07:002005-05-06T06:54:27.860-07:00<p>This the Montgomery County, Maryland public school homosexuality program referred to many times before on this blog:</p><p><i>...U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams agreed with two groups that sued contending such discussions gave preference of religions that are tolerant of homosexuality over those that reject it...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111538766785487633?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115267700730753272005-05-04T21:31:00.000-07:002005-05-04T21:35:00.750-07:00<p>A very important editorial from James Taranto:</p><p><i>I am not a Christian, or even a religious believer, and my opinions on social issues are decidedly middle-of-the-road. So why do I find myself rooting for the "religious right"? I suppose it is because I am put off by self-righteousness, closed-mindedness, and contempt for democracy and pluralism--all of which characterize the opposition to the religious right.</i></p><p><i>One can disagree with religious conservatives on abortion, gay rights, school prayer, creationism and any number of other issues, and still recognize that they have good reason to feel disfranchised. This isn't the same as the oft-heard complaint of "anti-Christian bigotry," which is at best imprecise, since American Christians are all over the map politically. But those who hold traditionalist views have been shut out of the democratic process by a series of court decisions that, based on constitutional reasoning ranging from plausible to ludicrous, declared the preferred policies of the secular left the law of the land.</i></p><p><i>For the most part, the religious right has responded in good civic-minded fashion: by organizing, becoming politically active, and supporting like-minded candidates. This has required exquisite discipline and patience, since changing court-imposed policies entails first changing the courts, a process that can take decades. Even then, "conservative" judges are not about to impose conservative policies; the best the religious right can hope for is the opportunity to make its case through ordinary democratic means....</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111526770073075327?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115236357149074492005-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:002005-05-04T12:52:37.156-07:00<p>John McCandlish Phillips quite rightly calls journalists, such as Christian-hating Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich and Paul Krugman of the New York Times, to task for their unfounded, unnecessary and shrill anti-Christian bias:</p><p><i>I have been looking at myself, and millions of my brethren, fellow evangelicals along with traditional Catholics, in a ghastly arcade mirror lately -- courtesy of this newspaper and the New York Times. Readers have been assured, among other dreadful things, that we are living in "a theocracy" and that this theocratic federal state has reached the dire level of -- hold your breath -- a "jihad."</i></p><p><i>In more than 50 years of direct engagement in and observation of the major news media I have never encountered anything remotely like the fear and loathing lavished on us by opinion mongers in these world-class newspapers in the past 40 days. If I had a $5 bill for every time the word "frightening" and its close lexicographical kin have appeared in the Times and The Post, with an accusatory finger pointed at the Christian right, I could take my stack to the stock market...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111523635714907449?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115233445682395812005-05-04T11:59:00.000-07:002005-05-04T12:04:05.693-07:00<p><i>A parents group yesterday filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Montgomery County [Maryland] public school system from teaching a sex-education course that the group says advocates homosexuality and dismisses religious viewpoints. </i></p><p><i>"It's not a curriculum to give kids knowledge. This curriculum is an indoctrination program," said Rockville lawyer John Garza, vice president of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC). "It's setting forth a viewpoint on sex and homosexuality that goes beyond impartation of knowledge." </i></p><p><i>CRC filed suit in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt seeking a temporary injunction to block a pilot program in three middle schools and three high schools. The pilot program was to have begun tomorrow, but a schools spokesman yesterday said it will begin Monday. </i></p><p><i>"We believe this curriculum takes a reasonable approach to the issue and that everyone's viewpoints were carefully considered when creating it," schools spokesman Brian Edwards said. </i></p><p><i>A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for tomorrow before Judge Alexander Williams Jr. </i></p><p><i>The lawsuit says the curriculum violates students' free speech rights and the First Amendment protection against the establishment of religion. </i></p><p><i>"Part of free speech is the right to remain silent," Mr. Garza said, adding that students who opt out of the course will be assumed to have religious objections or be "ex-gay" by their peers. </i></p><p><i>"It's unconstitutional to force people to declare their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation," he said. "If you're a Catholic, if you're a fundamentalist Christian, if you're a Muslim or a Jew, you gotta go down the hall." ...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111523344568239581?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1115232344869072702005-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:002005-05-04T12:54:31.536-07:00<p>and <a href = "http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp">Jonah Goldberg</a> rightly calls him to account for it:</p><p><i>Andrew Sullivan writes: </i></p><p><i>"Hatred of open and proud homosexuals is intrinsic to Islamist fundamentalism, as it is to Christian fundamentalism. The struggle against both is the same one - at home and abroad."