The flaw of the "Hate Crimes" definition

FBI Agent: Muslim Student's Alleged Assault May or May Not Be a Hate Crime
from Agape Press
By Jim Brown

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the alleged attack on a Muslim student at a large Baptist university in Texas as a possible hate crime.

According to the female Muslim student, she was walking to her dorm on the Baylor University campus on April 1 when a white male assaulted her and threatened to kill her. She claims the man grabbed her headscarf, threw her to the ground and kicked her, meanwhile uttering anti-Muslim slurs.

FBI Special Agent Rene Salinas of San Antonio is leading the investigation into the matter and says the suggestion has been made {c~b~n would agree} "that the alleged attack on this particular student was caused or was the direct result of a hate crime." As a result of this allegation, he explains, "the FBI has initiated a preliminary investigation under a civil rights violation -- it would be a civil rights/hate crime -- to make a determination if the allegation is true."

Salinas notes that two factors typically prompt a hate crimes investigation. The crime "has to be racially motivated or religiously motivated," he says, as it would appear to be in this case, if the allegations are true.

However, the federal agent points out, not all crimes involving persons of a particular race or religion or their property are necessarily hate crimes.

For instance, he asserts, "The three college students that were burning the Baptist churches {!! IF not religiously motivated, then WHAT precisely was it? } well, it's not just the fact that they were Baptist churches [or that] they were African American or black Baptist churches."

For the authorities to designate the church burnings a hate crime, evidence would have to suggest that the perpetrators were specifically motivated.{Gee, you think maybe they just hate churches? More specifically, Baptist churches? NOT a HATE CRIME????? This is the flaw in the government's definition of a "hate" crime. Or perhaps it is just their ANTI-Christian bias blatantly showing for once.....}

In 1992 Congress defined a hate crime as any crime in which "the defendant's conduct was motivated by hatred, bias, or prejudice, based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of another individual or group of individuals."

According to the FBI spokesman, a crime such as the burning of black churches or Baptist churches might not be prosecuted under hate crime legislation if nothing in the crime indicates the victim was specifically targeted for one of the specified reasons. {Watch them sell it to us as the "boys will be boys" syndrome.}

"If an individual, for example, goes to a black Baptist church and starts putting up swastikas and all sorts of hate symbols and so forth on it, then the FBI gets involved in that situation," Special Agent Salinas explains.

{Symbols are BAD; Fire is OK.........

Seems to me they are trying TOO HARD to explain WHY they are not treating the burning of many Baptist churches as a hate crime as opposed to the Muslim woman's attack.

Frankly, I don't see a difference and this angers me when my own country can treat the destruction of places of worship as a run-of-the-mill crime; when in fact, it is EVERY bit as serious as what happened to this Muslim woman.

HATE is HATE.

It should NOT be tolerated by anyone or any government!}

Top of Page

No Denying, Abortion Harms Women

New Zealand Researcher
from Agape Press

A self-described pro-choice atheist and rationalist set out to prove that abortion does not have any psychological consequences. He found the opposite, and the results were so profound that they cannot be ignored in the scientific field or the political arena.

Professor David Fergusson, New Zealand researcher at Christchurch School of Medicine and Health, said, "[F]rom a personal point of view, I would have rather seen the results come out the other way -- but they didn't. And as a scientist you have to report the facts, not what you'd like to report."

"Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviors and substance use disorders," according to the research published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.

Numerous journals refused to publish the research, {Here's that LIBERAL BIAS--don't like the TRUTH, then don't PUBLISH the TRUTH} but Fergusson defended its relevance saying it would be "scientifically irresponsible" to overlook the findings.{Good for him! Truth Matters!} "To provide a parallel to this situation, if we were to find evidence of an adverse reaction to medication, we would be obligated ethically to publish that fact," he explained.

"If we were talking about an antibiotic or an asthma risk, and someone reported adverse reactions, people would be advocating further research to evaluate risk," Fergusson explained. "I can see no good reason why the same rules don't apply to abortion."


Top of Page

A Mother Asks...

Author Unknown

A mother asked President Bush,
"Why did my son have to die in Iraq?"

Another mother asked President Kennedy,
"Why did my son have to die in Viet Nam?"

Another mother asked President Truman,
"Why did my son have to die in Korea?

Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt,
"Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima?"

Another mother asked President W. Wilson,
"Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln,
"Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?"

And yet another mother asked President G. Washington,
"Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge?"

Then long, long ago, a mother asked...
"Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?"

The answers to all these are similar --
"So that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom."

IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS,
PLEASE, FEEL FREE......TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!!

Top of Page

Proof of Liberal Tolerance

Sorry, not today......rather it is their intolerance that is showing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

from Agape Press
by Jim Brown

The author of a controversial, edgy, conservative book about what's happened to America is thanking liberal professors at Ohio State University's Mansfield campus for effectively publicizing the book.

By a 21-0 vote, with nine abstentions, faculty at OSU-Mansfield voted to have the school launch a formal investigation into the actions of librarian Scott Savage. Professors accused the devout Quaker of sexual harassment for recommending a book -- The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian -- as required reading for the incoming freshman class. It was one of four recommended by Savage. (See earlier story)

Reportedly {Of course!} the charges against Savage have since been dropped -- and his attorney has not ruled out a lawsuit over the attack on the librarian's reputation.{Go for it! About time someone stood up to these bullies.} But the faculty vote apparently has had some unintended consequences. Author Kupelian says the almost two dozen professors who voted for the investigation have done him a big favor.

"It's a great irony -- a wonderful irony, from my point of view -- that these professors were so concerned about the possibility that their freshmen might read my book, that outside of the rarified air of the college campus the rest of America has heard about this story and has gone in droves to buy [the book]," he says. {I've been waiting to get it when I can buy it used from Amazon! as my public library takes forever to get these books.}

Kupelian's book was published almost a year ago -- but because of the controversy on the OSU-Mansfield campus, sales have "skyrocketed," says the author. "Right now it's [number] 30 or 40 on Amazon.com -- and it's been the number-one current events book for the last three or four days," he says.

And what about the nine faculty members who abstained from voting? Kupelian says he has a theory.

"You have to wonder: why did they not vote on this matter? It can't be because they didn't have an opinion," he speculates. "I say it's because they knew that this was bogus [and] ridiculous to bring a guy up on charges of sexual harassment for recommending a book."
Consequently, he says, those professors could not vote in favor of the investigation against Scott Savage -- but at the same time they could not vote against it. Otherwise, says Kupelian, they would run the risk of being characterized along with him as "a homophobe and a bigot and a hater."

Kupelian, who is managing editor of WorldNetDaily.com, sees another irony in the whole ordeal: his book is available for purchase in the Ohio State University bookstore.

Top of Page

V-chip technology

No Solution to Indecency Violations, Say Critics
Instead of Pumping 'Sewage,' Why Not Just Clean It Up?

from Agape Press
by Jody Brown

At their annual convention on Monday, the National Association of Broadcasters heard a pitch from the former head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) about an upcoming ad campaign designed to inform parents about V-chip technology and television program ratings. "We want to tell parents that they, and they alone, have total power to control every hour of television programming," said Jack Valenti in announcing the $330 million ad campaign.

Family-friendly media watchdogs say the television industry is merely trying to dodge its responsibility to police itself and its content. And the head of the FCC says the multi-million-dollar ad campaign just announced by the industry won't be enough to satisfy his agency's mandate to patrol the airwaves for indecency.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council has his own translation of Valenti's statement. The "avalanche" of ads, he says, is designed to persuade parents it is their sole responsibility to monitor what their children watch on TV. "In other words," says the FRC president, "the MPAA wants to continue to pump out the sewage and make you [parents] responsible for the cleanup."

"How noble. How empowering for you," Perkins says tongue-in-cheek. "And how ridiculous."

Since the FCC's announcement in mid-March, the four major networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox -- have sued the FCC over the indecency rulings. The networks claim the FCC "overstepped its authority" in making rulings that are "unconstitutional and inconsistent with … previous FCC decisions."

Some media watchdogs claim that lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt by the networks to obtain the right to indiscriminately broadcast foul language in violation of current law. One of those who feels that way is L. Brent Bozell of the Parents Television Council (PTC) -- and he has a similar response to the ad campaign being promoted by Valenti and the MPAA. Bozell says his group's research has shown that the V-chip and the ratings system -- the core elements promoted by the ad campaign -- have failed.

