Continued Articles-
By Chris Kempling LifeSiteNews.com.
Fast forward to the present. I encouraged my high school-aged son, a social leader, to befriend gay classmates, protect them if they were bullied and invite them over if he wished. He did (and was harassed for doing so). After graduation, his friend "Andy" moved away, but stayed overnight at our house on two occasions when back in town visiting.
Some people are convinced that I am "homophobic." I have been suspended, without pay, twice from my job as a school teacher - once for one month, and once for three months. It was hard on my family.
October 11, 2007
“Spastic” or “cripple” are hateful expressions that nobody should use as insults, but if the use of “batty boy” or “queer” is to invite prosecution, what is the argument against making disablist insult a matter for the police too? And how about language that incites hatred of women?
Lines of absolute principle are hard to draw, but some groups may be so weak and fragile as to need the law’s protection from hateful speech. I’d like to think we gays are no longer among them.
May 2, 2008 Lifesitenews.com
The May 1st elections had long been anticipated as the first electoral test of Gordon Brown's premiership since he took power without an electoral mandate when Tony Blair left office last year. Local councils guide the general political thrust of the country with councils responsible for a wide array of day to day services from garbage collection to adoptions and family services. The local elections are looked upon as a signal to the central government at Westminster and are used in the political trade to calculate vote shares in some seats in the House of Commons in a general election.
Brown, who is rumoured to have lately developed the habit of throwing mobile phones against walls, is now expected to attempt to hold on to his mandate until the last possible moment when in 2010 he will be obliged by law to call an election. But one senior Labour MP, Ian Gibson, has warned that Brown has six months to turn things around or face a possible leadership challenge before the party's conference this autumn.
Brown told media that he was "disappointed" at the result and that it had been a "bad night".
"My job is to listen and to lead," Brown said. He blamed "difficult economic circumstances" for Labour's losses, the worst the party has seen in forty years, and claimed that the party would "listen" and make changes.
But Labour's drubbing is widely considered, even in senior Labour party circles, to be a massive backlash from voters furious with the party's policies, not just under Brown, but over the last decade of their rule under Tony Blair. So angry are Britain's voters with Labour that one analyst in the Guardian noted that in some ridings they were specifically voting for any candidate, regardless of party, likely to defeat the Labour candidate.
Especially alienated is the party's traditional constituency of the white middle and working class, who have grown increasingly exasperated with Britain's heavy taxation, rising cost of living, the growth of the "surveillance state", and the increasingly detailed and arbitrary regulation of daily life.
Since coming to power in 1997, analysts, both in favour and against, agree that the "New" Labour party under Blair has utterly transformed British society.
Stories abound in the press of a Britain labouring under the rule of an obsessive "nanny state" that controls and regulates every minute detail of life. While council tax rises, some councils have reduced the number of garbage collections to once in a fortnight and installed microchips in wheelie bins and hired "rubbish police" to ensure that citizens are not throwing away too much or the wrong kind of trash; violators can be fined or face charges.
Britain's millions of close circuit TV cameras monitor citizens everywhere, even in the smallest country villages. The various agencies of the state, particularly the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), have banned or attempted to ban everything from smoking in pubs to children playing with conkers to the bagpipes.
"Anti-discrimination" laws put in place by Labour have seen children and students, journalists, shop keepers and housewives investigated and interviewed by police for possible "hate crimes" for suggesting that immigrants ought to learn English or that homosexual partners should not be allowed to adopt children, or even for selling "politically incorrect" toys in their shops.
At the same time, violent crime, so rare in Britain until the 1970's that English policemen were famed for being unarmed, has risen to crisis proportions in the last ten years and teenage sexual activity has risen to put Britain at the head of the teen pregnancy, abortion and sexually transmitted disease list for Europe.
Labour's constitutional compromises with the European Union have culminated in most of Britain's laws being made not at Westminster by British parliamentarians, but from the European Parliament in Brussels and various unelected EU regulatory agencies.
As the news slowly leaked out in recent months that over 70 per cent of British legislation now comes from Europe, a movement grew to hold Gordon Brown to the Labour party's promise of a referendum on the new European constitution, now called the Lisbon Treaty. The Lisbon treaty is understood to give even more legislative powers over to Brussels.
