Christian News from Christians Unite.

[Shammu]

Idaho Resident: Remove Sexually Graphic Books from Children's View

by Jim Brown
May 22, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Parents in an Idaho city want their local public library to remove from the shelves several books containing graphic images of heterosexual and homosexual sex and place them out of the eyesight of children.

At question are nine books in the non-fiction section of the Nampa Public Library, including titles such as The New Joy of Sex, The Joy of Sex Toys, and The Joy of Gay Sex. Nampa resident Randy Jackson filled out a complaint form at the library and even addressed the library's board of directors in January, but the board said the books would remain so that the needs of the whole community would be represented.

Jackson, who recently brought his concerns before the Nampa City Council, says parents are especially horrified with the book The Joy of Gay Sex.

"There's a chapter entitled 'Daddy-Son Sexual Fantasies' where it talks about two people having sex while pretending that they're father and son," the local resident explains. Another chapter in the book that he finds disturbing teaches teens how to surf the internet for homosexual sex -- and then cover their tracks.

"They have a chapter entitled 'Teenagers,'" he continues. "It explains to teenagers how they can go into online chat rooms on the Internet and how to meet people for sex in online chat rooms. It encourages them to learn to [delete] their web browser history so their parents won't be able to find out where they've been to on the Internet."

Jackson says the presence of the sexually explicit books is even more troubling given the recent rash of child enticement cases in the western Idaho community. He adds that a city council member plans to meet with the library board in June in hopes of resolving the issue of the books' accessibility to children.

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[Shammu]

More Connecticut Homeowners Fighting City for Their Property

by Allie Martin
May 22, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Property owners in one Connecticut neighborhood face a showdown with city officials who want to evict the homeowners to make room for a commercial development.

It was nearly one year ago when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark Kelo v. City of New London, which gave municipalities the right to use eminent domain for economic development. Today (May 22) property owners in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London will hold a news conference to thank Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell for her support of homeowners.

Scott Bullock is senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which is mounting the legal appeals for property owners. He says Fort Trumbull homeowners should be honored, not evicted.

    
Scott Bullock
"This isn't a situation where they're trying to shut down all development. They simply want to hold onto their homes," Bullock says. "And they should not lose those homes just because the government thinks a new owner could create more taxes or try to improve the economy. That's not a legitimate use of eminent domain."

The city has given property owners a deadline of May 31 to accept offers from the city to sell their homes, or the city will forcibly evict them and impose hefty fines.

"We'd like to see this issue -- and I think everybody would like to see this issue in New London -- put to bed," the attorney states. "It's been a long, long, hard-fought battle, but these people are willing to hang in there and to fight for their homes. We hope to accomplish that without having to resort to other legal means. We're looking at those options, which would just create more controversy and drag this process out further."

Bullock was co-counsel in and argued the Kelo case, and has worked with property owners in scores of other cities throughout the country challenging private-to-private transfers of property. He contends New London does not need the Fort Trumbull property for the proposed development projects.

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[Shammu]

Group Urges Boycott to Make McDonald's Screen-Out Sex Offenders

by Ed Thomas
May 22, 2006

(AgapePress) - - According to a recent media report, in the four states that identify employers on their sex-offender registries, some 42 offender names were listed as working for McDonald's. The news, along with documented incidents of employees being arrested for new sex-related crimes, has brought criticism from an organization that works to prevent child abuse.

The investigative report was done by Nashville's TV NewsChannel 5 and revealed a company employment policy that rules out hiring registered sex offenders at company-owned stores but leaves franchisee-owned stores free to set their own policies. However, a statement from the company notes that criminal background checks on those hired are not guaranteed even at corporate locations. (See earlier article)

Jody Gorran, founder of the National Foundation to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, finds this unacceptable from a business that markets itself as child-friendly. There is no excuse for such a negligent policy, he contends, especially since computerized criminal background checks are available through commercial databases and from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Gorran feels the McDonald's officials should be held accountable and compelled to change their employment policy to require criminal background checks. "By hiring convicted sex offenders to work in their restaurants, they're putting not only fellow young employees at risk but also children from the public at risk," he says.

The National Foundation founder maintains several websites that teach individuals how to get both fingerprint checks and criminal background checks on prospective employees. However, he notes, dozens of the McDonald's staff members found to have sex crime backgrounds were even listed on Internet sex offender registries in their states.

