Liberalism obituary

I've been at an out-of-town conference and was un-bloggable.

This little ditty from John Leo caught my eye when I returned:

What's Next for Liberalism?

Regarding cultural liberalim:

Its fundamental value is that society should have no fundamental values, except for a pervasive relativism that sees all values as equal. Part of the package was a militant secularism, pitched against religion, the chief source of fundamental values.

Liberalism...RIP. (at least for now)

Prayer and Praise Service Set at FSBC

Community-wide Prayer and Praise Service for the elections
Saturday, February 26
First Southern Baptist Church
19th and Gage
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Let's come together to ask God's blessing and mercy on our town and the elections.

Truth in Love position on District 9 City Council Race

The good citizens of Topeka have been caught between two warring extremes for years now: those pushing acceptance of a dangerous lifestyle and those advocating hatred for those in that lifestyle. The Truth in Love Outreach strongly disagrees with both positions.

These are really just two minorities which work both at odds and, oddly, in concert.

Homosexuals comprise between 2 to 4 percent of the U.S. population. For public disapproval, one need only look at the recent overwhelming votes in 13 states to discriminate against non-traditional marriage in state constitutions.

The Westboro group and their public support is an even smaller minority universally acknowledged as a fringe sect in their views and actions.

Ironically, the Westboro group and the homosexual advocates agree that they are stuck in their condition, either because they are condemned to that fate, or because they were born that way.

These two groups have made our fair city their battleground and wounded many innocents along the way.

The election on March 1^st for the District Nine City Council position provides an unusual opportunity for the voters of Topeka to reject both extremes. Of the four candidates running, Tiffany Muller is a self-acknowledged activist for special rights for homosexuals and Jael Phelps is a member of the Westboro group.

The Truth in Love Outreach encourages the voters of District Nine to send a strong message to the extremes by voting for one of the other candidates, and not for either of these young ladies.

When the people of Topeka make clear their displeasure with the extremes, we may be on our way to healing.

Dotty Matthis obituary

A wonderful Christian lady went to be with the Lord on Sunday. Dotty Matthis was a sweet member of my church. Here is her obituary.

The Kansas Adoption Process

From the Lawrence Journal World: Audit disputes adoption delays

It is vital to make it as easy as possible to get through the adoption process, especially for "slam dunk" cases.

It's a shame that there are cases of people delaying the adoption process because they will lose money they receive through the foster care system, but I guess that is some people's reality. In a way that makes it seem like it's all about the money instead of the love of those kids, but if they are willing to adopt children that would otherwise be "unmarketable" (I hate to use that word, but can't think of any others off the top of my head), and they don't have the income without state assistance, I can't criticize them for looking at the money issue. The most important thing is for those kids to have a loving family that is permanently theirs.

Death at Tiller's abortion mill...

From the Capital Journal: State investigates abortion clinic death

This case needs to be investigated by those outside the Governor's domain since she is (a) an abortion rights supporter and (b) takes a lot of campaign donations from Tiller.

I don't know of any reason the woman's name ever needs to be released to the public, but that shouldn't mean that it doesn't get thoroughly investigated and the outcome of the case be made public.

In fact, they'd better shut that "clinic" down until the case is resolved.

Seven Deadly Sins - modified for today's non-offensive culture

From National Review:

The Seven Deadly Sins are Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Lust, Avarice, and Gluttony, traditionally remembered with the aid of the acronym PEWSLAG. Well, goodbye PEWSLAG, hello CABDHGS. A polling organization in Britain asked a thousand citizens to modernize the list. The new deadlies are, in descending order of sinfulness: Cruelty, Adultery, Bigotry, Dishonesty, Hypocricy, Greed and Selfishness. Note the interesting shift of emphasis visible here. Formerly the essence of sin lay in offending God by failing to curb one's lower nature. Nowadays sin means causing pain or mental distress to other people. To put another way, virtue used to consist in moral cultivation of the self; now it consists of being nice. Something has been lost here, surely.

God is interested in righteousness in man's relationship to Him and man's relationship with each other. The first half of the Ten Commandments deal with relationships with God, while the second half deal with human relationships. There's plenty of sin to go around. Pick your flavor. But God won't have any of it, so I won't be figuring out where my sin falls among the above lists, but will try to avoid them all thank you very much. God help me.