</i></p><p><i>I'm sorry. But:</i></p><p><i>1. Even if hatred of homosexuality were intrinsic to Islamist and Christian fundamentalism, the fight against Islamic fundamentalism isn't about homosexuality. It's just not and no matter how much you care about the issue, it won't ever be. </i></p><p><i>2. Islamic fundamentalism and Christian fundamentalism aren't the same thing. They can both be "bad" but that doesn't mean they are the same. Depending on what you mean by Christian fundamentalism, I don't think it's bad. I certainly don't think it's bad if you go by Andrew's expansive use of the phrase. But even if I did, I would recognize some important differences between the two. Like: Christian fundmentalists have not constructed a grand theological construct to justify mass murder in the modern era. No followers of Jerry Falwell are suicide bombers. This is not a minor distinction. Christian fundamentalism gave birth to the Protestant reformation, individual liberty, the American nation, the modern American university, and the like. This is not a minor distinction either. </i></p><p><i>3. Writing things like this makes it nearly impossible to defend Sullivan from the charge that he lets homosexuality color his perceptions of every other argument and issue. </i></p><p><i>Addendum: It occurs to me that a charitable explanation of Sullivan's statement is that he's trying to persuade liberals -- gay or otherwise -- to understand the threat from Islamic fundamentalism in terms they can appreciate. Alas, Andrew's recent diatribes against fundamentalism don't really jibe with this interpretation. And, besides that wouldn't absolve the slander or inaccuracy. </i></p><p>Me: I would add further to what Jonah said and state that of course Christianity does not stand for "hatred of open and proud homosexuals" in any event. We are called to hate the sin and love the sinner. Gay activists like Andrew Sullivan, whose entire human personality and identity are subsumed in their sex drive, cannot and will not recognize the difference between a person and an activity.</p><p>Furthermore, Mr. Sullivan's rantings appear to confirm what I have suspected all along about him, and Christopher Hitchins as well, i.e., their beef with Saddam Hussein and Islamist terrorists has nothing to do with the horrible violent and criminal acts that they do, but rather Islam's traditional moral beliefs on sexuality. And even as a matter of pure beliefs, there is no comparison between traditional Islamist believers and traditional Christian believers of the present day, since the former use the government and Shariah law to impose their views, whereas most traditional Christian believers today would live with a government truly neutral on the issue of the morality of homosexual activity, i.e., a government that neither made such activity criminal nor promoted it through the public schools or civil same sex marriage.</p><p>The efforts of Mr. Sullivan and other liberals to demonize traditional religious believers is hysterical, unAmerican and unnecessary. Active homosexuals are in no way persecuted in present day America and indeed are the beneficiaries of much preferential treatment in the media and elsewhere. Our nation was founded on tolerance and religious freedom. The Godless and promiscuous liberals and gay activists are free and tolerated in this society. Why can't traditional religious believers be equally tolerated in Andrew Sullivan's America? Live and let live is the American thing to do. Too bad that religion-hating liberals have no intention of following that pacific American custom.</p><p><a href = "mailtos:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111523234486907270?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114873467174792102005-04-30T07:59:00.000-07:002005-04-30T08:04:27.176-07:00<p>Hugh Hewitt is right on the money here on the Orwellian use of the term "mainstream" by the Left to demonize traditional religious believers:</p><p><i>"Out of the mainstream" has become shorthand in the political debate surrounding not just the judiciary, but almost every issue on which the country is divided. </i></p><p><i>It is a substitute for debate, a label that attempts to brand an opponent as unworthy of reply or, worse, a fanatic and possibly dangerous.</i></p><p><i>The trouble with "out of the mainstream" is that it has no particular meaning.</i></p><p><i>So what is the "mainstream?"</i></p><p><i>Are the 15 million Southern Baptists in the United States mainstream?</i></p><p><i>Are 20 million Pentecostals in the United States mainstream?</i></p><p><i>Of the more than 61 million baptized Catholics in the country, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds 80 percent of them approving of the new pope, Benedict XVI. Mainstream media have argued that Benedict is very conservative: Does that make 50 million American Catholics outside of the mainstream if they support their church's teaching on abortion and euthanasia?</i></p><p><i>Some political positions define their holders as outside of the mainstream. Time and time again, for instance, Americans asked to vote on the issue of same-sex marriage have rejected the idea by overwhelming margins. To advocate same-sex marriage is to declare yourself out of the mainstream by any objective standard.</i></p><p><i>But that's not what Senate Democrats have in mind when they oppose the confirmation of William Pryor, a Catholic, to the federal bench. Or the confirmation of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rodgers Brown or Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen.</i></p><p><i>If any of these three nominees or their filibustered colleagues were to hold views in keeping with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justices who imposed same-sex marriage on the Bay State—a truly radical move by truly "outside the mainstream" judges—Senate Democrats would probably welcome them onto the bench.</i></p><p><i>"Outside the mainstream," when used by Senate Democrats and their supporters on the left or in mainstream media, usually means "center-right Christians who lean Republican." The repeated resort to this shorthand is an attempt to camouflage the hard-left politics of Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee like Patrick Leahy, Ted Kennedy, and Barbara Boxer, a deceptive attempt to confuse the public as to what they, and the nominees they oppose, really believe.