"We have found that most television programs airing foul language, violence, and inappropriate sexual dialogue do not use the appropriate descriptors that would warn parents about the presence of offensive content," the PTC president notes.

"Without accurate descriptors, the V-chip fails -- and thus, the ratings system is rendered meaningless."

According to Bozell, the only solution is for the industry to "clean up its act," rather than to try to make the public more aware of technology and ratings that have been proven to be ineffective. The ad campaign, he asserts, will not solve the problem.

"They're spending $300 million to defend themselves against their wretched excesses," he says. "Why don't they just stop airing their wretched excess?"

Someone else agrees with Bozell's assessment of the multi-million-dollar advertising blitz -- and that someone is Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. "I'm not sure that's the complete answer," Martin said of the campaign Tuesday in Las Vegas. He noted that live sports programming, such as the Super Bowl, is among the type of programs not rated.

In addition, Reuters reports, Martin observed that his agency's research indicates that upwards of 40 percent of the TV sets in the U.S. do not have V-chips or other blocking technology.

He believes that other initiatives -- such as family-tier options or "a la carte" offerings by cable companies -- would give consumers more choice.

Consequently, parents would have more control over what they allow into their homes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
$300 million sure is a lot of moolah to try to justify something many Americans don't want coming into their homes!

I am for the a-la-carte programming and when this is passed by the Congress (I believe it will be); namely because the cable industry refuses to do this on their own so the government had no choice but to get involved; I will consider bringing television back into my home.

Until then, I can live without tv.

c~b~n

Top of Page

Countries World Watch List of Persecuted Christians

Updates:

Much of the world would like you to believe Christians are no longer persecuted. Especially in America. But they would be wrong. It is just more subtle in our country. The world feels there will be no consequences for these heinous crimes. This is more than hate speech. This is torture and murder. When nations refuse to speak up, they are complicit in these murders.....

India Pastor Martyred in Cover-up

After preaching at a service at Beradakia Church in his native town of Baliguda, Kandhamala district in India, 35-year-old Pastor Jimendra Nayak never made it home to the village of Barakhema.

He took an auto rickshaw after the service to return to his home in Puri district but he didn't leave the vehicle alive. Pastor Nayak's body was found inside the cabin of the rickshaw with his head badly smashed. Police insist that he died in a mysterious "accident," but VOM contacts investigating the pastor's death reveal that the pastor's accidental death was highly unlikely.

Bystanders interviewed by VOM sources around the bus stop where Nayak was last seen reported unfamiliar people discretely asking questions about the pastor's whereabouts, the time of his service, etc.

No investigation has taken place yet, and for several weeks, relatives couldn't get a postmortem report. The pastor had previously been threatened and detained by radical Hindus many times in order to keep him from his missionary work.

He is survived by the living testimonies of his wife, one-year-old son, 14-year-old sister, eight-year-old handicapped brother and his elderly parents, whose faith has been strengthened by this incident.

Need to know the truth? Sign up for you free newsletter: Voice of the Martyrs

† † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † †

from Agape Press
by AP

The president of the persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA says an estimated 200,000 Christians are imprisoned in North Korean labor camps, where many face torture and execution.

Rev. Carl Moeller says escapees will testify this week at congressional hearings and demonstrations in Washington as part of North Korea Freedom Week. The goal, he says, is to appeal for prayer and international pressure on the communist regime.

For the fourth year in a row, Open Doors has ranked North Korea as the worst violator of religious rights in the world. Moeller calls it "one large concentration camp, with the entire population trapped in a nightmare that doesn't end." He urges American Christians in particular to pray for their fellow believers in North Korea.

† † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † †

A World Watch List of 50 nations where Christians face the most intense hostility and harsh treatment because of their faith.