Donate to "Cookie Girls"

On July 31, Taylor Ostergaard and Lindsey Zellitti decided to skip a dance and, instead, bake cookies for neighbors. They knocked on doors, dropped off the cookies along with heart-shaped wishes that recipients "have a great night," then ran away.

Wanita Young said that when the pair knocked on her door about 10:30 p.m., it frightened her into an anxiety attack. A Durango judge Thursday awarded about $900 to the 49-year-old woman to cover some medical bills incurred when she ended up at the emergency room the next day.

How sad and how ridiculous.

The families set up this address for mail and donations to the girls' college fund: Taylor Ostergaard and Lindsey Zellitti, P.O. Box 2528, Durango, CO 81301. They said that the legal fees have been covered, but for those who would still like to give, the college fund would be a nice idea.

Here's the most ridiculous part of the story. Ms. Young avowed that her court victory, by contrast with the cookies, was not sweet. "I'm not gloating about it. I just hope the girls learn a lesson." I bet they did! Think twice before being kind and demonstrating Christian kindness!

Baby Survives Abortion

I found this amazing article at the News2Know Blog:

British miracle baby survives 2-day abortion procedure; child 'defeated all the odds'

"Sometimes an abortion does not produce a dead child. In a recently reported case from Great Britain, even multiple attempts at an abortion failed to do so.

A baby boy who survived repeated efforts to kill him while he was in the womb is doing well as a 2-year-old, according to a report in a British medical journal. Physicians at Salford’s Hope Hospital, where the infant was treated after his birth 24 weeks into his mother’s pregnancy, believe he is the most prematurely born baby to survive abortion long term."

Wow. Read this baby's survival story!

Former senator speaks against gay marriage ban

From the Lawrence Journal World:

"Ten years from now, in 2015, we will be amazed that we were ever sitting in this room and having this discussion," said David Adkins, a former Republican state legislator from Leawood.

Adkins spoke to about 50 people who attended a forum about the gay marriage issue at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt. The forum was organized by the church's Open and Affirming Committee. Last year the congregation voted to adopt a statement welcoming gays and lesbians into the full "life and leadership of the church."

Won't that be sad that in 10 years we may not care about the protection of marriage that has been common-sense for thousands of years? And isn't it sad that a Christian church doesn't heed Biblical doctrine about homosexuality and worships at the alter of political correctness? Homosexuals are surely welcome in my church too, and they will be greeted by love...but they may not enjoy the message. The message they would hear is the same that Paul gave in 1 Corinthians 6:9:

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Let's hope it's not true that in a decade we'll all be ready to equate a "marriage" based on a lifestyle that the Bible clearly defines as sinful (among the other lifestyles Paul mentions above) with the form of marriage that God put together since the creation of man and woman.

Why Evangelicals Should Vote Yes on March 1

WHY EVANGELICALS SHOULD VOTE YES ON MARCH 1st
- by Dan Walker, Family Action Network

I am baffled at how anyone in the Christian community would not encourage others to wholeheartedly support the proposed ordinance and vote YES to stop the proliferation of the
radical homosexual rights agenda in Topeka.

I am not very familiar with Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) but if I had to guess I wouldn't estimate they have over 100 adult members. Compare that to the 6,400+ adults who
signed the petition.

By that comparison alone, this is not a WBC issue. Likewise it is not a Tiffany Muller or Clark Duffy issue; rather, this is an issue of whether or not we seize an opportunity to hold back evil and the potential likelihood that someday Topeka's churches, businesses, landlords, public and private schools will be forced to swallow the radical homosexual agenda...or face criminal and/or civil penalties.

Pastor Snell is absolutely correct when he stated that the larger evangelical community should have spearheaded this effort. But we didn't. Instead, many were paralyzed with inactivity, sitting around wringing their hands wondering what others might think if they actually did something productive to slow down the radical homosexual steamroller.

"What would non-Christians think if WE took a stand? Wouldn't we be aligned with Fred?" I can't tell you how many times I've heard these questions and how saddened I am to hear them from Christian leaders.

Bottom line: Whether we join in this fight - or not - the media and the pro-homosexual forces will still attempt to pigeonhole evangelicals as hate-mongers. Even if WBC hadn't ever existed, those standing in the way of the radical homosexual agenda would be called intolerant, hateful, narrow-minded, and the like. For many of our opponents and their partners in the media, the ends justify the means and truth is relative and can be used however it is most expedient. The whole Political Correctness Movement didn't start because of WBC and it would exist without WBC. And for those of us who have spent 10, 20 or more years fighting abortion, homosexuality and other publicly-embraced sins, we are accustomed to being pigeonholed and having our opponents attempt to marginalize us. But we march on none-the-less.

