Dinesh D'Souza to speak at event sponsored by AFA of Indiana, Indiana Policy Review and Crossroads Bible College in Indinaapolis on 3/24/08. Details.
AFA E-Alert for Wed 3/5/08 If You Told the Truth, How Can This Be Possible? Noted Scholar to Address Atheism and Christianity The Audacity of Biblical Ignorance AFA E-Alert for Wed 2/27/08
AFA E-Alert for Wed 2/20/08 Diversity Bill Experiences Significant Change in Senate The Issue Continues . . . Marriage Protection Still Needed in Indiana AFA E-Alert for Wed 2/13/08 Hot Topic of Immigration to Get House Hearing Tomorrow Let them Know that Marriage Matters to Your Family "Welcome to Class Boys and Girls . . . and the Boy/Girl" AFA E-Alert for Wed 2/6/08 Thought Crime Runs Out of Time Hoosier Marriage Protection: It May be Now or Never Fate of Pro-Life Bills also Lies in the Indiana House |
New: This ad will run in USAToday on Tuesday, 6/19/07 Click on image for full PDF
AFA's "Must Read" for the week of 6/13/07
Republicans' defense of President Bush's immigration bill is more enraging than their defense of Harriet Miers. Back then, Bush's conservative base was accused of being sexist for opposing an unqualified woman's nomination to the highest court in the land. Now we're racists for not wanting to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. I don't know why conservatives like Linda Chavez have to argue like liberals by smearing their opponents as racists. Oh wait, now I remember! Their arguments are as strong as liberals' arguments usually are. [more].
Should anyone remain at the real end of history to chronicle a list of humanity's worst systems for the benefit of any left to read it, the legacy of communism is sure to be at, or near, the top. That's why it is especially appropriate that in Washington, D.C., this week a Victims of Communism Memorial will be dedicated. [more]
Why TV Addiction Links to Liberalism Does heavy TV viewing push people toward more liberal opinions? Or is it the impact of pre-existing leftist attitudes that lead viewers to invest more of their lives on television?
Analysts may argue about causation, but there’s no real doubt about correlation: an important new study from the Culture and Media Institute shows that those who describe themselves as “heavy” TV viewers embrace distinctly liberal attitudes on a range of crucial issues, placing them well to the left of those who report “light” TV viewing. [more] IGA Bill Watch '07 HB-1020 Tax Deduction for Stilborn Child
HB-1459 Hate Crimes/Thought Police
SB-0042 Pedophilia and Human Trafficking
SB-0053 Anti-FSSA Privatization Plan
SB-0172 Info for Pregnant Women
SB-0117 Required Birth Control Dispensation
SB-0238 Adult Video Games Regulation
SB-0327 HPV Screening for 12 Year-Old Public School Girls
SB-0587 Probation and Parole Violations
SJR-016 Authority for Property Taxation
SB-0135 Abortion & Informed Consent
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Friends of the Cause Focus on the Family (Daily Broadcast) Family Life Today (Daily Broadcast)
Indiana's Congressional Delegation Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Pete Visclosky(D-IN1)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN2)
Mark Souder (R-IN3)
Steve Buyer (R-IN4)
Dan Burton (R-IN5)
Mike Pence (R-IN6)
Julia Carson (D-IN7)
Brad Ellsworth (D-IN8)
Baron Hill (D-IN9)
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Sanford & Son
As a note of housekeeping, this is a very busy time in the legislative process for AFA of Indiana. We have not disappeared or backed away from the battle. However, in the midst of this hectic time, we have needed to move our office from one floor of our building to another due to a situation out of our control. While it is not as problematic as moving across town, I did comment to a friend that our office looks like Sanford and Son's junkyard right now.
I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause our supporters. If you have tried to reach us this week by phone, it may be a couple of days before we can get back to you. (Our phone lines and DSL are out for a few days with the physical moving of lines, phone jacks, etc.)