A map showing the persecuted Christian church from the Voice of the Martyrs

List is from open doors usa

1. KOREA 2. Saudi Arabia 3. Iran 4. Somalia 5. Maldives

6. Bhutan 7. Vietnam 8. Yemen 9. Laos 10. China

11. Afghanistan 12. Uzbekistan 13. Turkmenistan

14. Eritrea 15. Comoros 16. Pakistan 17. Egypt

18. Myanmar (Burma) 19. Azerbaijan 20. Morocco

21. Brunei 22. Libya 23. Iraq 24. Cuba 25. Djibouti

26. India 27. Sudan 28. Nigeria (North) 29. Tajikistan

30. Sri Lanka 31. Russia (Muslim Rep: Muslim republics of

the Russian Federation: Chechnya, Kabardino Balkarya,

Dagestan and Tatarstan) 32. Tunisia 33. Qatar 34. Nepal

35. Indonesia 36. Turkey 37. Algeria 38. Ethiopia

39. Bangladesh 40. Mauritania 41. Kuwait 42. United Arab

Emirates 43. Belarus 44. Colombia (Conflict Areas)

45. Oman 46. Jordan 47. Syria 48. Mexico (Southern

Mexican state of Chiapas) 49. Philippines (South: Mindanao)

50. Kenya (Northeast)

Top of Page

NBA OR NFL?

36
Have been accused of spousal abuse

7
have been arrested for fraud

1
for criminal trespass

19
have been accused of writing bad checks

117
have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3
have done time for assault

71,repeat71
cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14
have been arrested on drug-related charges

8
have been arrested for shoplifting

21
currently are defendants in lawsuits, and

84
have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Giveup yet? . . . Scroll down

Neither the NFL or the NBA..... it's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group of idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

