Friday, June 27, 2008

Arizona Legislature Vetoes Marriage Amendment

What's up in Arizona? Attempts to get a marriage amendment on the AZ state ballot was defeated yesterday.

Seems as though a key supporter of it was on vacation...Keep your fingers crossed that it will come back again. In light of the judicial fiat in California re gay marriage, state constitutional amendments are the firewall against homosexual marriages...

Here's the AZ story.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Colorado Dems Explain SB 200

State Rep. Bernie Buescher has a problem. You see, Rep. Buescher is a liberal Democrat representing a Republican state house district in Grand Junction. How he got into this position is another story. Often, Bernie will tell his constituents one thing in Grand Junction, yet will vote much differently with liberal Front Range Democrats at the Statehouse in Denver.

You might be interested to hear how Rep. Buescher explained his vote for SB 200, the new law the gives men the right to be in women's bathrooms....

Men using the women's bathroom?
Business owners believe discrimination bill crosses line
By By Emily Anderson
Grand Junction, CO Colorado,
GRAND JUNCTION — Allowing men in women’s bathrooms is not what Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, envisioned when he voted for Senate Bill 200 in May.

A sign in front of Mike’s Auto has been telling drivers on North Avenue differently for more than a week.

The sign, reading “Bernie Buescher, Shame on you, Men in girl’s bathrooms,” refers to a new state law designed to prohibit discrimination based on a person’s religion or sexual orientation in several places, including “facilities.” “Facilities” include hotel and public accommodations, not bathrooms, Buescher said.

“It prohibits discrimination — it says nothing about men using women’s bathrooms,” Buescher said. “Should it be interpreted that way, I’d be the first to lead an effort to modify it.

“The use by the wrong person of a bathroom is illegal, it is still.”

The owners of Mike’s Auto, Mike and Susan Gregg, said they read about the bill on a citizen link on Focus on the Family’s Web site and believe “facilities” include bathrooms. Susan Gregg said she was outraged a transgender man might be allowed to use the same bathroom as her granddaughters.

“It opens the door to men that are transvestites, cross dressers, whatever,” Gregg said.

The sign went up June 11 and has already prompted a few phone calls, messages and caused a few people to pull over and drop into the store. Most of the comments are positive, said Gregg.

Orville Powders, a Mike’s Auto employee, said he’s taken about four calls a week since the sign went up. Callers are evenly split on the issue, Powders said.

“The ones that like it really like it, the ones that don’t like it really don’t like it,” he said.

Senate Bill 200 became law May 29. It passed the state House with a 38-26-1 vote and the Senate with a 20-15-0 vote. Grand Junction Republicans Rep. Steve King and Sen. Josh Penry voted against the act.

Jonah and Reaching Today's Ninevites

We all know about the fish that ate Jonah.

But there is much more to this fish story. Its a story that has a lot of modern-day application to the public square.

At the heart of the legendary Old Testament story is the ministry of Jonah. Other OT passages refer to Jonah as a prophet who lived around 750 B.C. The Jewish nation was divided between the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The ruling Israelite king was likely Jereboam II and it was time of prosperity and international influence. Yet, storm clouds were on the horizon. The rising power was the Assyrian Empire, home-based in Ninevah in modern day northern Iraq.

Throughout the entire saga of Jonah catching a ship for the far-side of world and being thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish, a couple of salient facts emerge which are relevant for us today in the public square. The story may be from antiquity but these principles are timeless.

First, God is creator of all. He has made the rightous and the unrightous. He brings rain and sun on them equally.

Second, as creator, He alone will determine each human's fate. To assume that God wants to eliminate someone for their political or social beliefs is presumptive.

Third, as creator, God has allowed human wickedness for centuries. While the issues are different, today's immoral and unrightous humans are no different than the Ninevites of Jonah's time.

Fourth, like Jonah, we need to be reminded that God's priority is not politics. God did not call Jonah to be a spectator at the destruction of Ninevah. Instead he called him to instigate a revival. God is not that concerned about one's political equation. He is more interested in one's spiritual condition.

Jonah's problem was inside of him. Like many Jews of the time, he believed that Yahweh God was Israel's alone, relegating wicked people like the Ninevites to destruction. God wanted to dismiss that prejudicial view.

There is an election in 4 months or so. Americans will line up on the right, left or in the middle. It is tempting to go down the path of wishing ill for our political opponents.

But would that be what God would want? In light of Jonah, the answer would be no.

More on SB 200-Its Bad!

