February 2, 2012

Issue

Super Bowl — Madonna and Now GLSEN!

Details

As you know Madonna will be performing during the halftime show at the SuperBowl on Sunday.  More bad news!  GLSEN will be running their “Think B4YouSpeak” PSA’s on the big screen outside the stadium where the SuperBowl will be played in Indianapolis.   Tens of thousands of fans will see their pro-homosexual message.

This from our friend Linda Harvey at Mission America: ” “ThinkB4YouSpeak” is a campaign that seeks to instill the false idea that only by enthusiastically approving of homosexuality and gender confusion can we prevent bullying.

It’s impossible otherwise, we are all supposed to believe.

This manipulative, immoral public relations effort is getting a boost by Grazie Media, a Toronto-based event firm, which donated the medium to GLSEN for this shameful message.

Our kids are also supposed to believe people are born this way, so that insulting a “gay” identity– as in “That’s so gay”–is just like insulting a boy or girl by name. Grant Hill and Wanda Sykes deliver this slick propaganda via short PSA’s.

The truth is, people are not born this way. It’s immoral and unnecessary behavior. It’s not identity. We need to say this over and over to our kids so they can un-learn the lies of GLSEN and jaded celebrities.

Remember, no one needs to endorse homosexuality or gender-swtiching in order to stop bullying. This issue is being used by the anti-Christian, aggressive “gay” lobby for its XXX-rated, anti-child goals.”

Action Step

So Grazie Media has bought into GLSEN’s lies and is now helping advance their agenda of encouraging kids to experiment with homosexuality because they are ‘born that way’ and students who identify as homosexual, bisexual or transgender are the ones most bullied in school!  Contact Grazie Media in Bolton, Ontario at 1-888- 904- 3337 AND email, info@graziemedia

January 24, 2012

Issue

Vote on HR 2070 Scheduled

Details

HR 2070 – the World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011 (go to version number 2 -”Reported in House – RH”)  — is scheduled for a vote in the House sometime this week.  Remember this bill . . . direct(s) the Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the Nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.”  There were some concerns about the Commemorative Works Act  and its stipulation that a new memorial “does not interfere with, or encroach on, an existing commemorative work.”  In Committee, Section 3 was added which states the Commemorative Works Act “shall not apply to this Act.”  Of Pennsylvania’s Congressmen,  only Lou Barletta, Mike Kelly, Patrick Meehan, Joe Pitts,  and Todd Russell Platts are listed as co-sponsors!

Action Steps

Contact your Congressman and ask him or her to vote ‘Yes’ on HR 2070 when it comes to a vote later this week.  Click here for contact information.

January 23, 2012

Issues

1.) Is Your Child’s School Participating In This?

2.)  President Obama’s Statement on the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade -Click here.

Details

1.)  This is “No Name Calling Week” (NNCW)   in our nation’s schools!  Sounds good until you realize it is the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) who is behind it.  GLSEN’s ultimate goal is to normalize the homosexual lifestyle – telling kids that ‘It’s okay to be gay.’  Last week they released a 68-page elementary toolkit called “Ready, Set, Respect

Here are some statements from that publication’s introduction:

[E]lementary school children are bombarded every day with messages about different groups of people in our society, many of which portray these groups in a negative, socially undesirable way. Those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) are often among these groups. In addition to influencing attitudes, the messages children receive about these people also influences (sic) how they will make sense of gender and inform how they think about their own identity… without intentional guidance, the messages children receive about groups of people, as well as various identities and gender roles can complicate this process and contribute to bullying, prejudice and bias.

While most elementary educators have embraced this work and construct and conduct lessons focused on diversity, recent research suggests that intentional efforts to include explicit lessons that foster respect for differences in gender identity or gender expression or that include families with LGBT parents/caregiver, siblings, or other individuals significant in our student’s lives, are less frequent. As a result, many students go through their elementary school years without positive mentions of families that include LGBT persons or friends or people who may be gender non-conforming.

The elementary school years offer a wonderful and important opportunity to instill and/or nurture positive attitudes and respect for individual, family and cultural differences, including diversity related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

More specific instructions include the following:

• Make sure the analogies you use when teaching don’t rely on hetero-normative or gender-normative images or viewpoints. A hetero-normative viewpoint is one that expresses heterosexuality as a given instead of being one of many possibilities. Such a viewpoint can translate into the development of all kinds of images that reinforce the view. The assumption (reinforced by imagery and practice) that a boy will grow up and marry a woman is based on such a viewpoint. A gender-normative image, on the other hand is one that delimits the possibilities for children of either gender by reinforcing stereotyped expectations.
• Find ways of grouping and lining up students other than “boys here, girls there” or “boys do this, girls do that.” While some students may enjoy these ways of separating the class, they can isolate other students who may feel uncomfortable conforming to gender-based stereotypes.
• Monitor choice activity time to ensure that students are not segregating themselves by gender.
• Become more aware of the ways that you support gender stereotypes in your expectations of students and their work and intervene when you hear students making genderbased assumptions.
• Write math problems with contexts that include a variety of family structures and gender-expressions. For example, “Rosa and her dads were at the store and wanted to buy three boxes of pasta. If each costs $.75, how much will all three boxes cost?”(emphasis added)

Now you see where GLSEN is coming from and such thinking will be reflected in this week’s NNCW lessons.

