Who owns
your kids?
Parents ask full 9th Circuit Court to rehear school sex-survey case
Posted: November 30, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

Seven California parents filed a petition with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to set aside its controversial decision declaring they had no right to be "exclusive providers of information about sexual matters."

Ruling on a complaint against a sexually charged student survey, the three-judge panel concluded Nov. 2 parents "have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students."

With the new filing, the parents are requesting that the case be reheard before the full panel of judges.

Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel of Florida-based Liberty Counsel, which represents the parents, said the 9th Circuit's ruling "strips parents of their constitutional rights to protect their children."

"This ruling is an assault on every parent whose child attends public school," he said. "Parents do not cease being parents when their child walks through the schoolhouse gate."

There is no set timetable for the 9th Circuit to rule on the petition, Staver noted.

The petition says that if the Fields v. Palmdale School District ruling stands, the public schools must come with a warning that, with the exception of treason, "the school has absolute authority to teach whatever it decides, no matter how objectionable or inappropriate, to any child, at any age, at any time, in any manner."

Questions in the survey, which was conducted in class, included asking children as young as 7 years old about the frequency of:

    * Touching my private parts too much

    * Thinking about having sex

    * Thinking about touching other people's private parts

    * Thinking about sex when I don't want to

    * Washing myself because I feel dirty on the inside

    * Not trusting people because they might want sex

    * Getting scared or upset when I think about sex

    * Having sex feelings in my body

    * Can't stop thinking about sex

    * Getting upset when people talk about sex

Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote in the the unanimous opinion for the court [pdf file]:

    We agree [with the previous ruling], and hold that there is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children, either independent of their right to direct the upbringing and education of their children or encompassed by it. We also hold that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students.

The controversy began in 2001 when a volunteer "mental health counselor" at Mesquite Elementary School set out to conduct a psychological assessment test of students in the first, third and fifth grades.

A letter to parents asked for their consent to conduct the study but did not indicate that questions of a sexual nature would be asked. The survey included 79 questions divided into four parts. Ten of those questions were of a sexual nature.

According to the court's opinion, the plaintiffs took action after their children participated in the survey and later told their parents about the sexual questions. Seeking damages and injunctive relief, the parents charged the district violated their federal constitutional right to privacy.

 Rabbi: Disengage from State

In new book, Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe says Israel should be replaced with ‘true Kingdom of David,’ calls on followers to refrain from praying for Jewish state’s wellbeing. ‘We are now in exile,’ he says
Efrat Weiss

A prominent Jewish messianist has called for religious Jews to disengage from the State of Israel due to the evacuation of Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip last summer.

 
In a new book entitled "Between Light and Darkness," Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe, a leader of the Chabad Chassidic sect that believes its chief rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the messiah, says religious Jews should view the secular government as an "administrative body, like the British government who controlled Israel before the country’s establishment.

 
Wolpe also says, "The religious Zionist public should prove that the State is unholy, and cannot serve as a means for achieving salvation. It must not pray for the country's wellbeing. We are now in exile and are waiting for the kingdom of the house of David."

 
Wolpe's call represents a sharp change from traditional Chabad-Lubavich thinking and match similar calls by some segments of the national-religious community to disengage from the State in reaction to the Gaza disengagement. While Chabad, like most ultra-orthodox groups, has always been reticent about secular Zionism, group members serve in the army and have rejected insular approach of other orthodox groups in favor of engaging the secular world in order to encourage Jews to observe the mitzvoth, or commandments

 

Sharon a 'false Messiah'

 
The cover of "Between Light and Darkness" carries a picture of the lit Temple's Menorah, and underneath it a darkened picture of the Knesset's building.

 
In the book itself, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is referred to as a "false Messiah" and as Haman, the historic nemesis of the Jewish people.

 
The bulk of the book is dedicated to the disengagement plan and to the uncertainties it spurred within the religious Zionist public.

 
"So many prayers were said from the bottom of the heart in the last year, in a bid to prevent the eviction and destruction," Wolpe writes. "The heart must wonder, why did God do this to this land? How is it possible that such a wicked man like the prime minister was able to jump over so many political hurdles, until he achieved his goal, the crime of the withdrawal" he asks, and answers:

 
"It is we that gave him the power. We determined that him, his state and his government are the beginning of our salvation. We blessed him before an open bible every Saturday. With such powers, it is no wonder that the false messiah storms forward without stopping, while taking his devotees and the rest of the Israeli people down to the abyss with him."