True, WBC did originate this petition drive. But in the balance, does any perceived harm from that outweigh the responsibility we have to God to vote in a manner consistent with scriptural teachings about homosexuality. More importantly, how does that weigh against our responsibility to lead out and encourage others to do the likewise.

While many evangelicals would say they disagree with the message of WBC, and that we should love the sinner and hate the sin, the fact is that if this ordinance fails we very well will see the momentum turn against us, and in the future we will be faced with choosing between loving
the sinner and the sin, or face government penalties.

Look at Europe, Canada and other countries. This is THE issue I can see being used by Satan to hinder your free speech as a pastor. Again, there are plenty of examples throughout the world where pastors have to make the choice of preaching unabashedly from God's Word or
capitulating to public and government pressure.

Fortunately in this country we still have some protections in selected arenas. But the long-term trend doesn't look good for the United States. Wouldn't you agree? And if we are apprehensive now about taking on this issue - just because non-Christians might think poorly of us - what
will we do when criminal penalties and your church's tax status is linked to whether or not you take a stand against homosexuality?

This issue creates a vacuum that will be filled. If this ordinance passes three things will happen: (1) we won't have to fight radical pro-homosexual, anti-Christian ordinances similar to those that were proposed in September 2002 and November 2004; (2) we won't have to fight radical ordinances that have already passed; and (3) we won't have to fight even more radical ordinances that could be proposed in the future.

But if the ordinance fails, and especially if it fails miserably because Christians don't support it, then we will be back fighting at city council meetings with the other side saying "we told you so, now let's give homosexuals the rights they deserve." Pastor, as I see it you're taking a very dangerous and potentially damaging position when viewing the big picture and potential
consequences of your advice.

We are in no way compromising our doctrine, beliefs or witness by supporting the passage of this ordinance. I am thankful that this issue is on the ballot and for once we have an opportunity to actually gain ground in the fight for family values. Every other time I (and many other pro-family leaders) have gone to city hall, it has been in an attempt to cling to the rights we presently have.

WBC also fought in September 2002 and November 2004. And I presume they support passage of the State Marriage Amendment in April. Does that mean we shouldn't have gone to City Hall in past years (because WBC was there also), or that we shouldn't also support the marriage
amendment? Of course not.

If you are consistent in your advice, shouldn't we also oppose any pro-life legislation supported by U.S. Senator Orin Hatch simply because he is a well-known Mormon? I'm sure we can resoundingly agree that Mormon doctrine and theology isn t consistent with ours. At least with WBC what you see is what you get. They are open and honest with their views. Contrast that to Mormonism which in my opinion is very seductive and deceptive to non-Christians
and Christians alike in an attempt to proselytize. So why should we support something a well-known Mormon promotes?

Regardless of however you look at WBC's involvement in this issue, it doesn't negate our duty to vote according to Scripture - regardless of whether or not WBC had involvement in getting the issue put to a public vote.

We have a unique opportunity that exists because thousands of Topekans signed this petition. And while WBC was very involved in the legwork to make this happen, I think we should be more concerned with the underlying issue Pastor Snell brings up, which is why WE didn't do this? We can complain about the darkness all day long, but eventually we have to answer why it is we don't walk over and turn on the light switch.

The same is true with this issue; if you don't want churches, businesses, and Christians in our city to have their rights taken away, then you should - you must - flip the voting switch YES. We have no other choice regardless of who stood in the cold weather and snow to do the work everyone in the Christian community should have been doing. Let's not compound our past mistakes with yet another mistake.

If Christians stay home on March 1st, this issue will fail. And if that happens we will be playing into Satan's long term plans to a degree far above that of any community splash back you think we might get for actively supporting this ordinance at the same time WBC also supports it.

News Coverage of Press Conference

Click here to view the Topeka Capital-Journal's article on yesterday's press conference sponsored by Family Action Network.

WIBW and KSNT both ran news segments as well. WIBW's segment is available to view on their web site. No matter how hard I tried to stay out of camera-shot, they couldn't resist getting a close-up of me holding my youngin'.

Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) has introduced H.R. 748, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA), with the bi-partisan support of 108 original cosponsors.

This critical legislation makes it a Federal offense to transport a minor across state lines to circumvent that state's abortion parental notification laws.

