Phony Basis for Federal "Hate Crimes" Bill

Is there an epidemic of transgender bashing? Not according to FBI crime statistics. Yet Rep. John Conyers, who again introduced the federal "hate crimes" bill last week, falsely claims that there is. Let's hope President Bush has the sense to veto this crazy bill.

Then we have to deal with the transgender rights and "hate crimes" bill that's been filed here in Massachusetts! More on that soon...

From Traditional Values Coalition:

Pro-Homosexual/Drag Queen ‘Hate Crimes’ Bill Introduced
March 22, 2007 – Far left Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has once again introduced his so-called “hate crimes” bill to provide special federal protection for homosexuality, cross-dressing, and transsexualism. H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, is a rehash of his 2005 bill, according to sources in Congress.

H.R. 1592 claims there is an epidemic of “hate” against homosexuals and cross-dressers that is so pervasive throughout our nation, that local law enforcement officials are overwhelmed in dealing with the problem. In addition, Conyers’ and his congressional cohorts claim – without any evidence whatsoever – that homosexuals, cross-dressers, etc., are so persecuted in their home states that they are fleeing into neighboring states to avoid persecution. The legislation asserts that violence against these groups forces “such members to move across state lines to escape the incidence or risk of such violence.” Liberals also claim things are so bad for homosexuals, cross-dressers, etc., that these individuals are prevented “from purchasing goods and services; obtaining or sustaining employment, or participating in other commercial activity.” The bogus claim that interstate travel is involved in “hate,” is needed by Conyers to invoke federal involvement in local law enforcement through the Interstate Commerce Clause of the Constitution....

Contrary to what John Conyers claims, there is no epidemic of hate against individuals because of their sexual orientation. FBI hate crime statistics from 2005 (the latest available) report only 1,171 cases of sexual orientation bias against individuals. Of those, 301 were listed as “intimidation,” which is name-calling. Another 333 were listed as “simple assault,” which is pushing or shoving. Only 177 were listed as aggravated assault against a person because of his sexual orientation. “In a nation of 300 million, the existence of 1,171 “hate crimes” against individuals hardly constitutes a national epidemic that is overwhelming local police departments or sheriff’s departments [said Andrea Lafferty of Traditional Values].

“The ultimate goal of Conyers’ bill is to silence all opposition to the homosexual/transgender political agenda. So-called ‘hate speech’ will be suppressed because it supposedly incites individuals to violence against homosexuals/ transgenders. Defined by homosexuals, hate speech is any verbal or printed materials that criticize the normalization of sodomy in our culture. The goal is to undermine the First Amendment and persecute Christians who oppose homosexuality” said Lafferty.

Criminalization of Christianity and Traditional Values Continues

See LifeSiteNews for these disturbing stories from England, Brazil, and Germany. The criminalization of traditional values is happening just a bit faster there than here. But our federal and state "hate crimes" laws and their implementation plans are coming together in the U.S., while few pay attention.

"UK Regulations Barring Religious Schools from Teaching Against Homosexuality Approved"
and
"More Details on the Proposed Brazil Law to Jail Pastors who Preach Homosexual Activity is Sin"
and
"German Court Places Custody of Yet Another 5 Homeschooling Children with Government's Youth Office"

John Haskins comments on these stories:

LifeSiteNews reports that England has outlawed teaching against homosexuality in religious schools. Brazil may make criticism of homosexuality a criminal offence; conviction would result in prison sentences of between two and five years. Children are being stolen from their parents in Germany.

See the story on England (above): "The one thing the government doesn't want to see right now is priests and ministers in prison. That means they are going to start with schools or businesses. They've been pushing hard in education for years," Fr. Finigan said. Why is it that priests and ministers in prison is "the one thing the UK government doesn't want to see?" Because that is the one thing that could cause good to win over evil.

Do we have the leaders we need to prevent such things in this country? It doesn't seem so. You either have spiritual leaders who are more than willing to be arrested, beaten, impoverished and imprisoned for their faith and as an example to others, or you have no spiritual leadership at all. The big budgets, fancy cars, nice houses and everything else are not proof that God is blessing our pastors and "pro-family leaders." They are merely proof that we are the Church of Laodicea.

Why has Tony Perkins (Family Research Council), for example, never been arrested? Pat Robertson? James Dobson? Gary Bauer? If they haven't stood up, why should anyone else? Is there really still nothing worth getting arrested for?