Over the last several weeks, I have chronicled and commented on the signing and implementation of Senate Bill 200, soon to be the law in Colorado.

This is the worst piece of social legislation that I have seen in my years as a lobbyist at the state legislature.

Below are comments about SB 200 from my good friend, State Rep. Kevin Lundberg from Berthoud. Read it and weep. This law infuriates me....

"SB 200, which the governor signed despite thousands of calls urging a veto, adds sexual orientation to the list of groups covered under civil rights legislation. Governor Ritter has given assurances that SB200 will not force businesses to accept clients that compromise their moral standards, but from what I learned when we debated this bill in the House I know he is completely wrong. That is the very purpose of this far-reaching legislation!


Another troubling part of this law is the censorship it imposes on printed materials. The section banning anything published that condemns homosexual behavior could be applied to anything, even the Bible. I don't expect anyone to force this conclusion soon, but the law is so open-ended that a judge could use this law to censor the Bible and any other published information he finds objectionable.


Finally, SB200 stripped away the people's constitutional right to review this bill at the ballot box. They included a "safety clause", declaring that it was necessary for the law to take effect immediately for the "preservation of the public peace, health, and safety." This removes the people's constitutional right to demand a vote on the legislation. In my opinion this abuse of the constitutional rules for lawmaking should on its own make this law illegal. We might see if any judge has the courage to agree"

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Pro-Life Plans to Demonstrate at DNC..

Its starting to heat up, that is with pro-life demonstrators. It will be interesting to see how Denver handles these protestors.

Here's the story.

Pray.

A Vote For Obama....

There is no need to wait any longer. Normally, I don't chime in about the presidential election until the dust settles from the conventions in September, the candidates pick their veeps and the 2 month, 24 hour a day sprint to the election begins.

But, here is my summary of what a vote for Obama will mean:

-More abortions.

-Lose the war in Iraq (so much for the 4100 or so Americans who died there).

-Higher taxes.

-Advocacy for gay marriage nationwide under the guise of civil rights.

-More government including government run health care.

-Higher gas prices.

-More intolerance of Christianity in the public square.

-More international confusion, ie will USA talk directly with the thugs in Havana, Tehran, etc?

-Unprecedented clout to the labor, education and other unions.

-Repeal of the Bush tax breaks.

And the best for last---daily doses of Obama's messianic commentary of "change we can believe in."

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Belly-Button Factor

For all the things that separate us as humans, one small item unites every human being- your belly button.

This year, Colorado voters will have a historic opportunity to define the beginning of life in the November election. Recently, our friends at Colorado Equal Rightssuccessfully placed a proposed constitutional amendment defining life on the November ballot.

Their goal: To see that the Colorado's state constitution is amended to include pre-born from the moment of fertilization as having their "person hood" clearly established, so that they may enjoy equal protection under the law.

We heartily endorse this measure for many reasons. The one that stands out though is this- life begets life. When life becomes cheap, society suffers. Recognizing and conferring person hood status on unborn humans validates life.

By the way, Psalms affirms unborn person hood. Check out Psalm 139:14-16...For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. Your eyes saw my unformed body."

Friday, June 06, 2008

Teenage Disaster!

This story breaks my heart.

Rersearchers at the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a new report that one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease. Here's the report. Read it and weep.

This report alone should stoke a parent uprising in our nation. What are we doing? What are we allowing our young people to do and experience? A generation ago, people winked and patted you on the back if you and your girlfriend visited the local "overlook" on Friday night. But, back then, there were very few nasty diseases one could catch. Today, the price for premarital sex could be your life.

Despite the self-promoting comments by abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, stating that the numbers reflect a failure of abstinence only education, the fact remains that a lot of young girls will be scarred for life.

What the reports fails to mention is the importance of parents in this battle. Parents need to be the main provider of sex information for their kids.

Obviously we are failing at this important issue.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

California Gay Marriage Polls

The first of many polls measuring voter support for the California gay-marriage ban is in. With no surprises, the results are mixed.

I could be wrong, but I still believe that this voter referendum to reverse the California state supreme court's ruling last week to legalize gay marriage, will be successful in November.

You can bet though that we will see a lot of opposition to this citizen initiative from Hollywood and other anti-marriage forces in California as we head towards the election.

FYI. In California in 2000, 61 percent of the voters approved Proposition 22 which defined marriage between a man and a woman.

Your thoughts?

Great New Movie-Coming Soon

Facing the Giants in 2007 was one of our favorite movies.

Now, there is a new one coming soon, Fireproof.

Check it out here...