This winter, Brown's determination to refuse a referendum grew in proportion to the demand that the people should have a say. In the end, a series of parliamentary tricks and party intimidation pushed the Lisbon Treaty ratification bill through the House of Commons without a referendum.
Baroness P.D. James, the novelist and life member of the House of Lords who spent thirty years in various departments of the civil service, told an audience at Westminster yesterday that British society had become "more fractured than I in my long life have ever known it."
In a speech on policing in the 21st century, Baroness James described a ghettoized Britain where citizens live in isolated communities in fear of violating a "cult of political correctness" with little loyalty to the rest of the country.
Canadian Cabinet Member Slams Human Rights Commission Manipulations as "Dangerous"
By John-Henry Westen
CALGARY, May 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Jason Kenney, the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity gave an address in Calgary Friday where he sounded off on the scandal of Human Rights Commissions (HRC) suppressing freedom in Canada. The speech marks the first time a high-ranking government official has offered open criticism of the HRC apparatus.
Addressing the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) Friday, Kenney, labelled "dangerous" the "illiberal tactics" employed by some activists in the name of tolerance, reported Kevin Libin in the National Post.
"I think it's very important for those of us engaged in anti-racism efforts to ensure the tactics we use, the approaches that we take, are consistent with respect for the liberal values of the Charter of Rights, of the Canadian constitutional framework, of our democratic parliamentary institutions," said Kenney.
"There is a large and growing debate about freedom of expression and the role of the human rights commission, and organizations that seek to use these commissions to deal with what they believe constitutes thoughts or opinions reflective of hatred or xenophobia. I would also hope that we think long and hard about the central role, the foundational role, of such values as freedom of expression in our constitutional framework, and that we do not lightly undermine those constitutional values in our efforts to combat racism or hatred," he added.
Human Rights Commissions in Canada have been used to repress freedom for many years. Christian mayors have been fined for refusing to proclaim 'gay pride days', teachers suspended for writing against homosexuality outside the classroom, a Christian printer was fined for refusing to print materials for a homosexual activist group, and a bed and breakfast was shut down for refusing to admit a homosexual couple, amongst countless other similar instances. However, the actions of the HRCs only came under intense public scrutiny after complaints were filed against prominent Canadians Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn, both for reportedly offending Muslim sensibilities.
The latest known attack of the HRCs came in the ruling against a Christian ministry to the disabled in Toronto called Christian Horizons. The organization was fined $23,000 after a woman who signed onto a Christian lifestyle agreement as a condition of her employment reneged and entered a lesbian relationship and quit the organization, claiming a "poisoned" work environment. The ruling forbade Christian Horizons from using its Christian Morality statement as a condition of employment, and ordered all its 2,500 employees to be given pro-homosexuality human rights training.
University of Toledo Expels Black Administrator for 'Anti-Gay' Sentiments- May 6, 2008 LifeSiteNews.com
"I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are 'civil rights victims.' Here's why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman," Associate Vice President of Human Resources Crystal Dixon wrote in a guest piece for the Toledo Free Press.
Dixon noted that, whereas race is genetically determined, the homosexual lifestyle is freely entered into and can be abandoned with proper support.
"I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few."
Dixon added that many actively homosexual individuals have realized "that their choice of same-sex practices wreaked havoc in their psychological and physical lives." Dixon cited the example of Venus Magazine publisher Charlene E. Cothran, a former gay rights activist who abandoned 29 years of active lesbianism after a powerful conversion to Christianity.
Dixon wrote her April 18 "Gay rights and wrongs: another perspective" column in response to an April 6 piece in support of the "gay culture" written by Toledo Free Press Editor-in-Chief Michael S. Miller.
Decrying "the hatred and prejudice" expressed towards members of the "gay community," Miller went on to compare the "gay rights struggle" to "my black friends' struggles and my wheelchair-bound friends' struggles."
Miller insisted that religion was partially to blame for the unfair treatment members of the homosexual community have experienced.
"There are people who are so strongly anti-gay rights, they lust for legislation to limit the gay community's freedoms. That makes no intellectual or moral sense to me. Some of this prejudice is based in religion."
"I find it confusing that people who believe in a savior who opens his arms to everyone think he'll draw those same arms shut to keep gay people away. And do not tell me you are 'tolerant' or 'tolerate' gay people. Stop for a moment and think about how condescending and evil that attitude is."
