Washington Republicans talk about faith, but they listen to religious leaders and follow religious teachings only when it suits them politically.

After embracing the Catholic Bishops on the President's balanced contraception policy to use their opposition as a political tool, Washington Republicans are now dismissing them for opposing the GOP budget plan.

• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals and the National Council of Churches, all condemned the Romney-Ryan budget cuts to programs that serve the most vulnerable. The Bishops called them "unjustified and wrong" and "undoubtedly lead[ing] to an unacceptable loss of life in dire circumstances." 
• Other Catholic leaders have denounced the Romney-Ryan budget as an "immoral disaster" and condemned Republican politicians for "distorting church teaching" to justify a "morally indefensible" budget that "betrays Catholic principles."

A day after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized the House GOP's debt plan, more than 70 Catholic priests, sisters, theologians and social justice leaders from Speaker John Boehner's home state of Ohio urged him to listen to his Church, not the Tea Party.

Read the full statement below:

Via The Daily What:

Brooklyn-based Hasidic Jewish newspaper Der Tzitung, supported their belief that women and men should not work together by printing a version of the now-iconic Situation Room photo in which Hillary Clinton and counter-terrorism analyst Audrey Thomason have been removed. Rabbi Jason Miller of Jewish Week points out that Der Tzitung might have actually been in violation of Jewish law:

Der Tzitung edited Hillary Clinton out of the photo, thereby changing history. To my mind, this act of censorship is actually a violation of the Jewish legal principle of g'neivat da'at (deceit).

Via Pundit Kitchen

1,000+ Send Petition to GOP Leaders Protesting Restrictions on Collective Bargaining, Budget Cuts

A new survey of 2,000 Ohio registered voters, commissioned by Faith in Public Life and conducted by Public Policy Polling, finds that Catholics and evangelical/born-again Christians in the battleground state of Ohio overwhelmingly reject restrictions on collective bargaining, as well as Governor Kasich's proposed budget that cuts spending on vital public services while preserving corporate tax loopholes and low tax rates for the wealthiest residents of the state.  More findings from the survey below and here.

"We need responsible leaders who will work together to protect families and good jobs, but Republican leaders in Congress and states like Ohio and Wisconsin are using our faltering economy as an excuse to push an immoral agenda that punishes innocent people and makes working families pay for tax giveaways to corporate special interests," said Rev. Jennifer Butler, executive director of Faith in Public Life.  "Attacks on workers' rights and reckless cuts to needed investments in education, public safety, and protections for the most vulnerable don't honor our values, and people of faith are standing up to these immoral policies."

Several Ohio clergy leaders, including Rev. Tim Ahrens of First Congregational Church and Rev. Mark Diemer of Grace of God Lutheran Church in Columbus, and Fr. Vinny McKiernan, C.S.P. of Ohio State University, gathered at the Ohio Statehouse today to deliver petitions to Governor Kasich, Ohio Senate president Sen. Tom Niehaus and Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder.  

Father Vinny McKiernan, a campus chaplain at Ohio State University and member of Catholics United said, "I'm here today for a very simple reason: workers deserve a voice in their workplace.  This is a fundamental principal of Catholic Social Teaching.  By stripping public employees of their right to collectively bargain, we are also threatening their dignity as human beings."

The petitions, sponsored by Faithful America (Faith in Public Life's online community of people of faith taking action for the common good), Catholics United, and Interfaith Worker Justice, stand against attacks on collective bargaining rights and budget cuts to education, health and public safety measures for thousands of Ohioans. Petition text here and here.

Clergy call for Unity, not partisan division

Nearly 100 clergy from across the state of Ohio have signed a faith statement opposing Senate Bill 5, and in support of the state's current collective bargaining law. The signatures were collected in less than a week, and are listed below.

 "I fully support the right of public sector employees of Ohio State Government to form unions for the purpose of just and fair collective bargaining," said Rev. Hart Edmonds, of Kenney Heights Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. "The tough economic times we are facing as a state and nation were not brought on by public employees. Like all Americans our state must face these challenging times with fairness for all citizens rather than pitting one group of people against another."

 The text of the letter is below:

~ Center For American Progress

Just in time for the summer campaign, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich is coming out with a new book focusing on his thoughts about faith and religion.

But some other Christians are telling a different story about Kasich and the Christian School where he sent his children:

We used to support John Kasich before we learned that John does not practice what he preaches. John Kasich is running for Governor of Ohio and, as you too will learn, is not fit to be Governor of our state as he has been revealed as a mere "silent bystander" with a serious lack of "courage" who "stands for nothing" in regard to the safety, upbringing, and dignity of children and for protecting consumers.

Along with thousands of others, John and his family were betrayed by Worthington Christian Schools (WCS), the private "Christian" school where the administrators got caught while committing serious crimes against the students and parents.

In this week of Easter, Passover, and faithful celebration, the President offers a holiday greeting and calls on people of all faiths and nonbelievers to remember our shared spirit of humanity.

Watch It:

Full Transcript of the President's remarks below

Just 22% of Alaskans in a Pew Research survey said they attend religious services at least once a week, making Alaska the least religious state judged by this measure.

In Utah and a handful of Southern states, more than half of those surveyed said they were weekly service attenders.

After having to let go of 8% of its staff — nearly 500 people.in September of last year due to budget shortalls, Focus On the Family, the ultra-right Christian group,  dropped $4 million on a Super Bowl commercial aimed at promoting its anti-choice propaganda.

As it turned out that money would have been better spent focusing on the retaining the jobs of their former employees.

Neilsen Media Research estimates that the Tebow spot was the least-watched commercial of the entire Super Bowl, reaching "just" 92.6 million viewers. By comparison, the most watched ad of the day, a Doritos commercial, had an estimated audience of more than 116 million viewers.

Focus on the Family says the ad was aimed at getting people to view the entire presentation on their website and claims that 750,000 have done so, but that's like paying $5.00 per person to have them click to watch a video online. And no stats on how many actually watched it all the way through.

Clearly, very bad investment of "God's" money.

As have Presiidents before him, Barack Obama has issued a Proclamation declaring January 16th Religious Freedom Day.

Religious Freedom Day celebrates the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom arguably the philosophical, historical and legal taproot of religious freedom, equality and separation of church and state -- and a powerful argument against Christian nationalism. As the Proclamation states "... it was the genius of America's forefathers to protect our freedom of religion, including the freedom to practice none at all."

"No man shall ... suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess ... their opinions in matters of religion."

When Thomas Jefferson first proposed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom in 1777, he stated that this right of individual conscience must be extended to everyone, including: "the Jew, the Mohametan, and the Hindoo." Jefferson was not arguing the demographics of majority and minority religions, but first principles of equality.

It took time to advance them, even then. James Madison as governor of Virginia managed to push Jefferson's bill through the legislature in 1786--the year before the drafting the federal Constitution, of which Madison is credited with being the principal author--as well as the principal author of the First Amendment. Virginia had already disestablished the Anglican Church, the day after it joined the revolution in 1776.

There is no mistaking the meaning of formally extending religious liberty to all in the wake of disestablishment and as a famous forerunner to the Constitution itself.

History is powerful, which is why the Religious Right is so vigorously fighting to revise it to suit their contemporary political and religious interests.

On the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “700 Club” today, after a lengthy interview with a missionary who talked about helping the victims earthquake in Haiti, Rev. Pat Robertson had some interesting thoughts as to why the earthquake struck the impoverished nation:

"And you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it.

“They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know Napoleon the 3rd and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil.

“They said, 'We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.'

“True story.

“And so the Devil said, 'Okay, it's a deal.’

“And, uh, they kicked the French out, you know, with Haitians revolted and got themselves free.

“But ever since they have been cursed by, by one thing after another, desperately poor.

“That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti on the other side is the Dominican Republican.

“Dominican Republic is, is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etcetera.

“Haiti is in desperate poverty.

“Same island.

“They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God and out of this tragedy I’m optimistic something good may come. But right now we’re helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.”

Watch It:

The latest issue of WorldNetDaily's "Whistleblower" magazine exposes how the Obama administration and the Democrats are intentionally creating crises so that they can turn America into a "full-fledged socialist state" .... apparently by using their omnipotent, God-like powers to control the weather: 

HT: Right Wing Watch

President Obama has named Amanda Simpson to be a senior technical advisor to the Commerce Department.

That wouldn't be especially noteworthy were it not for the fact that Simpson is one of the first-ever transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, and is a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality's board of directors.

Focus on the Family issued a report on this to its membership on Monday. As you may have guessed, he religious right is apoplectic.

"Is there going to be a transgender quota now in the Obama administration?" asked Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth. "How far does this politics of gay and transgender activism go? Clearly this is an administration that is pandering to the gay lobby." [...]

"We should consider what transgender activism is about," he said," which is essentially recognizing civil rights based on gender confusion."

Matt Barber, associate dean at Liberty University, said the appointment "boggles the mind."

"This isn't like appointing an African-American in order to try to provide diversity and right some kind of discriminatory wrong," he said. "This is about political correctness."

As usual, the Christionists miss the point entirely in their making their case for violating Ms. Simpson's constitutional rights. 

The only question that actually matters here is, "is she the best person for the job?".

"If you look at the job she's taking and at her résumé, this is not a quota appointee," Mara Keisling, of the National Center for Transgender Equality, told the New York Post. "She's unquestionably qualified for the job. The story is . . . not that [Obama] appointed one of us but that finally we have an administration for which that's not a deal breaker."