It is ridiculous, Gorran contends, that fast-food giant's employment practices have allowed convicted sexual predators and child predators to be hired at its franchises across the United States. "I've never heard of anything like that," he says. "It's totally absurd. It's beyond the pale."

The fact that the popular restaurant chain "can have standards for making their hamburgers and making their fries but not have standards for their franchisees in terms of who they hire to work in their restaurants is outrageous," Gorran says.

A response statement from McDonald's notes that the safety and well-being of customers and employees is a top priority with the company and that the allegations are being investigated. Meanwhile, the National Foundation to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse is calling on parents and families to boycott McDonald's until the corporation requires its franchises to do background checks on all employees.

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[Shammu]

Human Rights Group Questions Indonesia's Motives for Arresting Muslims

by Allie Martin
May 22, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The director of a human rights group says the recent arrest of seven Muslims in connection with last year's beheading of three Christian schoolgirls could be a political move by Indonesian officials.

The seven men are accused of taking part in the attack on four teenage girls as they walked to a Christian school in the community of central Sulawesi. Three of the girls were beheaded, but a fourth survived and was able to identify her attackers. Police believe some of the suspects were also involved in the July 2004 murder of a Christian pastor.

Ann Buwalda is director of the Jubilee Campaign, which monitors human rights abuses throughout the world. She believes the arrests of the Muslim suspects could be an effort by Indonesian government officials to divert attention from three Christian men who are currently facing the death penalty for acting in self-defense during riots between Christians and Muslims six years ago.

The Christian men are charged with having been ringleaders and stirring up the conflict, Buwalda notes. However, she says the conflict has much deeper roots.

"These men were involved in defending their homes and their churches from Laskar Jihad militants who were rampaging and burning them down," the Jubilee Campaign spokeswoman explains. "Many in the Christian community view these men as peacekeepers, as those who are trying to keep their community from attack by the Laskar Jihad."

According to the Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC, Laskar Jihad is an Indonesian militant group that has received attention in past years for its unrelenting attacks against Christians on the islands of Moluccas and Sulawesi. More recently, the radical Muslim organization has been under scrutiny for its possible connections with other international terrorist groups, including al Qaeda.

A number of Indonesian human rights groups have taken up the cause of the three Christian men -- Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Dasilva and Marinus Riwu -- who have been denied clemency by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The three prisoners maintain their innocence and claim that their convictions resulted from irregularities during their trial.

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[Shammu]

Hope Rwanda Brings Message of Healing to Scarred African Nation

by Allie Martin
May 22, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The anniversary of a tragic and a deadly event in Rwanda has become an occasion to share God's Word and bring healing and hope to the still-scarred African nation.

The Florida-based ministry Book of Hope is in its third week of its scripture distribution project in Africa, an initiative called "Hope Rwanda: 100 Days of Hope." Through this campaign, volunteers from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, and other countries are handing out more than two million copies of scripture to each child in Rwanda.

Rob Hoskins is helping to coordinate the campaign. He says Hope Rwanda is being held during the twelfth anniversary of the 1994 genocide in that country, a 100-day period of bloodshed in which more than one million men, women, and children were killed by extremist militia groups.

Participants in the international effort are trying to make a difference in the violence-devastated country "by working with the Rwandan government with an understanding that many people are still living with the pain and the scars of what took place 12 years ago," Hoskins says. He notes that many Rwandans still live in a state of hopelessness and despair.

"Rwanda is a country, like most of Sub-Saharan Africa, that is suffering from poverty, suffering from famine," the Book of Hope Ministry spokesman says. "Economic situations are fairly hopeless and unemployment is at nearly 50 percent," he adds. "And then, of course, there is the scourge of HIV/AIDS, which is affecting the country of Rwanda as well."

The Book of Hope is a scripture book that combines the stories and messages of the four gospels, told in chronological order. It has been distributed to school children in their own language in more than 125 countries around the world, each time at the government's request.

Hoskins notes that the Book of Hope ministry is hoping to dispel some of the despair left in the wake of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda by sharing God's Word. "So the initiative is to really try and bring hope, through the message of Jesus, to the entire nation," he says.

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[Shammu]

Liberal Clergy's Opposition to Marriage Amendment No Surprise, Say Conservatives

by Bill Fancher
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Clergy opposed to a constitutional ban on same-sex "marriage" say religious conservatives who support the proposed federal marriage amendment are bigots. But those conservatives don't appear to be overly concerned about the left-leaning clergy's lobbying efforts to derail the proposed constitutional amendment.

