March 14, 2008
Oklahoma Legislator Under Attack
Sally Kern, a state legislator in Oklahoma, recently gave a speech that discussed some issues that raised the ire of those who support the homosexual agenda. A pro-homosexual activist recorded the speech and after editing it, posted the redacted version on a website. The result has been a firestorm of protest from homosexual publications, blogs, and activist groups.
Continue reading "Oklahoma Legislator Under Attack" »
Posted by Administrator at 04:35 PM
January 15, 2008
Two Bloody Wisconsin Legislative Proposals
This is a special legislative alert for Wisconsin residents. There are two pieces of legislation that are before the state legislature that need citizen input. If both of them become law, they will redefine when life begins, mandate an increase in the number of abortions in Wisconsin, and legalize physician assisted suicide in the state by redefining suicide.
Continue reading "Two Bloody Wisconsin Legislative Proposals" »
Posted by Administrator at 04:53 PM
January 08, 2008
S.W.A.T. Team Seizes Boy From Home
As reported on Crosstalk January 8, 2008, a WorldNetDaily story has alleged that nearly a dozen members of a Colorado Police Swat Team punched a hole in a family's front door and invaded their home with guns drawn.
They demanded that the family's 11 year old son, who had hurt his head in an accidental fall, accompany them to the hospital. This was on the order of the Garfield County Magistrate. The invasion was allegedly instigated by a paramedic who was upset with the family because they wanted to care for the boy themselves.
Details are available in this WorldNetDaily.com article
Continue reading "S.W.A.T. Team Seizes Boy From Home" »
Posted by Administrator at 05:29 PM
October 17, 2007
Hate Crimes Bill on President's Desk
The hate crimes bill passed in the Senate, 60-39, on Sept. 27 as an attachment to the defense bill.
The amendment, sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), would expand hate crime law to include crimes motivated by gender, sexual orientation, or disability of victims. White House spokesman Tim Goeglein says it is "the height of irresponsibility" for senators to tie the hate crimes legislation to an important Pentagon spending bill.
The bill is also called the "Matthew Shepard Act", after a homosexual killed in Wyoming in 1998. Ironically, his killers have admitted that Shepard's "sexual orientation" had nothing to do with the crime, as they were just after money for drugs.
Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues at Concerned Women for America (CWA), explains that the legislation creates a two-tiered justice system that elevates one class of citizens based on their chosen sexual behavior. "That is, on its face, a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the laws," he notes.
Secondly, he believes, the amendment "creates a situation where Americans' [right to] free speech and freedom of religious expression is in harm's way."
Continue reading "Hate Crimes Bill on President's Desk" »
Posted by Administrator at 05:25 PM
October 16, 2007
Employment Non-Discrimination Act Still not Dead
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has once again been introduced in Congress. It will be written up this week, with several options being considered. No matter which option is selected, however, it will have a far-reaching impact on Christians, churches, non-profit organizations, and the entire business community.
Concerned Women for America's Robert Knight summarizes ENDA as follows:
ENDA would prohibit discrimination based on “sexual orientation,” thus opening businesses with 15 or more employees to harassment by homosexual activist lawyers.
ENDA is billed as an expansion of equality, but it is really a “gay” power grab that would severely curb constitutionally guaranteed “unalienable” rights that Americans hold dear, including the freedoms of speech, religion and association.
Current national policy is committed to upholding and supporting marriage and family. ENDA would initiate an inevitable assault on marriage as “discriminatory” and further weaken efforts to restore marriage to its societal primacy.
ENDA puts the federal government in an adversarial role against the basic sexual morality of the major faiths in America. It is so sweeping that it threatens the freedoms of speech, religion and association.
ENDA will inspire lawsuits by homosexual activists, who will cry “homophobia” when an employer cleaves to policies that favor marriage, family and traditional sexual moral.
ENDA proponents point to the religious exemption in the legislation. But the exemption narrowly applies only to church-related organizations. Anyone else is unprotected. The bill utterly ignores freedom of conscience for individuals. And the question must be asked: If there is a presumption that it would be immoral to impose ENDA on religious bodies, why is it moral to impose it on everyone else?
Continue reading "Employment Non-Discrimination Act Still not Dead" »
Posted by Administrator at 02:45 PM
April 09, 2007
Sexual Discrimination Bills in Oregon State
This measure requires immediate action, as events are moving swiftly.