You have to love right wing hypocrisy

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Parsley is claiming to be the victim of a "demonically inspired financial attack":

The Rev. Rod Parsley, megapastor and televangelist, has issued a desperate plea for money, telling his flock that he is facing a "demonically inspired financial attack" that is threatening his ministry.

Parsley is asking for donations by Dec. 31, calling that date an "unavoidable deadline" during an episode of Breakthrough posted yesterday on www.rodparsley.com. Breakthrough is Parsley's television show.

A message titled "Crisis -- Urgent" on the Web site says ministries such as Breakthrough and World Harvest Bible College are "in jeopardy."

The headline of the appeal for donations reads: "Will you help me take back what the devil stole?"

When asked to comment, Parsley's World Harvest Church issued a statement saying the recession caused a decline in member giving in 2009, which has led to a fourth-quarter deficit of $3 million despite a 30 percent reduction in the budget.

This year, the church settled for $3.1 million with a family whose son was spanked at its day-care center in 2006, to the point his buttocks and legs were covered with welts and abrasions.

The boy, then 2, said he was spanked with a "knife" by a substitute teacher. His parents, Michael and Lacey Faieta, believe it was a ruler.

The Faietas said the payment was made this year. During yesterday's Breakthrough broadcast, Parsley referred to a $3 million check he had to write from the ministry.

"The Faieta decision imposed against us earlier this year has made our circumstances more serious," the statement said. No indication was given as to why the money must be raised by Dec. 31 or what specifically could happen if it's not.

The Faietas said Parsley refused to meet personally with them and that the church did not apologize or take accountability for the beating.

The Faietas said today that they had seen Parsley's Web appeal.

Mr. Faieta said he and his wife were "disgusted" and "saddened" by Parsley's words.

Watch It:

In Toledo yesterday . . .

Police arrested a man on suspicion of swiping a Salvation Army kettle full of donated money and pushing one of the Christian charity’s bell ringers to the ground when she tried to take it back.

But the "real Spirit of the Season, War on Christmas" question is . . . was the Salvation Army planning on using that money to not hire gays?

CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS, who don't believe in conventional medicine, are nonetheless keen to grab some of the cash the government will soon be splurging on health reform.

Church leaders want health insurers to reimburse "spiritual health" practitioners who pray for the sick, reports the Washington Post. 

A proposal to that effect was stripped out of the House health bill, but the Church is lobbying to have it re-inserted into the Senate version.  

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, taught that sickness is a delusion. Rather than consulting a doctor when you are ill, you should pray, she advised. Her modern-day followers sometimes take this literally.

Gambling is increasingly becoming an addiction for states trying to balance their budgets in the midst of an economic crisis. 

Giving in to the temptation by allowing casinos or expanding state-sponsored gambling would heap the financial burden on those least able to afford it, said several United Methodists on the front lines of the public policy debate.

Rev. John Edgar, Chairman of the United Methodist Anti-Gambling Task Force speaks on the social costs of gambling at a press conference on Issue 3 at ProgressOhio on October 5, 2009.

Watch It:

From BeliefNet: Conservatizing the Bible

The eager young men at Conservapedia are p.o.'d that the Bible might be seen as too liberal. So they've come up with the Wiki-style Conservative Bible Project, to make sure the Lord doesn't go all wobbly on us. Excerpt:

As of 2009, there is no fully conservative translation of the Bible which satisfies the following ten guidelines:[1]

Framework against Liberal Bias: providing a strong framework that enables a thought-for-thought translation without corruption by liberal bias

Not Emasculated: avoiding unisex, "gender inclusive" language, and other modern emasculation of Christianity

Not Dumbed Down: not dumbing down the reading level, or diluting the intellectual force and logic of Christianity; the NIV is written at only the 7th grade level[2]

Utilize Powerful Conservative Terms: using powerful new conservative terms as they develop;[3] defective translations use the word "comrade" three times as often as "volunteer"; similarly, updating words which have a change in meaning, such as "word", "peace", and "miracle"

Combat Harmful Addiction: combating addiction by using modern terms for it, such as "gamble" rather than "cast lots";[4] using modern political terms, such as "register" rather than "enroll" for the census

Accept the Logic of Hell: applying logic with its full force and effect, as in not denying or downplaying the very real existence of Hell or the Devil.

Express Free Market Parables; explaining the numerous economic parables with their full free-market meaning

Exclude Later-Inserted Liberal Passages: excluding the later-inserted liberal passages that are not authentic, such as the adulteress story

Credit Open-Mindedness of Disciples: crediting open-mindedness, often found in youngsters like the eyewitnesses Mark and John, the authors of two of the Gospels

Prefer Conciseness over Liberal Wordiness: preferring conciseness to the liberal style of high word-to-substance ratio; avoid compound negatives and unnecessary ambiguities
Thus, a project has begun among members of Conservapedia to translate the Bible in accordance with these principles. The translated Bible can be found here.

"The liberal style of high word-to-substance ratio"? Hoo-wee! Elitists like to use words, and lots of 'em! "Unnecessary ambiguities"? But how are you going to abide by the conservative mandate to avoid "dumbing down" Holy Writ while at the same time avoiding big words liberals use?

More seriously, the insane hubris of this really staggers the mind. These right-wing ideologues know better than the early church councils that canonized Scripture? They really think it's wise to force the word of God to conform to a 21st-century American idea of what constitutes conservatism? These jokers don't worship God. They worship ideology. As Mark Shea says:

Right wing dementia marches on apace. Some of this has a grain of sense to it, as ideological madness always does. For instance, the dumb attempts to feminize Scripture are pernicious and need to stop. But seriously: the story of the woman taken in adultery is "liberal"? Free market as Sacred tradition? Liberal wordiness?

You really need to read the whole Conservapedia entry to grasp how crazy this is. It's like what you'd get if you crossed the Jesus Seminar with the College Republican chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin'.

Original Content From BeliefNet

The Dayton Daily News Reports:

The leader of the United Methodist Church’s Ohio anti-gambling task force on Thursday, Oct. 1, said backers of the four-casino plan on the Nov. 3 ballot “bought” the support of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police.

“It’s legal. It’s not a bribe,” the Rev. John Edgar emphasized at a Statehouse news conference called to outline church opposition to the casinos.

The FOP support came because some of the taxes the casinos pay would be used for law enforcement training and some would go to local governments which could use the money to pay for law enforcement, Edgar said.

If the FOP support could be gained that easily, “what do you think is going to happen in the halls of this building….?” Edgar asked.

Read The Full Story at The Dayton Daily News

At the press conference, Bishop Bruce R. Ough, leader of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, which includes the Dayton area, said efforts are underway to mobilize opposition to Issue 3 at nearly 2,000 Methodist churches in Ohio. The churches have about half a million members he said.

Representatives of the Ohio Council of Churches, which represents 6,000 congregations with about 3 million members, also attended the press conference.

"[T]his sacred time provides not just an opportunity for individual renewal and reconciliation, but for families, communities and even nations to heal old divisions, seek new understandings, and come together to build a better world for our children and grandchildren.

"At the dawn of this New Year, let us rededicate ourselves to that work. Let us reject the impulse to harden ourselves to others’ suffering, and instead make a habit of empathy – of recognizing ourselves in each other and extending our compassion to those in need.

"Let us resist prejudice, intolerance, and indifference in whatever forms they may take -- let us stand up strongly to the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is still prevalent in far too many corners of our world.

"Let us work to extend the rights and freedoms so many of us enjoy to all the world’s citizens – to speak and worship freely; to live free from violence and oppression; to make of our lives what we will."

140,000 people tuned-in live as people of faith offered moving testimony about our broken health care system.

We heard from people like Rev. Heyward Wiggins, who had a parishioner in his congregation die, because he couldn't afford blood tests that would have detected his cancer in time to treat it, and many others with similarly heartbreaking stories.

President Obama and his Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes spoke directly to the issues that people of faith care about most, and addressed the moral dimensions of the health care debate.

If you were unable to listen to the call last night, recordings are now available at faithforhealth.org.

This is only the beginning. We still have a tough fight ahead of us to get the reform we so desperately need -- and we all the support we can get from your faith communities.

140,000 people joined last night's call and we've gotten over 24,000 signatures for our petitions on health care. It's never been clearer that people of faith support health reform. But we know you have many more friends who support health reform, and we're going to need help from every last one of them.

We are truly blown away by the response to last night.

Thank you for helping to make it happen!

President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to join tens of thousands of people of faith on a nationwide conference call to discuss health care reform on Wednesday, August 19, at 5:00 pm eastern. This is an historic opportunity, because never before has a President addressed such a large gathering of the faith community so directly and specifically on this issue.

The 30-40-50 thousand or more people of faith who will participate in this call will focus together on a moral vision for how we provide health care in the U.S.  We will demonstrate that even though we may not agree on policy, we agree that our shared faith values should be at the heart of public discourse.  If we hit 47,000 callers, it will symbolize our concern for the 47 million people who go without needed health care because they are uninsured. It will represent our commitment to speak truth to power until our health care future includes everyone and works well for all of us!

Because thousands of participants are expected, you are urged to RSVP to help facilitate planning and to guarantee your place on the call.  In addition, we invite you to tell your family, friends, and colleagues; to spread the word through your email networks; and to invite others to listen to the call with you.  Please help us meet our goal of thousands!  RSVP today to receive your call-in information and to submit a question (questions are now closed).