Several dozen Christian and Jewish leaders held a news conference on Capitol Hill, where they are lobbying senators to reject the amendment when it comes up for a vote about two weeks from now. Involved in that coalition were United Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, United Church of Christ, Reformed Jews, and others.

The proposed amendment that protects marriage as defined in the Bible, as the union of a man and a woman, is supported by Roman Catholic bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention. But Rev. Paul Simmons, a Baptist minister and University of Louisville professor, said the amendment "has the smell and feel of Salem," comparing its supporters to the colonial Puritans who burned witches.

Simmons says he and many other clergy oppose a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. "There is a broad and profound opposition to the proposed amendment among religious people," he noted. "The thunder of the Religious Right should be resisted as misguided and prejudicial."

And Rev. Kenneth Samuel, a United Church of Christ pastor and NAACP chapter president in Georgia, said black pastors who oppose homosexual marriage have turned their backs on civil rights. "A lot of what goes on is also tied on to the faith-based initiative money," Pastor Samuel said, "and I am sorry to say that many of our African-American clergy have been bought out."

Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families is not concerned about the coalition of religious leaders who are lobbying against the marriage amendment. "I believe they're way out of step with church-going Americans who, every study shows, overwhelmingly support keeping marriage as the union of one man and one woman," he says. Every state that has considered a marriage amendment to its constitution has seen decisive majorities of voters -- as high as 70 and 80 percent -- approve the measure.

And Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council says he is not surprised to see these groups and other liberal denominations speaking out against defining marriage as it is taught in the Bible. "This is completely predictable for this bunch," says Schenck. "Every time anyone anywhere asserts traditional moral values or traditional biblical positions on anything -- and most especially marriage and human sexuality -- you can predict that this same group will parade out and oppose it."

Schenck says these groups are not only on the wrong side of Christian doctrine and the wrong side of what he calls "the moral divide," but also on the wrong side of history. He believes that is why such groups are losing members. "While it's lamentable, while it's predictable, in the end it only makes them even more irrelevant than they are," he states.

Effect of Legalized 'Gay Marriage' on Traditionalists
Meanwhile, the president of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty says churches and Christian schools that oppose same-sex marriage will face government pressure if it is legalized. Anthony Picarello says they could be barred from firing employees with same-sex spouses, forced to give them marital benefits, or lose charitable and property tax exemptions if they refuse.

Picarello and other legal experts took part in a recent panel discussion at the Heritage Foundation. Maggie Gallagher, a columnist who heads the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, offered grim predictions about people and churches who oppose same-sex unions, should they be legalized.

"Once a court goes to rule gay marriage is a civil right, people who have an older, conjugal vision of marriage as inherently the union of husband and wife are going to be treated like racists in the public square," she offered.

And as for churches that believe homosexual marriage is immoral? "The temptation will be ... [to] simply mute your marriage theology," said Gallagher, opining that many people will find it hard to resist that temptation. "If you are just quieter about it ... as long as you're not too loud about this and keep your nose clean, you'll stay out of trouble."

She believes recent events have shown why a federal marriage amendment is needed. "Leaving it to the states right now is leaving it to state judges, not to the people in states," she noted. "We've already had judges in two states overturn state marriage amendments that were passed by more than 70 percent of the people."

In essence, said Gallagher, unless the U.S. Constitution is amended to protect traditional marriage, judges will probably force states to legalize homosexual marriage.

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[Shammu]

Schenck: U.S. Must Stand Ready to Oppose Human Rights Abuses in Iran

by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A Christian activist says believers must urge the United States government to take action against Iran if that country passes a law requiring Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities to wear identifying badges.

According to a United Press International report and other media sources, Iranian expatriates say Iran's parliament, or majlis, has approved a law requiring, among other things, that the roughly 25,000 Jews living in the Islamic Republic of Iran must wear a yellow strip of cloth attached to their clothing, while Christians would have to wear red badges, and Zoroastrians, blue badges. However, according to more recent reports several experts are casting doubt on the assertion that Iran has actually passed such a law.

Chris Wattie, a writer with Canada's National Post, followed up an earlier report about the law's passage with an update, noting that the Iranian Embassy in Ottowa has denied that the measure was approved. Also, the reporter notes, Sam Kermanian of the U.S.-based Iranian-American Jewish Federation, said in an interview that he had contacted members of the Jewish community in Iran -- including the sole Jewish member of the Iranian parliament -- and they all denied any such law was in place.

