Keep Pornographers away from Major League Baseball!

Major League Baseball (MLB) owners are considering a recommendation that will allow a businessman with longtime porn industry ties to purchase the Atlanta Braves. John Malone is a corporate leader who among his many holdings includes ON COMMAND, a company that sells pay-per-view porn movies to hotels across the United States. As a result, Malone has profited from the corruption of many travelers who visit the estimated 1,000,000 hotel rooms his porn service reaches.

In addition to ON COMMAND, Malone played the leading role in breaking down community barriers to televised porn through his involvement in the franchise cable system known as TCI (Tele-Communications, Inc.).

Over the years, MLB has carefully preserved its character as an industry concerned about character and devoted to family. That image has suffered recently due to the sport's difficulty in facing up to issues of drug abuse among some of the game's best-known players. At the same time, MLB recently joined forces with other leading professional sports leagues and with FRC in the successful fight for the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig deserve praise for their role in passage of this landmark bill to curb online gambling.

Now baseball faces a new dilemma that will affect its character. While the sale of the Braves, one of baseball's flagship franchises, to Malone's Liberty Media has not yet gone through, the sale reportedly enjoys the support of Commissioner Selig. The American families who fill the seats, populate the Little Leagues, buy the hot dogs and wave the pennants should not see their hard-earned money go to line the pockets of a pioneer in the porn trade. MLB can and must set a high standard, for players and owners alike.

You can help by signing a petition to Commissioner Selig before he meets with Major League owners from August 8-10. Let him know that the ideals of sport and the nature of our national pastime are incompatible with the purveying of porn. Fill out the form to sign the petition now.

Thank you and, as always, God bless you.

Keep Pornographers away from Major League Baseball!

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In this undated photo provided by the National Museum of Ireland an ancient book of psalms is seen at an undisclosed location. Ireland's archeologists heralded as a miracle Tuesday, July 25, 2006 the accidental discovery of an ancient book of psalms _ discovered last week when an exceptionally alert construction worker spotted something as he drove the shovel of his backhoe into a bog. The approximately 20-page book has been dated to 800 A.D. to 1000 A.D. and, according to Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan, is the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries. Never before has such a fragile, old document been discovered buried in the soggy earth of Ireland. (AP Photo/ National Museum of Ireland, HO)

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Thank President Bush for His Support of Israel

Israel continues to face deadly danger on all sides. Iran, using Hezbollah and HAMAS as proxies, has released unrelenting attacks on the tiny nation. More than 500 missiles have been fired at Israel over the course of the past few months, and Hezbollah has more than 12,000 missiles stockpiled. President Bush has declared that Israel has every right to defend itself.  Read more.......

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OUTSTANDING ARTICLES ON THE MIDDLE EAST

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 Breeding Discord in Provincetown

When homosexual activists used the web to publicize the names of Massachusetts citizens who signed pro-marriage petitions, some people saw this as an invitation to harass signers. In Provincetown, a largely homosexual community, members of St. Peter's Catholic Church--including 43 whose names are listed on www.knowthyneighbor.org -- are feeling the hostility of their neighbors. Many report hearing slurs like "breeder" hurled at those who attend Mass regularly at the 750-member parish. Most members of St. Peter's are Portuguese-Americans who are not homosexual.

Police Chief Ted Meyer convened a town meeting to talk about civility and respect. Tourists who come to the town for its quaint beauty and historic attractions find themselves assailed if they do not affirm the gay lifestyle. One homosexual earlier this month shouted "bigot" in a grocery store at a woman who had signed the pro-marriage petition. Provincetown has about 3,400 year-round residents, but summers can swell the population to 10 times that number. I commend the courage and the steadfastness of those members of St. Peter's who signed the petition for marriage. And in the streets of Provincetown, we see where the real incivility is coming from.

                     J. Charles Griswell Senior Center

                         Grand Opening - July 27, 2006 

                     Clayton County International Park

                    2300 Highway 138, S.E., Jonesboro, GA

                   Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - 10:00 a.m.

                 For additional information call 770.603.4050

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Muslim Group Wants Christian Leader Barred from Canada
By Alison Espach
CNSNews.com Correspondent
July 17, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - An Islamic    advocacy group wants Rev. Franklin Graham barred from entering Canada because of allegedly hateful state-   ments made towards Islam. Graham's spokesman says the Evangelical minister's comments have been "misconstrued"      by some Muslims.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Canada (CAIR-CAN) claims allowing Graham into Canada would be evidence of a "double standard." British Muslim Riyad ul-Haq was denied entry into Canada in June after being accused of inciting  hatred towards Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims - a violation of Canada's so-called

 "hate    propaganda  laws."      Read more....