Call sponsors include the Faithful Reform in Health Care Coalition and a number of coalition members: American Muslim Health Professionals • Disciples Center for Public Witness • Disciples Justice Action Network • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America • Faithful Reform in Health Care • Islamic Medical Association of North America • Islamic Society of North America • Jewish Women International • National Council of Jewish Women • Network, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby • Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Washington Office • Progressive National Baptist Convention • Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism • Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations • United Church of Christ • United Methodist Church General Board of Church And Society.

Additional sponsors include: African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) • Catholics In Alliance for the Common Good • Catholics United • Christian Community Development Association • Faithful America • Faith in Public Life • Gamaliel Foundation • Jewish Council for Public Affairs • National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. • National Council of Churches in Christ • PICO National Network • Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference • Sisters of Mercy of The Americas • Sojourners • The Episcopal Church • The Latino Leadership Circle • The New Evangelicals • United Methodist Church, Washington Office of Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries.

We Believe-Ohio held a press conference this morning to issue a statement on civil discourse and health care reform.

As part of the statement, We Believe-Ohio called upon the U.S. Congress to move forward quickly, in a civil manner, to establish a health care system which:

• Is available for all,
• Is continuous,
• Is affordable to individuals and families,
• is affordable and sustainable for society, and
• enhances health and well-being by promoting access to high-quality care that is effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered and equitable.

Watch It:

We Believe-Ohio: Uniting Diverse Religious Voices to Achieve Social Justice

Prayer vigils and candlelight marches for Health Care Reform

Columbus: 8:30 PM,Sunday,August 23rd.

Please assemble on front steps of First Congregational Church (HOST Rev,Tim Ahrens),444 E. Broad Street,Columbus,Ohio 43215.

After a prayerful send-off we will proceed in candlelight march to Trinity Lutheran Church (HOST Rev. Denise Edwards),404 S. Third St.Columbus,Ohio 43215, where we will hold a brief prayer service.

Please bring extra candles to share,and home-made signs,if you wish.We want to illustrate that the legacy of Dr. MArtin Luther King,Jr. is still in progress;that health care for all is a civil right and our moral obligation;that we prefer to "light one candle" than to "curse the darkness".

We are the light of change in our communities.

We want to stay positive,peaceful and productive.If you are unable to march,(we estimate our arrival at Trinity Lutheran between 9-9:15 pm)simply go straight to Trinity Lutheran Church at 9PM.

Parking should not be a problem on a Sunday evening.

Time: Sunday, August 23 from 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Location: First Congregational Church (Columbus, OH) 444 east Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Maps:

• Google Maps
• MapQuest
• Yahoo! Maps

Directions: Trinity Lutheran Church is the final destination, 404 S. Third St. Columbus,Ohio 43215

Sign Up here

Toledo: Wednesday, August 19 from 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Sign Up and more info here

Faithful push for action on health-care reform

God wouldn't deny anyone a doctor, affordable medicine or any other medical needs, religious leaders are preaching in the midst of a nationwide debate about health-care reform.

Faith groups are lobbying Congress and working to gain support among laypeople for a health-care system that offers affordable coverage to all, though they largely leave the specifics of how that would happen to the legislators.

"If we truly believe what we pray, then we need to work toward a reality on Earth that makes sure that every one of God's children is adequately cared for," said Bishop Bruce R. Ough of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The Columbus Dispatch Saturday August 8, 2009

United Methodists Call for Health-Care Reform

The United Methodist Church in its Social Principles regards healthcare as a basic human right, as well as a responsibility both public and private. As the position of the Church elaborates: "We encourage individuals to pursue a healthy lifestyle and ... also recognize the role of governments in ensuring the each individual has access to those elements necessary to good health." (Social Principles, ¶162T) The United Methodist Church's General Conference has also passed a number of health-related resolutions elaborating on the importance of health care for all, and some of the significant issues that keep us from realizing this principle. Healthcare in the United States is beset by three central interlocking problems - cost, access, and quality. Because of deficiencies in the current system, Americans as a whole receive poorer health care than other industrial countries that spend only half as much. The most visible problem is the 46 million Americans who have no health insurance.

The next 10 weeks represent a rare window of opportunity to provide health care for all people in the United States. Jesus provided a promise of God’s grace for us all when he proclaimed we shall “have Life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, NRSV)

We are offering 10 ways take action during the next 10 weeks or so. Join us in commitment to be a part of the 10:10 Challenge, and let us know what you and your church are doing so we can spread the word that this issue matters!

The Challenge

We invite people of all faith to participate in the 10:10 Challenge. The 1010Challenge.org website allows you to start a team challenge and invite others to join.

We hope the challenge will engage and empower you to mobilize your Sunday School, Youth Groups, UMW Circles, or other small groups of interested people to commit to being a part of health-care reform.

Download 10:10 Challenge Overview

Learn More about  10 :10 Challenge

A Colorado Springs man who narrates the Bible in Spanish on CDs and works in the Spanish broadcasting department of Focus on the Family appeared in court Monday in Golden on two felony counts of using the Internet to lure a 15-year-old girl for sex, The Denver Post reports.

Juan Alberto Ovalle, 42, was arrested Friday when he drove to Lakewood to meet the girl — who turned out to be an undercover officer — after discussing various sexual acts he wanted to perform with her, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said.

After first encountering the officer who was posing as a 15-year-old girl in a chat room last week, Orvalle made “sexually graphic statements in a chat room to a person he believed to be an underage teen,” the district attorney’s office said in a release. When the undercover officer said her mom wouldn’t be home the next day, Orvalle said he was “horny” and made arrangements to come to her house, according to an arrest affidavit.

Read the details provided in the Juan Alberto Ovalle arrest affidavit here.

Former Bush advisor Deal Hudson has started a new group called the Catholic Advocate. The group's first big splash came this week when they apparently misappropriated Sam Brownback's name in a vile fundraising letter that referred took turns graphically describing abortions and calling several Senators "smokescreen" Catholics.

Faithful in America is running an online petition calling on Brownback to further distance himself from the group and pressure them to return the funds.

Rolling Stone did a fascinating profile of Brownback in 2006.  Called "God's Senator", it covered his unique relationship with far-right Catholics.

"I think it'sa good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that support"

After his win for Best Actor, Sean Penn handed out advice to anti-gay protesters demonstrating on Sunset Blvd outside the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars were held.

Said Penn: "I'd tell them to turn in their hate card and find their better self. I think that these are largely taught limitations and ignorances. It's very sad in a way, because it's a demonstration of such emotional cowardice to be so afraid to extend the same rights to a fellow man as you would want for yourself."

Watch It:

President Barack Obama on Thursday signed an order establishing a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships with a broader mission than the one overseen by his predecessor, Republican George W. Bush.

Obama said the office would reach out to organizations that provide help "no matter their religious or political beliefs."

Before signing the measure, Obama told the annual National Prayer Breakfast the program would not show favoritism to any religious group, and would adhere to a strict separation of church and state.

Our partners at Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good are visiting Senator Voinovich this Wednesday. We'd like to share their action alert with the Progress Ohio community as we call on Ohioans of all faiths, creeds, and walks of life to urge Senator Voinovich: Do Not Forget the "Least Among Us" in the Economic Recovery Package.

In the next few days the U.S. Senate will vote on the Economic Recovery Plan.

This bill will:

• save or create three to four million jobs by investing in green energy, transportation, and our nation's infrastructure

• expand specific poverty reduction programs including the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits

• provide financial assistance to states to better meet the overwhelming demand for unemployment benefits, food stamps and Medicaid.

This week, Senators are being pressured to cut these programs in favor of more tax breaks to upper income households.

Senator Voinovich's vote on the Economic Stimulus Package is especially critical.

Join us this Wednesday as we tell Senator Voinovich: Do Not Forget the "Least Among Us"* in The Economic Recovery Package.

On Wednesday, February 4 at 12:30 p.m., faith leaders will meet with Senator Voinovich's staff at the Cincinnati and Cleveland offices to insist that he vote for the economic recovery bill.

Please bring a "pink slip" or can of soup to help us demonstrate the challenges faced by Ohio's unemployed and working poor.

CINCINNATI:

      When: Wednesday, February 4, 12 noon. We will proceed to Voinovich's office at 12:30.

      Where: in the lobby at 36 E. 7th St..

      Click here to let us know you're coming

CLEVELAND:

      When: Wednesday, February 4, 12 noon. We will proceed to Voinovich's office at 12:30.

      Where: join us in the lobby at 1240 E. 9th Street

      Click here to let us know you're coming

CAN'T MAKE IT TO EITHER EVENT?

You can call George Voinovich and urge him: Do Not Forget the "Least Among Us"* in The Economic Recovery Package.

Click here for a phone number and talking points

In this time of economic crisis, we must demand that our elected leaders move beyond narrow partisan agendas and rigid ideologies in order to renew the values of shared prosperity, human dignity and economic opportunity for all.

For more information, please contact Stephanie Beck Borden: sbeckborden@catholicsinalliance.org

Stephanie Beck Borden

Ohio State Coordinator

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

www.catholicsinalliance.org

*From Matthew 25:35-40:

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good promotes awareness of the Catholic Social Tradition and its core values of justice, human dignity and the common good to Catholics, the media and Americans of all faiths. Catholics in Alliance is committed to building a consistent culture of life that reverences the dignity of the human person at all stages over a culture of greed, materialism and the politics of division.

Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do, according to a study released today.

The new analysis of data from a large federal survey found that more than half of youths became sexually active before marriage regardless of whether they had taken a "virginity pledge," but that the percentage who took precautions against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases was 10 points lower for pledgers than for non-pledgers.

"Taking a pledge doesn't seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behavior," said Janet E. Rosenbaum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose report appears in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. "But it does seem to make a difference in condom use and other forms of birth control that is quite striking."

In related news:

People magazine reports that Bristol Palin, daughter of the Alaska governor, has given birth to a baby son:

Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth on Sunday to a healthy 7 lb., 4 oz., baby boy in Palmer, Alaska.

The baby's father, Levi Johnston, is training to be an electrician. Bristol is taking correspondence courses to obtain her high school diploma.

Johnston's mother was recently arrested on drug charges.

Activists will gather in Columbus this Wednesday, December 10 to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

At 4:00PM at the State House (exact location TBD), the declaration will be read in its entirety, and speakers will make commentary.

Sponsors and participants include: United Nations Association - Columbus Chapter, Central Ohioans for Peace, Faith Communities Uniting for Peace, Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, SweatFree Ohio, Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Conference on Fair Trade, and Columbus Area Jobs with Justice

Click here to RSVP and comment.

Click on the image to read the full declaration.

From the Introduction:

All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms.

The United Nations is committed to upholding, promoting and protecting the human rights of every individual. This commitment stems from the United Nations Charter, which reaffirms the faith of the peoples of the world in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person.

In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has stated in clear and simple terms the rights which belong equally to every person.

These rights belong to you.

They are your rights. Familiarize yourself with them. Help to promote and defend them for yourself as well as for your fellow human beings.

Support for Pregnant Women and Families Key to Reducing Abortions

CINCINNATI – At a press conference in Springdale, Ohio today, Cincinnati's Healthy Moms and Babes joined the national advocacy group Catholics United in calling on political candidates and public officials to pursue initiatives that bring Americans of all ideological backgrounds together to find common-ground solutions to the abortion tragedy.   Today's event is part of a broader movement of Catholics and other people of faith to move beyond the angry rhetoric of the abortion "culture war" and enact policies that achieve actual results by addressing the root causes of abortion:  lack of jobs, health care, and other economic supports for women and families.

"Women who find they are facing an unplanned pregnancy can be scared and overwhelmed. They are worried about how they will be able to afford a child and who will be there to support them," said Kay Brogle, executive director of Healthy Moms and Babes.  "Our society must realize that an effective pro-life strategy needs to entail standing with women who face unplanned pregnancies, and providing them with personal and financial support through the pregnancy and beyond.  For Healthy Moms and Babes, our mission is the health and well being of the mother and child…that means providing moms with help with food, shelter, clothing as well as educating them in the care of themselves and their children through prenatal, postnatal, parenting and women's health programs."

Recently, Catholics United and the social justice group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good released studies demonstrating a clear connection between availability of family support and lower abortion rates.  "Research shows that pregnant women and families are much more likely to choose life when they have the tools they need to do so," said Dr. Joseph Wright, Ph.D., author of the Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance studies.  "In order to build a true culture of life, our nation must make a serious commitment to ensuring that our nation's families have the health care, education, and economic supports they need."

One study, Reducing Abortion in America: The Effect of Economic and Social Supports, examined 20 years of national data and found that increased state-based economic assistance to families correlated with at 20 percent lower abortion rate.  In the 1990s, states with more robust nutrition support through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program had 37 percent lower abortion rates, and those with higher male employment had 29 percent lower abortion rates.

Another study, Reducing Abortion in America: Beyond Roe v. Wade, found that overturning the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision would have a relatively small effect on the overall abortion rate, as few states are likely to ban abortions, and women living in those states could easily obtain abortion services in neighboring states or an extralegal abortion market.

In an effort to take its message directly to Catholic voters, Catholics United has mailed more than 50,000 "Pro-Life Means All Life" postcards to pro-life Catholic households in Ohio, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

"People of faith are tired of leaders who wear the pro-life label without enacting policies that actually prevent abortions," said James Salt, organizing director for Catholics United.  "It's time for candidates and elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, to move from rhetoric to results by addressing a comprehensive strategy to address abortion in America."

In 2004, several conservative Catholic bishops and a few megachurch pastors like Rick Warren issued their list of “non-negotiables,” which were intended to be a voter guide for their followers. All of them were relatively the same list of issues: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, etc. None of them even included the word “poverty,” only one example of the missing issues which are found quite clearly in the Bible. All of them were also relatively the same as official Republican Party Web sites of “non-negotiables.” The political connections and commitments of the religious non-negotiable writers were quite clear.

I want to suggest a different approach this year and share my personal list of “faith priorities” that will guide me in making the imperfect choices that always confront us in any election year — and suggest that each of you come up with your own list of “faith” or “moral” priorities for this election year and take them into the voting booth with you.

After the last election, I wrote a book titled God’s Politics.  I was criticized by some for presuming to speak for God, but that wasn’t the point.  I was trying to explore what issues might be closest to the heart of God and how they may be quite different from what many strident religious voices were then saying.  I was also saying that “God’s Politics” will often turn our partisan politics upside down, transcend our ideological categories of Left and Right, and challenge the core values and priorities of our political culture. I was also trying to say that there is certainly no easy jump from God’s politics to either the Republicans or Democrats. God is neither. In any election, we face imperfect choices, but our choices should reflect the things we believe God cares about if we are people of faith, and our own moral sensibilities if we are not people of faith. Therefore, people of faith, and all of us, should be “values voters” but vote all our values, not just a few that can be easily manipulated for the benefit of one party or another.

In 2008, the kingdom of God is not on the ballot in any of the 50 states as far as I can see. So we can’t vote for that this year. But there are important choices in this year’s election — very important choices — which will dramatically impact what many in the religious community and outside of it call “the common good,” and the outcome could be very important, perhaps even more so than in many recent electoral contests.

I am in no position to tell anyone what is “non-negotiable,” and neither is any bishop or megachurch pastor, but let me tell you the “faith priorities” and values I will be voting on this year:

1. With more than 2,000 verses in the Bible about how we treat the poor and oppressed, I will examine the record, plans, policies, and promises made by the candidates on what they will do to overcome the scandal of extreme global poverty and the shame of such unnecessary domestic poverty in the richest nation in the world. Such a central theme of the Bible simply cannot be ignored at election time, as too many Christians have done for years. And any solution to the economic crisis that simply bails out the rich, and even the middle class, but ignores those at the bottom should simply be unacceptable to people of faith.
2. From the biblical prophets to Jesus, there is, at least, a biblical presumption against war and the hope of beating our swords into instruments of peace. So I will choose the candidates who will be least likely to lead us into more disastrous wars and find better ways to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world and make us all safer. I will choose the candidates who seem to best understand that our security depends upon other people’s security (everyone having “their own vine and fig tree, so no one can make them afraid,” as the prophets say) more than upon how high we can build walls or a stockpile of weapons. Christians should never expect a pacifist president, but we can insist on one who views military force only as a very last resort, when all other diplomatic and economic measures have failed, and never as a preferred or habitual response to conflict.
3. “Choosing life” is a constant biblical theme, so I will choose candidates who have the most consistent ethic of life, addressing all the threats to human life and dignity that we face — not just one. Thirty-thousand children dying globally each day of preventable hunger and disease is a life issue. The genocide in Darfur is a life issue. Health care is a life issue. War is a life issue. The death penalty is a life issue. And on abortion, I will choose candidates who have the best chance to pursue the practical and proven policies which could dramatically reduce the number of abortions in America and therefore save precious unborn lives, rather than those who simply repeat the polarized legal debates and “pro-choice” and “pro-life” mantras from either side. 
4. God’s fragile creation is clearly under assault, and I will choose the candidates who will likely be most faithful in our care of the environment. In particular, I will choose the candidates who will most clearly take on the growing threat of climate change, and who have the strongest commitment to the conversion of our economy and way of life to a cleaner, safer, and more renewable energy future. And that choice could accomplish other key moral priorities like the redemption of a dangerous foreign policy built on Middle East oil dependence, and the great prospects of job creation and economic renewal from a new “green” economy built on more spiritual values of conservation, stewardship, sustainability, respect, responsibility, co-dependence, modesty, and even humility.
5. Every human being is made in the image of God, so I will choose the candidates who are most likely to protect human rights and human dignity. Sexual and economic slavery is on the rise around the world, and an end to human trafficking must become a top priority. As many religious leaders have now said, torture  is completely morally unacceptable, under any circumstances, and I will choose the candidates who are most committed to reversing American policy on the treatment of prisoners. And I will choose the candidates who understand that the immigration system is totally broken and needs comprehensive reform, but must be changed in ways that are compassionate, fair, just, and consistent with the biblical command to “welcome the stranger.”
6. Healthy families are the foundation of our community life, and nothing is more important than how we are raising up the next generation. As the father of two young boys, I am deeply concerned about the values our leaders model in the midst of the cultural degeneracy assaulting our children. Which candidates will best exemplify and articulate strong family values, using the White House and other offices as bully pulpits to speak of sexual restraint and integrity, marital fidelity, strong parenting, and putting family values over economic values? And I will choose the candidates who promise to really deal with the enormous economic and cultural pressures that have made parenting such a “countercultural activity” in America today, rather than those who merely scapegoat gay people for the serious problems of heterosexual family breakdown.

