May 17, 2012

Issue

News Conference to Introduce Legislation to Defund Planned Parenthood

Details

Next Wednesday May 23 the AFA of PA will be participating in a news conference introducing Representative Daryl Metcalfe’s bill to defund Planned Parenthood.  It will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the Media Center in the State Capitol.

Are you interested in attending?  The Planned Parenthood crowd is sure to be out in force expressing their thoughts on this effort “to take away a woman’s right to comprehensive health care”  and her “right to do with her on body what she pleases.”  This is the real ‘war on women’!

Action Steps

1.)  If you would like to attend the 10:00 a.m. news conference, please let Representative Metcalfe’s district office know by calling (724) 772-3110.

2.)  Ask you State Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor of this bill.  Key in your zip code here to find your State Representative.   Contact your State Rep with this message, “Please sign onto Representative Daryl Metcalfe’s bill to defund Planned Parenthood.”

May 16, 2012

Issues

Parental Rights Amendment on the Move!

Details

As you may recall there’s been an ongoing effort to get a Parental Rights Amendment to the US Constitution passed in order to protect parental rights from UN intrusion.  The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child  poses many problems and if that treaty is ratified by the US Senate, all parental rights laws in the US will be null and void!

Click here to read the language of the proposed constitutional amendment.

If you have additional questions about the Parental Rights Amendment, click here.

The Parental Rights Amendment has been introduced in both the US Senate and the US House.  Only South Carolina’s two senators have signed on as co-sponsors to the Senate version!  Additionally, in the US House not one Pennsylvania Congressman has signed on as a co-sponsor!

FYI:  Steps have also been taken on the state level to encourage the US Senate not to ratify the treaty.  Here in Pennsylvania HR 97 was introduced by Rep. Will Tallman on Feb. 25, 2011, and submitted to the House Children and Youth Committee  March 1, 2011.  It remains in that committee over a year later!  This is “A Resolution memorializing the Congress of the United States to pass the Parental Rights Amendment and submit it to the states for ratification.”

HR 501 was introduced by Rep. Tallman and 7 cosponsors on Nov. 15, 2011. This is “A Resolution memorializing the Senate of the United States to reject the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”  It was referred to the same committee as HR 97 and also remains there.

Action Steps

1.)  Contact Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Bob Casey, Jr. and ask them to contact Senator Jim DeMint in order to become an original co-sponsor of the bill.  There is currently no bill number, simply tell their staff to “Ask the Senator to contact Senator DeMint to become a co-sponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment.”  Click here for contact information.

2.)  Contact your US Congressman and ask that he or she become a co-sponsor of the House version of the amendment.  Again there is no bill number, tell your Congressman’s staff to “Ask the Congressman to contact Representative Trent Franks to become a co-sponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment.”  Click here for contact info.

The Danger of Passing a Weak Marriage Protection Amendment – Colorado fails to pass civil unions bill, Governor calls for special session

(Harrisburg)  In 2006 a majority of Colorado voters approved an amendment to their state’s constitution which banned same-sex “marriage.”  However, it was a weak one part amendment which did not ban civil unions.  This is the second legislative session in a row with attempts to legalize civil unions, thus working around the intentions of the voters in 2006.  The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) has warned about the dangers of these weak one part amendments which only protect the word “marriage.”

“Colorado is but the latest example outlining the dangers of passing a weak amendment.  Colorado voters wanted to protect one man one woman marriage, but they were misled to believe the 2006 amendment would do just that.  Unfortunately, their amendment simply protects the word ‘marriage’ and nothing more,” noted Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

Homosexual activists in Colorado and their Democratic allies will not give up until they have civil unions.  Another unfortunate element in this story is the number of Republicans who have jumped off the cliff with Democrats and support the legalization of civil unions.

Civil unions, which in most cases give all the rights and privileges of natural marriage, have been used as a stepping stone to same-sex marriage in Vermont, Connecticut, and New Jersey homosexuals are pushing for same-sex “marriage” saying their civil union law makes them “second class citizens.”

Granting “civil unions,” like legalizing “gay marriage,” would also put government and society officially on the side of an anti-Christian worldview–a travesty for a nation founded on Biblical principles.

“The Colorado State House has failed to pass a civil unions bill.  Governor Hickenlooper is not pleased and has called for a special session costing taxpayers $23,500 a day.  He has indicated civil unions will be one of the issues addressed during the session.  The Governor has his priorities mixed up — he’s sending the taxpayers a bill to destroy marriage!  Hopefully the taxpayers are taking notes and will remember during the next election cycle!” Gramley concluded.