Action Steps

1.)  Call your child’s school and see if they are participating in ‘No Name Calling Week.”

2.)  Share this information with others who are concerned with what is going on in our schools.

January 17, 2012

Issues

Voter ID — HB 934

Details

HB 934 would require valid “proof of identification” in order to vote in a Pennsylvania primary or general election.  This would greatly cut down on voter fraud.  On June 23 HB 934 passed the State House and went to the Senate State Government Committee.  It was amended and reported out on December 12th.  On December 14th is was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Our primary election is April 24th and it would be great if HB 934 could be passed and signed into law before then!

Action Steps

1.)  Contact Senator Jake Corman, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and ask him to move H.B. 934 forward for a vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

2.)  Contact your State Senator and ask him or her to support HB 934 when it comes to a vote in the full Senate.

January 11, 2012

Issue

President Obama’s “Recess Appointments”

Details

One week ago today President Obama announced the “recess appointment” of not one, but FOUR nominees to controversial boards — former Democratic Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to serve as the director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  (CFPB) and three (two Democrats and one Republican) to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  The two new Democrats on the NLRB were just nominated in mid-December and have never been vetted by the Senate!  Click here to listen to my Two Minute Weekly Update for more information.

Last week when the President made the two announcements — one for the CFPB and the other for NLRB appointments — the Republican leadership expressed disbelief and concern, but we haven’t heard anything since!  What does the Constitution say about what happened last Wednesday?

Article II, Section 2 says, “The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.”

Was the Senate even adjourned?

Article 1, Section 5 says, “Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.”

The House had not given the Senate ‘consent’ to adjourn and they were still holding pro-forma sessions.  Thus, the Senate was not legally adjourned.

Action Steps

Contact your Congressman and remind him or her what the Constitution says and ask what Congress plans to do.  Click here for contact information.

January 10, 2012

Issue

Department of Labor and Teens on Farms/Ranches

Details

The Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed significant changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that will severely impact the type of work young people are allowed to do on farms and ranches. The changes will greatly hinder a farmer or rancher in his desire to hire a young person.  While the FLSA already prevents young workers from doing some tasks, there has previously been sufficient flexibility within those rules to allow young people to work in agriculture.  The DOL proposal would prohibit children under the age of sixteen from assisting in a range of common agricultural practices, including the vaccination of livestock or the use of any power driven machines to do agriculture work, including tractors, pressure hoses, and battery operated tools.  In addition, no one under the age of eighteen would be allowed to work in stockyards, grain elevators, feedlots, livestock exchanges, and auctions.  Finally, there are also concerns that the proposal could severely limit young people from working on family farms.  Small farms and ranches which rely upon younger family members to help run the farm/ranch would be forced to hire help.  How will these proposals, if passed, impact the cost of food?  The unemployment rate of young people?  Kids in FFA or the 4H?

Action Steps

A Congressional letter was sent to Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis on December 16th.  It opposes the proposed changes in the labor law.  Click here to read the letter.

As you can see over 100 Congressmen signed the letter.  Those included PA Congressmen Lou Barletta, Mark Critz, Tim Holden, Mike Kelly, Todd Russell Platts, Bill Shuster, and Glenn Thompson.    If your Congressman’s name is on this list, please take time to send him a quick thanks for standing up for the rights of farmers and ranchers to hire youth and ultimately standing up for all Americans who are struggling right now to put food on their table.  Click here for contact information.

FYI:  The US House will be back in session on January 17th, but you can contact your  Congressman’s district office nearest you for best results.

December 28, 2011

Issue

What Are the Super Bowl Halftime Organizers Thinking?

Details

On December 4th the National Football League  issued a news release announcing their halftime entertainment choice — Madonna!     Her performance will be imagined by Cirque Du Soleil and Jamie King.

Super Bowl XLVI, will air live on February 5th from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.   This will be the fifth time Bridgestone Americas has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show. More than 162 million US viewers watched the show last year.  The game and halftime show will be aired worldwide.  What will they see this year.  According to the homosexual website Xtra, the NFL has been inching towards ‘gay’ inclusion since the early ’90′s “but never has the show just come out and said, “I’m gay” the way that having Madonna perform over naked Québécois acrobats no doubt will.”

Will the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show be a greater assault upon America’s families, children and decency than Janet Jackson’s 2004 ‘wardrobe malfunction’?

Why is Bridgestone Americas willing to sponsor such a show?

Action Steps

Concerned about the content of the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show?

1.) Contact the NFL and express your disappointment with their choice of halftime entertainers.

a.) You may write at:

National Football League
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017

b.)  Call NFL on Location which is the National Football League’s “official source for event experiences and hospitality” at 212-655-5665 or email using the contact form.