In addition, the bill will require that in a state without a parental notification requirement, abortion providers are required to notify a parent.

About 80% of the public favors parental notification laws, and over 30 states have enacted such laws. Yet, these laws are often evaded by interstate transportation of minors, often openly encouraged in advertising by abortion providers.

Said Ros-Lehtinen, "A minor who is forbidden to drink alcohol, to stay out past a certain hour, or to get her ears pierced, is certainly not prepared to make a life-altering, hazardous and potentially fatal decision, such as abortion, without the consultation or consent of at least one parent."

"My legislation will close a loophole that allows adults not only to help minors break state laws by obtaining an abortion without parental consent, but also contributes to ending the life of an innocent child," said Ros-Lehtinen. "I am hopeful that in this 109th Session of Congress, we will be successful in securing the rights of parents once and for all."

Be sure to contact your representative in support of this legislation!

Today's press conference

I attended the press conference held by Family Action Network today. While I pretty much knew what it was going to be about (since I helped with the press release), it was nice to hear the point vocalized so eloquently by a series of activists on this issue, including representatives from FAN, One Voice Kansas, Concerned Women for America of Kansas, Truth in Love, and several churches. The MAIN point is that supporting the city ordinance that would put an end to homosexuals being given special rights is NOT a vote for Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church, and NOT a vote for hate.

Channels 13 and 27 and the Topeka Capital Journal were all represented at the press conference.

Time Magazine to Cover Council Race

Time Magazine to feature contest between gay, anti-gay candidates.

Time reporter Eric Roston was in Topeka last week gathering information about the District 9 race in which two of the candidates -- Jael M. Phelps and incumbent Tiffany Muller -- are at opposing ends of the gay rights debate.

Muller and Phelps said they were told coverage of the race and related topics would be included in an upcoming issue of Time, likely the edition coming out Monday.

Well...this will be interesting. It's too bad that once again this debate is going to be perceived as a battle between extremists when in fact there are many common-sense Topekans who are opposed to special rights for homosexuals.

Press conference on Monday

The Family Action Network, a non-denominational, non-partisan organization addressing issues of concern to families, announces it has scheduled a press conference at noon on Monday, February 14^th, on the north steps of City Hall. The purpose of the press conference is to address issues and declare support for the pending city ordinance that would put an end to homosexuals being given special rights.

A number of like-minded organizations that share the concerns of Family Action Network will also participate in the press conference, including Concerned Woman of America, Truth In Love Outreach, and One Voice Kansas, among others. Joining the groups will be a number of pastors, representing diverse racial backgrounds and numerous religious denominations.

“Here in Topeka, for the past two years, pro-homosexual forces have attempted to force churches, private and religious schools, daycares, landlords, businesses and the city to extend special rights to homosexuals,” said Dan Walker, spokesperson for Family Action Network. “These special rights have included affirmative action quotas, domestic partner benefits and other costly and anti-family proposals that would negatively impact the quality of life in Topeka. While pro-homosexual forces will attempt to frame the proposed ordinance as a vote for hate, we as business, religious and pro-family leaders disagree and stand behind passage of this ordinance as a vote for families.”

Walker added, “A ’YES’ vote is not a vote for hate. I personally disagree with any message of hate. But we can no longer remain silent on this issue while radial homosexual groups converge on our city demanding special rights. We encourage all Topekans to vote YES on March 1^st to put an end to the various costly, anti-family and unwise pro-homosexual proposals we have seen over the past two years. It’s time our city leaders concentrated on other issues such as the exorbitant taxes families are paying, as well as extending a vision for this city that is family-friendly and not part of the radical homosexual agenda being originated out of liberal states like Massachusetts.”

Support Pro-Family Ads in Kansas

As you probably know, mailings, and TV and radio "issue advertising" cost an incredible amount of money.

One Voice Kansas is coordinating with other pro-family groups and churches across the State to promote Biblical values and to disseminate information regarding the amendment to protect marriage currently being debated in our State Legislature.

One Voice Kansas is also helping to coordinate information and advertising in the Topeka area to educate and inform voters on the petition to change the recent Topeka City Council Ordinance giving protected class status on the basis of sexual orientation.

Make your voice heard and help us promote Biblical values and protect traditional marriage in our State. Your gift of any amount will be deeply appreciated. Please mail your donation (checks or money orders only please) to:

One Voice Kansas
PO Box 5075
Topeka, KS 66605

Please specify if you would like to limit your gift to be applied to the "Topeka City Ordinance," the "Statewide marriage amendment" both, or anywhere needed!