Capitol Hill Blue's The Rant

Ask Me On the Issues

Dasbach said "In fact, if this study is correct, the best way to cut crime may be to lock up Congress and throw away the key."

~~~~~~~~~~~
Yet, they still have the right to vote!! Wonder what felons feel about this!
c~b~n


Top of Page

Tough Love

If we loved our children we would be this tough on them. Think this kid will EVER make this mistake again???? I really doubt it.....

This mom ain't no liberal!

Top of Page

TV ala carte

A man and his wife are sitting in the living room and he says to her, "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state dependent on some machine. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."

"OK," says his wife as she gets up and unplugs the TV.

Update

from Agape Press

by Jody Brown...

Blowing an earlier report on "a la carte" cable programming out of the water, the FCC has just released a report stating that consumers could be "better off" under such a system -- and could possibly even pay less than they are now for programming they don't wish to have in their homes.

Cable providers have argued that allowing their users to bundle their own package of channels would be cost-prohibitive. That argument was propped up by a 2004 study by Booz Allen Hamilton {who named this man?} that concluded a la carte was not economical.

But a "Further Report" by the Federal Communications Commission [PDF] has found the 2004 report contained "mathematical errors" -- since acknowledged by Booz Allen -- and "relied on unrealistic assumptions and presented biased analysis" in its conclusions.

The FCC says with the calculations corrected, three of the four scenarios considered in the Booz Allen study would result in consumers' bills going down anywhere from 3 to 13 percent. {No wonder it was flawed....didn't want to lose that money; ummm, sounds like another set of modern-day, greedy robber barons, if you ask me.}

Today's report from the FCC, says Concerned Women for America, is exactly what consumers have been waiting for. "The FCC puts the lie to cable magnates' wild claims that a la carte would cost consumers more money and was not economically feasible," says CWA's Lanier Swann.

"That argument has fallen flat on its face now that the FCC has shown that consumers could save up to 13 percent on their monthly cable bill."

And like CWA has been saying all along in its push for "family-friendly" cable channel bundling, adds Swann, a la carte pricing "will not only put choice back into consumers' hands, it will also put a few dollars there as well."

CWA says Congress has no excuse not to act now on legislation calling for cable choice for cable users.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{conservative~by~nature's comments enclosed}

Senate Forum Addresses Cable Choice, Decency Issues Participants Debate 'A La Carte' Idea, Proposals to Increase Media Regulation
By Jenni Parker
from Agape Press

{An idea whose time has come!}
Media executives, government regulators, consumer advocates, televangelists and other religious broadcasters gathered yesterday in Washington, DC, for an "Open Forum on Decency," held by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens of Alaska. One of the key figures participating was Kevin Martin, head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who advised the forum that selling cable channels "a la carte" is a good idea. {Wow, a government entity on our side!}

"We're not involved in this to bring about censorship," Stevens said. ...the "a la carte" system would help parents save money, keep closer tabs on what their children watch, and keep objectionable channels out of their homes. {As it stands right now, the media moguls are discriminating against an entire population of people who do not wish to view what they are offering~~nor do they want to be burdened with allowing this group to choose those programs they want. }

Cable and satellite providers have complained that offering "a la carte" pricing or more family-friendly tiers of channels would drive up their marketing, equipment, and customer service costs and hence would drive up consumer costs as well.

{Drive up their marketing costs? Good grief~~WORD OF MOUTH ALONE WILL SELL THIS CONCEPT WHEN EVERY CHRISTIAN tells their relatives and neighbors that they too can do this! Customer service costs~~how? Excellent customer service is GIVING THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT! You get GOOD calls then instead of angry, irate ones. Or cancelled contracts, memberships, whatever. I think these excuses are just that....excuses from a LAZY INDUSTRY THAT CAN'T BE BOTHERED ABOUT PLEASING THEIR CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN CONSUMERS. It's why I don't have TV. Until, they let ME decide what I want in MY home.....I can live without it. I suspect the real truth is the industry will find out that their "shows" will lose audiences and subsequently get cancelled~~but that's exactly where trash should go. Buh-bye trashy 'Desperate Housewives'...}

Offering a menu of available programming for a fixed price -- i.e., ten channels for $20 or 20 channels for $30. Parents then would be able to receive and pay for only the programming that they are comfortable bringing into their homes. {Which is fair, and not difficult. I think the industry just doesn't want the government telling them they have to do this. BUT if they had done it ON THEIR OWN, government intervention could have been avoided!}

Media Execs Balk at Increased Regulation and argue that the FCC has no authority to require them to offer a family-friendly tier of channels... {Told you so!}

FCC chairman Martin added that he believes the best solution to this controversy would be for the media industry to take measures to address the issue voluntarily. {But like the petulant children they are~~they will have to be told to do this. At this point, they won't, just to see if they can get away with it~~just like a willful child! Meanwhile, I remain TVless!}

"Profanity is the effort of the feeble mind to express itself." -- 1950s English teacher

{Oh, boy, America is IN TROUBLE THEN~~too many vocabulary challenged individuals leaves the feeble minded to rule the day. Ummm, that explains alot about the quality of tv and the "executives" who run it.....}

Top of Page

A Widely Hated America

Ministry Leader Refutes this Media Depiction
from Agape Press
by Allie Martin