2.)  Contact Bridgestone America’s using their webform.  Ask them why they are willing to sponsor the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show when such entertainment goes directly against their corporate philosophy of building better communities.

December 23, 2011

Issue

Ellwood City Nativity Scene

Details

Several weeks ago we sent information to the Borough of Ellwood City; the borough manager, Dom Vicarri immediately called us for additional information.  I, in turn, contacted our legal counsel, Liberty Counsel, about the situation.  They have communicated several times and advised the borough as to steps they can take to avoid litigation.  The issue has come down not to the Christmas display itself, but comments made by some of those representing the borough.  The display itself, with the inclusion of Santa, the menorah, etc. alongside the Nativity scene, is constitutionally sound and defensible.  However the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is holding the borough hostage because of the above referenced comments especially the offer to include their banner in the display.  As Liberty Counsel has advised the borough this could be very quickly resolved by allowing the banner to be included, thus opening the entire display up as a public forum.  In turn, allowing you and others to display banners in favor of Christmas and the borough and opposing the FFRF.  Click here to see how Chester County handled the Freethought Society, another group of atheists associated with FFRF.   However, Borough Council has decided to give into the demands of the FFRF and move the display across the street next year.  This would be an unnecessary capitulation of our constitutionally protected freedom of religion and a clear victory of the FFRF.  Their  original threats were hollow and they would never have won in a court of law.  Again, the problem was created when some of those officially representing the borough made unwise comments to the FFRF.  Yesterday we again faxed a copy of this article to Mr. Vicarri after he called and left a message that there was a group of concerned citizens who wanted to fight the effort to get the Christmas display moved off borough property.

Action Steps

1.)  If you live in the Borough of Ellwood City, please call TODAY and speak with Borough Manager Dom Vicarri.  His number is (724) 758-7777.  Here’s what you need to say to him:   follow the recommendations of Liberty Counsel to display the FFRF banner and thus open the display up as a public forum.

2.)  If you do not live in the borough, but know someone who lives there and is concerned about the threat of removing their Nativity scene, please share this information with them.

December 22, 2011

Issue

No “Merry Christmas” in the House

Details

One must wonder who is in charge in the United States House of Representatives.  In recent days it has been revealed that “currently” Congressmen are not permitted to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year” in any correspondence mailed using taxpayer dollars. It is permissible to say “Happy Holidays” or happy new year, but nothing else is permissible!  This is the determination of the “Franking Committee.”  So . . . just who/what is the “Franking Committee?”

“The bipartisan Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards or the “Franking Commission” has a three-fold mandate: (1) to issue regulations governing the proper use of the franking privilege; (2) to provide guidance in connection with mailings; (3) to act as a quasi-judicial body for the disposition of formal complaints against Members of Congress who have allegedly violated franking laws or regulations.  As a result of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY 1991, Members are required to submit all mass mailings (unsolicited mailings of 500 or more pieces of the same matter) for an advisory opinion prior to mailing.”

Click here to read the “Franking Checklist” to see what it has to say about holiday greetings.   Check out “Content of Official Mail,” under “Official May Not Include.”

If you have time and are interested, click here for some history and information on “the frank.”   There are six members of the Franking Commission.

Many Congressmen are fighting back! Illinois Republican Joe Walsh and Arkansas Democrat Mike Ross sent a letter to colleagues Monday asking them to support an effort to change the rule.

Action Steps

1.)     Contact the Franking Commission, click here for the e-mail form.  Ask them to change the franking rule on “Merry Christmas.”

2.)    Contact your Congressman and ask him or her to join the effort to change the rule.

December 15, 2011

Issue

What’s Going on in the Macys Near You?

Details

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Macys in Texas that fired a Christian employee because she refused to allow a ‘transgender woman’ to use the women’s fitting room.  The 27 year old San Antonio College student said the person claimed to be  a woman, but it was quite evident it was a man in makeup and woman’s clothing.  Now the report of another such incident has arisen.  What about Pennsylvania’s Macys stores? Is it safe for a woman or young girl to go into one of their fitting rooms?  Apparently Macys has an anti-discrimination policy which includes “gender identity.”

FYI- In municipalities which have passed so-called anti-discrimination ordinances with “gender identity,” “transgender women” can use the fitting rooms in ALL the department stores even if that particular store does not have an “anti-discrimination” policy.

Action Steps

1.)  You can contact a Macys near you and ask if it is safe for women and girls to use the women’s fitting room in their store.  Click here for a list of all of Pennsylvania’s Macys stores and their phone numbers.

2.)  Additionally, contact the ones on the corporate level == the ones who make these loony policies!   Email Terry Lundgren, the President of Macy’s at macys_execs@macys.com

3.)  Personally call their corporate offices at 800-264-0069 or 513-398-5221 (or 513-579-7000), or you can fax them at 513-573-2049.

4.)  You can also call Jim Sluzewski, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications – 513-579-7764 Macy’s Media Relations – Julie Strider, 646-429-5213.