Kermanian did say, however, that the subject of "what to do with religious minorities" came up during debates leading up to the passing of a national uniform or dress code law, and it is possible that "some ideas might have been thrown around." However, the Federation spokesman added that, to the best of his knowledge, the final version of the law required no identifying marks by the religious minority groups. Nevertheless, Kermanian pointed out that Jews in Iran do face widespread, systematic discrimination. For example, he noted that if Jews want to sell food, they have to identify themselves and their shops as non-Muslim.

Wattie also reports that Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, admitted he did not have independent confirmation of the passage of a law requiring Jews to wear badges, but said he still believes it was passed. Hier said it is known that a national uniform law was passed and that certain colors were selected for Jews and other minorities, but he added, "If the Iranian government is going to pass such a law then they are not likely to be forthcoming about what they are doing."

An Idea Whose Time Should Never Come Again
Although the facts from early reports regarding the Iranian dress code law now appear inconclusive, the story has nevertheless sparked outrage and concern across the international community. The very idea that the Iranian parliament had approved legislation mandating that non-Muslims wear color-coded identifiers prompted some commentators to start drawing comparisons between Iran and the Third Reich.

Pastor Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council (NCC), was among those outraged by the news of the ID badge law. "It is an offense against everything human," he remarked. "It sets up Iran for the same horrors that Nazi Germany produced 60 and 70 years ago."

The United States cannot afford to stand by and let history repeat itself, Schenck asserts. If Iran should ever attempt to pass a dress code law that forces non-Muslims to wear ID badges, he feels the church in America should be among the first to oppose it. "It is critical that Christians speak out loudly and immediately to denounce [such a] measure," he says.

If Christians do not speak out in the face of religious persecution and human rights abuses, the NCC spokesman says the world may well see a repeat of some of the most abhorrent episodes in human history. "During the 1930s, Christians were silenced. They were reluctant to act," he says.

"The United States was slow to respond, and in fact, in a couple of instances, turned people away who were seeking to flee from precisely this kind of persecution," Schenck continues. "That cannot happen again."

The U.S. clergy leader feels a law that would force Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslims to wear identifying markers obviously sets these religious minorities up for discrimination, persecution, or worse. If Iran takes steps in that direction, he says, the U.S. should act rather than turn a blind eye as some people in the U.S., even believers, did to Hitler's oppressive regime.

Americans are "wiser people now" and can no longer justify that kind of inaction, Schenck asserts. "We know the kinds of horrors that can happen in the world, that have happened in the east and in the west. We're no longer naïve," he says. "We can't use that as an excuse."

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[Shammu]

Prof Faces Criminal Charges After Urging Vandalism of Pro-Life Display

by Jim Brown
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A judge says charges may be dropped against six Northern Kentucky University (NKU) students who destroyed a pro-life display on campus if they complete a community service program. However, a tenured feminist professor who encouraged the act of vandalism was not offered the same deal.

The students involved in the destruction of property have been charged along with NKU Professor Sally Jacobsen with "criminal mischief" and "theft by unlawful taking" for their role in trashing a display of 400 white crosses, put up in front of the University Center plaza by a student group called Northern Right to Life. The display, titled "Cemetery of Innocents," was designed to call attention to the unborn victims of abortion.

The 400 crosses from the pro-life exhibit, which had been erected with permission from university officials, were removed by the vandals, gathered up, and thrown in trash cans around the plaza. Also, Northern Right to Life's sign bearing the title of the display had been removed and members of the group were unable to find it.

Jacobsen, who has been charged with criminal solicitation, admits to having "invited" her students to participate in destroying the "Cemetery of Innocents," although she has withheld comment regarding her physical involvement in the act of removing the crosses. However, a number of websites and "blogs" have posted images in which the professor appears to be gathering up crosses removed from the pro-life display.

District Judge Karen Thomas says charges against the students involved in the vandalism incident would be dropped if they completed a diversion program. However, Assistant Campbell County Attorney Rick Woeste would not offer Jacobsen a similar plea deal.

"Everybody's entitled to their views on issues, no matter what they are," Woeste notes. "The right-to-life group did that correctly. They went [to school officials], as I understand it, got a permit and put up a display to present their point of view," he says. The teacher in this instance and the students who followed her lead "wanted to let their views be known," the County Attorney points out, "but they did it in a totally inappropriate, criminal manner."

Jacobsen was not given the diversion program option, Woeste explains, because "a distinction was drawn between the students and the person in charge of the students." Officials felt the professor used her authority to intimidate the NKU students into believing they would not be engaging in an unlawful act by destroying the pro-life display.