Bills have been introduced on both houses of the Oregon state legislature. Known as S.B. 2 and H.B. 3526, these bills are identified as "Relating to sexual orientation discrimination."
As discussed on the Crosstalk program April 9, Restore America is alerting us to what these bills actually do. Much of the information below has come from their website at
http://www.restoreamerica.org/
In addition, WorldNetDaily has covered this issue with a story at
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55084
Among other things, this bill would...
1. Violate the Law of Conscience.
The bill will suppress the Right of the people to make moral distinctions and to speak freely on those conscientiously held opinions and convictions.
The bill will force churches and Christians to make a choice between unlawful human laws and the eternal moral laws of God, a choice that government should not impose and has never been authorized to impose.
2. Ignore and violate the natural right of parents to protect their children.
3. Ignore and disregard the entire body of research regarding the well being of children.
4. Demonstrate a preference for proven, dangerous, and unhealthy behavior.
5. Violate the right of parents to determine what their children will be taught in public schools.
6. Demonstrate disregard for parental moral values and convictions.
7. Suppress the right of the people to freedom of speech and association, the very things our Forefathers fought to preserve, and for which millions have died.
FOUR 'TAKE ACTION' STEPS MUST HAPPEN STARTING NOW, THROUGH WEDNESDAY, THIS WEEK!
1. PRAY DILIGENTLY, WITH ALL HUMILITY, that Our LORD POURS OUT HIS SPIRIT ON HIS PEOPLE TO ACT, AND CONVICTS OUR LEGISLATORS OF THE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF THIS BILL.
2. PHONE CALLS must be made to every member of the Rules Committee ON MONDAY, and to every member of the House of Representatives if the bill is passed out of committee to the House floor - TONS OF THEM! (See numbers below)
3. SIGN the Petition http://www.restoreamerica.org/petition.aspx, and ask others to do the same.
Representative Email Addresses & Phone Numbers
RULES COMMITTEE:
1. Diane Rosenbaum - rep.dianerosenbaum@state.or.us
2. Dave Hunt - rep.davehunt@state.or.us
3. Arnie Roblan - rep.arnieroblan@state.or.us
4. Vicki Berger - rep.vickiberger@state.or.us
5. Sal Esquivel - rep.salesquivel@state.or.us
6. Kim Thatcher - rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us
7. Peter Buckley - rep.peterbuckley@state.or.us
Oregon residents can call the toll free 1-800-332-2313 line to the Legislature and ask for one of the above. The operator will then connect you. Repeat the process to each legislator.
Outside Oregon, call the representatives at their direct office numbers:
Rep. Sal Esquivel-- (ES-quivell) 503-986-1403
Rep. Peter Buckley - 503-986-1405
Rep. Vicki Berger - 503-986-1420
Rep. Dave Hunt, Majority Leader - Professes to be a Christian - Democrat
503-986-1900
Rep. Diane Rosenbaum - Chair of the Rules Committee - (Extremely liberal)
503-986-1442
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has already indicated he wants to sign this bill when it reaches his desk, so a veto is extremely unlikely.
Thank you for moving quickly to contact these people as the bill is already in the process of hearings and voting in committee, and could be voted on by the full Oregon House by Thursday!
Posted by Administrator at 03:12 PM
March 30, 2007
More problems for Melissa Busekros and German home school families.
Here is the latest update about the German home school family whose 15-year-old daughter, Melissa Busekros, was removed by authorities because she was being tutored at home. Now it has been learned that a government spokesperson has lied about Melissa's desire to return to her family, as expressed in a letter she wrote recently.
The original release as located at
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07032901.html
---
Youth Welfare Officer Lies to German Television about Homeschooler Taken Away from Family
Second family worried police may storm their home and carry off their children as they did to the Busekros family
By Peter J. Smith
NUREMBURG, March 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An officer of the German Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) yesterday told a German television station that homeschooler Melissa Busekros is happy in state custody away from her family, despite evidence to the contrary. A Jugendamt officer brusquely ended a meeting between Melissa and her family, after her father showed her the mendacious video on his laptop.