 Frankenstein's Farm

 The advance of science is noble and beneficial, but sometimes provides challenges to the ethical standards represented by the Hippocratic oath. Without these ethical standards, science goes the way of Mary Shelley's Dr. Frankenstein, who had no second thoughts about ignoring morals in his quest to manipulate human life. With the rapid advances in the biotechnology field today, it is hard to stay abreast of the changes. Human cloning, embryonic stem cells, and human/animal hybrids or chimeras are some examples where, if left unchecked, it would be very easy for us to lose our humanity while searching for ways to prolong our lives. Yesterday, FRC's Vice President of Government Affairs Tom McClusky spoke at a press conference with Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) on legislation that puts ethics before experimentation. The Fetus Farming Prohibition Act, introduced by Senator Rick Santorum (R-Penn), forbids researchers from obtaining human tissue from fetuses when they know the pregnancy was deliberately initiated to create human "spare parts." Think this cannot happen here? Right now, New Jersey law allows researchers to gestate a human clone all the way up until birth, at which point they have to kill the baby. The only reason to bring a fetus to term, and then kill it, would be to obtain body parts. Science has a lot to offer in helping us deal with pain and illness, but science without ethics destroys the very humanity we seek to protect.

Courtesey of FRC
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President Bush has declared that "Israel has a right to defend herself. Every nation must defend itself against terrorist attacks and the killing of innocent life."

Click here to sign the petition to President Bush today asking him to continue to stand with Israel at this critical time. Please forward this to everyone your list. We must let President Bush know that Israel is America’s key to survival, and that we appreciate his stand. If Israel is weakened, the next target for H-bombers will be the U.S. 

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Washington, D.C. - Today President George W. Bush will make a public statement outlining his position regarding stem cell research and he will specifically address each of the three stem cell research bills pending in the U.S. Senate, including his anticipated veto of one of them. President Bush invited Mathew Staver to attend today's announcement in the East Room of the White House. Staver is the Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and the Interim Dean of Liberty University School of Law.  Read more......

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More Courts Get It Right, but Marriage Still Hangs in the Balance

Two more courts ruled Friday against radical efforts to change the definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman. A federal appeals court overturned a district court decision, thus reinstating the state marriage amendment that was adopted by over 70% of Nebraska voters. FRC filed a friend-of-the-court brief in this case. Meanwhile in Tennessee, that state's Supreme Court rejected the ACLU's effort to keep a marriage amendment off the ballot this fall. Despite the overwhelming support for state marriage amendments, and despite a string of recent court victories for traditional marriage, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) seems determined to align itself ever more closely with the radical advocates of same-sex "marriage." A DNC spokesman has unveiled "a five-point plan for fighting" efforts by voters to preserve the definition of marriage. Both New Jersey and Washington are awaiting high court decisions at any time that could make them the second and third states to legalize counterfeit homosexual "marriage." We need to take the definition of marriage out of the hands of judges once and for all. That's why it's important for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution this week.
 

Courtesey of FRC

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Petition to Save the Mt. Soledad Cross

The Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Protection Act, H.R. 5683, sponsored by Congressman Duncan Hunter, is scheduled to be debated in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, July 19, 2006. The purpose of the Act is to provide for immediate federal acquisition of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego, California in order to prevent the court-ordered removal of the 29 foot cross which is the centerpiece of the memorial.

The cross has stood atop Mt. Soledad since 1954. In 1989 a single atheist- plaintiff brought suit to remove the cross because he was offended by its sight. That lawsuit ultimately resulted in a federal court order mandating that the city of San Diego remove the cross by August 1, 2006, or face fines of $5,000 per day thereafter. That order was stayed by the Supreme Court last week.

Please call or email your Congressional Representative to support Rep. Duncan’s “Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Protection Act,” H.R. 5683. 
 

Ashcroft wants leadership from Christians

ForAshcroftmer U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft encouraged Christian retailers on Monday to become leaders in their communities. He was in Denver for the International Christian Retail Show at the Colorado Convention Center. "America is great not because of what happens on Pennsylvania Avenue but because of what happens on Main Street," Ashcroft told an audience made up of Christian retailers and distributors of Christian products.The event and trade show, which runs through Thursday, has attracted more than 10,000 members of the Christian retail and publishing industries. It is not open to the public. A devout Christian who once held prayer meetings in his Justice Department office, Ashcroft encouraged the audience to exemplify their faith rather than force it on others.  Read more....... 