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President Obama Has “Evolved” to Accept Same-sex “Marriage”

(Harrisburg) — President Obama’s “evolution” seems to be complete when it comes to his endorsement of counterfeit marriage.  The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) notes that this is the first time a sitting President of the United States has ever taken such a drastic step to undermine traditional American families.

“President Obama’s statements do not really come as a surprise.  He has been paving the way to this announcement since last year when he announced his administration would no longer defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act,” commented Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

The AFA of PA also notes that Obama opposed the North Carolina Marriage Protection Amendment which passed overwhelmingly by a 61% vote yesterday.  This is considered to be a swing state in November.  Other problematic re-election issues are the facts that the majority of African Americans and Latinos support traditional one man one woman marriage.  Will independent voters support a candidate who does not support traditional marriage?  President Obama and the Democrats are accelerating their downward spiral and trying to take the nation with them.

“Recent statements by Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in support of same-sex so-called marriage forced the President’s hand.  He is dependent upon the homosexual vote and the only way he could guarantee their continued support was to endorse same gender “marriage.”  However in so doing he is alienating many who supported him in 2008,” Gramley further commented.

Obama’s announcement today should also energize the Republican legislators in Harrisburg to stop obstructing our Marriage Protection Amendment — HB 1434 — and do what the majority of Pennsylvanians want and that is to protect natural one-man one-woman marriage.  Today’s announcement shows how great the need is to protect marriages and families.

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North Carolina Voters Define Marriage as Between One Man and One Woman; When Will PA Get the Chance?

(Harrisburg) — May 8th brought yet another state into the fold of those whose voters have defined marriage as only between one man and one woman.  With 100% of precincts counted, 61% of North Carolina voters said ‘yes’ on Amendment One.   The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA), a statewide advocate for natural marriage, commends the voters of the Tar Heel state, but also asks the Republican majority in Harrisburg when they will give us the same opportunity the North Carolina Republican majority gave their voters.

“Voters in thirty-one states have now voted to include marriage protection amendments in their state’s constitution defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.  That is a clear indication that the polling data is incorrect when it says Americans are becoming more supportive of same-sex so-called marriage.  A poll done of North Carolina voters in September supposedly showed that 56% of the voters opposed banning ‘gay’ marriage.  Today’s vote showed the truth,” noted Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

The North Carolina amendment, which bans so-called marriage between two people of the same sex and also civil unions, is similar to the one introduced by State Representative Daryl Metcalfe a year ago.  Pennsylvania’s HB 1434 would also ban ‘gay’ marriage and civil unions.

“The language of HB 1434 is identical to that of Florida’s Marriage Protection Amendment which passed with over 60% of the vote!  It took the North Carolina legislature to change hands and have  a Republican majority to get the amendment before the people.  Pennsylvania’s Republican majority took its oath of office in January 2011 and has shown no courage in doing what is right and passing HB 1434 which would be the first step in the two step process of getting the marriage question before the people.  The AFA of PA will continue asking the question ‘What are they afraid of?’” Gramley further remarked.

The effort to legalize civil unions taking place in Colorado right now is a perfect example of why a strong two-part Marriage Protection Amendment like HB 1434 is needed.  In 2006, 56% of Colorado voters approved a Marriage Protection Amendment.  However, it was a weak one sentence amendment simply protecting the word marriage.

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April 23, 2012

Issue

Don’t Forget to Vote Tomorrow!

Details

Tomorrow’s weather prediction for Pennsylvania doesn’t look real good.  Snow the last week of April!!  But the weather does not change the fact that it is Primary Election Day and we as citizens must make every effort to fulfill our duty to vote.

I think back to those brave men who weathered many hardships to fight for our independence from Great Britain during that harsh winter in Valley Forge and the other harsh winters during the eight year conflict from 1775 to 1783 when victory over Great Britain was finally won.  Many have suffered hardship and even given their lives since then.  Can we allow a little cold and snow to keep us away from the polls tomorrow?  Many times you hear “This election is the most important in our nation’s history,” but I truly believe this one and the one in November truly are.  But tomorrow’s election will determine what November’s ballot looks like!

Will you join me in voting tomorrow and maybe even giving a couple hours to work the polls for the candidate of your choice?

You can go to your county website and a sample ballot for tomorrow should be posted.  If you have questions call your county election office.

Additionally, AFA national has partnered with the Heritage Alliance this year to produce a voter guide for each state.  Go to www.ivoterguide.com and enter your address to see the scores the candidates received.  Extensive research was done on each candidate by a panel of Pennsylvania residents under the guidance of the Heritage Alliance.