That is my list of personal “faith priorities” for the election year of 2008, but they are not “non-negotiables” for anyone else. It’s time for each of us to make up our own list in these next 12 days. Make your list and send this on to your friends and family members, inviting them to do the same thing.

Washington, D.C. – Catholics United is mailing 50,000 Ohio Catholic households a candidate comparison chart that examines the records of Senators Obama and McCain on a range of Catholic values.  The release of the guide – which looks at the candidates' positions on such issues as life, torture, the economy, the Iraq War, health care, and climate change – comes as activists on the far right are stepping up a campaign to convince Catholics to ignore economic and social justice concerns at the voting booth.

"Partisan 'Catholic' groups want us to believe that all that matters in this election is a candidate's stated position on the legality of abortion," said Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United and co-author of A Nation for All:  How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division.  "Our guide is intended to remind Catholics that our faith calls us to consider a broad range of issues that bear on the common good.  If we have learned anything from the experience of the past eight years, it is that single-issue voting is a disaster for Catholic values."

In their 2007 Faithful Citizenship document, the U.S. Catholic Bishops affirm the special importance of the abortion issue, while obliquely referring to the far right's narrow approach to voting as an attempt to "distort the Church's defense of human life and dignity."  This week, Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bishop William Murphy, chairs of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' committees on Pro-Life Activities and Domestic Justice and Human Development, affirmed that legal efforts to end abortion cannot serve as a substitute for abortion reduction policies that provide economic and social supports for pregnant women and families.

Catholics United is mailing the 50,000 values voting guides to likely Catholic voters in 10 Ohio counties: Auglaize, Hamilton, Lake, Lucas, Mahoning, Mercer, Putnam, Seneca, Shelby, and Stark.

FINDLAY, Ohio (CNN) –- In an interview posted online Wednesday, Sarah Palin told Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” that she is confident God will do “the right thing for America” on Nov. 4.

Dobson asked the vice presidential hopeful if she is concerned about John McCain’s sagging poll numbers, but Palin stressed that she was “not discouraged at all.”

“To me, it motivates us, makes us work that much harder,” she told the influential Christian leader, whose radio show reaches tens of millions of listeners daily. “And it also strengthens my faith because I know at the end of the day putting this in God’s hands, the right thing for America will be done, at the end of the day on Nov. 4.”

Dobson praised Palin's opposition to abortion rights, to which the governor affirmed that she is “hardcore pro-life.”

Read The Full Story At CNN

You Betcha!

Proverbs 6:16-19 "These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. "

Matthew 25 Network Expands Advertising

The progressive Matthew 25 Network has launched a new Web site and next week plans its largest radio ad buy to date as it continues its efforts to woo Christian voter support for Barack Obama.

"Can you be pro-life and support Senator Obama?" asks Doug Kmiec in the new radio ad. "Barack Obama knows a bad economy is tragic for human life and women facing the moral tragedy of abortion. They need tangible help, not condemnation. Too many unborn lives are being lost as we wait for judges to get it right."

A former aide to President Reagan, Kmiec has sparked controversy for his advocacy of Obama. While group spokeswoman Mara Vanderslice notes that "some most recent polling has come out that shows the values issues have dropped by a great deal," she says that most voters, no matter their religion, seem more concerned than before about health care, the economy and other domestic concerns.

"I think there's many who are pro-life, would like to see Roe overturned, however they've been frustrated by the Republicans' efforts and talk on this issue," she said, adding later that "Republicans have used this as a wedge issue, however, when at every level they've not done anything to reduce abortion rights." They see Obama's support for an expansion of child care, education and health care issues as a more practical approach to reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The group has launched ProLifeProObama.com in an effort to promote those beliefs.

Watch It: 

Listen to Governor Strickland talk about Usury and The Predatory Payday Lending Industry below and then won't you please:

Join Thousands of Ohioans Who Support H.B. 545!

Usury and The Predatory Payday Lending Industry

Christian Group Airing Pro-Obama Ad in Ohio

A new radio ad that begins airing in Ohio on Friday employs some key biblical phrases in an attempt to gain support for Barack Obama among the state's Evangelical Christians. Former Congressman Tony Hall, an anti-abortion Democrat, voices the message produced and paid for by the Matthew 25 Network, an independent political group run by progressive Christians.

Listen to The Ad:

Salon Reports:

If you need a good reason to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin in November, here it is: "Sarah is that standard God has raised up to stop the flood. She has the anointing ... Back in the 1980s, I sensed that Israel's little-known Benjamin Netanyahu was chosen by God for an important end-time role. I still believe that. I now have that same sense about Sarah Palin."

That's a quote from an e-mail that's now circulating in the evangelical community; a friend passed it on to me. As best as I can tell, the text of the e-mail was originally written by Jim Bramlett, an author and former vice president with the Christian Broadcasting Network. (You can read more about him in this WorldNetDaily article about his claim that he's obtained recordings of angels singing.)

This e-mail isn't the only instance of Palin being seen this way. Sarah Posner, who has an interesting article about Palin's time as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, in Salon today, previously wrote about this phenomenon on TAPPED: "Many evangelicals are talking about Palin being like the biblical Queen Esther, who saved the Jews from the genocidal Haman, and believe that Palin has come, like Esther did, 'for a time such as this.' (The same narrative built around George W. Bush when he was running.)"

Read More From This Email At Salon.com

Despite denials by the Palin campaign, new evidence proves that as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin had a direct hand in imposing fees to pay for post-sexual assault medical exams conducted by the city to gather evidence.

Palin's role is now confirmed by Wasilla City budget documents available online.

Under Sarah Palin's administration, Wasilla cut funds that had previously paid for the medical exams and began charging victims or their health insurers the $500 to $1200 fees.

Although Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella wrote USA Today earlier this week that the GOP vice presidential nominee

"does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test...To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice,"

Careful parsing there.

In May 2000, the Alaska legislature enacted a law that would provide rape victims with the tests, free of charge – along with testing for sexually transmitted disease and access to emergency contraception.

Palin, a mother of five children, has a pro-life voting record and has not indicated support for the morning-after pill. In November 2006, then gubernatorial candidate Sarah Palin declared that she would not support an abortion for her own daughter even if she had been raped.

She is a member of the anti-abortion group Feminists for Life. The organization has warned women against "blindly accepting" morning after pills as just another artificial contraceptive method. It claims Planned Parenthood and other proponents push the medication as a way to prevent pregnancy.

"Although these supporters call morning-after pills 'emergency contraception,' the term is a misnomer, as the pills actually act as an abortifacient in many cases by preventing the implantation of an already-fertilized human embryo," a 1999 Feminists for Life newsletter (PDF) stated.

View A Feminists For Life Advertisement Regarding Rape Victims (PDF)

How often have you heard the term "taxpayer-funded abortion" as a right-wing talking point?  The fact is, one of the main goals of the right wing fundamentalist has been to oppose any government assistance for any program that might provide funding for abortions.

This forms the basis of George Bush's so-called Mexico City Policy--rescinded by Clinton and re-enacted by George Bush--forbidding any taxpayer money going to any program that funds pregancy termination, no matter what adverse consequences may result.

Is this the reason behind Sarah Palin's consistent refusal to fund rape investigation kits with taxpayer money is that they contain emergency contraception, which her religious fundamentalism views as tantamount to an abortion, and she, like George Bush, is a firm believer in the Mexico City policy?

HT: Daily Kos

See Also: 

Palin attacked over rape-kit controversy
Alaska law forces taxpayers to fund 'emergency contraception'

Palin Had Direct Role In Charging Rape Victims For Exams

Compassionate Conservative? Under Palin Wasilla Charged Rape Victims For The Forensic Tests Needed To Prove The Crime

McCain Voted Against Biden Law Requiring Free Rape Exams

Learn More About John McCain's War On Women

Censored video: "Sarah Palin's Demon Haunted Churches

Sarah Palin was baptized at Wasilla Assembly of God and attended the church for over two and a half decades, and she has been publicly blessed by a number of pastors and religious leaders employed by and associated with that church.

Last Sunday our research team released a video, a ten-minute mini-documentary, focusing on the Wasilla Assemblies of God and the video seemed on the verge of a massive "viral" breakthrough when YouTube pulled it down, citing "inappropriate content". At the point the video was censored by YouTube it had been viewed by almost 160,000 people.

The short of it is that YouTube has censored a video documentary that appeared to be close to having an effect on a hard fought and contentious American presidential election.

For documentation, video sourcing and background articles, see Talk To Action article, Sarah Palin's Demon Haunted Churches - The Complete Edition

Contains :  

-Documentation on the sources of video footage used in the documentary.

-A written summary of the surrounding story, to contextualize the video.

-Supplemental Documentation on the Third Wave movement.

Watch The Video:

Sarah Palin's Churches and The Third Wave from Bruce Wilson on Vimeo

Other than the one black man pictured, these people are most of the biggest snake oil salesmen and liars in the country. . . .  

McCain won't go. Palin CAN'T go.

(more below)

To funny, . . .

after giving them Sarah Palin on the ticket, McCain can't go near them anymore as a political calculation. 

But they don't care about McCain anyway. . . they don't even like McCain.

It's "Mother Mary Saint Sarah" they wanted. 

She is their new Priestess (an idol other than thy one and true God). 

They worship her and only her now . . . .