 
‘Replace Israel with true Kingdom of David’

 
According to Wolpe, the pullout was a sign from God that there is no relation between the existence of the democratic state and salvation, and that the religious public should therefore cease to believe in the holiness of the State and its institutions.

 
Referring to the religious Zionist teens who forcefully attempted to prevent the disengagement, Wolpe writes that "the Orange youth prays only for one thing: That the current rule, which is called 'the State of Israel' is abolished and replaced with the true Kingdom of David."

 
In the post-pullout period, Wolpe's ideas are not a rare sight among the rightist public. In a conference held in Jerusalem a few days ago, the participants wholeheartedly supported the principles expressed in the book, and thousands danced to the words of the song, "we do not believe in the rule of the heretics, and disregard their laws."

 

Hi Praise1,

Welcome to Christians Unite. I am one of those other grandparents that Brother Tom mentioned. I have three grandchildren now with a set of twins on the way.

I look forward to seeing more of your posts also.

I understand what you mean about not much money to spend, however if each and every Christian did the same thing it would amount to a whole lot. There is an organization in my area that puts out a book, advertising of sorts, that lists all the Christian owned businesses. It helps a lot when trying to decide on where to go shopping.

All of my family already has at least one book shelf loaded with study Bibles so I am trying to come up with something else along the same line instead. I do like your ideas though. If more people would do these things it wouldn't take long to get our message across.

[Jesus is the reason for every season!]

Amen Brother Tom,

Jesus is the reason for every season!

Hi Joey,

Yes I have it downloaded and installed. So far the only extension that is not working is "Smiley Xtra". I tried to download an upgrade for it that claimed to be compatible but it kept coming up not compatible. I am going to wait a few days and see if another upgrade will be available for it. Sometimes it takes awhile for the extensions to be upgraded correctly.

Everything else is working just great.

It's away with the manger

Novi subdivision tells family to get baby Jesus off lawn; homeowners say Christ belongs in Christmas.

Jennifer Chambers and Brad Heath / The Detroit News

NOVI -- The multicolored nativity scene on the Samona family's front yard is under attack.

The Samonas' neighborhood association has ordered the Novi family to remove its seven-piece plastic display or face possible fines of $25 to $100 per week.

The family isn't budging and neither are its three wise men. The Samonas have vowed not only to keep the display, but also are threatening to enhance it."If you take this out, it's not Christmas anymore," said Joe Samona, 16, as he reached down and scooped baby Jesus from the creche on his parents' front lawn.

A letter sent by the association to the Samonas has brought to their front yard the nation's latest skirmish over just how and where the Christianity of Christmas should be on display.

Already this year, religious groups have taken aim at retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Target for replacing Christmas with fuzzier "holiday" greetings, to say nothing of the annual battles over local governments building nativity scenes in the public square.

The dispute also reinvigorates the issue of what rights homeowners have to wear their beliefs on their front yards. When homeowners join neighborhood or condominium associations, Michigan courts have said they must abide by the rules the group sets. Early this year, for example, a judge said a Macomb Township veteran could not fly a Marine Corps flag from the front of his condominium because having it there violated association rules.

Last week, Joe's parents, Betty and Frank Samona, received a notice from the community association that sets regulations in their upscale Tollgate Woods subdivision. It said the family may be violating rules that prohibit lawn ornaments, statues or outdoor art from being placed on the lot without prior approval of the board of directors.

Then it simply says: "Please remove the nativity scene display from your front yard."

Joe, an outspoken high school student, said the family takes great pride in the holiday decorations it pulls out of the basement every year, which also include a Santa and Mrs. Claus and Minnie Mouse and Winnie the Pooh outfitted in red for the holidays.

It's not uncommon for people to stop and take photographs of the nearly two dozen figurines displayed across the hilly front yard among the landscaping and brick paver walkway.

"Please remove your nativity scene? That's the part that disturbs us. We have the lion (statue) and the Santa and Mrs. Claus and they specifically point out the nativity scene? That's ridiculous. We refuse to take it down," he said.