For over two months, 15 year-old homeschooled Melissa Busekros has been in the custody of Germany's Jugendamt, an organization created by National Socialist (Nazi) chancellor Adolf Hitler in 1939 to supervise and control families politically after he banned homeschooling in 1938 as subversive to indoctrinating German youth in the Nazi ideology. The Jugendamt ordered Melissa to undergo psychiatric treatment for "school phobia," and has placed her in a foster home and location unknown to her parents who are allowed to see their daughter only once a week.
According to the International Human Rights Group (IHRG), an organization working closely with the Busekros' and other oppressed homeschooling families in Germany, a Jugendamt officer said on television that Melissa Busekros had never asked to go home, preferring state custody to her family.
"The father was showing the videotape to the daughter when another worker within the room for the visit came over and slammed the computer shut, called the police, and had him escorted off the property," Joel Thornton, president of IHRG told LifeSiteNews.com. "They're only allowed 1 hour visit a week, and they ended this visit and made him leave."
"The father was trying to give Melissa some insight about what the world outside was saying because she doesn't have any access to any form of media where she's being kept," Thornton said. "He wanted her to see what was being said, but particularly what this youth officer was saying about her not wanting to go home, even though she basically requests to everyone she talks to that she wants to go home."
Thornton also referenced that Melissa had written the IHRG a letter March 12, petitioning their help to return to her family. (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07031501.html ).
"I suspect the Youth Office is not happy with all the attention they're getting, and they're trying to put more pressure on the Busekros family."
The Busekros family has hired an attorney named Hildebrand from the Nuremburg area, and are filing a legal action on Monday against the government officials that raided their home.
"It's no monetary request, it's merely a request for the government to recognize it as illegal to go into their home to take the daughter," said Thornton, who said the family hopes this action will discourage the government from seizing their other children.
Although Hubert Busekros will be able to visit his daughter again, a representative of the Jugendamt will always supervise the family's visits at some facility other than the previous government clearinghouse.
Thornton told LifeSiteNews.com that he was going to meet with 4 other homeschooling families in the Dresden area this weekend, and also with the Brause family, which lost legal custody of their children to the Jugendamt, and faces the uncertainty of whether police may storm their home and carry off their children like they did to the Busekros family. (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07032204.html)
Sources revealed to LifeSiteNews.com that the Busekros case may be resolved with the return of Melissa to her family in the next few weeks.
To contact the German embassies in Canada and the United States.
In Canada:
German Embassy
1 Waverley Street
Ottawa, ON, K2P 0T8
Tel.: 613-232-1101 Fax: 613-594-9330
Email: germanembassyottawa@on.aibn.com
In the US:
German Embassy
4645 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, DC, 20007-1998
(202) 298-4000
The embassy can be e-mailed from its website: http://www.globescope.biz/germany/reg/index.cfm
To express concerns to German authorities:
President of the Federal Republic of Germany Chancellor Politician Joachim Herrmann --- Thank you for helping make sure the German authorities know that the world continues to watch and to care about what is taking place. The Crosstalk Team ------------------------------ This Crosstalk Hotline is produced by VCY America Posted by Administrator at 03:03 PM
11010 Berlin
Germany
Telefon: +49 30 20 00-0
Fax: +49 030 20 00-19 99
E-Mail: Bundespraesident.Horst.Koehler@bpra.bund.de
Angela Merkel
Willy-Brandt-Straße 1
10557 Berlin
Germany
Telefon: +49 180 272-0000
Fax: +49 1888 272-2555
E-Mail:InternetPost@bundesregierung.de
Chief of the CSU Party, also knows the Busekros family personally
Joachim Herrmann
Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 9 a
91052 Erlangen
Germany
Telefon: +49 9131- 53 45 38
Telefax: +49 9131- 61 18 40
E-Mail: joachim.herrmann@csu-bayern.de
3434 W. Kilbourn Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53208March 20, 2007
Hotline: Stop DC Voting Rights Bill
This is "Crosstalk Hotline". Listed below is information regarding issues that are important to you, our listeners, families, churches, and members of the community at large.
(Unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of this email.)
------------------------------
Crosstalk has received the following information from Eagle Forum. It demands immediate action.
Earlier this year, Democrats attempted to pad their majority by giving certain congressional voting rights to delegates from 5 non-state territories the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. AS Eagle Forum predicted, that was just the beginning. Now, they are taking the bold--and unconstitutional step of granting full voting rights to the DC delegate by voting on the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act ( H.R. 1433).