"We don't live in a country where we're allowed to destroy someone else's property or vandalize someone's else's property when we disagree with what they're saying," Woeste says. "If that were the case, we could never have political signs," he asserts. "The opposition would always destroy each other's signs, and there would be a total intolerance for other folks' views."

Charges against Jacobsen and the students who helped to dismantle the "Cemetery of Innocents" will be discussed today (May 23) at a pre-trial hearing. Meanwhile, a statement last month from NKU President James Votruba said that Professor Jacobsen had been removed from her remaining classes and placed on leave and that she would retire from the university at the end of the semester.

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[Shammu]

Pro-Family Leader Pleased to Find Ohio at Bottom of Homosexuals' List

by Chad Groening
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - An Ohio pro-family activist says the state should consider it a point of pride that a radical homosexual rights group has ranked Ohio last in the United States in terms of providing special rights to homosexuals and similar groups.

A pro-homosexual group calling itself Equality of Ohio recently published a nationwide study about so-called discrimination against "gays," lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals. The study rated the state of Ohio dead last in protecting the "equality" of those groups.

But Phil Burress of the Cincinnati-based pro-family group Citizens for Community Values (CCV) says one has to understand what homosexual activists mean when they talk about equality. What they are really talking about, he asserts, is "special rights" for homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people.

"You would be surprised what it is that they really want," Burress says. "What they call equality is for everyone to accept their behavior and for them to have access to our children at a very early age, promoting homosexuality as normal." Opposing the homosexual activists' agenda is "what they call intolerance," he contends.

Equality of Ohio recently conducted a Lobby Day in Columbus, hoping to persuade Ohio lawmakers to support a bill that would give individuals special rights based on their sexual orientations and prohibit "discrimination" on that basis.

"What they're complaining about," Burress asserts, "is ... that they don't have rights and privileges that override the rest of us who are average working families and people here in the state of Ohio. They want special privileges."

Also, the pro-family advocate says, homosexual activists want access to the educational system and government sanction of same-sex marriage. "They want to have all the things that the people and the governments and the laws have said that they can't have," he says.

And because the majority of the people and their pro-family representatives are opposed to all these things the homosexual activists are demanding, Burress adds, "they feel like we're intolerant. So I guess we should wear that as a badge of honor."

Groups like Equality of Ohio want to force acceptance of their behavior and to promote it as normal, Burress points out; but he says the citizens of the state have apparently been resistant to that agenda. He feels Ohioans should be proud to come in last on the pro-homosexual group's list of states advancing "special rights" for homosexuals and other groups.

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[Shammu]

Nebraska Lawmaker Chides NAACP for Filing Lawsuit Impulsively

by Jim Brown
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A Nebraska lawmaker says the NAACP "compromised its professional principles and integrity" by filing a lawsuit challenging a new state law that's designed to reform failing Omaha public schools by giving them local control.

The law divides the largest school district in Nebraska into three smaller districts of roughly 15,000 students each. But the lawsuit by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) claims the plan designed by Senator Ernie Chambers of Omaha "intentionally furthers racial segregation" and is causing immediate harm -- despite the fact the district will not be divided until 2008.

Chambers, the only black lawmaker in the Nebraska Legislature, says he intentionally provoked the NAACP to file the lawsuit well before the law even takes effect. "They filed a stupid lawsuit too soon because they took the bait," he says, "and I think they're going to be greatly embarrassed before this is all over."

Chambers says the lawsuit filed in federal court even contains spelling errors. "Without even reading my log, without having the decency or professional courtesy to discuss it with me, they put themselves in a foolish, untenable position from which they don't know how to escape," explains the lawmaker. "So they signed onto a lawsuit which was so poorly crafted that it's a mockery throughout the city."

According to the state senator, the NAACP -- which he says is attempting to move to the middle of the road on social issues -- hastily responded to a newspaper article that reported billionaire Warren Buffet and others in corporate America opposed the law.

"[They're] trying to reach out to white corporate America for large corporate contributions because they are losing membership, not reaching the grassroots, because of the kind of thing they are doing in this lawsuit," he says. "So I think [when] they read this New York Times article, they said, 'These rich men are opposed to it,' the smell of money took over, and they said, 'If we jump into this on the side of these rich men, it will help what we're trying to do.'"

Senator Chambers says schools in Omaha have been segregated since 1999, so he is simply trying to reverse the harm that has been caused.