</i></p><p><i>Keep that in mind the next time you have to decode a report on the confirmation battles.</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111487346717479210?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114710137572690442005-04-28T10:36:00.000-07:002005-04-28T10:42:17.573-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200504/CUL20050426b.shtml">California Assembly Passes Bill Discouraging 'Anti-Gay Rhetoric'</a></p><p><i>The California Assembly has passed a bill intended to discourage candidates from using "anti-gay rhetoric" in their political campaigns. </i></p><p><i>The bill adds "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to California's Code of Fair Campaign Practices -- an "anti-discrimination" pledge that is given to every candidate for public office.</i></p><p><i>Signing the pledge is voluntary, but failure to sign it could prove difficult for candidates who might risk being judged "unfair."</i></p><p><i>Critics call the bill an effort to muzzle any politician who refuses to support the homosexual agenda...</i></p><p>Me: What about the incessant demonization of traditional religious believers and conservatives by the likes of Howard "Republicans are Evil" Dean and others? Why isn't that considered "unfair"?</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111471013757269044?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114709727878693572005-04-28T10:23:00.000-07:002005-04-28T10:36:23.320-07:00<p>Stanley Kurtz has a very important article on how the Left demonizes traditional religious believers. Some excerpts:</p><p><i>The phrase “campaign of hatred” is a strong one, and I worry about amplifying an already dangerous dynamic of recrimination on both sides of the culture wars. I don’t doubt that conservatives, Christian and otherwise, are sometimes guilty of rhetorical excess. Yet despite what we’ve been told, the most extreme political rhetoric of our day is being directed against traditional Christians by the left... </i></p><p><i><br />Compare this liberal fantasy of imminent theocracy to the reality of Lawrence v. Texas and Roper v. Simmons (the Supreme Court decision that appealed to European precedents to overturn capital punishment for juveniles). Both of these decisions relied on the existence of a supposed national consensus on behalf of social liberalism. In conjuring up that false consensus, the Court treated conservative Christians as effectively nonexistent. That is the reality of where the law is, and where it is headed. It is completely unsurprising that after a long train of such decisions, conservative Christians have decided they’re tired of being trampled on by the courts. The reality we face is judicially imposed same-sex marriage in opposition to the clearly expressed wishes of the American people. </i></p><p><i>Meanwhile, as Harper’s levels vicious attacks on conservative Christians, the California assembly has passed a bill designed to prevent politicians from using “anti-gay rhetoric” in their political campaigns. Opposition to same-sex marriage itself is considered by many to be “anti-gay.” So has public opposition to same-sex marriage been legislatively banned? As a secular American, I don’t personally see homosexuality as sinful. Like many Americans, I welcome the increased social tolerance for homosexuality we’ve seen since the 1950s. Yet it’s outrageous to ban political speech by Christians who do sincerely understand homosexuality to be a sin.</i></p><p><i>Along with the move toward same-sex marriage in Scandinavia and Canada, we’ve seen systematic efforts to criminalize and silence expressions of the traditional Christian understanding of homosexuality. We’ve been told that the American tradition of free speech will prevent that sort of abuse here. Yet now, California’s battle for same-sex marriage is calling forth legislation that takes us way too far down the path toward banning the expression of traditional Christian views. While Harper’s is spinning out fantasies of a Christian theocracy, the California state legislature gives us the reality of a secular autocracy...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111470972787869357?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114708989961779302005-04-28T10:20:00.000-07:002005-04-28T10:23:09.963-07:00<p>From Boston, the cradle of liberty, gay indoctrination of kids in public kindergarten???: <a href = "http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=80601">Lexington School Calls Cops on Dad Irate over Gay Book</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111470898996177930?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114462361681065142005-04-25T13:51:00.000-07:002005-04-25T13:52:41.683-07:00<p>An interesting article on the Orwellian uses of language afoot in the campaign to redefine the word "marriage".</p><p><a href = "">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111446236168106514?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114462252196519012005-04-25T13:41:00.000-07:002005-04-25T13:50:52.196-07:00<p>This effort to indoctrinate children in the gay ideology in Montgomery County, Maryland has been mentioned in this blog before. There seems to be some backtracking by the school board.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111446225219651901?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114461705081401602005-04-25T13:37:00.000-07:002005-04-25T13:41:45.083-07:00<p>Michael Barone is a breath of calm sanity to counteract the shrill, ridiculous antireligious cries of "theocracy" from the likes of Andrew Sullivan, Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, etc.</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111446170508140160?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114108266857532822005-04-21T11:28:00.000-07:002005-04-21T11:31:06.856-07:00<p><a href = "http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=713135&section=news&src=rss/uk/worldNews">Spain approves gay marriage</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111410826685753282?