But Sarah can't go because they'd have reporters there and "God" knows what she might say . . . she might start speaking in tongues with cameras present or something  . . . now that would be a real "Macca Moment" for election 2008.

The Christian Taliban certainly  expected her to be there for their anointing of her . . . I mean they are the owners of the Republican party now.  It's what they call "the ownership society" or something like that.

It seems that Tony Perkins, mouthpiece for the current kingpin of it all (now that Falwell finally kicked), James Dobson wasn't to pleased and threw a bit of a hissy over it . . . but what can he do? . . . he already sold the votes of the whole lot of them to get Palin on the ticket.

MSNBC:

Yesterday, we reported that McCain was skipping the Family Research Council’s Values Voters Summit. And it also looks like FRC’s Tony Perkins isn't thrilled with how his summit's being treated -- he won't even accept a video presentation from Palin.

Writes CBN’s Brody: “The Brody File has learned that the offer of a short video from vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to folks at this weekend’s Value Voters Summit has been turned down by its president, Tony Perkins. A source inside John McCain’s campaign tells me that Palin was set to record the video Wednesday in Virginia before she left for Alaska.

But when the McCain campaign approached Perkins about offering the video rather than a personal appearance Perkins said, according to numerous witnesses, ‘That’s not enough.’”

We're sick and tired of John McCain and Sarah Palin being called "four more years of the same failed policies". It's "the Second Coming of George W. Bush," thank you very much.

“I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation.”

~ John McCain 

As Women for John McCain, we’re proud to support a ticket that speaks as the mouthpiece of no less than the very will of God Himself when it comes to gas pipelines and our Holy Crusade The Surge.

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

“Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God,” she exhorted the congregants. “That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”

Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin’s foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska’s governor asked the audience to pray for another matter – a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. “I think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that,” she said. [Huffington Post]

“In a letter she e-mailed to relatives and close friends Friday after giving birth, Palin wrote, “Many people will express sympathy, but you don’t want or need that, because Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this.” She wrote it in the voice of and signed it as “Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father.”

“Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome,” Palin wrote.”

~ Anchorage Daily News, April 22nd, 2008

Because it’s not “four more years of the same failed policies“.

It’s the second coming, and just as Sarah Palin believes, these are the End Times - at least for Barack Obama, Joe Biden, their pathetically weak-kneed, old-fashioned liberal pantywaist insistence on sticking to “serious issues” and “the truth”, fear of divisive, polarizing rhetoric, and their hopelessly boring, disappointingly scandal-free families.

Gee, just as I was researching them up pops this statement:

WasillaAG.net was never intended to handle the traffic it has received in the last few days.

Due to technical limitations, WasillaAG.net will be unavailable for the immediate future.

Thank you for your visit.

 What were some of the nuggets contained in these sermons?

Pastor Kalnins has preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode."

As well as the video where Governor Palin herself states:

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

And of course the sermon from two Sundays ago where the church gave its pulpit over to a figure viewed with deep hostility by many Jewish organizations David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus who said this as Palin sat in the congregation:

Israel has not had the greatest track record when it comes to following after God.  You know, what other nation experienced such mighty deliverance as Israel, in God bringing us out of bondage and slavery in Egypt?  The miracles, the parting of the Red Sea...  But we got into the wilderness, and the first thing we did was we 'kvetched,' you know, we complained.  We said, "Moses, we didn't' have enough trouble back in the land of Egypt, and now you brought us out here to die?"  And the Bible tells us the entire generation of Israelites perished in the wilderness because of unbelief.  And that has characterized the ministry of the prophets.  They've all experienced that rejection. 

and 

Brickner also described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's "judgment of unbelief" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.

"Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. It's very real. When [Brickner's son] was in Jerusalem, he was there to witness some of that judgment, some of that conflict, when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment — you can't miss it."

 Like I asked last night, How Will This Play In Florida?

Ooops . . .  Not Good For McCain!

Ben Smith at Politico Reports:

I've got a story up on the question of whether Palin — with her politics, her thin Israel record, and, perhaps most of all, her cultural roots in evangelical Christianity — will solve Obama's Jewish problem.

Here's a new bit:

An illustration of that gap came just two weeks ago, when Palin’s church, the Wasilla Bible Church, gave its pulpit over to a figure viewed with deep hostility by many Jewish organizations: David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus.

Palin’s pastor, Larry Kroon, introduced Brickner on Aug. 17, according to a transcript of the sermon on the church’s website.

“He’s a leader of Jews for Jesus, a ministry that is out on the leading edge in a pressing, demanding area of witnessing and evangelism,” Kroon said.

Brickner’s mission has drawn wide criticism from the organized Jewish community, and the Anti-Defamation League accused them in a report of “targeting Jews for conversion with subterfuge and deception.”

Brickner also described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's "judgment of unbelief" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.

Palin was in church that day, Kroon said, though he cautioned against attributing Brickner’s views to her.

Read The Full Story Here

Prophetic tradition condemns usury, fraud, exploitation and injustices, especially if it is directed toward the poorest members of society.

The payday lending industry has financially exploited economically vulnerable populations. Low-income families, the elderly, minorities, and military personnel have all been targets of these abusive lenders.

In Ohio, payday lenders have exploited over 300,000 low to moderate-income individuals by charging them exorbitant interest rates. In 1995, the Ohio General Assembly exempted payday lenders from Ohio’s usury laws.

The industry takes advantage of borrowers’ desperate need for cash, making loans at 391% interest. This is not a just and fair way to do business. These predatory practices are very similar to the practices of moneychangers found in the New Testament.

Payday lending has also strained our social service providers, our state’s hunger programs and emergency services, many of which are offered by the faith community. Our various faith traditions offer strong admonishment against those who would oppress and victimize the poor and vulnerable. The prophetic tradition condemns fraud, exploitation and usury.

Payday lending is not only a financially irresponsible practice; it is a morally irresponsible one as well. The practices of payday lenders constitute a modern day form of usury and people of faith have a moral responsibility to take action!

Read the the letter from the Diocese of Cleveland here. (pdf)

The "moment" of conception is in fact a span of twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

When An Embryo Becomes A Human Person

Obama is being razzed by the usual suspects for saying that the theological, scientific and moral question of when human life becomes a human person is "above his paygrade." A classic response:

News flash: There's not a job on the planet above the pay grade of the President of the United States. If you can't solve every problem and are humble about it, that's fine — but you can't get away with being unsure about the most defining moral issue in politics.

But even the Vatican doesn't claim to know that precise answer. From the lips of Ratzinger:

"The Magisterium has not expressly committed itself to an affirmation of a philosophical nature [as to the time of ensoulment], but it constantly affirms the moral condemnation of any kind of procured abortion."

So it's above the Pope's pay-grade as well.

The assumption of Obama's critics is that a president should always reduce complex issues to simple black and white truisms, unfounded in reality. That's why they supported Bush. And that's why they're supporting McCain.

APR is the total cost of credit to the consumer, expressed as an annual percentage of the amount of credit granted.

APR is the standard lenders must use to state the cost of the credit provided to the consumer.

For a $15 charge on a $100 2-week payday loan, the APR is 26 × 15% = 391%.

Today, throughout Ohio, payday lenders exploit more than 300,000 low to moderate income individuals by charging them rates of up to 391% on a typical $300, short term loan.

The payday lending industry traps borrowers into a cycle of debt. The typical borrower takes out some 12.6 loans per year. Meanwhile, increased demands are placed upon our hunger programs and emergency services.

Our state permitted these transactions because of a 1995 Ohio law that exempted payday lenders from the state’s usury laws.

Ohio has put a stop to unfair lending practices
that trap borrowers in a cycle of debt with the passage of H. B. 545.

Previously the payday industry has largely confined its lobbying efforts to battling inside state legislatures. Now In Ohio using out of state funding, industry backers are trying a new tack.

They are seeking a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot that would:
Return the Interest Rate on Payday Loans in Ohio to 391% APR!

Listen to Governor Strickland talk about Usury and The Predatory Payday Lending Industry below and then won't you please:

Join Thousands of Ohioans Who Support H.B. 545!

Usury and The Predatory Payday Lending Industry

The Matthew 25 Network which is a religious political action committee supporting Obama has put together a radio ad in which Obama's faith is highlighted.

Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody comments:

I think the ad is EXTREMELY strong.

It stays away from public policy and really focuses in his personal commitment to Christ. That is a type of message that Evangelicals will want to hear.

The flip side here is that another group may start running radio spots on Christian radio detailing Obama's liberal positions on issues which may conflict with some Evangelicals.

But look, you have to give this group credit for believing that they have a faithful message with Obama and they are not shy about promoting it. Plus, you won't find any John McCain radio spots on Christian radio right now. Man, how the tables have turned.

Listen In:

From His Heart

In another sign that his campaign is reaching out to evangelical voters, Senator Barack Obama plans to announce his support for expanding President Bush’s faith-based programs in a speech on religion he will deliver at Eastside Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio this afternoon.

Obviously, the faith-based aspect of the program is going to raise some eyebrows, not just because of the church-state issues, but also because of the Bush White House's faith-based initiative.

The Associated Press previews his remarks and notes that Mr. Obama will say that he supports allowing religious organizations to hire and fire employees based on faith:

‘’The challenges we face today, from putting people back to work to improving our schools, from saving our planet to combating HIV/AIDS to ending genocide, are simply too big for government to solve alone,'’ Obama was to say, according to a prepared text of his remarks obtained by The Associated Press. ‘’We need all hands on deck.'’

