Christian Rights Headlines 11/14/08

Texan Holds Em

After a year-long battle with congressional Democrats, President Bush had the last word on online wagering yesterday, after the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department issued a joint rule that will finally put a stop to illegal Internet gambling. FRC had worked extensively on the issue with House conservatives, helping them fend off members like Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) who were scheming to keep government agencies from implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Without these new regulations, the law, which passed easily (317-93) last year, would have been useless. Now that the final puzzle piece is in place, banks and other payment agencies will have until December 2009 to stop credit card and other electronic payments to illegal gambling websites

At the U.N., a Dangerous Leap of Faith

President Bush traveled to the United Nations Wednesday to join Gordon Brown of the U.K. and Shimon Peres of Israel at a two-day conference presided over by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The conference is a continuation of last July s summit of world religions held in Spain and also organized by King Abdullah and the Muslim World League. Later today, the U.N. is expected to endorse a statement issued at the conclusion of the Spain conference on the importance of religion and humanity s common values. Among them is "respect for religions, their places of worship, and their symbols ... therefore preventing the derision of what people consider sacred." All religions deserve respect, but the devil is in the details. As Leonard Leo and Donald Argue, members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, point out, this language is "a cleverly coded way of granting religious leaders the right to criminalize speech and activities that they deem to insult religion." In other words, this may be giving U.N. approval to Islamic "blasphemy laws," which are used to stifle dissent. If King Abdullah and other supporters of the Madrid statement truly care about the value of religion, they must allow people to freely practice the faith of their choosing, as prescribed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rather than give cover to blasphemy laws.

“Cross-Bearing Elderly Woman Attacked by Gay Marriage Supporters;” Cross is Stomped

Fox News reports: “An elderly woman bearing a cross who attended a gay marriage protest to voice her support of the California ban was attacked by demonstrators and may now press charges.”

Calif. court: Christian student free to speak as case proceeds

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge ordered Yuba Community College District officials Monday to temporarily suspend enforcement of policies against a student represented by Alliance Defense Fund attorneys.  Yuba College officials threatened the student, Ryan Dozier, with arrest or expulsion for sharing his faith on campus in violation of college policies that dramatically restricted free speech.  For example, the college prohibits student speech without a permit outside of the school’s “free speech” limits of one hour per day two days per week.“Christian students shouldn’t have to face arrest or expulsion for expressing their beliefs on a public college campus,” said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Heather Gebelin Hacker.  “We are pleased that the court has intervened to prevent the college from continuing to silence Ryan’s speech with these unconstitutional policies.” Dozier arrived on campus in February to attend class and briefly share a Christian message with fellow students, engaging them through tracts, a sign, and conversation along an outdoor walkway.  A campus police officer approached Dozier, telling him he needed a permit for such activity and that he would be arrested or face expulsion if he continued.  The college allows “free speech” only on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., with permission required two weeks in advance.

Police in NY shrug off court order, deny religious free speech

NEW YORK — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Ithaca on behalf of a Christian man denied his free speech rights even after he showed police officers a court order prohibiting them from enforcing an unconstitutional “noise” ordinance.  ADF attorneys also filed a motion asking the court to suspend the ordinance while the case moves forward. “Christians shouldn’t be penalized for expressing their beliefs, especially when a court has expressly upheld their right to do so, as is the case here,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum.  “Police officers cannot step beyond their authority and illegally suppress Christian speech in defiance of a court order.” In 2006, ADF attorneys secured a favorable ruling against the city of Ithaca on behalf of Kevin Deegan.  The court’s order prohibited officials from enforcing a municipal code that unreasonably restricts sounds on public streets, sidewalks, or paths that can be heard from 25 feet away.

Texas: Proposed Bill Seeks to Offer Women Ultrasounds Before Abortion

KGBT4.com reports: Forcing a woman to listen to her unborn child’s heart beat and watch their tiny little image on the screen is what one Texas bill aims to do . . .

“Women should know that this isn’t just tissue, it’s a human life,” Labus said. But Planned Parenthood administrators call it unethical. ”It’s just one more way of seeing what people would do to keep women from making private decisions and harassing them to this point,” said Planned Parenthood CEO Blanca Cavasoz.

Ireland: State to contest challenge in European court over abortion laws

The Irish Times reports: “The Government is to contest a legal challenge in the European Court of Human Rights by three women in Ireland against the State’s abortion laws.  The defence to the challenge will be advanced on the basis that the women have not exhausted domestic legal avenues.”

Council of Europe Gives Guidance on Religious Symbols and Hate Speech

The Religion Clause Blog reports: “The Council of Europe announced yesterday that it is publishing Manuals to offer guidance on two controversial issues.” The post provides more information about: The Manual on the Wearing of Religious Symbols in Public Areas and The Manual on Hate Speech.

Atheists ask Obama to Keep God out of the Military

An organization representing atheists in the military has petitioned President-elect Barack Obama to take steps to eliminate what it calls "an overall culture of religious intolerance" in the armed forces. The Secular Coalition for America has sent a lengthy letter to Obama’s transition team seeking relief from “coercive proselytizing" and "employment discrimination based on religion."

Good News: Doctors, Hospitals Stand Against Washington s Assisted-Suicide Law 

Doctors and hospitals in Washington state are standing strong for life after voters legalized physician-assisted suicide last week. Hospice of Spokane has said its mission is to care and support its patients, not help them kill themselves. Spokane s Sacred Heart Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the Northwest, also opposes assisted suicide. "This position is grounded in our basic values of respect for the sacredness of life, compassionate care of dying and vulnerable persons, and respect for the integrity of medical, nursing and allied health professions," according to a statement on the hospital s Web site.

Obama s FCC Adviser Supports Limits on Talk Radio 

President-elect Barack Obama has hired Henry Rivera to run the team that will select the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Rivera, former head of the FCC, is a longtime proponent of the so-called Fairness Doctrine. Congressional Democrats have threatened to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, which was put in place by the FCC in 1949 to force the nation’s TV and radio broadcasters to make time for voices on both sides of controversial issues. It was dropped as new technologies offered an abundance of sources for information. With a 3-2 Democratic majority on the FCC, the Fairness Doctrine could be resurrected without approval by Congress. Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the Fairness Doctrine would force stations to stop addressing important policy issues.  “A Christian radio station discussing the issue of abortion would have to give airtime to a pro-abortion voice like Planned Parenthood,” she said. “Rather than present a view that fundamentally opposes the station’s core beliefs, it would likely steer clear of airing controversial topics altogether.”