One Nation Under God license plates

The News2Know blog linked to an article on how Ohioans may get One Nation Under God specialty license plates.

One poster at the News2Know blog raised the question of the legal challenges they may face if Kansans were given that option. My view: "The phrase is currently a constitutional part of our Pledge. Of course, that wouldn't stop someone from suing. The question would be, 'Why would a phrase that is a constitutional part of the Pledge be unconstitutional when printed on a license plate?'"

Thoughts?

More science standards debate

From the CJ: Science Standards Debated

A quote from a biology teacher: "I am not going to jeopardize intellectual integrity by teaching the supernatural." And so he will continue to teach that humans evolved from sea slime, without any evidence to back it up.

Kline to defend evolution stickers

From the Capital-Journal:

Attorney General Phill Kline has offered to defend placing in school textbooks stickers that say evolution is a theory, not a fact, the chairman of the Kansas State Board of Education said Wednesday.

"I firmly believe that it should be allowed," Kline said of the stickers, which he said he would defend in court.

Steve Abrams, the chairman of the state board, said Kline brought up the subject during meetings with small groups of board members. Kline told The Associated Press he believes such stickers are reasonable, even though a federal judge in Georgia ruled last month that similar stickers are an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.

"I think it's a good compromise between moderates and conservatives," Kline said.

You go, boy. ;) I'd love to get in the brain of someone who thinks that putting a sticker in a textbook that states the fact that evolution is a theory (and therefore not the only explanation for how we got here) is an "unconstitutional endorsement of religion." What does religion have to do with it? Religion is a practice that we employ to exhibit our relationship with God. Simply raising the question of alternate theories of our origins has nothing to do with the practice of religion.

God and Lawrence

There is an interesting article on Lawrence as the least religious city in Kansas in today's Lawrence Journal World. Check it out here.

An excerpt:

• Only 29.1 percent of the Lawrence area's population was claimed by the religious groups.

• That made Douglas County the least religious in Kansas, according to the study. But three other counties also reported less than 35 percent of their population involved in religious participation: Riley County, home to Kansas State University; and Geary and Leavenworth counties, both homes to military bases.

• The Lawrence metropolitan area ranked near the bottom -- 266th out of 276 metropolitan areas -- of the entire nation, in terms of religious participation.

• While Kansas averaged 15 congregations per 1,000 people, Lawrence is home to only eight congregations per 1,000 people.

I'm a Jayhawks fan, and I really enjoy strolling along Massachusetts St. in the evening, but I will agonize if one of my kids wants to go to KU for college. It's not just KU, but any public university where "free-thinking" academics work their darndest to chip away at the Christian faith of their students. I don't mind my kids being exposed to alternate ideas, because I think that is important for anyone who will go out into the real world where not everyone believes as we do. But kids have such a longing to join the popular crowd that if denouncing Christ and the church is necessary to get good grades and feel included with the crowd that's what many of them will do.

Fortunately, I have a long way to go before I have to worry too much about it. But all Christians with kids should look at the liberalism and secularism of college towns and (a) do their best to ground their kids in the truth of Christ, and (b) be very selective about where their kids will go to college.

Science Standards Hearing

Location Change for Topeka Science Standards Hearing
The Public Hearing on proposed changes to the Kansas Science Standards, scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, 2005, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., originally to be held at the Kansas State Department of Education has been moved to:

Capitol Plaza Hotel
1717 SW Topeka Blvd.
Topeka
Emerald Ballroom
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Unwelcome Mat is Out

That's the ridiculous headline in today's Topeka Capital Journal.

The article profiles a Lawrence gay couple who are awaiting the voter's decision as to what to do with them:

"These people have to decide what they're going to do with us, honestly. Are we to give up our dedication to one another? Where do we go to church? Where do we work? Everyone keeps telling us what we can't do and where we can't go, but no one realizes there are no places left."

How silly. The Marriage Amendment doesn't do anything other than clarify the obvious fact that marriage in Kansas is between one man and one woman as it has been since the beginning of time. They've never had the right to marry each other, and they never will. They can live together, form a legally binding arrangement with each other, go to any church they choose, work anywhere they want (some places of employment will even grant them special partner benefits), and go anywhere they want. The Marriage Amendment gives nothing to them and takes nothing away.