The president of a Christian ministry to India says the United States is appreciated throughout most of the world, despite media reports to the contrary.

Although reports in the national and international media often show anti-U.S. protests and demonstrations in European, Asian, and Middle Eastern nations, Dr. Samuel Thomas of the Hopegivers International ministry says the U.S. is known for its leadership and compassion in responding, especially when natural disasters strike, to need all over the world. The media would have the public think the U.S. is "hated by the world" or that "Americans are no longer loved," the ministry president observes, but he insists, "That is a lie of the devil."

Thomas, who describes himself as a "full-blooded Indian" and a native of India, says he is one of many people in his country and other nations around the world who have developed a deep appreciation for the U.S. "I can tell you, with all sincerity and praise to God," he asserts, "with a heart of gratitude, I am thankful to the United States of America. I am thankful for your people."

In 1960, Here's Life America founder Dr. Bill Bright was in India and gave money out of his own pocket to help Dr. Thomas' parents travel to Kota in the state of Rajasthan, where they began Emmanuel, the outreach that laid the foundation for Hopegivers International. Today, he notes, Hopegivers trains church leaders, produces Christian tracts and literature for its ministries, and operates 87 children's homes in India that provide shelter, food, and education for thousands of orphans.

Also, the ministry's Emmanuel Institutes graduate thousands of students each year, all of them committed to reaching out to more needy children, orphans, and others in desperate need. Helping Hopegivers to continue its work are its international supporters and sponsors, many of them in the U.S., who give money to help rescue orphaned and abandoned children in India and to spread hope in that country by spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

And just as India has benefited from American generosity through Hopegivers, so have many other countries seen similar benefits, the ministry's president points out. He notes that, thanks to numerous U.S.-based agencies and Christian organizations, America has become known for its compassionate outreach to the needy in other nations throughout the world. {Because, we whom God has blessed, can do no less.....we love our brothers and sisters in Christ; but we also love all people who are hurting and need a hand of comfort. What better way to show Jesus Christ's love than to reach out a helping hand. It's called walking your talk!}

"You know, the media tells us that the world doesn't want [the U.S.]," Thomas says, "but as soon as the tsunami comes, guess who India looks to. As soon as the earthquake takes place in Pakistan, guess who Pakistan looks to." Despite the picture the mainstream media often paint, he insists that America enjoys great respect among many nations throughout the international community.

When disaster strikes, Thomas observes, "It is amazing how, all of a sudden, then the favorite names are Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, Compassion International, Food for the Hungry.

Where are all these based out of? They're based out of the United States."

If given the privilege of titling the Americans, Dr. Thomas says he would call them "not the military for the world, not the policemen, but the 'Good Samaritans' who are looking out for human life."

And that positive view, he asserts, is shared by countless

others in many Third World and developing nations.



Top of Page

!@#$%&*@#$ PROFANITY !@#%*&$@#@

Proliferation of Public Profanity a Cultural -- and Spiritual -- Problem
from Agape Press
by Tim Wildmon

Perhaps you saw the same survey I saw the other day about Americans and public profanity. It said that we the people are cursing more frequently and using words that were once considered taboo in public.

I was probably 12 years old when I first heard the "f" word used by a neighborhood kid. I even asked my parents what it meant because I had no idea. Talk about an awkward moment for a parent. Today, however, you frequently hear words such as this out in the open. {Be prepared to be assaulted if you "Say" ANYTHING to the profane speaker!}

A few weeks back I was on an airplane and the 25-year-old male a few seats over was yaking on his cell phone, letting everyone in on his business that none of us cared about. About every 60 seconds he felt the need to use the "f" word. I don't know if that made him feel more adult or what.

Later in the airport waiting on a connecting flight, there was a lady, about 50, talking loudly on her cell phone. I heard her twice use the "f" word in what sounded like a casual conversation. Then while I walked at a local park earlier this week some teenage boys were playing basketball. One of them called another one a "mf" just as casual as you please. They were not in a fight, they were just talking to one another.

Raw profanity has become an acceptable part of popular culture today. {Even "Star Trek" acknowledged that, sadly, in #4 "The Journey Home". The one where Spock just couldn't get it right, and Capt. James Kirk didn't do much better.....he and Spock discuss this on their bus ride to see the whales and talk about how this "language" is represented in all the literature of the time. Then he proceeds to mention Jacquelyn Susan among others and Spock's response is oh, the greats. I dispaired when I heard that. I thought trash would be recognized as trash no matter the time period....guess I was WRONG.}

Rap music -- the most popular music among young people today -- is filled with gutter language. They play it loudly in their cars. Movies and television programs use hard profanity on a regular basis. In a way, we have become desensitized to it. This has been the goal of Hollywood for many years. There was a time before the mid-60s when foul language was not used on television, in movies or popular music. {Remember when Spock zapped the annoying punk rocker and his obnoxious music on the same bus ride--to the gratitude and applause of his fellow commuters?! Who's brave enough today to try it?}

But today many people mock you if you complain about public profanity. They say it's just the way people talk today and the language one uses doesn't matter.