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Massachusetts Court Clears Way to Ban Same-Sex Marriage

Associated Press
Tuesday, July 11, 2006; Page A03

BOSTON, July 10 -- The same court that made Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriage ruled Monday that the state legislature and voters can decide whether to ban such unions in the future through a constitutional amendment.Supporters of gay rights tried to block the proposal by arguing in a lawsuit that the state constitution bars any citizen-initiated amendment that seeks to reverse a judicial ruling.

The Supreme Judicial Court rejected that argument, ruling unanimously that the measure is not a reversal of its earlier ruling legalizing same-sex marriage because it would leave intact the marriages of same-sex couples who already had wed. 

Read more.....

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Tampa Bay Online

Jul 9, 2006

Scientologists describe their religion as a cathartic journey toward happiness and clarity of mind. Church of Scientology critics call it kooky science fiction disguised as religion.Whatever you believe, the church says it is growing.Although the church's membership remains a much-debated mystery, its land holdings tell the story of a robust organization in the midst of a new chapter of growth.Worldwide, Scientologists say they have bought 21 buildings they plan to turn into churches.

Still, some former Scientologists and observers insist the church's membership is depleted, down dramatically over the past 20 years. They contend the church is using its financial muscle to buy buildings and create a false sense that the organization is thriving.

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Billy Graham, Cliff Barrows & Bev Shea revisit Baltimore with unchanging Gospel
Jul 11, 2006
By Shannon Baker
Baptist Press BALTIMORE (BP)--Though frail and ailing, 87-year-old Billy Graham deBilly Grahamlivered a strong message of hope to more than 33,000 people gathered in Baltimore’s Camden Yards during the last night of a July 7-9 Metro Maryland Festival.

“Unfortunately, I'm getting too old to do this, and I thought on my way out, this may be the last opportunity to preach to an audience like this,” said the elder Graham, who was driven to the platform in a golf cart.In a historic moment for Marylanders, the evangelist shared the stage with longtime crusade associates Cliff Barrows, now 83, and George Beverly Shea, now 97, in vintage crusade fashion, offering a clear grasp of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through messages and songs.  Read more.......

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Leaders must stir passion for God’s Kingdom, Hemphill notes
Jul 11, 2006
By John Yeats
Baptist Press

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--At least 80 percent of evangelical American churches are plateaued or declining, Ken Hemphill said, noting that the only true church growth is occurring in Asia and Africa today, not in the United States or Western Europe.

“We have had 30 years of church growth emphasis and, based on statistical evidence, the church growth movement has failed,” Hemphill said during a leadership summit for the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s missions staff and a number of local church leaders in early June, focusing on the revitalization of the local church using Empowering Kingdom Growth principles.  Read more........

Court intervenes in Calif. cross fight

By TMt Soledad CrossHOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 3, 7:50 PM ET

AP Photo: Visitors walk around the 29-foot Mount Soledad Cross at the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), R-Alpine, said the stay was "the right decision." Hunter, along with Mayor Jerry Sanders, asked President Bush in May to exercise his power of eminent domain and take over the half-acre cross site atop Mount Soledad. Read more.....

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...A Memphis church has erected a 72-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty. It is tall and green like the original, with the right arm extended upward in the familiar pose. But instead of a torch, this statue holds a cross. And the famous inscription -- "Give me your tired, your poor ..." -- has been replaced by Roman numerals representing the Ten Commandments. A tear is running down her face. It has a $260,000 price tag. World Overcomers Outreach Ministers Church is calling it the "Statue of Liberation." It will be unveiled at an Independence Day ceremony. The pastor, Apostle Alton Williams, says people cannot drive by the statue "without thinking about their relationship with God." [AP]

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Philly Historical Group Accused of Pro-Homosexual Double Standard

Officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have refused a request for a historical marker commemorating the October 2004 arrest of eleven Christians at "Outfest," a homosexual pride event. The pro-family group that made the request believes the arrests may be significant as the first incidence of Christians being charged with a hate crime for their evangelistic outreach.

Attorney: PERA Could Stop ACLU Profits From Anti-Christian Lawsuits

By Allie Martin July 3, 2006

(AgapePress) - An attorney with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (AFA Law Center) says the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has gained windfall profits from its anti-Christian litigation, and it is time for the system that allows this to be changed.Recently, Rees Lloyd of the American Legion and a former staff attorney with the ACLU testified under oath before Congress about how the organization profits from its lawsuits attacking Christianity. Testifying in favor of Indiana Congressman John Hostettler's Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), H.R. 2679, Lloyd noted that the ACLU's attacks have been launched primarily against the Christian cross but the liberal litigation group has attacked Judaism's Star of David as well, and has reaped millions of dollars in attorney fees by going after local governments that recognize America's religious heritage in any way.