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton offers his take on the faith-based proposal:

“Obama does not believe that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits, or that they’re better at lifting people but. But what he does believe is that we all have to work together to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Obama’s Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will help empower grassroots faith-based and community groups to help meet these challenges,” Mr. Burton said in an e-mail message to reporters this morning.

“The new partnership will not endanger the separation of church and state, so long as a few basic principles are followed. First, if an organization gets a federal grant, it will not be permitted to use that grant money to proselytize to the people it serves, and the group will forbidden to discriminate against them on the basis of their religion. And groups will be required to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws in their hiring practices—including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

Full text of the policy overview

In Cincinnati yesterday John McCain labeled Barack Obama's "position on life issues" as "incredibly extreme."

Interesting, since Steve Strang, one of Time's 25 Most Influential Evangelicals, asked Obama about abortion and walked away with a very different take:

"The time he took to answer was probably 15 minutes. He came across as thoughtful and much more of a 'centrist' than what I would have expected. He did not appear to be the crazy leftist that is being supported by George Soros and his radical leftist friends. Sen. Obama looked me in the eye as he answered my question, almost as if it were a one-on-one interview."

Lest anyone think Strang is a shill, he is a current McCain supporter, who initially backed Huckabee.

James Dobson doesn't speak for me.

Does he speak for you?

According to MoJo's crack research team, people who identify themselves as "Priests" give mainly Blue, but 2/3rds of donations from "Catholic Priests" go to Republicans. Over 80% of money from "Rabbis" goes to Dems and Ron Paul received 100% support from the coveted "Wizard" demographic.

Tons of other great, not-so-scientific insight, such as the answer to whose more likely to be a Democrat: a math teacher or an english teacher.

New York Times:

Lori Viars, an evangelical activist in Warren County, Ohio, essentially put her life on hold in the fall of 2004 to run a phone bank for President Bush. Her efforts helped the president’s ambitious push to turn out evangelicals and win that critical swing state in a close election.

But Ms. Viars, who is among a cluster of socially conservative activists in Ohio being courted by Senator John McCain’s campaign through regular e-mail messages, is taking a wait-and-see attitude for now toward Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.

“I think a lot of us are in a holding pattern,” said Ms. Viars, who added that she wanted to see whom Mr. McCain picked for his running mate.

Ms. Viars’s hesitation illustrates what remains one of Mr. McCain’s biggest challenges as he faces a general election contest with Senator Barack Obama: a continued wariness toward him among evangelicals and other Christian conservatives, a critical voting bloc for Republicans that could stay home in the fall or at least be decidedly unenthusiastic in their efforts to get out the vote.

Read The Full Story At The New York Times

"With clients like Focus on the Family, Franklin Graham, and Campus Crusade for Christ, Mark DeMoss may be the most prominent public relations executive in the evangelical world. A former chief of staff to Jerry Falwell, DeMoss became then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney's chief liaison to evangelical leaders."

In a new interview with Dan Gilgoff for BeliefNet's God-o-Meter, DeMoss explains the lack of religious enthusiasm for McCain and predicts a potential major shift to Obama.

See Also: More On John McCain's "Pastor Disastor"

Since starting on Politically Incorrect in 1993, it has been my pleasure over the last decade and a half to make organized religion one of my favorite targets. I often explained to people, "I don't need to make fun of religion, it makes fun of itself." And, then I go ahead and make fun of it too, just for laughs.

With religious fanatics like George Bush and Osama bin Laden now taking over the world, it seemed to me in recent years that this issue — this cause of debunking the man behind the curtain — needed to have a larger, more insistent and focused forum than late night television. I wanted to make a documentary, and I wanted it to be funny. In fact, since there is nothing more ridiculous than the ancient mythological stories that live on as today's religions, this movie would try to be a real knee slapper. Unless, of course, you're religious, then you might not like it.

Who could I get to direct me on such an epic quest? In reality, there was only one man, and his name is Larry Charles. I hope that together we fulfilled that quest. Which really isn't that hard, considering that comedically speaking, the topic of religion is pretty much hitting the side of a barn.

As a comedian, religion has always interested me — it was the single easiest subject to make jokes about. I think that tells us something: comedians look for things that don't make sense, that are illogical.

Even as a young comedian, routines I did that got the biggest laughs and got me invited back on the Tonight Show were the religious ones — like the one about being half Catholic and half Jewish and bringing a lawyer into confession: "Bless me father for I have sinned — and I think you know Mr. Cohen . . ."

Politics is a rich area, but even politicians, although they promise some ridiculous stuff, don't approach the level of, for example, the Mormon practice of promising couples a planet to rule over in the after life if they have a really good marriage on earth. They give you a planet — kinda like when someone gives you a certificate that says a star has been named after you — except here, they really give you the star!

Join me in the final battle between intelligence and stupidity that will decide the future of humanity. Coming soon to a house of false idols near you.

--Bill Maher

Watch The Trailer For Religuous

Here's what their saying over at Beliefnet:

McCain's Latest, Biggest, Religious Stumble

John McCain's rejection of John Hagee's endorsement today is the starkest example yet of McCain's ham handed approach to dealing with the Christian Right and with handling religious matters generally. It's a striking contrast to era of George W. Bush, whose political rise was largely a result of having mastered Christian Right and evangelical outreach, in connecting with believers personally and mobilizing them organizationally.

 <snip>

For McCain, the most glaring example of his unwillingness to treat religious outreach seriously is that his campaign still lacks a fulltime religious outreach director. Bush had a handful of such strategists aboard his 2000 and 2004 campaigns, including such talented figures as former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed. Both Obama and Clinton hired fulltime religious outreach directors as soon as they launched their campaigns early last year, and have filled out their faith-based teams with more personnel since then.

Those are the kind of staffers that could have averted, or at least better managed, the Hagee disaster for McCain. At the very least, they would have known about Hagee's history of anti-Catholic statements, which blindsided the McCain team and triggered the initial firestorm over Hagee's endorsement.

Instead, having been newly chastened by the Hagee ordeal, McCain may be loath to reach out to other Religious Right figures. Come November, that cold shoulder could have McCain in more political hot water than controversial endorsements from evangelical leaders.

 McCain's Latest, Biggest, Religious Stumble: Take 2

Now John McCain is rejecting Rev. Rod Parsley's endorsement, too. Like God-o-Meter was just saying just a few hours ago, after McCain finally disowned John Hagee, the Arizona senator is still a novice at religious outreach.

So which Christian Right figures does John McCain have supporting him now? He is truly running against the leadership class of his party's own base.

Christian Right Endorsements: The Reagan Approach

Like John McCain today, Ronald Reagan had his work cut out in winning over the Christian Right during his 1980 campaign, when a new organization called Moral Majority was mobilizing evangelicals and other conservative Christians in a way not seen since fallout from the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial scared many of those voters away from public life.

Reagan, after all, had been a Hollywood export with a scant church attendance record, a second wife, and a reputation for having signed a liberal (for its time) abortion law as governor of California. So Reagan studied up on how to connect with evangelicals and crafted a line that made the movement love him when he uttered at before a crowd of 15,000 pastors in Dallas: "I know you can't endorse me, but I want you to know that I endorse you."

Fast forward to 2008. Evangelicals are a more powerful force in the GOP than they were during Reagan's 1980 campaign. Rather than endorsing the Christian Right, McCain is going out of his way to make clear that endorsements from the movement's leaders are a one-way proposition: he doesn't endorse them back. And yesterday, McCain flat out told John Hagee and Rod Parsley that he didn't want their endorsements. That's one huge turnaround from Reagan's day.

Not Good For McCain . . .

 See Also: McCain Rejects Endorsements Of Both Hagee and Parsley

Video: Parsley's Church Blatantly Lies In "McCain Statement"

 I suppose he's talking about "Free At Last" from the scrutiny of his hate filled sermons that came with his association with the McCain campaign . . .

McCain Rejects Central Ohio Pastor's Support

 World Harvest Church issued a statement Thursday in support of the Rev. Rod Parsley, who has been seen in a video posted on YouTube calling Islam "a conspiracy of spiritual evil."

World Harvest Church's statement said there was a "big difference" between Parlsey's endorsement of McCain — who has never been a member of World Harvest Church — and Wright's relationship with Obama, since Wright was Obama's pastor for two decades and officiated at his wedding.

The church also said Parsley's comments were "in response to militant Islamic leaders" and not intended to single out the "vast majority of peaceful Muslims."

Below is the video of Pastor Rod where he states in refuting McCain's "We must win the hearts and minds of mainstream Muslims" commentary with this:

"I will counter respectfully that what some call extremists are instead mainstream Muslims who are drawing from the well at the heart of Islam"

Watch it:

 Note: Brian Rothenberg, Executive Director of ProgressOhio is interviewed in 10TV's accompanying video which can be seen here:

Republican John McCain on Thursday rejected endorsements from two influential but controversial televangelists, saying there is no place for their incendiary criticisms of other faiths.

McCain rejected the months-old endorsement of Texas preacher John Hagee after an audio recording surfaced in which the preacher said God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land. McCain called the comment "crazy and unacceptable."

He later repudiated the support of Rod Parsley, an Ohio preacher who has sharply criticized Islam and called the religion inherently violent.

McCain issued a statement Thursday afternoon announcing his decision about Hagee.

"Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well," he said.