{But it does. You can "speak" blessings or you can "speak" curses. It is your choice. "The Power of Spoken Blessings" by Bill Gothard}

My question then is, why use words like "f" and "mf" and "gd" in public if language doesn't matter? Why didn't the teenage boy on the basketball court just say, "Give me the ball, John," instead of "Give me the ball 'mf'?" . {Want respect? Then you must give respect. Oh, it is the golden rule again! See "Jaywalking with Jay Leno" The Narrow Minded Christian }

Why did certain words come out of the young man's mouth and not others? I contend most people who use foul language intentionally do so because they understand the words themselves represent rebellion against societal norms -- or what used to be societal norms.

Otherwise, why use that kind of language? It's an attention grabber. Then, after using profanity for a long period of time, it does become second nature -- just the way people talk.

For the Christian, foul language is forbidden by the Bible. That is why using profanity in public was considered unacceptable before we became a post-Christian culture. Christian values and morals are now considered passé or "old-fashioned" to many Americans – especially the younger generation, sad to say. {They'll label you a prude if you object. Ok, fine. I can live with that. The question is, can you live without it? With each "desensitization" to old taboos, the spirit is irreparable harmed.}

In the New Testament book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul gives these instructions to followers of Jesus:

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there by any obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving"
(Ephesians 5:1-4).

In Ephesians 4:29 Paul says:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

What I take from this is that we shouldn't tear down people personally. So, in the spirit of that biblical command, I don't desire to attack anyone. If we have criticism of someone, we can do so without attacking that person himself -- and do so with the purpose of achieving a positive resolution to the problem. We can talk about an offense without mounting a personal attack on the one who has offended.

Even though we know the standard, still, we are human and we often fail to live up to those standards. But the occasional slip is not what I am talking about. I wish it were. What I am talking about is a serious profanity problem in the general population.

Sadly, I doubt we can reverse this trend. As I stated earlier, in many respects our American society has rejected the Christian moral value system. So this really is the way people talk to each other if they don't care what God thinks about the words that come out of their mouths. To them -- to us in our current cultural context -- it doesn't seem to matter.

But according to God's Word, words still matter.

Top of Page

Dangers of the Dalai Lama

from Agape Press
by Fred Jackson

...Amid the latest Islamic terrorist attacks, the world's best known Buddhist monk{another false religion; but Christianity is not calling for its believers' destruction} is claiming Islam is really a compassionate faith that is being unfairly maligned.

The Dalai Lama spoke to a gathering of international Islamic leaders in San Francisco, California, over the weekend and told listeners that all human beings are prone to violence and an entire faith should not be judged by what he called "a few mischievous people." {Mischievous? Strapping a bomb on my chest and blowing myself and others up who happen to worship differently makes me "mischievous"? Well, what if I decide to drop an atomic bomb on an Islamic country? Am I still mischievous? Or am I finally just a murdering, bigot?

When they do these things to Israel or America, what exactly is the difference? Murderers are murderers. They are NOT mischievous. Then the entire religion needs to be recognized for what it is.}

One of the organizers of the San Francisco meeting said he hoped the presence of the Dalai Lama could warm Americans to Islam, {Can you see an "agenda" when it's presented to you America?} since many Americans have mixed feelings about that religion but are receptive to Buddhism.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christian Ministry Leader Urges Prayer as Dalai Lama Visits Mayo Clinic
from Agape Press
by Mary Rettig and Jenni Parker

Olive Tree Ministries founder and director Jan Markell says the patients and staff at the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, need a prayer of protection on April 17. She believes a guest who will soon be visiting the hospital may pose a greater danger to the patients than the illnesses that brought them there.

From her own personal experience at the medical facility, the head of Olive Tree Ministries says she knows the Rochester clinic is a place where many people go as a last resort when they have exhausted all other hope for treatment of their diseases. Because of this, the Tibetan Buddhist leader's impending visit is "a disaster waiting to happen," she contends.

"You've got hundreds if not thousands of people like that, in that mental state," Markell observes, "and then along comes this false prophet, who probably is going to give them some kind of lie because he represents everything that has to do with the New Age movement."

The bottom line, the ministry leader says, is the need for people "to pray for this thing that's going to happen on April 17." At a time in the Church and in society when many people desire to experience God in a fresh new way, she contends, bringing the Dalai Lama before people who are already in a vulnerable state just paves the road for false doctrine and New Age spirituality to enter their lives.

Markell suspects that the public's fascination with the Dalai Lama may be a mark of many people's desire to have a fresh encounter with God. "But this is a false god in a false religion, who has nothing to offer anybody," she emphasizes. "As a matter of fact, he's a Buddhist, and Buddhists don't even believe there's a God."

But despite what Tibetan Buddhism teaches, Olive Tree Ministries' founder asserts, the Dalai Lama cannot offer anyone peace because there is no true peace apart from salvation in Jesus.

"The intriguing thing," she says, "is the way people are flocking to want to hear this man. I guess I don't understand, other than that we're in such days of deception now, as the Bible predicted."

