Archive for November, 2010
The ACLU of WV Comes Out for DADT Repeal, Stumbles Over Facts
ACLU Side-Steps the Facts, Promotes the Assault of Religious Liberty
It’s not often that I feel the need to rebut the rhetoric of the ACLU, nationally or locally. Most of us know we ought to discount much of what the ACLU says already. (If you need further persuading, consider picking up this book.)
This morning, executive director of the local chapter of the ACLU, Franklin Crabtree took to the opinion page to throw their hat behind the normalization of homosexual behavior in the military. In the process, he was long on rhetoric and quite short on some pertinent facts, with lots of scary hyperbole thrown in for good measure. Let’s look take a closer, critical look.
Here’s a good place to start:
At a time when service members willingly put their lives at risk to preserve our rights and freedom, it is deeply troubling that lesbian, gay and bisexual service members are forced to hide and deny their very selves. This policy is unjust, unfair and should be repealed. Congress now has the historic opportunity to overturn it and end official sanction of its unconscionable discrimination.
via Franklin Crabtree: Allow gays in the military – Op-Ed Commentaries.
This is, actually, a decent point. Crabtree admits that service members, “willingly put their lives at risk.” That’s right. Ours is a military made up of a voluntary force – it is not mandated or otherwise conscripted, there is no Constitutional right to be a pilot of an F-16 (as much as I’d like to claim that right). If you wish to serve this country, you do so by agreeing to their rules. One of those rules, from the time Washington was Commander in Chief until today is that homosexual behavior is damaging to morale, unit cohesion, and general military discipline. LGBT service members are no more “force to hide and deny their very selves” than anyone else. Every solider is asked to conform to strict, self-denying standards in favor of the corps and the mission. To suggest otherwise demands preferences in behavior be placed above the mission.
He continues:
Since 1994, more than 14,000 qualified and committed service members, both men and women, have been fired under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” simply on the basis of their sexual orientation.
This is one of the favorite talking points by those who wish to force social policy changes upon our fighting men and women. It’s sorta true, but the falsehood is leaving out some very, very critical numbers. For instance, the GAO suggests that 12,785 soldiers were dismissed under DADT from 1994 until 2008. I’m not sure another roughly 2,000 have been discharged since 2008, but I’ll grant it for argument. But, here is what Crabtree conveniently leaves out. During that same time period:
- 90,302 soldiers were drummed out because of drug use.
- 55,790 were expelled for failure to meet fitness and weight standards
- 38,454 received discharge orders because they were pregnant.
The Engaging Essentials
Full Debate Before DADT Vote – Tony Perkins makes some excellent points to President Obama before the lame duck session of congress rushes through policies their know the electorate rejected on November 2. The Senate Armed Services committee – of which newly minted Senator Manchin is a part – takes up the issue on Thursday.
Reorienting Sexuality – A growing concern of mine is the mainstream acceptance of “sexual orientation” as the ubiquitous identifier for humanity. Same-sex activists have even taken to rhetorically asking, “When did you decide you were heterosexual?” to drive home their belief that sexual orientation is innate. That’s the wrong question, or at least it puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. Melinda Selmys suggests that we are more than sexual creatures and wrong to place such emphasis on one (of many) aspect of who we are and what we do.
Anti-Bullying Threat – In an effort to address bullying, legislation may likely threaten religious liberty.
Who Needs Marriage? Kids Do – An important article examining the importance of marriage in the lives of families and society and how we have trotted away from the focus of marriage itself. Here’s a clip:
Two generations ago, adults viewed marriage in practical terms. Yes, marriage served a romantic purpose. But it also served as the primary vehicle for socialization and economic advancement of the next generation.
Having divorced marriage from sex and child-rearing, American marriage today serves only the narcissistic need for self-fulfillment. We have forgotten that marriage is not just about adult happiness, but also about the responsibilities of parenthood and preparing future generations to thrive and succeed.
A Movie That is Causing Outrage Among Parents
By Nathan A. Cherry, 11/30/2010
Parents should have the right to decide when and how their kids learn about sexuality.
Martinsburg, WV – A California family can’t believe that anyone would be upset or outraged over the school district showing elementary children films depicting the homosexual lifestyle without parental consent or knowledge.
Really?!
After a lawsuit forced “sensitivity training” and a new anti-bullying curriculum upon the Vallejo City Unified School District parents are beginning to express their displeasure and anger over some of the content of the new material. The family at the center of the dispute which prompted the new curriculum can’t seem to understand what all the fuss is about.
Cheri Hamilton’s daughter, Rochelle, faced difficult days at school after it was made known she is a lesbian. And now, her mother believes that it is never too early to begin teaching children about gay and lesbian families, saying, “I don’t think there’s an age for it.”