Why has Jay Sekulow (American Center for Law & Justice) not accused judges of violating their oaths of office -- does he fear being sanctioned by the American Bar Association ? Why is it not common for prominent pro-family lawyers and law professors to speak publicly of the corrupt lawyers in the way that Christ descibed them in the Gospel of Luke? How is it possible for "pro-family" lawyers to lie about the constitutions they have sworn to defend? If the Founding Fathers or Martin Luther King, Jr. had used their methods, they would have achieved nothing. For too many "leaders," pro-family activism turns out over the long run to be just a career.

One day down the road it will occur to some people who should have seen it when it was happening: the criminalization of Christianity happened not in spite of our resistance, but because of what we thought was our "resistance." Our silly, half-hearted children's games created the moral vacuum needed to draw in the evil that is smothering the legal and cultural inheritance that we owe to our children. The criminalization of virtue was inevitable once we decided, unconsciously, to tolerate the counterfeit Christianity in us and around us.

GLBT Anchor Babies

It's clear that children in GLBT-headed households are crucial to the argument for homosexual "marriage". They are the "anchor babies" for the movement. The radical homosexuals understood this long before any of us regular folks were paying attention. That's why they got adoption to homosexual couple "parents" OK'd back in the early 1990s.

Now we see a bill filed in the Mass. legislature this session to legalize homosexual "marriage" (which filing, by the way, proves that homosexual "marriage" is still not legal here) ... It's called: "An act to protect Mass. families through equal access to civil marriage" (H1710). If you've ever been to State House hearings, you'll appreciate their theatrical use of children as props for their "homosexual marriage" argument.

The emotional needs of the "parents" are paramount in such households. But the burdens placed on the children who don't know their biological parent, and who are lacking a parent of each sex [... yes -- there are only two sexes ...] are plastered over with phony studies about same-sex parents (or even single parents by choice) and their children.

(See our earlier posting, "The Pain of not knowing your biological parent.")

So when we see these two articles about labs catering to same-sex parents, it makes us cringe. This biotech intervention in baby-making is out of control.

"Clinics recruit surrogates to provide eggs for gay couples; Homosexuals can pay extra to choose the sex of their baby." (Focus on the Family, CitizenLink, 3-20-07) And if it's the wrong sex, abort!

"News in brief: Growing Generations hits 500-baby milestone" (Bay Windows, 3-22-07)

Senate Pres. Murray Will Have Vote on Marriage Amendment?

Update: Senate President Murray said today she will hold a vote on the marriage amendment. She must have had enough time in the past 24 hours to have that "discussion with herself." But we can be sure, with her MassEquality ties, that she means it when she says, "I will try to help the advocates get the votes that they need."

See Bay Windows, "MassEquality beefs up lobby strategy," on the extraordinary efforts being made on this score. MassEquality has just hired 13 new field staffers and Deval Patrick's grassroots strategist! (Could the Gill Action Fund be paying for this?)

MURRAY TO CALL FOR VOTE ON GAY MARRIAGE BAN
State House News, 3/22/07
Senate President Therese Murray, a gay marriage supporter, will call for a vote on the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, but work to secure votes to defeat the measure, she said today. "My vote is going to be just what it was the last time, but I am not going to move to adjourn. I will call for a vote and I will try to help the advocates get the votes that they need." Speaking with reporters on her way into a Senate session, and asked why she planned to allow a vote despite her opposition, she said, "Well, because I think it’s important that we vote."

Fear of a lawsuit had nothing to do with it?

Senate Pres. Murray Unlikely to Allow Marriage Amendment Vote

We all know what's coming. Immediately after Senator Therese Murray's elevation to Senate President yesterday, Mass. Family Institute released an email alert. They know their VoteOnMarriage amendment is in serious danger again.

Outgoing Senate Pres. Travaglini apparently just kicked the can down the road when he forced the marriage amendment vote on January 2, contrary to expectations. Delaying tactics. He wasn't really for the citizens' rights. He just wanted to go out with a "clean" record, and string pro-family citizens along for a while. Defuse things a bit.

The VoteOnMarriage people are right to worry. Look at the people Murray hires: A major MassEquality operative is now her executive assistant -- a radical allied with QueerToday. (See our report on MassResistance.) Marc Solomon, head of MassEquality, "said the group was pleased to see a like-minded legislator would be wielding the gavel," according to State House News.

Regular readers of this blog know that we don't like the weak wording of the VoteOnMarriage amendment. But we are in absolute agreement that it must be voted on by the Legislature.

Murray on the marriage amendment (Boston Globe, 3-22-07): Though a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, she declined to say whether she would require an up-or-down vote on a constitutional ban when she presides over the Constitutional Convention this spring or whether she would allow it to be defeated with procedural maneuvers. "I haven't even discussed that with myself," she told reporters.