Sponsored by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), this bill, scheduled for a vote this Friday, would establish full House of Representatives voting rights for the District of Columbia and add an additional seat to Utah, the next state in line to pick up a Congressional seat in reapportionment. This is an attempt to silence critics of DC voting rights, buying them off with a "sure Republican" seat because they know the DC seat will be a solid Democrat. This type of trade-off proves this is a partisan move by Democrats wanting to add a permanent Democrat vote to their tallies.
Most importantly, allowing non-state delegates to vote is clearly unconstitutional. The Constitution says the House shall be composed of "Members chosen ... by the People of the several States," not delegates representing non-state territories. The District of Columbia is a federal city, not a state, with final governing authority resting with Congress.
Even some conservative Republicans, such as Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), are making the mistake of supporting this unconstitutional piece of legislation.
Congress will likely vote on the DC Voting Rights this Friday! So it is imperative that you let your Representative know about your concern over the DC Voting Rights (H.R. 1433)! If you agree with Eagle Forum that this is an unconstitutional attempt to expand the membership of the House of Representatives, please call today!
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Ask for the office of your representative. If you do not know who your Representative is, give the operator your zip code which determines which office you need to reach.
Thanks again for taking time to be involved!
The Crosstalk Team
Thanks again for taking time to be involved!
Posted by Administrator at 11:13 AM
March 13, 2007
Hotline: School tells Students to Lie to Parents
Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Illinois is one of many schools across the nation that now requires their freshmen to attend a meeting designed to help them become "tolerant" and "accepting" of homosexuality. The Deerfield meeting features a "Straight Gay Alliance Network" panel led by "gay" and "lesbian" upperclassmen, which essentially promotes high-risk homosexual behaviors, with inappropriate language to describe those behaviors.
While this is enough to cause parents concern, the school has also taken steps to ensure that the parents do not know about this meeting at all. They required that the 14-year-old freshmen attending this meeting also sign a "confidentiality agreement" promising not to tell anyone--including their parents--about the discussion.
The goal is obviously to bring these high school students on board as accepting homosexual behavior as "normal", contrary to what most may have learned home.
After word got out about the confidentiality agreement, the school backed down and said they would not require it in the future, promising to be more "above board and honest" with parents. But the goal had already been reached, as another generation of young people had been indoctrinated. And, despite the school's promises, parents who requested to see the materials used, or to sit in on the indoctrination meeting, were refused.
Continue reading "Hotline: School tells Students to Lie to Parents" »
Posted by Administrator at 04:39 PM
February 09, 2007
Hotline: Home School Persecution in Germany
Home schooling families in Germany face an almost impossible situation, because while it is not illegal, the fact is it is not allowed. Authorities often use extreme measures to ensure that children attend the public schools, including jail time and fines for parents who wish to teach their own children.
On the Crosstalk program on February 9, Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel with the Home School Legal Defense Association, detailed the following account of home school persecution in Germany:
Melissa Busekros is German girl who at age 15 was attending public school. She was doing well in most of her studies but having some trouble with two classes so her parents decided to home tutor her. The school didn't like the arrangement so they expelled Melissa. Her parents then made the decision to home school her on a full time basis.
At one point, Police officials and social workers took her forcibly away from her parents and transported her to a psychiatric ward where she was interrogated for four hours. She was then allowed to return home for a couple of days.
Then on February 1, , 15 police officers took custody of Melissa and checked her into the psychiatric ward again where she is being treated for "school phobia."
Continue reading "Hotline: Home School Persecution in Germany" »
Posted by Administrator at 04:44 PM
Real I.D. Could Become National I.D.
On Crosstalk February 5, the progression to a national I.D. was shown to be well underway, as Social Security cards and driver's licenses have already taken on I.D. responsibilities that they weren't originally designed for.
The federal government wants to take this to another level through the Real I.D. Act. This act would create a national I.D. system, or an internal passport of sorts for every individual.
Such efforts at I.D. collection are very easy to break or get around, so in the end, privacy could be compromised for law abiding citizens all in the name of information gathering.