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Mexico's Threatened Lawsuits 'Ludicrous,' Says Attorney

by Allie Martin
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A constitutional attorney with the American Family Association says the recent threat of a lawsuit against the U.S. by the Mexican government over border security is absurd.

The threatened lawsuit is in response to President Bush's pledge to use National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to bolster the efforts of the Border Patrol, primarily in support roles such as logistics and medical support. The Pentagon has stated that the bulk of personnel for the mission would be taken from National Guard troops in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas -- the four border states.

Following the president's announced intentions, a representative for Mexican President Vicente Fox stated that if the National Guard troops detain Mexican citizens crossing the border illegally, the Fox government will file lawsuits. Steve Crampton, chief counsel for the Center for Law & Policy and a constitutional expert, says while such a lawsuit is technically possible, it is not likely.

"What you have is Mexican nationals leaving their nation in droves, seeking to come to the free and prosperous nation of the United States on a permanent basis," he says. "And so, for Mexico to sue because of some actions of our National Guard troops within our own borders, in policing those borders, is basically ludicrous." And any lawsuits would be without merit, he adds.

The attorney believes the threat of lawsuits is meant simply to send a message. "The Mexican government wants to communicate to the U.S. government and to the world that they object to what's going on [along the border]," says Crampton. He contends they have a purpose in sending that message. "They want to make waves and try to work, I think, an agreement and a treaty whereby the Mexican government can profit from our own internal unrest and dissension on the issue of immigration."

This is not the first time Mexico has voiced such threats. Officials with the Mexican government have threatened lawsuits against the group known as the Minutemen Project when they started patrolling the southern U.S. border earlier this year.

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Senators Blasted for Vacillating Over English Language Provisions

by Chad Groening
May 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - An English language advocate says more than two dozen members of the U.S. Senate are trying to have it both ways when it comes to legislation designed to strengthen English as the official language of the United States. That is why he has issued what he calls the "Weathervane Awards."

Jim Boulet is executive director of the advocacy group English First. He says 25 senators have voted for an amendment introduced by Senator Jim Inhofe that supports English as America's official language.

However, Boulet says those same senators have sent mixed signals to their constituencies by then turning around and voting for an amendment sponsored by Colorado's Ken Salazar, supporting President Bill Clinton's "Mandatory Translation Edict" or Executive Order 13166. The English language advocate feels the two measures are diametrically opposed.

Executive Order 13166 requires that recipients of federal funds to provide free translation and interpreter services for their non-English speaking clients. According to the edict, these federal funding recipients -- a large class that includes doctors participating in Medicaid or Medicare as well as state and local government agencies -- may be guilty of violating the ban on "national origin" discrimination in Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act if they fail to comply.

"One thing that keeps the Clinton executive order from being enforced more strictly than it is, is that both sides know it's not really a law like a congressional law," Boulet points out. "But if [proponents] can get Congress to pass something approving of the executive order," he says, "then it can be seen as a law."

Now, the English First official notes, it is up to a congressional Conference Committee to decide which of the English amendments goes into the final immigration package. "The conferees are, at best, weak on standing up for our borders, standing up for English," he says, "so we're going to need the House conferees to stand very strong."

Congress must be firm on a number of points in order to pass meaningful immigration reform legislation, Boulet insists. He says lawmakers have to be prepared to "walk away" from the immigration bill, particularly if it fails to include both border enforcement and English language provisions.

Also, the English language advocate contends, lawmakers should reject any sort of guest worker plan concessions. "Any reference to guest worker amnesty is just unacceptable," he says.

Salazar's amendment is designed to put the official stamp of approval on Clinton Executive Order 13166, Boulet asserts. He believes the senators who have voted in favor of both the Inhofe bill and the Salazar amendment are trying to have it both ways, which is why he is conferring the "Weathervane Award" on each of them.

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Ministry Nurtures Christian Leadership on Dark Continent

by Rebecca Grace
May 24, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Val Vickery, a resident of Jackson, Mississippi, and former missionary to Africa, had no idea how many lives would be changed as a result of her visit to a radio station on a college campus in Malawi, Africa, nearly 10 years ago.

She and her husband Barry had just moved from the United States to Africa where they would spend the next year and a half sharing the Gospel while teaching. They arrived during the summer months, so the school with which they would be working was not in session.

"We went to the radio station to learn from the manager because I thought I was going to be working with the radio station on that campus," Val said.