State Senator Brian Joyce (quoted in Bay Windows, 3-22-07): As state Sen. Brian A. Joyce points out, Murray’s position as Senate president means that the three most powerful figures on Beacon Hill — Murray, House Speaker Sal DiMasi and Gov. Deval Patrick — “are all foursquare against discrimination.” Under those circumstances, added the Milton Democrat, “I’m hard-pressed to see a scenario whereby this matter advances.” The leadership changes in both the Senate and the corner office, along with the increased acceptance of marriage equality as time has passed, leave Joyce “cautiously optimistic” that the amendment will soon be “dying a peaceful death.”

Mass. Family Institute email alert (3-20-07): Now [Murray] decides if the legislature will have a fair vote on the marriage amendment at the Constitutional Convention this May 9. The state high court said the constitution requires a vote on the marriage amendment. But as an avowed supporter of same sex marriage, will politics get in Therese Murray's way?

Take Action NOW! Call Senate President Therese Murray at (617) 722-1330. Tell her that as Senate President, she now represents ALL the people. Tell her she is free to vote "no" on the marriage amendment. But she is constitutionally obligated to hold a vote on this important, citizen-initiated amendment.

How to Define "Gay and Lesbian Youth"

Elementary children (grades K-8) in all Massachusetts public schools now fall under the authority of the new "Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth," according to the Commissioners at last night's meeting. And who will reign in the Commissioners? Up until now, the accepted and assumed target of the Commission was high school students.

Why are definitions important in statutes? If there is a new concept, such as "gays" or "lesbians" (that is, as opposed to homosexual behaviors), and there is supposedly such a thing as "gay and lesbian youth" enshrined in a statute, those new concepts or terms should be clearly defined before the legislature passes a new law. Otherwise, watch out for all sorts of abuses.

And that's just where the new law creating the independent Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth has brought us. Their abuse of children will now officially be extended to the youngest students. Last night at their meeting, the Commission members made it perfectly clear that since "youth" was not defined in the statute creating their commission, they would on their own authority extend the definition of "youth" to cover little children, grades K-8. (So much for interpreting statutes according to definitions commonly accepted at the time it was written.)

Dictionary.com (based on the Random House dictionary), however, gives these pertinent definitions of "youth":
4. the period of life from puberty to the attainment of full growth; adolescence.
7. a young person, esp. a young man or male adolescent.

The American Heritage dictionary gives this definition:
1.c. A young person, especially a young male in late adolescence.

No Homosexual "Marriage" in France

LifeSiteNews is reporting that the French are standing strong for common sense on marriage. Note that the French recognize the problem with adoption and "procreation for homosexual couples."

Top French Court Rejects Gay Marriage

Mar. 15, 2007 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - On March 13, France's highest court upheld the decision of a lower court and rejected the 2004 'marriage' of two homosexual men.The court declared the marriage annulled, finding that "under French law, marriage is a union between a man and a woman." ...

As previously reported by LifeSiteNews.com, a commission formed by the President of the French National Assembly advised in 2006 that, despite recognition of the fact that the French concept of family has become “more diverse and less institutionalized,” homosexual marriage and adoption and artificial procreation for homosexual couples should not be permitted under French law.

Trans Madness at Mass. High School

Is anyone paying attention? For years, the GLBT activists have been pushing on our children not only homosexuality, but also "bisexual" and "transgender" behaviors. Only the new Parents' Rights Opt-In Bill we've filed will stop this madness.

Yesterday we posted on our web site an article from a Massachusetts high school newspaper, reporting on a talk by a "transgender" (or is it "transsexual"?) young woman, claiming she's a man. She told kids about the wonders of her "transition", beginning with male hormone treatments at age 12. Note the mention of her Social Studies teacher. And how the teenage reporter has totally bought into the usage of the masculine pronouns for this young woman. From the Newton North High School newspaper (Dec. 2006):

Romney Video 2002: Ann Says "TRUST" Mitt to Protect Abortion

Another video gem has been uncovered. In the 2002 Governor's race, Ann Romney (soon to be the "special guest" at the Mass. Citizens for Life fundraiser!) assures the liberal ladies of Massachusetts that they can TRUST Mitt on the social issues! Mitt assures them he'll preserve and protect the right to choose. Then Mitt offers some little children -- presumably his grandchildren -- some bananas.

Now we must ask: Would it have been acceptable to Ann & Mitt if their daughter-in-law had decided to abort these lovely little children? Apparently, some such thought must have come to Ann Romney sometime in the last year or so, and converted her to pro-life --an "epiphany" that just happened to coincide with Mitt's.