Thought Crime Runs Out of Time
Last week House Bill 1076 failed to meet a legislative deadline and therefore died when the bill's author refused to bring it to the floor for possible amendments. This "hate crime" bill has been before the legislature numerous times, but has always hung up on concerns about its special provisions for cross-dressers and homosexuals and its arbitrary application to certain victims. Hate crime proposals also have been misused against people of faith.
To see a testimonial of the misuse of a Midwestern state hate crime, watch below.
This does not mean that we have seen the last of this legislation. Last year Rep. Greg Porter allowed his "bias crime" bill to die because of an amendment giving special protection to the unborn child along with cross-dressers, homosexuals, etc. The amendment put the liberal supporters of the bill into a real quandary that took the wind out of the bill's sails. The same thing happened this year thanks to amendments by Rep. Jackie Walorski and Rep. Jeff Thompson, who filed an amendment removing the terms sexual identity and gender identity from the list of the specially protected crime victim classifications. Thompson's amendment would have undercut the bill's driving force of supporters.
Rep. Porter decided not to move his hate crime bill last year through the floor amendment stage. Later he attempted to offer the language of his proposal as an amendment to another bill. I expect him to try a similar tactic again this year.
Hoosier Marriage Protection: It May be Now or Never
The Indiana Senate has passed the Marriage Protection Amendment (SJR 7) with nearly 80% support with a 39-9 vote. They did this in the midst of passing numerous other hot button and difficult issues like property tax reform, illegal immigration and abortion. Their move to allow Hoosiers to vote to protect our marriage laws through an amendment as 27 other states have already done shows that property taxes need not crowd out other important issues from the legislative process.
This is a lesson the Democrat House leadership needs to learn. If SJR 7 does not now receive a committee hearing and a fair vote moving it to the House floor where it will pass with strong bi-partisan support, the issue dies. If they allow this, the fate of our marriage laws will be left in the hands of a judge rather than a vote of the people.
One need only look to Iowa or Massachusetts to see how poorly a lack of legislative action turns out. Ironically, in two weeks homosexual activists will gather at the Indiana statehouse for the second time in less than six months to call for their right to marry. (It is not a question of if, but when, our laws will face a legal challenge from advocates of gay marriage or polygamy.)
Michigan City Representative Scott Pelath holds the fate of the marriage protection amendment in his hands as the chairman of the House Rules Committee. Pelath refused to give the House version of SJR 7 a hearing claiming there was not enough time. Now he has to decide if there is time to move SJR 7 to the floor so Hoosiers can have a vote on the issue this fall. (The Senate Committee moved the bill to the floor in less than two hours.)
This morning I am delivering a large box of nearly 8,000 petition signatures to Rep. Pelath's office from Hoosiers who want to vote on the issue of marriage protection this November. (Look for our news release on this later today.)
Fate of Pro-Life Bills also Lies in the Indiana House
The Indiana Senate also sent several important pro-life bills over to the Indiana House. Senate Bill 3 which looked like it might fail after a 24-24 vote, returned to pass by a 30-18 vote. This legislation is called the Pharmacists' Conscience Clause because it states that a pharmacist may not be required to dispense or sell an abortion drug as a requirement of their employment.
The Senate also passed Senate Bill 146 by a strong 39-9 vote. That bill would provide women considering an abortion information about the possibility of fetal pain in certain circumstances and hospital referral directions should it be required following complications from an abortion.
Multi-Media Persuasion Efforts
Our friends at the Indiana Family Institute are circulating a You Tube video they created as the Hoosier pro-family movement does all it can to put grassroots pressure on the Indiana House to pass SJR 7. Take a look at their new video here.
Multiple Wives Means Multiple Welfare Benefits in UK
On Sunday the London Telegraph newspaper revealed that the Government in Britain is going to allow multiple welfare benefits to husbands in polygamous marriages. Husbands with multiple wives got the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long government review.
Even though bigamy is still technically a crime in the UK the decision means polygamous marriages will now be recognized formally by the state if the weddings took place in another country. Several countries that opened the door to same-sex marriage now allow or are considering legalizing polygamy. Some Muslim countries also allow polygamy.
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