Association sends letter

Dean Williams, the community association manager and author of the letter, said according to association rules in place since 2000 and signed by the Samonas when they bought the home in 2002, homeowners must request permission to place statues or lawn ornaments outside their home. The Samonas say they never signed any such document.

Asked why the letter specified that only the nativity scene be removed when several other objects stand on the lawn, Williams said the complainant -- another neighbor in Tollgate Woods -- complained only about the nativity scene.

"As a management firm, we do not go out and police. The community will decide what will be allowed and won't be," Williams said. "It's a community decision. It's not a management decision."

Williams would not reveal the identity of the complaining homeowner but read a portion of the complaint: "Although I'm not offended by it, I take issue about advertising personal beliefs and interests by putting them on display whatever the belief or interest may be."

Although the letter says fines of $25 to $100 will be imposed if the Samonas do not correct the alleged violation, Williams said he will not be fining the family unless the management company receives a second complaint. The Samona family members said they have consulted with a lawyer, but decline to say whether they would appeal to the homeowner association. If they did, the appeal would be reviewed by the association board of directors, which includes only representatives from the developers and the management company, but no homeowners. If the Samonas were to be fined, and they refused to pay, a lien could be placed against their property.

Retailers defend practices

The Novi debate is a new battleground in what already has been a contentious year for purveyors of holiday trees and season's greetings.

One Christian group, the American Family Association, launched a Thanksgiving-weekend boycott of Target because it said the chain had banished the word "Christmas" from its advertising and store displays. Now it's drawing up a naughty-and-nice list of retailers and their policies on mentioning Christmas to customers.

"We'll let the American people decide for themselves whether they want to support someone who sells holiday trees," said Randy Sharp, special projects director for the group. He said about 385,000 people signed up for the online boycott.

"It's part of a big picture to de-Christianize America and secularize it as much as possible," Sharp said. "People are more aware that the retail industry is trying to do away with Christmas. If they were trying to make their customers happy, they'd use the word 'Christmas.' I think that's pretty obvious."

Target insists it's doing no such thing. A spokeswoman, Carolyn Brookster, said the chain has no policy barring employees from saying "Merry Christmas" to anyone. "We have a holiday theme and that's what we look at. We have different themes from year to year. We don't want to push public policy; that's not what our job should be."

Wal-Mart landed in the crosshairs of a similar complaint this year. A Roman Catholic group announced a boycott because it said the chain's Web site treated Christmas differently from Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and because an employee's e-mail to a customer called Christmas a mix of world religions. Wal-Mart changed its Web site and apologized for the e-mail, and the boycott was quickly called off.

"It seems, in the past few years, people have noticed how much Christmas has become so secular and they're reacting to that, and we're seeing more and more people making a point to ask that stores mention Christmas," said Kiera McCaffrey, a spokeswoman for the Catholic League.

Nativity scenes a hot topic

Controversies have raged for years over nativity scenes on courthouse lawns and in city parks, and schools have debated how much of the holiday's spiritual message to present to their students.

This year, the American Family Association sent pamphlets to county officials around the country explaining their rights to erect nativity scenes on public land.

"Some people might suggest we're in the midst of a religious revival of sorts, so it's not surprising that some groups would find the public celebration of Christmas to be inappropriate, and not in keeping with tradition," said Sam Thomas, a Michigan State University history professor. "But that's a tough argument to make because traditions are always changing."

Display is family tradition

Every year for the last three years, Betty Samona set up the display the week before Thanksgiving outside her home near Meadowbrook and 12 Mile roads.

She said the display is important to her because it symbolizes what Christmas is about and it's a tradition for her Christian-Iraqi family.

"I cried when I heard what they wanted me to do," Betty said. "How I am going to take out Jesus, Joseph and Mary?" she said, near tears.

"I feel like putting out more things."

Family members say they have received nothing but praise and support from neighbors they know and from strangers who pass by and encourage them to keep the display. On Monday, a neighbor drove by the display and expressed her support for the creche.

Sheryl Walsh, community relations manager for Novi, said the city does not have a local ordinance against holiday decorations and has not received a complaint about a homeowner's nativity scene display in the last decade.

"We are a multicultural community and we afford everyone the opportunity to celebrate the holidays," Walsh said.