Watch this brief video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKwVNUz52vo

Transcript from 2002 video --
Ann Romney: I think women also recognize that they want someone that is going to manage the state well. I think they may be more nervous about him on social issues. They shouldn't be, because he's gonna be just fine. But the perception is that he won't be. It's an incorrect perception.
Mitt Romney: So when asked, will I preserve and protect a woman's right to choose, I make an unequivocal answer: Yes.
Mitt to children: Do you want some banana?

Mitt's Latest Hits

Mitt's taking some more BIG hits.

Like Sunday's New York Times article on how he's buying conservative groups: "In Romney’s Bid, His Wallet Opens to the Right" (3-11-07).

And Janet Folger's commentary today in WorldNetDaily on the same: "Straw poll and the straw man" (3-14-07).

And Virginia Buckingham in the Boston Herald on Mitt's flip-flops on illegal aliens: "Immigration stance improv: From Mitt, another dubious act" (3-14-07).

We take some credit for getting this ball rolling. Of course, the problem for Mitt Romney is that there is SO MUCH of this, just waiting to be revealed. The real question for conservatives now is how long some of their supposed leaders will play along. We're thinking of National Review, Human Events, Hugh Hewitt, Ann Coulter, Jay Sekulow. The obvious question: Since Mass. Citizens for Life and Mass. Family Institute are documented to have received gifts from Mitt, and even National Review apparently had help with a party, what does this imply about all his other endorsers?

And hey, how come Mitt didn't give us a Christmas gift? Oh yeah, he calls us "extremists." It's extreme to want to protect parental rights in the schools. It's extreme to say "no homosexual marriage & no civil unions." And it's extreme to say abortion is not something that can be put up to a vote in the states. He only gives gifts to compromisers.

A Needless Death; A Pack of Lies

How sad. Human Rights Campaign mourns the death of AIDS activist Bob Hattoy. But the video of his speech at the 1992 Democrat Convention reminds us of the needlessness of his death; and the lies still being pushed by radical homosexuals about the AIDS epidemic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUashmbh1zQ

How Our Governors Treat Their First Ladies

Fascinating juxtaposition of two stories in the Boston Globe today. How our Governors use their wives politically, how the wives let themselves be used, and what happens when the wife is in distress as a result:

Newly elected Governor Deval Patrick's wife Diane, a high-powered attorney used to pressure (and apparently otherwise healthy), is reported to be suffering from depression. Depression is often triggered by extreme stress, the story says. So the Governor announces he needs to step back from his job to spend more time with her. While we may not offer Patrick much praise on policy issues, we think this is the way to go here. (He'll just need to prioritize better in the corner office -- we suggest not meddling so much in the lives of the citizens!)

Meanwhile, former Governor Mitt Romney's wife Ann, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), is being pushed onto a pedestal at every campaign appearance she can manage. "My sweetheart," Romney repeats over and over. The photo ops are great: Lovey-dovey couple, five handsome sons and daughters-in-law, picture-perfect grandchildren. But poor Ann. The course of MS is unpredictable, though there seems to be a link between extreme stress and worsening symptoms.

We noted this a few weeks back in our posting "Ambition vs. Family." From the Globe article we quoted there:

... this week, Ann Romney delved into some of the most private and charged issues facing her husband's campaign. In an extensive and surprisingly frank interview with ABC News, she described her battle with multiple sclerosis, saying her husband will forge ahead with his pursuit of the presidency, even if her health declines. ...

Discussing multiple sclerosis, which she was diagnosed with in 1998, Ann Romney said she was weak for several years and felt "completely crushed." "I was not an example of strength and courage when I was going through it," she said. "I was pretty frightened."These says, she said, "I'm feeling well. . . . My health is good." She credited yoga, Pilates, reflexology, and acupuncture, as well as a diet low in sugar and white flour. She also loves horses and tries to ride every day, she said.

She said the family has decided that even if her health worsens, her husband will not stop campaigning for the White House.... "We decided that once we crossed that threshold, that he was going forward, that he was making a commitment," she said. She added, "That was a commitment that I made him promise to make."

Bottom line: We wish politicians and candidates would leave their spouses out of it. Keep your private life and family relations separate, please. That goes for you too, Hillary!

Romney Unpresidential in Dealing with Critics

Romney can't take criticism. Or truth-telling about his record. In January, he unleashed an amateurish press release personally attacking Brian Camenker, following our "Mitt Romney Deception" report. The attack did not answer any of the embarassing factual revelations in our report.