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U.S. approaches 300 million people

As the U.S. population speeds toward 300 million, the growth is producing headaches for Americans fed up with traffic congestion, sprawl and dwindling natural resources.

But the alternatives are pretty scary, too. Just look at Europe and Japan, which are on the verge of such big population losses that several countries are practically begging women to have babies.

"Europe and Japan are now facing a population problem that is unprecedented in human history — declining population over time with an increase in the percentage of old people," said Bill Butz, president of the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington think tank. Read more.......

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Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gay Marriage

Thursday, July 06, 2006 ATLANTA — The state Supreme Court reinstated Georgia's constitutional ban on gay marriage Thursday, just hours after New York's highest court upheld that state's gay-marriage ban. The Georgia Supreme Court, reversing a lower court judge's ruling, decided unanimously that the ban did not violate the state's single-subject rule for ballot measures. Superior Court Judge Constance Russell of Fulton County had ruled that it did. Seventy-six percent of Georgia voters approved the ban when it was on the ballot in 2004. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case had argued that the ballot language was misleading. The ballot measure asked voters to decide on allowing both same-sex marriage and civil unions, which Russell determined were separate issues about which many people have different opinions. State officials argued that Georgians knew what they were voting on when they overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure. _____________________________________ N.Y. high court decides against gay marriage State law doesn’t permit gay, lesbian couples to marry, justices rule 4-2 Updated: 10:17 a.m. ET July 6, 2006 ALBANY, N.Y. - New York’s highest court ruled Thursday that gay marriage is not allowed under state law. The Court of Appeals in a 4-2 decision rejected arguments from gay and lesbian plaintiffs throughout the state that their inability to get marriage licences in New York violated their constitutional rights. Judge Robert Smith said New York’s marriage law clearly limits marriage to between a man and a woman and any change in the law should come from the state legislature. Read more....... ___________________________________________________

Attorney: PERA Could Stop ACLU Profits From Anti-Christian Lawsuits

By Allie Martin July 3, 2006

(AgapePress) - An attorney with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (AFA Law Center) says the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has gained windfall profits from its anti-Christian litigation, and it is time for the system that allows this to be changed.

Recently, Rees Lloyd of the American Legion and a former staff attorney with the ACLU testified under oath before Congress about how the organization profits from its lawsuits attacking Christianity. Testifying in favor of Indiana Congressman John Hostettler's Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), H.R. 2679, Lloyd noted that the ACLU's attacks have been launched primarily against the Christian cross but the liberal litigation group has attacked Judaism's Star of David as well, and has reaped millions of dollars in attorney fees by going after local governments that recognize America's religious heritage in any way.

Poisoned Curriculum
Janet Parshall
Beyond the News June 22, 2006

Freedom House, part of the Center for Religious Freedom, has released a report entitled “Saudi Arabia’s Curriculum of Intolerance.” In it are excerpts from Saudi textbooks paid for by the Ministry of Education.Here’s some of what Saudi school children are reading:

• “Judaism and Christianity are deviant religions”
• “The unbelievers, idolaters and others like them must be hated and despised.”
• “The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are the Christians, the infidels of the communion of Jesus.”

These textbooks will only serve to poison the hearts and minds of young Saudis. Whatever victories we enjoy today, may quickly be supplanted by the young minds being taught to hate today.

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...The ministry Revival Fires International has launched an effort to distribute the Bible to every Marine, sailor, soldier, airman and Coast Guardsman serving America in combat areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Revival Fires' spokesman Tim Todd, U.S. military personnel who are deployed and serving their country, in harm's way daily, are open to the gospel and desperately need God's Word. However, he notes, the U.S. government no longer provides God's Word for America's troops. "Because of the foolish 'separation of church and state' battle going on in this country, our military stopped this years ago," Todd observes. "Now our chaplains have to depend on Christian organizations ... to provide these Bibles for our servicemen and women." Over 140,000 soldiers who have served or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have received a Bible provided by Revival Fires. The Bibles are air-lifted on military transports to these countries and given to U.S. military chaplains to distribute to the armed services personnel to whom they minister. As a result, Todd points out, many soldiers have come home with changed lives and many have confessed Christ as their Savior. He is urging Christians to partner with Revival Fires International by giving to this effort to supply God's Word to the men and women who are defending America's freedom and fighting the war on terror. "You and I will never do anything more important or patriotic this July 4 than providing Bibles for our troops," Todd says. A ministry web page has been set up to provide would-be supporters with more information. [Jenni Parker]