Marriage, gentlemen, is a God-ordained institution. It isn't for us to redefine in any way we see fit in order to adopt a higher level of political correctness. It is for us, however, to protect it.

Marriage Amendment Q & A

From the Wichita Eagle: "Common Questions, Answers on the Gay Marriage Issue."

A point I somewhat disagree with in this article is that this is purely an issue with "conservative Christians." While I'm delighted that those of us in that class are screaming bloody murder about it and raisin' a ruckus, we can't be the only group of people who have voted for these Marriage Amendments across the country. Even if 100% of evangelical "conservative" Christians showed up at the polls, it wouldn't equal 50% in most states. The fact that marriage is between a man and a woman is so obvious to so many people that it doesn't require them to be a Holy Ghost-filled believer to want to stand up and protect the definition of marriage.

You know the old adage about boiling frogs. If you throw a frog in a boiling pot of water, he'll jump right out...but if you put him in a pot of room-temp water and slowly turn the heat up, he'll get comfortable and acclamated and won't know he's boiled until it's too late. I think the homosexual rights crowd have been boiling frogs slowly for decades now...changing the meaning of "acceptance," "open mindedness," "tolerance," etc., while throwing funny homosexual characters on primetime TV to get us to realize their lifestyles are just as good as anyone else's. But then some judges in Massachusetts and a mayor in San Francisco decided to turn the knob all the way up to HIGH and the frogs really started jumping out of the pot. These activists have set their cause back at least a decade because they couldn't wait for us to come around to their worldview.

They're not done...not by a long shot. They'll turn the heat back down and a bunch of people will see that jacuzzi looking so comfy that they'll crawl back in the pot. Fortunately for us, by the time those frogs get boiled, we'll have a bunch of state constitutional amendments to protect our society from gay marriage--and maybe even a Federal one! The moment for action is now. Let's not get complacent!

Super Bowl decency standards

From the KC Star article on the newfound decency standards that will be upheld at this year's Super Bowl:

Fundamental questions linger, however, about what is indecent. And a new climate of uncertainty and even fear has set in at television and radio stations.

It's amazing that we have to answer the question for a TV network about "what is indecent." It used to be that even THEY realized what was decent enough for the public airwaves, but now they don't know anymore. Maybe they don't know because they've been, literally, moving the ball on this issue so much (sorry for the pun) that they don't know where it should be anymore. They just keep pushing forward and pushing forward to where we are completely desensitized to whatever they want to put on broadcast television. They've gotten away with it to a large degree because there's been no defensive line to stop them (sorry again)...to the point they are shocked when they get flagged for a penalty (sorry again).

Whether Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" was staged or not, I'm glad they got charged a pretty penny for that little stunt and that they are now thinking twice about pushing forward with their truly offensive attack on decency.

Sacred Heart adds life to abortion debate

From a PRWeek article:

Further proof that good PR has nothing to do with good taste.

For the past eight years, the Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Boulder, CO has been quietly holding "funerals" for the cremated remains of aborted fetuses--without the permission of the would-be mothers. Last Sunday, they invited the press. Half the country was appalled; the other half was heartened.

But regardless of what one thinks of abortion, religion, or gratuitous inclusion of the words "aborted fetus" in the morning paper, it's hard to deny the significance of the event.

Whether they know it or not, the Sacred Heart crowd is employing an increasingly popular pro-life tactic: Gradually establish the rights(or in this case, rites) of unborn children in ways seemingly unconnected to the abortion debate, then turn those rights back on the pro-choice crowd and watch 'em squirm.

It's a tactic best exemplified by Laci's Law, named for the oft-exploited Laci Peterson. The law states that anyone who kills an unborn child while committing violence against the mother can be charged with murder.

Who can argue with that? Except that it leads to the obvious question: If a fetus is protected by law in that case, why not when the mother chooses to abort it?

This type of approach is certainly better than stalking and shooting abortion providers. In the battle of ideas and public opinion, the tide has turned toward pro-life because we have made a convincing case that it isn't just a glob of unviable tissue mass that is being destroyed, but a human being that is just in another stage of development--like infants, toddlers, tweens, teens, young adults, middle agers, and neighborhood curmudgeons.

The State of the Union

I missed the first half of the inaugural address and figured I'd probably missed the best part and was stuck with a litany of spending proposals. Boy, was I wrong! Did he front-load it with the boring stuff? The recognition of our American soldiers and their families was incredibly poignent--especially the embrace between the Iraqi woman and the mother of the slain soldier.