A friendship began to develop between the Vickerys and station manager Japhet Mchakulu, which prompted Val to ask Mchakulu about his education.

"Have you ever thought about getting more education?" Val asked Mchakulu.

"Why would I dream? Where would I ever get the money for that?" he replied.

"What if we could raise it?" Val questioned.

"Of course," Mchakulu said.

"OK, let's see what we can do," Val agreed.

And that was it -- the aspirations of a bright young man and a budding friendship that sparked the beginning of Educating Africans for Christ (EAFC).

Going Relational
EAFC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry supported by donations. It was created in 1997 to educate and equip Africans to be missionaries in their own culture while inspiring Americans to get involved with the kingdom of God on the continent of Africa.

"During that time [in Africa], we became convinced of a great need, and that is a need for trained leadership," Barry explained. "We saw so many students who weren't able to go further, where their churches weren't able to train them in leadership. So, out of that grew our desire for seeing leadership trained for the church in Africa."

Specifically, the purpose of EAFC is "to equip those with a calling from God to do whatever work God has called them to for His glory, rather than for personal advancement," according to the EAFC board of directors. EAFC seeks to partner with churches in Africa as a means of providing monetary and relational support for its students in training.

"[But] we're not [only] a scholarship agency," Val explained. "I can't say that enough. We're about relationships."

Therefore, to avoid being mercenary in its function, EAFC institutes student communicators who are given the specific responsibility of keeping in touch with the African students throughout the semester and staying up-to-date on special needs and prayer requests. As a result, friendships are established and the Church is strengthened.

"We have learned that since the kingdom of God is global, we, as Christians, must act globally in our approach to responsibilities, giving and support of each other within the Body of Christ," stated an EAFC board letter.

Going Global
The call to global action became real to Diane Defore, an EAFC executive board member and graphic designer, when she went on a vision trip to Kenya last year.

"I came home moved by the students that I met," Defore said.

"When you go there [Africa], you cannot help but be changed by what you see, whether it's just the dire poverty or the incredible zeal that they have for the Lord," added Sarah Thomas, another vision trip participant.

Although similar to a short-term mission trip in nature, vision trips provide participants a means of observing and assessing the educational and spiritual needs of the African people and strategizing on how to meet those needs in partnership with African churches. Once the assessments are made, a selection process is instituted to choose students who are eligible for training under the ministry of EAFC.

"We are currently partnering with 62 churches in Africa," Defore explained. "We partner with African churches because this is all about the African church, not us. Our role is to come alongside the African church and help them accomplish what God has already called them to do."

The partnerships begin when African churches recommend students to EAFC and agree to take on "Africa-side" responsibilities for those students whose character, abilities and commitment to God have already been established. Support includes some financial assistance, as well as mentoring, guiding, praying for and communicating with the students.

"[The African churches] identify those God is raising up for leadership, and we simply assist them in getting the training they determine they need, but cannot afford," Defore added.

Once chosen, students submit an application that is then rated and categorized by the EAFC scholarship committee.

"As the partnerships grow, we give in relation to them," Val added.

To date, EAFC has supported nearly 100 students with financial scholarships that are used to pay for tuition, not living expenses, at various educational institutions in Africa. The scholarship money is sent directly to the institution the student is attending, and the cost varies based on the degree level on which the student is working. The average yearly cost to support one student at a certificate or diploma level is about $300. For a graduate-level student, the annual cost is closer to $1,000.

"It's just a case-by-case need and [depends] on how much money we have to give away," Val explained.

"We're always six months away from being bankrupted and have never been in the red. Isn't that amazing?"

EAFC seeks to use God's gifts wisely and does so by instituting a five-step process that involves exploring, serving, contributing, relating and evaluating. Using the evaluation step, EAFC decided it would be more efficient to change the location of the training.

EAFC began by bringing African students to the U.S. to study. Now 99 percent of the training received by EAFC men and women is taught in African institutions because it is more cost effective and culturally relevant. They are able to learn in the context of their own culture in the company of family and friends.

Going Long-Term
The ministry believes it is important to support the preparation and equipping of these students in any field of work "since those with a Christian worldview can serve God in many arenas."

For example, Mchakulu became the first EAFC-trained student and now teaches at the University of Malawi. He is a lecturer in communications, a preacher on the weekends, and a volunteer for EAFC. Another EAFC student works as a chaplain for the police force in Zambia. Medicine and community development are some other areas of study being pursued by EAFC students.