Well, Ms. Hamilton, it’s easy to understand. Even though you may not seem to have a problem teaching highly impressionable children that are unable to process all the emotions and thoughts that come with learning about the gay/lesbian lifestyle, other’s might not share your opinion. I know it’s hard to believe that someone would disagree with you, but, it is possible. And because parents do have concerns about when their children learn of such sensitive matters those should concerns should be considered and respected just as much as yours, Ms. Hamilton.
A recent report by the Mercury News on this situation said:
“Many parents felt the district was removing their parental rights by not allowing them to choose when their children will learn about certain issues — in this case, homosexuality. The state Education Code does not require districts to notify parents when discussing gender or sexual orientation.”
Engage Family Minute – November 30
There’s (Not) an App for That
As major fan of products produced by Apple, I was disappointed to read this morning that it had pulled an, “anti-gay app” from the iTunes store, as the headline put it.
Anti-gay? What could this app be? My mind set to racing. Perhaps the Westboro Baptist Church loonies finally became tech-savvy enough to create an app. Maybe there was a fringe group who decided to write an app about the abomination of homosexual behavior. Labeling the app as, “anti-gay” made me think that it must be something profoundly negative and inherently belittling of homosexual behavior.
What I found was that Apple had been beckoned by activists at the Huffington Post to pull the app bearing the Manhattan Declaration.
App affirming marriage as one man and one woman gets the boot from iTunes.
If you don’t know, last year (right around Thanksgiving, as a matter of fact), religious leaders from Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions united to sign a statement that was billed as, “a call of Christian conscience.” Most notably, Chuck Colson and Robert P. George were chief in developing the document that explained historical, philosophical, and theological support for pro-life, pro-marriage, and pro-religious liberty positions.
Now, the statement was not without controversy upon its release – even within the Christian world. Dr. John MacArthur and others declined to sign onto the statement because it conflated Protestant and Catholic theology – a conflation the Reformers died to separate under the Reformation’s cry of sola scriptura.
Naturally, for those who wish to expand the rhetoric of pro-choice politics, redefine marriage, or limit religious freedom to freedom of worship, the Manhattan Declaration was a lightening rod for criticism. But the most “lightening” came from same-sex activists.
But, my purpose is not to recall the history (or histrionics) of all that has happened since the November 2009 release of the Manhattan Declaration. I want to look at the current complaints and compare it to the target. Is the Manhattan Declaration a statement of Orthodox belief or little more than a belittling, bigoted rhetoric of an out-of-touch religious right?
Engaging Essentials
Trusting each of you had a blessed Thanksgiving. I was struck during our celebrations of how uniquely American Thanksgiving is. Not just that, but how conjoined it is to Christianity. It’s an interesting demonstration of our nation’s religious heritage. Now, on to the essential reading list:
Single Member Districts – Hoppy’s Commentary calls for, “single member districts” in the WV House of Delegates. Start reading up on this and getting familiar. You’ll be hearing a lot about this in 2011, I’m sure.
Who Needs Marriage? – Al Mohler does his usually excellent, incisive critique of the importance of marriage and reveals some things we may not want to think about ourselves in the process.
Abortion and the 2010 Election – RedState examines how abortion did play a monumental role in the 2010 election and any suggestion that libertarianism = pro-life conservatism is incorrect.
Learning from Westboro – Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung examines the protestors from Westboro Baptist Church with an eye toward learning from their overt foolishness. He has three main points: (1) Any truth promoted to the exclusion of other truths can become untruth, (2) It matters how we’re heard, and (3) We must refuse to play into the binary stereotype which says the opposite of unconditional affirmation is fuming hatred. Read and learn.
The C Word is Back in Season
By Nathan A. Cherry, 11/29/2010
Martinsburg, WV – I want to give a few lines and a little time to something I do think is important: the use of the word Christmas.
Very few people are offended by the use of this word during the holiday season. And most likely half of the people that say they are offended are not entirely sure why they are offended; other than some talking head or other media liberal told them they should be. No, the fact is, and this is just a guess, 95% of Americans use the word Christmas with no problems at all.
So the idea of saying “Merry Christmas,” or talking about “Christmas Trees,” “Christmas Cards,” and “Christmas Carols” is just part of normal, everyday conversation from now until January 1st. Frankly, that’s the way it should be. This season is one of the most beloved in the world. And everything that comes with it, trees, cards, lights, carols, cookies and all other things “Christmas” should be celebrated instead of denigrated.
So, for me, it’s a pleasure to read articles like this one from MSNBC that reports the use of the word Christmas is on the rise after some years of exile in marketing. Political correctness had stifled the use of the word Christmas in marketing so as to not “offend” anyone that did not celebrate the sacred, world-wide holiday (i.e. atheists, Muslims etc.).
