Posts on Sideblog

Mike Huckabee is scheduled to headline the Florida Christian Coalition's God and Country 2008 event. According to CCFL executive director Dennis Baxley: "His primary message will be to protect the definition of marriage. This no time to sit home when the very foundation of civilization is being challenged."

CNSNews reports that the American Family Association has donated 500,000 to the Proposition 8 effort in California: "The American Family Association said the $500,000 donation comes from 'years of savings.' In a message to supporters, AFA acknowledged its 'obligation to be good stewards of the gifts given to this ministry. We don’t buy anything on credit. We have no debt. We are careful to make sure your gifts are used wisely. We are very frugal with your gifts.' AFA said it has put aside money over the years so it would have the funds to meet whatever need might arise. The $500,000 for ProtectMarriage.com came from those savings, it said."

After getting blasted for backtracking on his opposition to gay adoption, FRC is now praising McCain's muddled commitment to family values: "We applaud the Arizona Senator for his support of traditional families, which study upon study affirms as the best environment for raising children. I hope this is only the beginning of a longer, more pointed dialogue about pro-family policies by the GOP's presidential nominee."

From Sarah Posner's most recent FundamentaList: "On Friday, the day after Obama's Berlin speech, the AFA Report's host, Fred Jackson, made note of the 'messianic tone' of the speech, then quickly denied that he believes Obama is messianic. Ed Vitagliano, one of the program's roundtable guests, chimed in, 'I don't think he's the Antichrist, but there is a spirit of Antichrist at work in the West in a very strong and open way that is leading people to want to solve their problems and have a desire to have their lives improved without Christ. That's what the spirit of Antichrist does, it denies Christ.'"

Republicans are calling on President Bush to pardon two Border Patrol agents sentenced to prison for shooting an illegal immigrant as he fled towards the border, saying failure to do so will be "the worst black mark” on his presidency: "'We are calling on President Bush to take this opportunity to show this Christian charity that he always talks about,' said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) during a news conference in his Washington, D.C., office. Rohrabacher joined Reps. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) in decrying a federal appeals court decision Monday that uphold the prison terms for former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean."

Elaine Donnelly blames everyone but herself for her embarrassing performance: "'The follow-up media describing this hearing just continued a very abusive atmosphere. It was not by any means the kind of fair hearing that we had been led to expect,' she contends. 'But that was for two reasons -- the Democrats were determined to shape the hearing into the image that they had in mind. And secondly, the Republicans did not show up.'
According to a statement released by Donnelly Monday afternoon, she and Brian Jones -- a retired sergeant of the Army's Delta Force -- had difficulty being heard 'because liberal members of the committee attacked our motives, asked absurd questions, and tried to bully us in the presence of hostile media.'"

OneNewsNow reports that FRC's Tony Perkins gave the staff the day off to "take part in a day of prayer and fasting for the nation": "'Literally before us, we're seeing God's institution of marriage being redefined – 5,000 years of human history disregarded. I think that the church needs to be awakened, and that begins with each of us as believers. And as we work alongside of pastors and churches, our hope is that, as a church, that we will repent, that we will take our rightful role in society ... But first we must get right with God, and that begins with our personal relationships.' According to Perkins, the nation is witnessing a rising tide of evil that threatens the very foundations of the Republic"

Religious Right groups are voicing their opposition to efforts to honor gay rights activist Harvey Milk: "'What significant contribution did Harvey Milk bring to the state of California – other than encouraging gay people to come out of the closet?' asked Benjamin Lopez of the Traditional Values Coalition. 'This is yet another example of them trying to normalize and force acceptance of the gay lifestyle upon people,' he said ... Randy Thomasson, of Campaign for California Children and Families, which opposes AB 2567, said the bill is a new tactic in a long push to portray homosexuality in a positive light to kids. 'Harvey Milk Day is the equivalent of having Gay Day at every school in the state,' he said."

The Grand Rapids Press reports that the American Family Association of Michigan has begun running ads against Allegan County Circuit Judge William Baillargeon saying he has a "long history of involvement with homosexual activist groups that promote so-called homosexual 'marriage' and other radical elements of the homosexual agenda." The ads are scheduled to run through the Aug. 5 primary - which isn't particularly effective considering that Baillargeon's Circuit Court race isn't until November.

Jerry Sutton's Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee had hosted the Family Research Council's Justice Sunday II rally and was scheduled to host one of Rick Scarborough's upcoming crusades, but now Sutton has agreed to retire amid an lawsuit over alleged financial improprieties: "By a more than 3-to-1 margin, members of Two Rivers Baptist Church approved a $314,000 retirement package for the Rev. Jerry Sutton on Sunday, clearing the way for the embattled minister to leave the congregation he has led for more than 22 years ... Sutton and church leaders hope his retirement will bring an end to a 14-month conflict. In the summer of 2007, a group of dissident church members sued Two Rivers, seeking Sutton's ouster and access to church financial records."

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission says it was founded to fight "anti-Christian defamation, bigotry, and discrimination" ... except for Barack Obama's Christianity, apparently which they prefer to attack: "Jesus is the only Savior of the world! To declare this Gospel until the whole world knows is the glory and duty of Christ's church. Either Obama is right and Christ is just a way of salvation, or Christ is right, he is the absolute only way."

This is what happens when people like Elaine Donnelly are allowed to testify before Congress: "Donnelly treated the panel to an extraordinary exhibition of rage. She warned of 'transgenders in the military.' She warned that lesbians would take pictures of people in the shower. She spoke ominously of gays spreading 'HIV positivity' through the ranks."

Want to know what Klingenschmitt thinks of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit's ruling on the Fredericksburg City Council case? Well,, he's helpfully released a version of the decision interspersed with his own erudite legal reasoning: "KLINGENSCHMITT COMMENT: THE WORD ‘JESUS’ IS NOW ILLEGAL RELIGIOUS SPEECH, BANNED BY O’CONNOR’S TWISTED READING OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT. ‘GOD’ IS PERMITTED, BUT ‘JESUS’ IS BANNED. THAT’S NOT FREEDOM. YOU MUST ‘LEAVE JESUS OUTSIDE’ IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK IN A GOVERNMENT FORUM. O’CONNOR IS WRONG, AND SO IS THE CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG."

From Politicker: "A group of Pennsylvania residents concerned about U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) stance on abortion is trying to put former GOP presidential candidate Alan Keyes on the ballot."

From John Stossel's latest column: "I asked the Family Research Council's Sprigg whom the government protects when it closes down sex shops. 'The government is protecting actually the people who patronize those shops because I don't think it's in their interest to use pornography and sex toys'."