From Peggy Noonan's column:

The end of the speech offered an unforgettable moment. When the mother of Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood, who gave his life in Iraq, was honored in the balcony, and then leaned down to embrace the woman in front of her, an Iraqi who had lost her father to Saddam, and who had just voted--when that mother embraced that woman it said more than words could about what we are doing and why. Sacrifice brings progress; courage brings deliverance; love born in Pflugerville can liberate in Fallujah. It pierced the heart.

Beautifully said. I don't remember ever being emotionally stirred by a State of the Union address. The closest to it was that joint session of Congress in which President Bush first laid out the plans for the war against terror after 9/11.

I just can't imagine how lame an address it would have been had it been delivered by President Kerry (shudder).

I, for one, am still proud to be an American...and expect to be so for at least four more years. Then we'll have to see if the electorate will give me another reason to see our nation as a beacon of not only freedom, but wisdom and common sense in a world full of silliness, thuggery, and disdain for God and His people. We have a lot of that in our country too, but here, at least, many of those people are being turned away from elected office...especially the highest office in the land. Christians are rising up and taking their stand--no longer hiding in their homes and churches during election season. May this not only continue, but grow exponentially.

Common Sense Prevails: Kansans Will Get to Vote!

The votes have been cast and we WILL get to vote on the Marriage Amendment!

Click here for the article.

To the ministers and dutiful Christians who lobbied hard for this vote, congratulations!

Take note, for those of us in the Topeka area, that most of our representatives voted against this measure. Let's remember this fact when these folks come up for reelection. Here's the local roll call:

"Yes" votes came from Rep. Mike Burgess, Rep. Becky Hutchins and Rep. Doug Mays. "No" votes were from Rep. Vaughn Flora, Rep. Lana Gordon, Rep. Nancy Kirk, Rep. Annie Kuether, Rep. Harold Lane and Rep. Ann Mah.

"The Institutionalization of Homophobia"

In the article on the Gay Marriage issue that appeared in the Lawrence Journal World, I read this unbelievable quote:

"It's really incredibly unfortunate that this looks like it will be on the ballot," said the Rev. Thad Holcombe, campus pastor for Ecumenical Christian Ministries at Kansas University. "It's really the institutionalization of homophobia."

How does anyone become a "reverand" that holds the belief that taking a stand to protect the God-ordained institution of marriage between a man and a woman is the "institutionalization of homophobia"? That is why I can't get inside the heads of the "religious left." I don't pretend to have an understanding of them. If you're going to pastor a Christian ministry, you'd think you would embrace and promote Christian beliefs and not the political correctness of the religion-of-secularism. It's no wonder that many mainstream denominations are shrinking while evangelical demonimations such as Southern Baptists and Assemblies of God continue to grow. Many churches, I'm afraid, will not make judgment calls on any behavior and worry so much about offending people that no one is drawn closer to God because their sin is excused rather than admonished.

Rep. Gordon gets it wrong

My own House Rep. Lana Gordon was quoted in today's Capital Journal article:

Rep. Lana Gordon, R-Topeka, noted 50 percent of marriages end in divorce today.

"Everyone recognizes it is not the definition of marriage but the dissolution of that marriage that is ruining our society," said Gordon, who switched her vote last session from "yes" to "no" on the marriage amendment.

Lana, obviously not everyone recognizes that it isn't the definition of marriage that is ruining our society (it most certainly threatens it), or we wouldn't be having this battle today. Geez. And as for the high divorce rate, that's the result of no-fault divorce. That's another battle for another day.

89 Votes on the 1st Ballot!

Looking good! The Marriage Amendment won 89 votes in the Kansas House of Reps today on the first ballot. The final vote will be tomorrow. Make those calls!

I had lunch with my friend, state Rep. Mike Burgess (51st district) yesterday and he said he thinks it has enough votes this time, but 2/3 majority (84 votes) is a steep hill to climb. Getting 89 votes on today's ballot is a great sign!

Call to Action: House set to vote on Marriage Amendment tomorrow!

Here is the Capital Journal article on tomorrow's Marriage Amendment vote.

The legislative hotline to contact legislators is
1-800-432-3924. You may also call or email
your representative's office directly.
Click here for contact information.

THIS VOTE WILL BE CLOSE! Don't sit idly by and do nothing!