Action Steps

1.)  Pray for the election process — that it will proceed in an honorable way, that any voter fraud will be caught and dealt with immediately.  Pray for the voters that they will take the time to become educated on the stands taken by the various candidates — not just follow “Party Leadership,” but do their own independent research.

2.)  Check out the positions of the candidates on issues that are important to you.  Go to www.ivoterguide.com

3.)  Get out and vote tomorrow!  Help others by offering to drive an elderly neighbor or family member to the polls and/or by pointing them to the www.ivoterguide.com website so they can vote in an informed manner.

April 9, 2012

Issues

1.)  US Senate Voter Guide Available

2.)  Absentee Ballot Information

Details

On March 10th we contacted, via registered mail, each of the five Republican US Senate candidates and the two Democrat US Senate candidates.  We received confirmation that they received our voter guide questions, but unfortunately only two actually responded to the questions!  You can reach your own conclusions as to why candidates did not want to address the issues they will be facing in Washington, DC if they become our next US Senator.

Check out the complete answers from Sam Rohrer as well as his response to “In 75 words or less, please tell the voters why they should vote for you – why are you the best candidate for United States Senate?”  (Mac users can access Sam Rohrer‘s responses.)

Check out the complete answers from Marc Scaringi as well as his response to “In 75 words or less, please tell the voters why they should vote for you – why are you the best candidate for United States Senate?”  (Note:  This is a scanned document the AFA of PA received via email from the Scaringi campaign.  It is large and will take a little while to open.)

Because of Senator Casey’s incumbent status we referred to our US Senate Scorecard.

Action Steps

1.)  Click here for the non-partisan AFA of PA US Senate voter guide.   (Mac users here’s the United States Senate Voter Guide. ) These are designed as two-sided bulletin inserts.  Our legal counsel has reviewed the voter guide and determined it can legally be used in churches because of its non-partisan nature.  Click here for the “Legal Do’s and Don’ts for Churches/Pastors.

2.)  Additionally, is there someone you know who will not be able to make it to the polls on April 24th?  Why not ask them to vote via absentee ballot?  Click here for information on how to do that.    The process involves an application, a couple mailings back and forth between the voter and county courthouse, so don’t wait till the last minute!

Babette Josephs Continues to Misrepresent and Distort the Facts

(Harrisburg) — State Representative Babette Josephs does not like those who hold views different from her own.  This time she has attacked the female state legislators who support HB 1077 , a bill that would require a woman contemplating an abortion to not only get an ultrasound, but  to see it.  The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA), a past target of Josephs, is appalled by Josephs attack on her colleagues and calls on her to immediately apologize for calling them “men with breasts” during her comments at a Capitol Rally sponsored by the Lancaster County Democratic Committee on March 26th.

“This is yet another example of Babette Josephs intolerance and hate towards those who do not side with her on an issue.  Two years ago the AFA of PA was her target after we issued a news release  during the so-called “Freedom to Marry” week and in response to another Capitol Rally, this one in support of a same-sex “marriage” bill which had been introduced in Harrisburg.   She did not like us pointing out the dangers of engaging in homosexual acts or the dangers to society through legalizing so-called same-sex marriage.  Now Josephs is attacking her fellow legislators — is it because she doesn’t want to think about the real consequences of abortion — a dead baby?” questioned Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

Interesting that the day before Josephs’ name-calling her hometown paper The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story saying laws to restrict abortions are constitutional.   The article notes, “Under the Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, states have a right “to ensure that a woman apprehend the full consequences of her decision” and can require physicians to provide “truthful and not misleading” information about the abortion procedure and the development of the fetus.”

Opponents of HB 1077, such as State Representative Josephs ignore the fact that ultrasounds are almost always used by abortionists to determine the age of their victim, but they never permit the mother to see them.   On March 1st Carole Joffe, a professor emerita at the University of California-Davis, noted in a Slate.com article, “The reality is that most abortion patients do receive an ultrasound to date their pregnancies.”

“Josephs’ words on Monday are attacking the women legislators who are showing compassion to the mother contemplating an abortion.  It is compassionate to make sure an expectant mother fully understands the consequences of her decision.  To mislead them by giving inaccurate or misleading medical advice or not allowing them to see their ultrasound is a total lack of compassion.  We are calling on Representative Josephs to publicly apologize to her female colleagues for her name-calling.  Unfortunately, so-called pro-choice women are not known for real compassion and are prone to name-calling, so we are not expecting her to acknowledge her mistake,” Gramley concluded.