Now, he's having problems dealing with Holly Robichaud's new PAC. In eyeon08 we saw this bit:
MA GOPers for Truth forms
March 9, 2007
... I met Robichaud at the RNC Winter Meeting and again at CPAC. At the RNC Winter Meeting, she was verbally assaulted by Romney staffers. And Romney himself became extremely uncomfortable when she was in the room. The Romney team is quite nervous about MA Republicans standing up and criticizing him.
This will be a fascinating dynamic. Can a guy run for President whose position really is:
"Romney aides have dismissed criticism from the hometown crowd, saying his message is resonating with voters nationwide."
We don’t need the people back home?

Romney's Alternate Truths

Anyone who dares to criticize Mitt Romney had better watch out. The "establishment Republicans" he runs with don't want anyone reminding Republican voters what the party USED TO BE and SHOULD BE about.

So we're not surprised to see Holly Robichaud's little foray into truth telling slapped down by Romney's campaign, or to hear of party operative Ron Kauffman's political threat to her partner Ron Vining. See "Mitt camp fires back at critics: Romney foes claim threat by GOP brass":

Mitt Romney’s campaign blasted a pair of Massachusetts Republicans bent on “exposing” the ex-governor’s record in his race for the White House, while the duo said they were threatened by a top Bay State GOP official.
Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden lashed out at the founders of MassRepublicans for Truth - GOP strategists Holly Robichaud and Ron Vining - calling them “disgruntled political operatives.”
“I expect they’re going to peddle a bunch of distortions and anger in their efforts,” Madden said. “They may be entitled to their own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own set of facts. And the facts about Gov. Romney’s stellar record of fiscal conservatism and his pro-family advocacy are very clear.” ...

Note: Romney has never challenged the FACTS in our report, "The Mitt Romney Deception." That's because he can't. And guess what: there's only one set of facts.

Back to the Herald:

When the pair was toying with the idea, Robichaud sent an e-mail to Vining and copied it to several people, Vining said. The e-mail was passed along to Ron Kauffman, a key player in Romney’s presidential bid and a GOP national committeeman from Massachusetts.
At the Republican State Committee meeting in January, Vining said, Kaufman pulled him into the hall. Vining said he told him he wasn’t leading an effort against Romney.
“He said, ‘You are dead to me and as far as I’m concerned, you have no future in the Massachusetts Republican Party,’ ” Vining recalled. “He said something to the effect of, ‘If you’re looking to hurt Mitt, then we’ll see to it that you’re history.’ ”

Mass. Republicans vs. Romney

The Boston Herald reports today on a Republican PAC from Massachusetts led by one of their columnists, Holly Robichaud. The 527 will go after Romney's flip-flopping, because Robichaud said, “He’s running for the highest office in the nation and voters need to know the entire record. We can’t elect an unknown quantity to president of the United States.”

Great. The more truth out there the merrier. We trust their web site will credit sources. We came out with "The Mitt Romney Deception" before Thanksgiving, and have been keeping a close watch on Romney since then. (Just enter "Romney" on this blog's search.) Last week, for instance, we issued a new report on his donation to the radical homosexual group, "AIDS Action Committee of Mass."

Is Robichaud's group conservatives, or RINOs? Will they have the courage to expose Romney's role in subverting the Mass. constitution and implementing homosexual "marriage"? Will they not only point out his flip-flops, but explain the true conservative position on any given issue, and where he falls short?

While the Herald mentions Rep. Loscocco as a Republican opposing Romney, a call to his office confirms he is not in any way connected to Robichaud's effort. Note also that Robichaud's PAC is being hyped by a newspaper that pays her for commentary.

From the Boston Herald, "Right jab floors Mitt: Mass. Repubs rip flip-flopping Romney" (3-9-07)

A Web-based “truth” squad is poised to chase Mitt Romney in an effort to trip him up on the presidential campaign trail - and its members are Republicans from his very own Bay State.
Founded by GOP consultants Holly Robichaud and Ron Vining, the Mass Republicans for Truth plans to launch a nationwide attack on the former governor’s record - including radio and TV ads.
“He’s running for the highest office in the nation and voters need to know the entire record,” said Robichaud. “We can’t elect an unknown quantity to president of the United States.”
The group will post “The Romney Report” on its website on Monday, vowing to expose his flip-flops on a host of key issues, from abortion to taxes to gay rights....
So far, about 40 Massachusetts Republicans, including elected state committee members and activists who have been involved in campaigns for years, have joined Massachusetts Republicans for Truth. Robichaud, a contributor to the Herald’s Monday political briefing, said she would not yet identify the other members. The group’s website goes live Monday.
The website, www.MassRepublicansforTruth.com which is still under construction, promises “The Romney Report” will assess Romney’s performance as governor in several key areas....
Romney has lost the support of several Massachusetts conservatives, including state Rep. Paul Loscocco (R-Holliston) and former Massachusetts GOP chairwoman Jean Inman....
Robichaud says she hasn’t decided who she’ll back for president, and said the group is not carrying water for any of Romney’s GOP rivals.