"This is a new concept for them [the churches] -- to invest in education for someone else, especially if it's not ministerial or theological," Val said.

But the vision for equipping Africans to minister in their native land continues to expand as churches catch on and long-range plans are put into action.

Within the next five years, EAFC plans to place a missionary in Africa who will act as a liaison between the two continents. The ministry also intends to institute several pilot programs as an attempt to improve communication and other organizational functions.

"A lot of the work we're doing now, we're going to shift to Africa, and the alumni of EAFC are going to be carrying out that work," Val explained. "As we grow and explore with them and seek to serve them, a lot ... will come forth as to how God wants to structure this five or ten years from now."

In the meantime, Val continues to challenge the Church to examine its priorities and recognize the need for global missions. "Do you want to see Africa equipped to spread the love of Jesus Christ on that continent?" Val asked. "The needs are huge. Can you join us?"

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[Shammu]

British Okay Scrapping Embryos Based on Potential for Adult Illness

by Mary Rettig
May 24, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) says Great Britain has taken a dangerous and unethical step in embryo screening.

The British Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority recently ruled that fertility clinics can screen out embryos that contain genes that raise the risk of cancer in adulthood. The doctors will do this by using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, which removes a couple of cells from an eight-cell embryo.

Dr. David Stevens of the CMDA says while every doctor wants to ease suffering for his patients and prevent cancer, this move by the British is completely immoral. And further research has shown that in many cases, the move may be entirely unnecessary as well, he notes.

Stevens points to a new study that came out recently, which showed that many of these embryos which tested as abnormal at two to three days of life, once they were implanted or grown in the laboratory in culture media, subsequently tested as normal.

The researchers found that, 12 days after conception, about half of the embryos previously diagnosed as having defective genes "had actually reversed and were not abnormal anymore," the Christian doctor says. "Essentially, they repaired themselves."

Diagnosing possible adult diseases by pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is not 100 percent reliable, Stevens points out. And it is unfair, he asserts, to use such techniques to label a pre-born baby unfit to live, simply on the basis that the developing child might get cancer as an adult.

The British government may claim this new embryo-screening policy will prevent future suffering, but Stevens sees it as a dangerous step in the direction of creating government-sanctioned eugenics programs. "Eugenics," he explains, "means improving the human race by encouraging or permitting reproduction of only those with genetic characteristics judged desirable."

The CMDA spokesman feels officials at the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority are coming precariously close to playing God. "Essentially, what they're doing in laboratories is deciding who lives and who dies," he says, "and that's the same eugenics philosophy. First they started with lethal defects in England, and now we're on this slippery slope."

Stevens sees the Authority's decision to allow fertility clinics to screen-out embryos on the basis of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis as an immoral and a dangerous one. No pre-born baby, he insists, should ever have to die because of a disease the developing child may or may not get as an adult.

http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion04506.shtml

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[Shammu]

Alabama Teacher Fired for Allegedly Showing Students Obscene Images

by Jim Brown
May 24, 2006

(AgapePress) - - An Alabama school board has fired a science teacher who allegedly showed some of his eighth-grade students Internet videos depicting sex acts and other obscene images.

Last week the West Limestone Board of Education voted 6-1 to terminate the contract of tenured teacher Steve White, who has been on unpaid leave since early April. Administrators concluded that White had shown obscene Internet clips, including an animated depiction of former President Bill Clinton engaging in sexual activity.

But Jimmy Corder, one of White's attorneys, insists the teacher did not show students any video film strip. "I was present for the hearing; I heard all of the evidence," the lawyer says. "There were several things reproduced, I think you would say, from his computer." However, Corder asserts, not a single one of these reproduced items, "so far as anybody could show," originated from the teacher's hard drive.

"Everything that anybody alleged was wrong were things that were sent to his computer," the attorney says. "All but one of them were, supposedly -- and I'm not a computer expert -- but all but one of them were somehow either put on his computer through an iPod, which he doesn't own and nobody in his family has, ... or a Flash [digital memory] card."

As far as the Flash card is concerned, Corder says he and his client "don't even know what that is," and only know about the possibility of that technology being involved in putting the images in question on White's computer "because the County had a computer expert go back and pull things off of the hard drive." The attorney claims the inappropriate images were imported into the teacher's computer without his knowledge.

White was reprimanded last month after parents complained that he had shown students an anti-George Bush Internet video in class. However, because of a new state tenure law, he is able to appeal his firing. The case will now proceed to binding arbitration.

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