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Atheists Have Nothing Better To Do Than Try To Revise Our History

(Harrisburg) — The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) continues flexing its muscles trying to intimidate those who do not know our nation’s history and the foundations upon which it is built.   House Resolution 535, the Year of the Bible Resolution, was adopted unanimously on January 24, 2012 in the Pennsylvania State House.  Two weeks later liberal Democrats from Philadelphia apologized for their vote on the non-binding resolution saying they did not know what was included in the stack of resolutions they voted on during the January 24th session.   The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) fully supports State Representative Rick Saccone’s House Resolution 535 and the members of the State House who continue to stand behind their vote.

“The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a misnomer; this group has its own religion and that’s secular humanism.  Their usual target is the Christian religion as is evidenced in their attacks on nativity scenes and now this attack on words on paper.  Apparently they fear that people will be educated once again on the Christian foundations of our nation and they’ve pulled out all the stops through a billboard campaign   and now a lawsuit  to make sure that doesn’t happen,” noted Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

The lawsuit  falsely claims the PA House recognized Christianity as the “endorsed state religion” through passage of House Resolution 535, thus violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution.   The lawsuit itself attempts to rewrite history by taking out of context and denying the writings of our Founding Fathers when it came to God’s involvement in government.  In fact, Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn said in his Frame of Government, “This settles the divine right of government beyond exception, and that for two ends:  first, to terrify evil doers: secondly, to cherish those that do well; which give government a life beyond corruption, and makes it as durable in the world, as good men shall be.  So that government seems to me a part of religion itself, a thing sacred in its institution and end.”

The atheist group must also not realize that the Preamble to the PA Constitution references Almighty God:   ”We, the People of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

“All fifty states  reference God in their Constitutions.  Will the FFRF now target all of them to get them to remove those references?   This is a frivolous lawsuit intended to silence those who want to once again shine a light on the foundations of this nation — God and the Bible.  Pennsylvanians and Americans, in general, need to be educated on our Christian beginnings and the importance it played in our founding,” Gramley concluded.

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Philadelphia Must Pay the Boy Scouts’ Legal Fees — thanks to actions of homosexual activists

(Philadelphia) — The City of Philadelphia’s attack on the Cradle of Liberty Scout Council (COLBSA) has been going on for almost a decade.  In June 2010 a federal jury found that the city had violated the Boy Scouts First Amendment rights, negotiations with the city over the COLBSA headquarters started shortly afterwards. As recently as January homosexual activists and the ACLU were pressuring the City Council to reject the COLBSA/Nutter Administration agreement reached in November 2010.   The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) is pleased that the city will now be forced to pay the Scouts’ legal fees since they reneged on the agreement reached.

“The Philadelphia situation is a perfect example of why it is dangerous to the Boy Scouts for municipalities to pass so-called anti-discrimination or ‘fair practices’ ordinances which contain the words “sexual orientation.”  It is this ordinance that gave the homosexual activists in Philly the ability to challenge the Scouts.  This attack on the Scouts is a black eye on the city and I hope America is observing what is happening here,” commented Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

A little background:  In 1982 Philadelphia amended their Fair Practices Ordinance to include ‘sexual orientation.’   In June of 2003 homosexual activists “discovered” COLBSA was not in compliance with the ordinance because they did not permit open homosexuals to be leaders or members.  Since that time homosexual activists have pushed Philadelphia to kick the Scouts out of the headquarters the Scouts built and have maintained since 1929 on property the 1928 Philadelphia City Council gave them free use of in perpetuity or force them to pay $200,000 annual rent.  The federal trial resulting in a favorable decision for the Boy Scouts began on June 14, 2010.  Throughout this entire episode, Philadelphia homosexual activists have shown they are more interested in their own agenda than the 35,000 youth in Philadelphia and 15,000 in Montgomery and Delaware counties who are served by the Cradle of Liberty Scout Council.

“This has been a long battle for the Scouts and each step of the way homosexual activists have been the ones behind the city’s actions.  These activists started the original attack back in 2003 and pushed both the Street and Nutter administrations to kick the Scouts out.  The City should have ignored the loud rumblings from these activists and gone forward with what’s best for the young boys and teens in their city and allow the Scouts to purchase their headquarters for $500,000 and they, in turn, would have been forgiven the legal fees.  Unfortunately, all Philadelphia taxpayers will be affected by this $877,000 bill,” noted Gramley.

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