Youths Promote Polygamy at Mass. State House

YMCA's from around Massachusetts sponsor a "Youth & Government" program, which includes a day at the Massachusetts State House. On Thursday, March 1, hundreds of high schoolers came to the State House and held mock hearings on fanciful bills. We got ahold of the program handed out at that event.

Two mock bills advocated legalizing polygamy, and we heard about a mock hearing on the subject that afternoon in the State House. The polygamy bills were mixed in with some silly bills (annex Maine; change the state muffin from corn to cranberry, etc.), and others on arguably legitimate topics (legalize gambling; require state-owned vehicles to use alternative energy; ban cell phones in public schools, etc.).

One of the mock student bills, TX2411H, reads: "Legalize Polygamy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Another, WMB3011S, reads: "Expand marriage rights in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from a union of two people to a union of two or more people." There is also a proposal that Gardasil vaccination (for HPV) be covered by insurance for all schoolgirls.

Now who is putting these ideas into young teens' heads? Or are they just in the air in a state permitting sodomy "marriage"? We were told that a person at the Springfield YMCA, when asked about this hearing topic, opined that it's good that kids are thinking outside of the box.

The very fact polygamy is being discussed by teens under adult supervision at our State House lends it legitimacy. This is shocking ... then again, nothing shocks in Massachusetts.

Romney Polls Poorly in New Hampshire

This is what happens when the candidate hasn't bought the results, and people know him pretty well:

N.H. Presidential Preference Poll
Mar 6, 2007: 5:41 pm ET
THE POLL: Suffolk University New Hampshire telephone survey Feb. 24-28.

REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE -- 199 Republicans and those who lean Republican, sampling error plus or minus 4 percentage points

Rudy Giuliani 37%
John McCain 27%
Mitt Romney 17%
Ron Paul 2%
Tom Tancredo 2%
No opinion 12%

Romney, Straw Polls, and Deceit

Janet Folger, nationally syndicated talk show host, has a good piece in today's WorldNetDaily on the nonsense of straw polls, "Straw poll and brick values." (And see our report, "Romney campaign buys victory in CPAC presidential straw poll.") Folger:

And now the "Republicans" everyone's talking about. The RINOs (Republican in Name Only)....

And then there's Mitt Romney, making a convenient flip from his ardent pro-abortion stance just in time to run for president. It just seems to me that if you really come to the realization that dismembering children is not good public policy, you'd remember not to FUND it with taxpayer dollars in your state health-care plan … after such a conversion. Oh yeah, suddenly he's pro-marriage, too. So why did Romney publicly beat up on pro-marriage activist Brian Camenker last month? If that's how he treats people on our side of the issue, that doesn't bode well for future White House relations. And finally, mandating that homosexual "marriage licenses" be issued without any change in the law requiring it (in direct violation of the Massachusetts State Constitution) isn’t very convincing, either.

But here's what I find even more troubling. Our conservative leaders who are willing to flush away everything we stand for to "get on the bandwagon" and support one of these up front. I know the "tent" is big and everything, but is it really too much to ask for a candidate from the Republican Party that actually agrees with the party platform? Oh, wait a minute; there are candidates like that in the race. You just don't hear much about them.... Read more.

Mass. Citizens for Life Changed Its Tune on Romney after Donation

Outrageous. Mitt Romney gave Mass. Citizens for Life (MCFL) a nice $15,000 donation in December 2006. Prior to that time, he'd given them nothing, and the organization had been critical of his lack of support for pro-life issues.

Now in March 2007 -- after his donation -- Romney can get away with handing out a flyer to the thousands of conservative activists at CPAC in D.C. last weekend that reads:

Massachusetts Citizens for Life Executive Director Marie Sturgis: "Having Governor Romney in the corner office for the last four years has been one of the strongest assets the pro-life movement has had in Massachusetts. His actions concerning life issues have been consistent and he has been helpful down the line for us in the Bay State."

But in 2002 when Romney was running for Governor, Sturgis "said that her group had never offered an endorsement to Romney. Romney is 'not pro-life and does not meet their requirements.' (MIT News, 11-1-02)

In March 2005, Sturgis "said she hasn't detected any change in Romney's stance. The group considers Romney to be an abortion-rights supporter, as do national antiabortion groups such as the Family Research Council." (Boston Globe, 3-05)

In May 2005, MCFL doubted the sincerity of Romney's move to pro-life positions: "Massachusetts Citizens for Life says it considers Romney to be an abortion-rights supporter, and it is unimpressed with those moves." (Boston Globe, 5-25-05).