To reach your federal legislators on the issue of a federal "Real" I.D., call:
202-224-3121
202-225-3121
Posted by Administrator at 10:16 AM
January 19, 2007
UPDATE: Senate Victory removes Grassroots Lobbying Regulations
Senate Ethics Reform Bill S.1 was changed late January 18 when an amendment by Senator Robert Bennett of Utah to remove Section 220 was passed. It was that section that would have strapped any person or organization that influences 500 or more people to contact legislators about an issue with the same strict reporting requirements it places on paid lobbyists.
As a result, the Senate version of the bill retains the constitutional rights of freedom of speech, and freedom to petition the government for redress.
The battle may not be over, however. As the bill moves to the House of Representatives, there are those who would try to re-introduce the "grassroots lobbying" language. Should it pass in that form, ultimately a conference committee would make the final decision as to whether it stays or goes.
Be on the alert for future reports as the Ethics Reform Bill moves through Congress.
Posted by Administrator at 11:37 AM
January 16, 2007
Crosstalk Hotline:
Lobbying Rules will Muzzle Grassroots Organizations
On January 15, Crosstalk discussed Senate Bill S.1, called an Ethics Reform bill. It includes a number of provisions, some of which would limit the influence paid lobbyists can have directly on Senators and Congressmen. Some of these are commendable--such as forbidding providing gifts to legislators in exchange for their votes.
But the bill goes farther. It redefines "lobbying" to include citizen involvement through grassroots organizations, including non-profit organizations like Focus on the Family or Concerned Women for America. It subjects any organization to the same restrictions, and the same reporting requirements, as paid lobbyists in Washington.
Grassroots lobbying has long been seen as separate and distinct from "lobbying activity." If S.1 becomes law, it will mean that even talk programs like Crosstalk could be hampered in our efforts to inform you of what is happening so you can be involved.
Specifically, Section 220 of S.1 targets any organization with more than 500 supporters or an organization that communicates with 500 or more individuals. Those affected include every blogger, every church, every non-profit or any group that uses direct mail, telephone calls, newspaper or print ads, paid organizers, radio and TV ads and Internet communications.
This would require all organizations like Family Research Council, or VCY America's Crosstalk program, or even your own local church if it is involved in the issues, to go through miles of red tape, including notifying Congress 45 days prior to engaging in an Action Alert. Encouraging people to call their Senators or Representatives about an issue would be considered an action alert. Should any detail of the regulations be forgotten, there could be fines of up to $100,000 per offense. There are also requirements for regular reporting to the government on the amount of time and money spent on dealing with an issue, the people involved, and much more--reports which themselves will cost many man-hours each year to prepare and submit.
However, the legislation exempts labor unions, corporations and even foreign companies from these reporting requirements.
Senator Robert Bennett of Utah has an amendment to remove the Section 220, grassroots provisions from S.1, the section that clearly tramples on our First Amendment rights to free speech and the right of every citizen to petition his government!
Next week at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16th, the Senate will resume consideration of S.1, the Ethics Reform bill. Between now and then, we still have the freedom to urge you to call your two U.S. Senators to let them know if you don't want our voice--and as a result, your voice--silenced by this bill.
Please call
1-800-459-1887 or
1-202-224-3121
and ask for the office of each of your U.S. Senators. Let them know your concerns about S.1, and especially Section 220 which must be removed if these restrictions on grassroots lobbying are to be stopped. To do so, the Senate needs to pass Senator Bennett's amendment removing Section 220.
In fact, you will be asking to keep the freedom for everyone to do exactly what you are doing--contacting government officials with your concerns as citizens and as their constituents.
Again, the bill will be on the Senate floor on Tuesday, January 23, so your phone calls need to be made now.
If this restrictive bill becomes law, it will be much more difficult for you to be informed about what your government is doing. It may even effect our ability to send out these Crosstalk Hotline messages!
Thanks for being active in protecting our Faith, our Families, and in this case our Freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
The Crosstalk Team
Posted by Administrator at 06:59 PM
April 13, 2006
Crosstalk Blog Takes Off
As the producer of Crosstalk, I come across a lot of information on a lot of different topics. The challenge is always to determine which issues need attention and when. Often times we come across many news stories we are unable to use due to the time constraints of the program. This blog provides a great place for links on current issues along with commentary from a Christian perspective. Stop by daily for updates on current matters to our world, our nation, our families and our churches.
Posted by Administrator at 01:27 PM