Chain dumps 'holiday' reference
after WND report, complaints
Posted: November 29, 2005
1:00 p.m. Eastern

One day after a WorldNetDaily story brought national exposure, the home-improvement retailer Lowe's dropped references to "Holiday Trees" in favor of "Christmas Trees" only.

As WND reported, a Lowe's store in Austin, Texas, featured a banner that referred in English to "Holiday Trees" but in Spanish said "Christmas Trees."

The American Family Association says its supporters contacted Lowe's to express their displeasure.

The company responded in a statement: "To ensure consistency of our message and to avoid confusion among our customers, we are now referring to the trees only as 'Christmas Trees.' We have also removed a banner that read 'Holiday Trees' from the front of our stores."

 Lowe's, in fact, issued a press release Nov. 8 touting its selection of "Christmas trees," but in its stores, it took a different tack.

AFA President Tim Wildmon said companies that choose to abandon the national observance of Christmas are finding Americans are not afraid to speak out with their pocketbooks.

"It's good to know Lowe's is a company that listens to their customers, a rarity in today's politically correct retail marketplace," he said.

Wildmon added, "Since they can't take Christ out of Christmas, many national retailers are trying to simply do away with Christmas."

The list, he said, includes Kmart, Sears, Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Office Max, Walgreens, Staples, J.C. Penney, Dell and Best Buy.

After a series of reports by WND, however, Wal-Mart officials satisfied demands by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which had called for a national boycott after accusing the retail giant of discriminating against Christmas while promoting other seasonal holidays by name, such as Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.

More than 425,000 people have signed AFA's petition to stop bans on the use of "Christmas." The petition is being sent to retailers, although Wildmon acknowledged it may not have an impact until next Christmas season.

"Last year we called for a boycott of Federated Stores because they banned 'Merry Christmas,' and this year they are using 'Merry Christmas,'" Wildmon pointed out.

I HEAR THE CLOCK TICKING by Irvin L. Rozier


The silence of the house was interrupted by a sound
The clock loudly ticked as the second hand moved around
Time was slipping away, minute by minute, day by day
I could do nothing to keep time at bay

Where did those 18,980 days of my 52 years go
I started searching high and low
After many days seeking, I concluded at last
Those days, weeks, months and years were in my past

How many more days do I have to live
It is in God's hands, my breath He does give
The past is behind me, tomorrow I may not see
My future is in Jesus' hands, He holds the key

In heaven there will be no sound of the clock
Jesus holds the key, this door He'll unlock
Trust in Him who holds time in His hand
The hourglass of old will have no sand

My future is certain, this I believe
He offered me a gift, and I did receive
Eternal salvation that didn't cost a dime
Now I no longer worry about the passage of time.

Hi Mills,

Welcome to the forum. I look forward to hearing more from you especially of your mission.

Hi storm777,

Welcome to the forum.

I agree with you on your statement in regards to the Freemasons, however I must disagree with your comment of staying out of politics. A politician is in fact a leader and God appointed many Godly men to be leaders. King David was anointed as King by God and he was far from evil.

We all have a place in this world as set forth by God. Some Pastors, some Deacons, some Janitors, some Doctors......

God can use us in any capacity as He so chooses.

  Close For Comfort

By: Mandie Ross


“…there’s one who sticks closer than a brother.”  Proverbs 18:24

There are the fights in the morning over who gets the bathroom first and for how long. And that starts arguments with parents about how it is so imperative to add more bathrooms to the house. Then there are the arguments over why the last person to drive the car didn’t fill up the gas tank. And to add insult to injury, the one who complains is the one who didn’t get to use the car last even though they’d already made plans. Then there are the complaints about how one sibling absolutely does not like the other’s friends. There’s name calling, and in some cases, hair pulling and fist fights. Some brother’s and sisters stop talking into adulthood for reasons they’ve forgotten. Good old sibling rivalry.

My brother and I have pretty much always gotten along well. We used to get into trouble together, pouring whatever liquid we could find in the garage, into the sandbox. And the first time we got grounded, we were grounded together for playing with matches in our bedroom. We were 5 and 6 at the time. We both hung out at the neighbor boy’s house together when most brothers would tell their sisters to bug off when it comes to hangin’ out with the boys. Not my brother. He even took off his jacket and handed it to me once when I felt car sick…just in case. But then…we got to junior high.