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1114095248694763862005-04-21T07:51:00.000-07:002005-04-21T07:54:08.696-07:00<p><a href = "http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050421/ap_on_re_us/connecticut_civil_unions_12">Connecticut Approves Same - Sex Civil Unions</a></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111409524869476386?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1113957106477399922005-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:002005-04-19T17:33:19.213-07:00<p>May God bless the Church under the leadership of the new Pontifex Maximus, Benedict XVI. Last week I said a prayer in front of the votive memorial to the late John Paul II in my parish church, asking that there be broader acceptance and appreciation of the teaching of the Church with regard to the call for chastity for those with same sex attraction and greater charity and understanding for those with this condition. I pray that the new Pope will find the words effectively to preach the entire Gospel, including with regard to sexuality. I was impressed by his much needed condemnation of relativism in his <a href = "http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=55765">homily</a> at the mass for the election of a new Pope. Michael Novak had a good analysis of the homily <a href = "http://www.nationalreview.com/novak/novak200504190839.asp">here</a>. Gay activists are apparently already complaining, as "Planet Out" reports <a href = "http://www.gay.com/news/election/article.html?2005/04/19/1">here</a>. Andrew Sullivan also appears to be having a <a href = "http://www.andrewsullivan.com/">hissy fit</a>. How sad that someone who was brought up Catholic should be so brainwashed by the gay ideology that his ffervor for the faith is as nothing to his fervor to obtain the Church's imprimatur for sinful sexual activity. Sigh! I can hope and pray that even Andrew will turn back to the Lord his God.</p><p>Blessings to all!</p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111395710647739992?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1113580979315819562005-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:002005-04-15T09:02:59.316-07:00<p>Yet more evidence that the Democrats want to impose a religious test for public office:</p><p><i>Washington special interest groups -- notorious for their anti-religious hostility toward conservatives -- are conducting a coordinated smear campaign against Scott Bloch, George Bush's appointee to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which reviews and refers whistleblower disclosures to agency heads. In an interview with TAS, Pete Leon, legislative director for Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who has called for Bloch's resignation, revealed the fundamental anti-religious bigotry at the heart of the campaign. Articulating his objections to Bloch, Leon said, "He is a devout Catholic," then quickly added, after he realized his gaffe, the famously insincere line from Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with that." ...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111358097931581956?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109703.post-1113525636477426042005-04-14T17:33:00.000-07:002005-04-14T17:44:24.576-07:00<p>Professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe's account of his due-process-lacking trial at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas is a chilling reminder of the Stalinist thought police that rule many US academies these days when it comes to any statements about homosexuality or homosexuals that are not politically correct:</p><p><i>...</i></p><p><i>Las Vegas prides itself for its tolerance and so does UNLV, its university. At the university, however, tolerance is selective. You may assert that white heterosexual males are responsible for all of mankind’s misery, that Castro’s Cuba is a great success story, that capitalism means exploitation, or that most university professors are liberals because conservatives are too stupid to teach. If anyone should complain about this, such complaint will be dismissed outright. </i></p><p><i>And rightly so. After all, the university is committed to academic freedom. Its faculty has the "freedom and an obligation … (to) discuss and pursue the faculty member’s subject with candor and integrity, even when the subject requires consideration of topics which may be politically, socially or scientifically controversial. … (a) faculty member…shall not be subjected to censorship or discipline by the University ... on grounds that the faculty member has expressed opinions or views which are controversial, unpopular or contrary to the attitudes of the University…or the community."</i></p><p><i>None of this applies to professors who dissent from socialist, statist, or culturally left-wing views, however, as I would find out.</i></p><p><i>In March of 2004, during a 75 minute lecture in my Money and Banking class on time preference, interest, and capital, I presented numerous examples designed to illustrate the concept of time preference (or in the terminology of the sociologist Edward Banfield of "present- and future-orientation"). As one brief example, I referred to homosexuals as a group which, because they typically do not have children, tend to have a higher degree of time preference and are more present-oriented. I also noted--as have many other scholars--that J.M Keynes, whose economic theories were the subject of some upcoming lectures, had been a homosexual and that this might be useful to know when considering his short-run economic policy recommendation and his famous dictum "in the long run we are all dead."</i></p><p><i>...</i></p><p><a href = "mailto:silesia_7@yahoo.com">Charles S.</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8109703-111352563647742604?l=upmeads.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Charles S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09731601732488636087noreply@blogger.com0