Dixon responded that Christianity has traditionally recognized both the intrinsic dignity of every human person, as well as the sinfulness of homosexual actions that contradict God's plan for human sexuality.
"First, human beings, regardless of their choices in life, are of ultimate value to God and should be viewed the same by others. At the same time, one's personal choices lead to outcomes either positive or negative."
"It is base human nature to revolt and become indignant when the world or even God Himself, disagrees with our choice that violates His divine order," Dixon added.
Miller himself expressed displeasure over Dixon's punishment.
"The university operates in an atmosphere of idea exchange, and while I recognize the institution's desire to distance itself from her, this is a basic free speech issue and I am disappointed she has been punished for expressing her views."
In a subsequent Toledo Free Press column, UT President Lloyd Jacobs wrote that Dixon's views "do not accord with the values of the University of Toledo."
Jacobs wrote his column to "repudiate much of her [Dixon's] writing." He went on to cite his support, on behalf of UT, for two pieces of legislation developed to "extend to domestic partners a number of rights and privileges."
The president also noted his support for a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning group on campus.
A media spokesman for the president told LifeSiteNews.com that Dixon will remain on paid leave of absence until further notice.
Dixon was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
Contact President Jacobs:
President Dr. Lloyd A. Jacobs
University Hall
Room 3500
Phone: 419.530.2211
Fax: 419.530.4984
UTPresident@utoledo.edu
The land of the almost free to speak up (cont'd)-
Wed, May. 07, 2008
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
You won't know Anna from Estonia. She is a friend's fiancé, and these insights were not part of some think tank paper but, rather, came in the ebb and flow of table talk one recent night at a Mexican restaurant. Still, I think Anna is onto something.
Americans, she said, love to trumpet their freedom. But it's hard to square that with political correctness that straitjackets communication for fear of giving unintended offense, hair-trigger litigiousness that requires major corporations to treat customers (''Caution: Coffee is hot'') like idiots for fear of being sued, zero tolerance policies and mandatory sentencing guidelines that remove human judgment from human encounters for fear of rendering unequal justice.
You do not have to agree that Americans compare unfavorably with the dull and dispirited Party men and women of a generation ago -- I don't -- to believe Anna has a point. A nation of iconoclasts and originals seems hellbent on becoming a nation of hall monitors. A nation born in revolution has lived to see revolution neutered and co-opted. So much so that even that which poses as a threat to the status quo (hip-hop, for example) nowadays has commercial sponsorship and corporate tie-ins.
It's hard to imagine an Elvis Presley happening in such an era. Or a Malcolm X, a Miles Davis, a Marlon Brando, a Bob Dylan, a Walt Disney, a Betty Friedan or any of the other American originals who poleaxed the 20th century. After all, originality is anathema to uniformity and, make no mistake, uniformity is what we're talking about here, the campaign to regulate language, law, culture and every other aspect of human intercourse in the hope of thereby removing from that intercourse every hint of risk or danger of unequal treatment.
To put it another way: You can hardly accuse the cashier of being rude to you because of your sexual orientation if the cashier is a keypad; you can hardly sue the maker of the vending machine you rocked until it fell over on you if it bears a sign that says rocking this machine will cause it to fall over on you; you can hardly say the judge gave you a harsh sentence because you're
(Continued)- Education Minister's Coming Guidelines May Ban Students from Wearing Crucifixes in Northern Ireland-
BELFAST, May 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Education Minister Caitriona Ruane, a member of the Sinn Fein Party, is importing school uniform policies from London which led to schools being able to ban students from wearing crucifixes and Sikh religious bangles.
Gregory Carlin, a pro-faith campaigner in the UK who has fought for the religious rights of students in England to wear crucifixes and religious symbols of other faiths, told LifeSiteNews.com that Ruane's measures would mean the "Anglization of Ulster's schools."
Over the last two years many students in England have been forbidden by principals from wearing crucifixes and similar religious items as infractions of school uniform policies. The schools were empowered to prohibit crucifixes by guidelines issued by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCFS). Concerned about the possibility of similar incidents happening in Northern Ireland, Carlin contacted Minister Ruane to ensure freedom of religion for students.