Later, in Stockton, he told reporters: "I just think that the statement is crazy and unacceptable."

Then in an interview with The Associated Press, McCain said he rejected Parsley's support, too.

"I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America, and I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him, the fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement," McCain told the AP.

Certainly this won't play out in the media with anything like the controversy surrounding Obama and Reverand Wright, but this will be devastating to McCain's campaign.   Seeking out the endorsements of Hagee and Parsley was necessary to  McCain's need to bring the religous right, who already didn't trust him, into his voting coaltion. They will see his backing down on these two endorsements as a repudiation of their values by candidate McCain.

The evangelical right has been unsure and less than fully supportive of John McCain stemming back to when in 2000, he denounced religious right leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as an ''evil" force whose message of ''intolerance" hurt the GOP and America and gave a speech attacking Falwell and Robertson by name, calling them ''agents of intolerance" who were corrupting both religion and politics.

In January of this year, James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents said, "Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances,".

Just last month, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said a number of the presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s policies and actions in the Senate have rubbed socially conservative evangelical voters the wrong way, and he will need them and their “enthusiasm” to win the White House.

“It’s not automatic,” Perkins said.

In my opinion the big winner here in today's announcements is Mike Huckabee whose chances of being McCain's selection as his running mate just went through the roof.

...until you consider the origins of Mother's Day.

Julia Ward Howe, who penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic, also authored a mothers' Declaration calling on women to oppose war, and worked to get recognition of a Mother’s Day for Peace. Says Code Pink: "Were she alive today, Julia probably would have told her kids to dispense with the roses and chocolates, and instead join her in an anti-war rally. Yes, Julia Ward Howe was a peacenik."

[Howe] saw some of the worst effects of the [civil] war -- not only the death and disease which killed and maimed the soldiers. She worked with the widows and orphans of soldiers on both sides of the war, and realized that the effects of the war go beyond the killing of soldiers in battle. She also saw the economic devastation of the Civil War, the economic crises that followed the war, the restructuring of the economies of both North and South.

In 1870, Julia Ward Howe took on a new issue and a new cause….She called in 1870 for women to rise up and oppose war in all its forms. She wanted women to come together across national lines, to recognize what we hold in common above what divides us, and commit to finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts. She issued a Declaration, hoping to gather together women in a congress of action.

Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother's Day for Peace, but her effort was carried on by Anna Jarvis, who had organized women during the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and then toward reconciliation of Union and Confederate neighbors.

Jarvis’ daughter, of the same name, then took up the campaign for Mother’s Day. After the custom spread to 45 states, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day in 1914.

Julia Ward Howe's Mothers' Declaration:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Maybe Pryce, Schmidt, Tiberi, Chabot, Boehner, Regula, LaTourette, Hobson, and Turner have a thing against moms. But YOU can make this Mother's Day a Mother's Day For Peace.

Help CodePink help Iraqi refugee moms here.

Send a MomsRising Mother's Day card and tell the presidential candidates to fight for family-friendly policies. here.

Oh and don't forget to call the Congressional Switchboard at 1-800-839-5276 to give the above members of Congress a piece of your mind about H.R. 1113.

Do you have another suggestion for honoring Julia Ward Howe's Mothers' Declaration? Are you a mom working for peace? Leave a comment below.

The background here is that on September 18, 2006, Pastor John Hagee — whose endorsement Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said this past Sunday he was “glad to have” — told NPR’s Terry Gross that “Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.” “New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God,” Hagee said, because “there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came.”

Watch it:

Now the standard response for the McCain campaign to End-Times Pastor Hagee questions has been "When someone endorses me that doesn't mean that I embrace their views", but this is totally disingenuous.

In an interview in the NY Times Hagee himself unequivocally stated that "McCain’s campaign sought my endorsement". In 2007, he addressed Hagee's organization, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which just happens to believe the final biblical battle against the Anti-Christ will be fought by the United States - against Iran.

Why would McCain seek out the endorsment of someone "whose views he doesn't agree with"?

The answer is simple.

"Before you can be Commander-in-Chief as a Republican, you have to be Panderer-in-Chief to the Religous Right.

Of course, this all recalls the McCain-Falwell saga, where McCain told reporters during his 2000 presidential run that Falwell, Robertson and their ilk were bad for the country, and that Falwell specifically was an "agent of intolerance.""*

McCain apparently learned his lesson in Republican politics in 2000 from Karl Rove and George Bush.

In 2006 when preparing to campaign for the 2008 election, McCain took back the "agent of intolerance" quote and gave the commencement address at Falwell's Liberty University.

Watch it:

You may have seen the video: on Friday, John McCain was roundly booed during a speech commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King.

Watch It:

McCain didn't just vote no on a controversial bill with an unrelated rider honoring Dr. King. He voted no on a stand-alone bill establishing Martin Luther King Day that even noted super-villian Dick Cheney voted yes on. Years later, McCain stood by then-Governor Evan Mecham as he issued an executive order striking down MLK Day in Arizona (the inspiration for the Pubilc Enemy song By The Time I Get to Arizona)

Electing John McCain, the man who spent the 80s denying recognition to one of the great martyrs of the 20th century, the 90s covering it up and then tossed out a horrendous racial slur in 2000 sends the worst kind of message to our youth and the world at large.

New York Times Sunday Magazine:

NYT: As a prominent evangelical pastor based in San Antonio, you were recently catapulted into national controversy when you endorsed Senator John McCain for president. Is it true that McCain actively sought your endorsement?

Hagee: It’s true that McCain’s campaign sought my endorsement.

Countdown: Hate Talk Express

NYT: How did you feel when critics called you a Catholic-basher and said McCain should reject your endorsement?

Hagee: My statements regarding the Catholic Church have been grossly mischaracterized. I never called the Catholic Church “the anti-Christ” or a “false cult system.” I was referring to those Christians who ignore the Gospels.

John Hagee Preaches Anticatholicism

NYT: What about your observation in a recent book that “most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews”?

Hagee: What I was trying to express was the fact that Christian anti-Semitism — both Catholic and Protestant — contributed to an environment in which Nazi racial anti-Semitism could flourish.

NYT; Let’s talk about your much-quoted comment that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for a gay rights parade in New Orleans .

Hagee: We’re not going down there. That’s so far off-base it would take us 33 pages to go through that, and it’s not worth going through.

Meet Team McCain: Pastor John Hagee

Following an interfaith prayer service at St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church, Columbus commemorated the 5th Anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq in the State House atrium.

The program included speakers, poetry, music, and breakout forums on Economic Justice and Healthcare. Full program here.

The event was sponsored by the Central Ohio Peace Network (COPN).

Related:

"Blessed Are The Peacemakers" - Full transcript of David Robinson's speech at the 3/19 event

5 Years Too Many: Peace Takes Courage (VIDEO)

Columbus Dispatch: Group Says War Hurts Ohio Services

Columbus Dispatch: Faiths join in prayers for peace: Personal commitments part of Iraq-war service

Activists Gather At Theaters In 25 Cities For Free Simulcast To Put Church-State Separation On National Agenda During 2008 Election

Democracy Not Theocracy:

Decisions about religion and spirituality are deeply personal. The government’s only role in these matters is to protect individual choice. That’s what separation of church and state and religious liberty are all about. These values protect the rights of believers and non-believers alike to make personal, private choices about faith. Sometimes we take these inherent rights for granted, but we shouldn’t. Safeguarding separation of church and state and protecting religious liberty are the foundation stones upon which our country was built.

If government is allowed to prefer one religious viewpoint over another or favor people of faith over non-believers, then we are sacrificing our heritage of freedom. Some pressure groups want to change federal tax law and allow houses of worship to endorse or oppose political candidates using tax-exempt donations.

But this is an unwise proposal that would be deeply divisive in a nation as diverse as America. It would harm our democracy and jeopardize the integrity of our religious organizations. Many houses of worship would be torn apart over partisan politics. We must not politicize our houses of worship. Certainly, we all hold different beliefs, but it is our first freedom -- to privately choose our own beliefs -- that is our most important American value.

The National Partnership for Women and Families is launching a coast-to-coast Online Rally for Paid Sick Days.

Visit their new website Everyone Gets Sick

Here are five quick ways to get involved:

1. Contact Congress - urge your elected officials support the Healthy Families Act!
2. Tell Others - raise awareness by sending an e-mail to co-workers, friends and family.
3. Share Your Story - if you or a loved one have been affected by not having paid sick days or if you’re outraged by the injustice tell us about it.
4. Print A Flyer - and distribute copies to friends, co-workers and even strangers!
5. Stay Connected - get e-mail updates and action alerts on the campaign for paid sick days.

An email that the Obama campaign blasted out to what apparently is a mass list of people who do religious outreach and charity work:

Dear Friend,

After college, I worked as an organizer on the streets of the South Side of Chicago with a range of faith communities and neighborhood organizations. I had the opportunity to meet extraordinary people of faith ­ single mothers, students, pastors and parishioners. In that time, which was formative to my own Christian faith, I realized that everyone has a story to tell if others simply take the time to listen.

Through your work ­ in social ministry, education, and advocacy ­ you listen to these stories every day and take action, working for the common good. In the face of many of our greatest moral challenges, from unjust war, to growing economic inequality and the global scourge of disease, you live out that Gospel mandate that calls us to be our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper.

It is with an abiding respect for this work that I am writing to invite you and members of your community to join my campaign for a new kind of politics in America.

HT: TPM