Top of Page

Remarkable Obituary

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense.

Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red-tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn)and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge financial settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents,Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by two stepbrothers, My Rights and Ima Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Top of Page

Boiling Frogs

"Mirror, Mirror"
by Kara Powell and Kendall Payne
Youth Specialties

I know a therapist who has a folder in her office that she keeps pictures in. The pictures range from humans to nature to animals to colors, mostly pulled out of modern magazines. When her younger, less talkative clients, come to their session, she brings out the folder. She asks them to choose a picture of the day and a picture of the week. After they've made their selections she'll say something along the lines of, "hmmmmm, that's an interesting choice. (While nodding her head and furrowing her brow) Now tell me, why did you pick that one?" And withthat, therapy has begun.

By listening and considering carefully their picture choices, she opens them up to talk about their feelings before they even realize they're doing it. Conversation is easier when you can talk about someone's feelings towards "something" instead of talking their feelings about themselves.

One day a client left a Teen People magazine in her office. The therapist, in her mid-fifties, was not an avid Teen People reader, and decided to throw it in the trash. Then she remembered her picture folder, sat down and began to flip through the pages looking for pictures. After looking at every single page in the entire magazine, (cover to cover!), she closed it without pulling a single picture.

There was nothing even remotely appropriate to put in her file. Every shot of a woman was borderline pornographic. Either the women had cleavage hanging out of their blouse, a skirt so short you couldn't {Or shouldn't} wear it in public, or pants so tight and pulled so low you could almost see pubic hair.

Every shot of a man and woman together was sexual, either in suggestion or actuality. She was shocked. For the first time in a long time she was faced with the realities that young people are faced with every day. She remarked to me, "There is so much pressure on young girls to be sexy!" I looked back at her, momentarily stunned silent at this incredible grasp of the obvious and brilliantly replied,"no-duh!"

Next she asked me a strange question (that's what they're licensed to do. Ask strange questions with apparently no obvious meaning and arrive at an obscure conclusion that makes you cry most ofthe time!)

She asked, "Do you know what a frog would do if put it into a pot of boiling water?"

"Ummm.. Jump out?" I said with a stupid, antagonizing smile on my face.

"Exactly! (She was not deterred from making her point by my inability to be serious) because it's hot and it will kill him if he stays in it. Having been just dropped into the pot he recognizes it's potential to cook him!"

"Its like his natural instinct." I added.

"Yes," she said. "But if you took that same frog, even with all his natural instinct, and put him in a pot of cold water on a stove top that was slowly heating up, he wouldn't realize the temperature was rising, and therefore would never jump out. Even when it starts to boil!"

"Bummer." I said sounding like Keanu Reeves in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." I'll admit, it was not my finest or most poetic conversation ever.

As I thought about this sad little analogy of the boiled frog, I realized what she was trying to get me to see. Most times I'll get out of a situation immediately when I feel uncomfortable immediately.

The situations that slowly heat up are the ones that burn us!

This therapist did not grow up watching Britney Spears strip tease on MTV in the morning over a bowl of CHEERIOS before heading out to school. She didn't have friends who wore their jeans so low on purpose so that guys could see their g-string underwear. She didn't have school shootings. She didn't have a 50% (or whatever it is) divorce rate. She didn't know the meaning of anorexia or bulimia. She didn't have porn websites at the touch of a button. {How about sitcoms that normalize porn..."Friends" did exactly that. I don't have much good to say about TV. The news is slanted; the shows are "racy"; the language is vile; the violence is gruesome....no nothing good about TV anymore.} And so she, like the first frog, looks through the Teen People magazine and says to herself, "Ouch! This is hot! Get out or you're gonna die!"

Our generation is like the second frog. We've been in the water as long as we can remember. It's getting hotter and we can't tell. We were born in this pot, and maybe that gives new meaning to the words of Jesus when He says, "I assure you that unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

Maybe He sees that we are immersed in a culture that is set up to destroy our self-esteem, bent on keeping us from living out God's purpose for our lives, turning our attention from committing our lives to God and living out His love to keeping up superficial appearances and envying what others have.

If we stay in this heating water it will eventually, ever so slowly and without warning kill us spiritually. Jesus offers us a new life.

I never thought I could learn so much from a therapist and a frog!


Top of Page

Freedom of Speech

Urban Legend???? Even Snopes.com isn't sure. But I liked the sentiment behind it.....even this woman has the right to free speech in our nation.....but so do we. If you 'mouth off', then allow the courtesy of hearing the opposing viewpoint. We either ALL have freedom of speech; or NONE have it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my sons serves in the military. He is still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them.

But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the U.S. flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly," Yes, I always wear it and probably always will."

The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi. A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman:

"Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."

Everyone within hearing distance cheered!

Top of Page