My parents told my brother to walk me home from school because some of the girls were ruthless to me. They kicked me in the shins, knocked things out of my hands and threw whatever it was across the floor, and followed me into the bathroom once to have a 3 to 1 fight. My brother’s response to walking me home…”walk 10 feet in front of or behind me. I don’t want anyone to think you’re my girlfriend.” What happened to my partner in crime? Even I change within myself from one moment to the next and I lose my bond with me. But there’s one who sticks closer—even closer than I stick to me.

He’s there to comfort us when we’re down. He knows what it’s like. He never thinks more of Himself than He does His brothers or sisters. There’s no one like Him. He never changes. He’s the only one who can give us strength during times of weakness, and boldness when there’s no one to stick up for someone-- or when we just need to say or do the right thing. He teaches us compassion, forgiveness, self-control, integrity…He’s the jack-of-all-trades. But most of all He’s the one who shows us real love. He’s closer than you can imagine…and He promises never to leave.

Preparing the Way

A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain." Isaiah 40:3-4 (NIV) Also, Mark 1:2-3

Does your family have any travel plans during the Christmas holidays? Do any of you ever go to visit out-of-town family or friends? We did when I was a little boy.

Some of my fondest childhood memories of the Christmas holidays were times when we went to visit my grandmother. I don't know how many times we made that trip to my grandmother's house, but there was always some part of the highway that was being repaired. There were signs that said, "Slow Down -- Construction Ahead" and we would see road graders, gravel trucks, and a lot of men working on the highway. I always thought to myself, "What a nice highway this will be when it us finished it and there is no more construction." That was many years ago and I still travel that highway from time to time. Guess what? They are still working on it! You see, by the time they finish working on one part of the highway, there is another place that needs to be repaired! Even some part they have repaired before may need to be repaired again. They will never finish working on it.

The childhood memory of those holiday trips to grandmother's house reminds me of the story of the first Christmas. The Bible tells us that God sent a man named John to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. John told the people to make a highway in the desert for their God. He told them to make the crooked ways straight and to make the rough places smooth. John wasn't really talking about building a highway upon which Jesus could travel. He was really talking about the hearts of the people. He was calling people to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus so that he could walk among them and live with them.

During this special season of the year when we celebrate Jesus' birth and look forward to the day when he will come again, you and I need to make sure that we are ready. We need to look into our hearts and ask God to make our crooked ways straight and smooth out the rough places. Oh, I know, we have done it before, but it is just like that highway to grandmother's house, the job is never finished. Every day we do things that we shouldn't do and we need to ask God to forgive us and to make our hearts clean.

Dear Father, prepare our hearts for Jesus' return. Make our crooked ways straight and our rough places smooth. Amen.

By Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service

The new version of Firefox will be available for download later today.

After a host of test releases and one false start, version 1.5 of the open-source browser will be ready this afternoon US pacific standard time - evening UK time.

A release outlining its new features, as well as some additional news from the Mozilla Foundation, will be issued tomorrow. The browser will be available for free at www.getfirefox.com and www.mozilla.com.

The browser will include an improved updating system, faster navigation using the "Back" and "Forward" tabs, and a redesigned Options/Preferences window that increases the number of category icons and moves them from the left side of the window to the top.

Firefox 1.5 also adds support for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), JavaScript 1.6 and new versions of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).

The update includes better pop-up blocking and a host of security improvements, plus the addition of Answers.com to Firefox's list of search engines and a Clear Private Data function that allows users to quickly remove personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut.

Tropical Storm Epsilon Forms in Atlantic


Tuesday November 29, 2005 3:31 PM

MIAMI (AP) - Tropical Storm Epsilon formed Tuesday in the central Atlantic, where it was a threat only to shipping, forecasters said.

The 26th named storm of the busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record was expected to be absorbed by other weather systems and shouldn't affect land, said Jennifer Pralgo, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

At 10 a.m. EST, Epsilon had top sustained wind of about 45 mph. It was centered about 845 miles east of Bermuda and about 1,395 miles west of the Azores Islands. It was moving west near 8 mph and was expected to continue that movement for at least 24 hours.

The six-month Atlantic hurricane season ends Wednesday, but forecasters warn that tropical storms and hurricanes can develop in December.