The problem with this sort of silliness is that in order to not offend a teeny tiny fraction of people, you have to offend huge masses of the American population. Well, as many retailers found out, this just doesn’t make good business sense. With organizations like the American Family Association compiling their “Naughty and Nice List” each year of retailers that support using the word Christmas and those that sought to scrub it from all marketing, it did not take long for retailers to figure out that it made more sense to appeal to the masses than try and not offend the few.
Engage Family Minute – November 24
Demanding More of Men
As we approach Thanksgiving, I have to publicly state how thankful I am to Nathan for his reliable posting on so many excellent topics. I’m grateful that God brought him to this organization and for the work that he does to advance, defend, and equip West Virginia’s families. I say that not only because it’s true, but also because given the massive amounts of budget work, administrative tasks, fundraising deadlines, lobbying appointments, and policy tasks I have had in the last two weeks, this blog would nearly dry up. Thanks, Nathan!
His post yesterday has really challenged me and, from what I can tell on Facebook, etc., it has challenged others as well. When we have the preciousness and precariousness of life set in front of us, it sparks something. You can call it emotion or care for your common man, but I believe it is something deeper and more basic. Whether we admit it or not, we recoil when we see the image of God – the imago dei – treated callously, with an irreverence unfit for an animal, let alone a being created in the image of his or her Creator.
This is particularly poignant for me today. Yesterday, I spent the day with a young lady and her mother in Beckley who are working with us to tell their story about being caught in a legal loophole of a society’s pro-choice laws. Their story is forthcoming – and it is tremendous – but, as I have reflected on their message, the policy we are developing to solve it, and of life in general, I was moved by how closely connected the issue of life is to that of marriage and the family – and why we must defend both.
You see, too many young women are being neglected by their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Where are the strong men that God has created for our wives, daughters, and sisters? When did it fall out of vogue for men to love and serve their wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters by protecting them?
Earlier this month, I spoke with my sister on her birthday and as we discussed some of the work we each do on behalf of the preborn, she reminded me of how assured she was of our father’s protection of her. She knew her father loved her and would fight for her protection against anything – many or beast – that should threaten her safety and well being.
I was reminded of this as I spoke to my new friends yesterday. Caught in this legal limbo, they told me of how this woman’s husband so desperately wanted to protect his wife and family, but simply couldn’t. Here was a man who loves his wife and children, wished to protect them, but the law wouldn’t afford him the opportunity.
The longer I do this work, the more I am convinced that the greatest failure our society has accomplished in the past century has been to convince men to be something they were not created to be.
WOW! Perhaps the Most Powerful Abortion Story I’ve Ever Read
By Nathan A. Cherry, 11/23/2010
Performer and former Britney Spears back up singer Kelly Clinger
Martinsburg, WV – I told you last week about a Twitter campaign called #IHadAnAbortion. It’s a campaign designed to give people and outlet to share their stories of abortion in a positive atmosphere. In other words, people want to normalize it as no big deal.
But at least one young woman disagrees.
Kelly Clinger is a performer and former backup singer for Britney Spears. She has also had two abortions. Now she is sharing her story to make sure everyone know that this is a big deal; in fact, it’s life changing. LifeSiteNews.com recently posted an article written by Clinger. Part of it reads as follows:
“It’s an uncomfortable subject … because if I call it a baby, if I admit that it was a boy or a girl who had 10 fingers and 10 toes and a life that was already mapped out by God, then I am calling myself a killer. If I talk about it, blog about it, pray about it, then that makes it real. But just when I think I’ve pushed the memories far enough behind that they won’t catch up with me, there they are again. The self-hatred is paralyzing. It lurks closely and tells me that I don’t deserve happiness. The guilt is suffocating. It has affected every relationship I have. I can’t trust or attempt intimacy. I would take a bullet for my out-of-the-womb children. Why didn’t I protect the ones inside? I have given up hope that the past could have been different. I cannot change what I did. Every bible study, counseling session, and prayer seems to just be a band-aid over a wound that will never heal. So, I will be a voice for my children who only know heaven. I will be a voice for the millions of women who live in regret, guilt, self-hatred and fear of being “found out”. I will be painfully honest about every feeling I have, and I will stand up for life even when it’s unpopular and politically incorrect. So, please spare me your pro-life/pro-choice arguments. I know what I saw. I know how I feel. I will never be the same. I will never get over it. And if I don’t take this pain and make it my purpose, I think it might kill me.” (Read the entire account here)
These have to be some of the most powerful words I have ever read about abortion. The gut-wrenching honesty and brutal truth are almost overpowering. And yet, it is truth. Anyone that tries to sell a bill of goods that abortion is no big deal, a simple procedure, removing a blob of tissue is in such deep denial. The violence perpetrated on the children of abortion is very real; and the violence against women is just as real. Ripping motherhood from a woman’s womb is not something you walk away from without scars.
