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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Diversity Bill Experiences Significant Change in Senate
As promised last week, I want to give an update on House Bill 1107 a bill concerning "cultural competency" in schools. Yesterday two significant changes that I had discussed with Senator Teresa Lubbers and Senator Greg Walker were added to the bill.
The first amendment changed the bill from any licensed teacher to apply only to public schools. It also removed references to diversity training from the bill.
Another positive amendment was added to the bill that inserted new language that AFA had supported through another Senate bill, but House Democrats blocked it. Senator Jeff Drozda filed an amendment similar to his Senate Bill 187, which requires public high schools to teach as a part of health class information about fetal development.
Amendment #2 is not a proposal that Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocates are very fond of and as such it will be interesting to see what happens to the bill in a conference committee. At that time, its liberal House author, Rep. Greg Porter will have to agree or try to remove these changes before the bill goes to the governor. All four conferees will have to agree or the bill will die.
House Bill 1107 could pass the Senate on a final vote as early as today. I want to thank those of you who contacted your Senator about this legislation after reading our alert. Because of your actions we were able to significantly change this bill in a positive way. I also appreciate Senator Lubber's, Walker's and Drozda's work on this measure.
The Issue Continues . . . Marriage Protection Still Needed in Indiana
As you may have seen on the front of various newspapers hundreds of homosexual activists gathered at the state capitol yesterday to rally in support of same-sex marriage and hate crime legislation.
The rally followed on the heels of news stories over the weekend that the Marriage Protection Amendment, which would prevent a judge from forcing the legislature to embrace same-sex marriage, had died. Senate Joint Resolution 7 failed to receive a hearing in the House Rules Committee by a decision of Chairman Scott Pelath and Speaker Patrick Bauer. (Had the speaker wanted the bill, or any bill, on the floor it would have happened.)
Once again Democrat leaders in the Indiana House have blocked a vote of the people on this issue through a constitutional amendment, which requires legislative approval and then being placed on the November election ballot.
I didn't know that Speaker Bauer, Representative Pelath and legislators like Reps. Terri Austin and Russ Stilwell liked this issue so much that they would want to deal with it every year for the next four years. These rules committee members could have put the issue behind them once and for all by allowing the people of Indiana to vote on this matter. Now it will come back every session until it is voted upon or until a judge decides the issue. Several other states are moving forward with marriage amendments, but Indiana's House leaders are standing in the way of the will of the people and of the majority of House members who would vote to pass SJR 7.
This morning Representatives Jim Buck and Eric Turner held a press conference announcing that they have signatures of 55 House members who want the Speaker to bring SJR 7 directly to the floor for a vote. The list includes the signatures of seven Democrats who want their own party leader to allow a floor vote. Unlike Congress, the Indiana House does not have a "discharge petition" which would bring a bill directly to the floor with a majority of signatures. So sadly, this move may be ignored by the obstructionist House Speaker and Rules Committee Chairman, both of whom it should also be pointed out, claim to be Catholic, which may be the saddest commentary of all considering the church's strong stand for marriage protection.
What You Can Do
Many people have contacted our office asking what can be done now to protect marriage in Indiana. First, call your State Representative and let them know that you are disappointed that the people of Indiana have been denied a say in this matter because of two people, Bauer and Pelath. Second, ask them to do whatever they can I the remaining days of the session to pass a marriage protection amendment. Third, vote your values this May and November. If your legislator does not stand (really stand) for your core values, take that into consideration in the primary and the general election. Fourth, and a distant fourth at that, is to support AFA of Indiana as we do all we can this session and in legislative sessions to come if necessary to protect marriage for the next generation of Hoosier children and grandchildren who deserve an institution of marriage that includes both a mother and a father.
You can find and contact your Indiana House member through this quick link:
http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/
You can also e-mail House Speaker Patrick Bauer at H6@in.gov and Representative Scott Pelath at H9@in.gov if you would like to let them know of your disappointment at their silencing of your voice concerning the importance of traditional marriage and protecting it from liberal judges and activist groups like the ACLU.
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