In response, however, Minister Ruane divulged that she was in fact "currently working on similar guidance" for schools in Northern Ireland, to be issued "before the end of the current school year." Ruane noted in her letter that while schools are asked to give reasonable accommodation to religious requirements, the "freedom to manifest a religion or belief does not mean that an individual has the right to manifest their religion or belief at any time, in any place, or in any particular manner."
Carlin reacted to the statement, saying, "The anti-faith policies being adopted by teachers in England and Wales should be avoided by the profession in Northern Ireland. The DCSF advice which is to be brought over from London by Minister Ruane will probably be applied the same way it is used in England and that means anti-faith measures."
Having helped families in England attempt to exercise freedom of religion Carlin, a native of Northern Ireland, said, "Children in Ulster have an absolute entitlement to manifest their faith in their schools"
"Ulster's parents," he said, "will not tolerate a policy of anti-faith Anglization in our schools by a discredited Sinn Fein politician. I intend to challenge Ms Ruane's decision to adopt the English guidance."
Faith Should Rule Out Candidate, Lesbian Claims-
Sacramento, May 12, 2008 / 10:53 pm (CNA).- A former NBA basketball star who is a mayoral candidate for the city of Sacramento has been denounced by activists for stating his opposition to homosexual marriage. His opposition, they claim, makes him “not ready to lead this city.”
According to the California Catholic Daily, Kevin Johnson, 42, played for 12 seasons in the NBA before returning to Sacramento to start a non-profit agency to renew a rundown neighborhood and to educate underprivileged children. Political observers believe his bid to unseat incumbent Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo could succeed.
Near the end of a forum for mayoral candidates on May 7, each candidate was asked to give a yes or no answer to the question “Do you support gay marriage?” All of the seven candidates except for Johnson answered yes. Johnson said, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.”
A group of homosexual political activists called a press conference the next day to denounce Johnson’s comments.
“It hit me like a brick,” said Gretchen Bender, a member of the county Board of Education and the first openly lesbian candidate ever elected to public office in Sacramento County. “I've been working with Kevin on this issue. But, based on that comment at the forum, I now think he is acting on religious grounds, and he is not ready to lead this city.”
Six other lesbians involved in Sacramento politics were also part of the press conference.
Johnson, a “born-again Christian,” said his position on same-sex marriage is based on his religious beliefs. After the press conference, Johnson issued a statement in which he pledged his support for various other rights for homosexual couples, saying, “I fully support and will defend the present laws of California recognizing the rights and obligations of same-sex couples in civil unions.”
“I also support equal benefits such as insurance and leave for same-sex couples. The issue of marriage is presently before the California Supreme Court, and I will uphold the law as the court makes its decision. I have never tolerated discrimination or harassment of any kind, and will continue to be vigilant in those efforts,” he said.
Sacramento’s mayoral election will be held on June 3.
Christians Could Help PA Pass Marriage Act-- But Will They? May 19, 2008
In a familiar move of 2.9% of the Pennsylvania population out hustling the majority of citizens, gay activists have stopped S.B. 1250 short of passage in the state Senate. The Family Protection Act recently passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, but has since been tabled indefinitely.
Click here to hear an audio update on the legislation from AFA of Pennsylvania, and to help our brothers and sisters in Pennsylvania. Folks, they need our help!
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a Washington, D. C. homosexual lobby group, recently released a study entitled, “Findings from the Hunter College Poll of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals.” The poll says that 2.9% of the U.S. adult population self-identifies as gay, lesbian or bisexual--far short of the 10% makeup often cited by gay groups.
Email Senate President Catherine Baker Knoll and ask her to put S.B. 1250 on the Senate floor for a vote now!
scribed 'Queer Activists' Shut Down SmiSmith College, Northampton, MA - April 29, 2008
Dozens of lesbian students and their supporters--calling themselves 'queer activists'--climbed in a lecture hall at Smith College recently through windows and shut down the speech of a visiting author.
Ryan Sorba, visiting at the request of the Smith College Republican Club, began a speech on his upcoming book, The Born Gay Hoax. The shouting and screaming activists forced an end to the speech before a packed hall in the library on the Northampton campus.
Uniformed police officers and a plainclothes security guard were in the room but mostly just stood and watched. The officers and a university official walked to the podium and ordered Sorba to leave the room “for his own safety.” Dozens of people began running throughout the room screaming “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it” and later: “Hell no, we won’t go.” It quickly became impossible for the speech to continue. Click here to watch the video.