Phyllis Schlafly Rejects Romney

Many attendees at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference in D.C., reportedly just gave Mitt Romney a warm welcome. Many in attendance were very young activists (under 30's, and college students) lacking life wisdom. But the wiser voices there didn't fall for his seductive act. Phyllis Schlafly has rejected Romney, and others also recognize he is not a true conservative. See "A Mood of Gloom at CPAC" (Jonathan Martin, The Politico, 3-3-07):

"And the leading GOP contenders to succeed Bush? “They’re all equally unacceptable,” Schlafly said.

... “I’m disenchanted, I’m disenfranchised, I’m just dissed,” quipped David Bossie, the president of Citizens United and a tireless congressional investigator in the Clinton era. “It’s a struggle,” said conservative activist and public relations specialist Mike Thompson. “Conservatives want to win, but they aren’t really sure the guys at the top of the field are conservative.” ...

Mitt Romney is a man who truly deserves the description "empty suit." As far as I can tell, he has no firm convictions and a record of swinging with the swing voters. The best description of Romney is from a writer at The Politico [leftist Terry Michael]: "Mitt Romney is Bill Clinton with his pants up." He wants to be all things to all people.

The worst example is his position on abortion. In the past, he has swung from being anti-abortion (to appeal to Mormons back in Utah), to being pro-abortion (to appeal to voters in Massachusetts), and back to being anti-abortion again now that he's seeking the Republican nomination.

Extremist Homosexual Newspaper Calls for End to Religious Freedom

The radical homosexual movement does not like clear definitions of their terms, such as "sexual orientation" or "gender identity and expression." And it takes words with clear, commonly accepted definitions such as "marriage" and "bigotry" and turns them inside out. Anything expressing disapproval of homosexuality -- on whatever basis, whether religion, morality, natural law, societal stability, public health -- they call "bigotry". Look at this week's editorial in Bay Windows, equating "bigotry" and Judeo-Christian beliefs. The editor whines,

How much longer are we going to have to listen to people claim a religious freedom to bigotry? Even as he dismissed their absurd lawsuit against Lexington town officials for trying to “indoctrinate” their children “with the belief that homosexuality and same-sex marriages are moral,” U.S. District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf was quite respectful of David and Tonia Parker’s and Rob and Robin Wirthlin’s religious beliefs — beliefs which sparked the suit. The couples have “sincerely held religious beliefs,” Wolf wrote. “They do not wish to have their young children exposed to views that contradict these beliefs and their teaching of them.” Later, he notes, “Profound differences in religious beliefs are also a hallmark of our diverse nation. It is often in a community’s interest to try to find a reasonable way to accommodate those differences.” That’s what liberals have been trying to do — “accommodate those differences” — since George W. Bush was “elected” president in 2000 with a record turnout of evangelical voters....

The comparison to the civil rights struggle of African Americans is apt. Of course, it is the struggle for the rights of LGBT people that should be compared to the fight for equality by African Americans. A person’s skin color, their gender identity and their sexual orientation are fixed from birth. Believing that God formed human beings from clay, that Allah rewards martyrs with virgins in paradise, that an angel visited a teenaged Joseph Smith in 1823 and revealed the Mormon religion to him, or that a perfectly sane sign of your devotion to God is to lop off the foreskin of your or your infant son’s penis — well, that’s a choice. The glorious thing about making such a choice for yourself is that this is America and you can believe whatever you want to believe — no matter how outrageous or irrational. Trying to impose your beliefs upon others, regardless of how “sincerely held” they may be, now that’s when the trouble starts.

Besides its utter contempt for others' religious beliefs, Bay Windows is simply lying about the demands of the Lexington parents -- only asking that their own beliefs be respected, but not "trying to impose [their] beliefs on others." The parents are simply demanding their right under the U.S. Constitution that their religion be respected, and their right under Massachusetts statute to protect their children from unwanted instruction on human sexuality issues. But such dishonesty from the homosexual press is par for the course.

Further, the homosexual radicals would have us believe their "civil rights" are being infringed upon, on a level with blacks being denied the vote, or people held in slavery. How much longer are we going to have to listen to this bogus equating of homosexual behaviors with innate characteristics, or true violations of a person's freedom and dignity? Homosexual citizens can vote, make out wills, and live with a companion of their choosing. They can even marry a person of the opposite sex, just like everyone else. What rights are being denied?

Their community is not defined by innate characteristics, but by their behaviors. It's their behaviors Christians object to, without questioning their freedom, dignity and value as individual human beings. Notice that no one labels Christians "bigots" because their religious beliefs inform them that other behaviors are wrong -- e.g., adultery or thievery -- yet the homosexual community labels Christians "bigots" for their understanding that homosexuality is a behavior similarly (or even more strongly) condemned in the Bible.

But Bay Windows has had enough of "accommodation" of any understanding that contradicts theirs. They wish to obliterate any religious (or other) objection to their behaviors.

Black Roots, Bad Make-Up & Romney

We try not to stoop to ad hominem comments. But this time, any attempt at reasoned argument seems a lost cause, and we can't help ourselves...

Two prominent conservative women have let the movement down big time. Ann Coulter now endorsing Romney? And Kate O'Beirne (there goes National Review's credibility again!)? Didn't they see our report on Mitt Romney's deceptions? Are they just looking at his hair?

They've lost it. From National Review Online:

Friday, March 02, 2007
Romney Scored [Kate O'Beirne]

It seems to me that Mitt Romney's willingness to make specific pledges and outline a platform helpfully moved him beyond the typical GOP platitudes about smaller government. Grover Norquist noted that the former governor was the first in the field to sign his tax pledge and now Romney has married it with a spending pledge. In an effective, ahem, contrast, he noted that when it comes to government spending "I like vetoes." His pointed pledge to fight for the repeal of McCain-Feingold and his opposition to the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill appeared to be big crowd pleasers. So too was his "our people are sovereign" slam on activist judges. In stringing together some of the events he faced upon taking office - the Massachusetts court ordering gay marriage, the scientific community's support for creating embryos for research, and the blackballing of Catholic Charities over gay adoption - he offered a potentially plausible sequence that prompted second thoughts on social issues. [He was just endorsed by Ann Coulter: "I like the fact that he tricked liberals into voting for him."] Romney emphasized the importance and power of an enduring coalition of economic, social, and national security conservatives and he clearly hopes to unite them behind him. Today, he did a convincing job of explaining why they should.

Seen on Cardinal Sean O'Malley's Blog

The Cardinal and Bishops are strongly behind the current marriage amendment in Massachusetts. But why isn't the Church taking a public stand for parents' rights in the schools, and protecting religious freedom of the parents in the moral education of their own children? Isn't the early training of a child just as important as marriage? Where is the Catholic Church -- and all the other churches and Orthodox Jews of Massachusetts -- on this all-important issue? Maybe some of our Catholic friends should post more on the Cardinal's blog. Here's one recent posting:

I would say the biggest priority to pray for this Lent is the children in Massachusetts public schools who call themselves Catholic or Christian, who will be subjected to diversity ed at kindergarten. This "family stuff" will not just be simple books on different families -- it will be a new composite of sexual & trans behaviors ...

According to the Judge last Friday who decided the David Parker/Lexington public school case, take your kid out or homeschool is the only answer to the public school sex ed question. Do we have any reaction to this nightmare in the making this Lent? The fear of man bringeth a snare. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. At least the voucher system should be in place so decent people do not have to contribute to the delinquency of minors in this decision. The Judge had the nerve to say this was not a religion issue. Can you believe that!

Visit www.massresistance.org Get the whole transcript. This mensch of a Jewish father Brian Camenker, and David Parker and the Wirthlins of Lexington are battling for all parents and where is the camaraderie… Camenker is taking on the whole state and who will stand up and be counted in all this and back him up and unite the parents to react with righteous outrage ... God save the USA. My religion is clearly against this behavior....Where is the church in all this? I do not hear you?

Poor Mitt

Mitt's doing very poorly in the polls. An article by Michael Tomasky in the National Prospect calls him a "loser".

"The new Washington Post poll shows that in the last five weeks -- the time period during which the people have had a chance to see his stuff, that is -- he's dropped from 9 percent support to a leaden 4 percent. Nine was within spitting distance of respectability; 4 leaves him 11 points behind a man who isn't even running, Newt Gingrich!"

EyeOn08 comments that Romney's TV ad purchases tell a tale of how poorly he's doing:

Last week, Mitt Romney released ads in a bunch of early states. I argued that Romney was going on the air because he was getting defined in the media. Now HotlineTV weighs in, arguing that Romney made a fundamental mistake with these ads because now, if Romney’s numbers don’t move, Romney will appear totally dead. I think this makes an important point. As I argued earlier, Romney is getting clobbered in the press. I’m talking about the AP, not the NY Times. Romneys only hope is fighting back with TV. But if he can’t do that and continues to get defined — if he cannot shift the discussion to his own terms — he is completely over.

David Parker Interview from Sept. 2006

David Parker interviewed by Dr. Shirley Caniff and Rev. Merrie Turner last Sept. 10, 2006:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn9-8BQTX0w