REVIEW: US Open - Day 4: The Best Match I've Ever Seen!
Last night, I had the pleasure of watching the best tennis match I've ever seen. James Blake and Fabrice Santoro put on a show that kept the seats full in the stadium and hundreds of thousands glued to their TVs. The level of play between these two athletes has rarely been equaled in men's tennis. The sheer entertainment value of the play has never been matched, in my opinion.
Before you think me a "novice" fan, please note that I've been watching tennis since the days of Bjorn Borg, the Jimmy Connors vs. John McEnroe rivalry -- and the days of Chrissie Evert, Bille Jean King and Martina Navratolova's great matches. That, my friend, is thirty-plus years of watching tennis as a fan.
Blake and Santoro tracked down shots that pretty much everyone thought were impossible to touch. Even more amazing, these two made shots out of those unreachables. They tested each other's limits, all the while maintaining a sense of humor with their opponent.
I am a fan of James Blake (ranked #6) and am familiar with Fabrice Santoro. After watching the second round match last night, I have an even healthier respect for BOTH players. Even though Blake won the contest on the court, Santoro won the hearts and minds of the spectators. He played his heart out -- running down balls that no ordinary man could have even thought about returning. Along with great prowess on the court, the 35 year old Santoro gave us a great show with funny quips, hilarious facial expressions & witty remarks to the chair umpire and James Blake.
For his part, Blake played tough -- seemingly inspired by the agility and commitment of Santoro. Blake had his own share of awesome shots and fun moments. The J-Block was in da house, but their rousing didn't seem to have any effect on play. In the end, Blake showed good humor and enormous talent -- winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
In post-match interviews, both players gave mad props to each other for playing so well - and giving the US Open it's best match thus far.

TOPIC: US Open - Day 4: Commercials, I'm Already Sick of Them!
There is plenty of sports and player related coverage of the US Open. I won't try to duplicate or surpass the excellence of those articles or blogs here. However, the US Open is one of my two favorite tennis tournaments each year. Therefore, the family TV is tuned to USA Network or CBS for most of the two weeks that encompass the US Open.
To that end, my comments today concern the commercials shown during the tourney. Even though it's only Day Four, I'm already sick of the repetitive nature of the television ads. If the US Open is going to have only 4-6 major sponsors, those companies should be required to have a variety of ads available for airing.
So far, I have seen American Express rep John McEnroe hug Claus Ullott more times than Barney the dinosaur ever hugged the kids in his entourage. And, the worst commercial of all, Andy Roddick chasing a tennis ball in a silver Lexus, has been shown so often that the stupid tunage is now stuck in my head. ARGH! Almost as overdone are the two IBM Bladecenter commercials -- heat and cables. The funny thing about those two ads are that 95% of the people watching them have NO CLUE why heat and cables are a bain to I.T.'s existence. So, who exactly is IBM selling to? -- not normal tennis fans, not the sports jock, not the average housewife who's sitting at home during the middle of the day. DUMB!
Then, there's the Aviva commercials -- that have no real message except, "Trust us." Billy May is more convincing. Lastly, Serena Williams' overdone it's all-about-me fest for HP. As if her ego isn't big enough, we have to endure repeated ads showing her celebrate herself -- including that huge booty she thinks is all that. OY-VAY!

TOPIC: Doubt or Certainty? Which Does YOUR World Revolve Around?

2005 editorial from Charles Krauthammer of TIME magazine

These things come in waves, of course, but waves need to be resisted, even if the exercise leaves you feeling like King Canute. The new wave is fashionable doubt. Doubt is in. Certainty is out.

The New Republic devoted a cover article to hailing the "conservatism of doubt." For the less bookish, Hollywood spends $130 million on a Crusader epic in which the heroes are 12th century multiculturalists, Christian and Muslim, who want nothing more than love, peace and interfaith understanding. (Such people inhabit 21st century Hollywood, but as columnist John Podhoretz points out, they were nowhere to be seen in 12th century Jerusalem.) And dare you have any "deeply held views" -- a transparent euphemism for religiously grounded views -- especially regarding abortion [or homosexuality or the war against terrorism].

The Op-Ed pages are filled with jeremiads about believers -- principally evangelical Christians and traditional Catholics -- bent on turning the U.S. into a theocracy. Now I am not much of a believer, but there is something deeply wrong -- indeed, deeply un-American -- about fearing people simply because they believe.
It seems perfectly O.K. for secularists to impose their secular views on America, such as, say, legalized abortion or gay marriage. But when someone takes the contrary view, all of a sudden he is trying to impose his view on you. And if that contrary view happens to be rooted in Scripture or some kind of religious belief system, the very public advocacy of that view becomes a violation of the U.S. constitutional order.

What nonsense. The campaign against certainty is merely the philosophical veneer for an attempt to politically marginalize and intellectually disenfranchise believers. Instead of arguing the merits of any issue, secularists are trying to win the argument by default on the grounds that the other side displays unhealthy certainty or, even worse, unseemly religiosity. Why this panic about certainty and people who display it? It is not just, as conventional wisdom has it, that liberals think the last election was lost because of a bloc of benighted Evangelicals. It is because we a handful of years of moral certainty, and firm belief -- and that's about all secular liberalism can tolerate.

Do you remember 9/11? How you felt? The moral clarity of that day and the days thereafter? Just days after 9/11, on this very page, Lance Morrow wrote a brilliant, searing affirmation of right against wrong, good against evil. A few years of that near papal certainty is more than any self-respecting intelligentsia can take. The overwhelmingly secular intellectuals are embarrassed that they once nodded in assent to Morrow-like certainty, an affront to their self-flattering pose as skeptics.

Enough. A new day, a new wave. Time again for nuance, doubt and the comforts of relativism. It is not just the restless search for novelty, the artist's Holy Grail. It is weariness with the responsibilities and the nightmares that come with clarity -- and the demands that moral certainty make on us as individuals and as a nation.

Nothing has more aroused and infuriated the sophisticates than the foreign policy of a religiously inclined President, based on the notion of a universal aspiration to freedom and of America's need and duty to advance it around the world. Such liberationism, confident and unapologetic, is portrayed as arrogant crusading, a deep violation of the tradition of American pluralism, ecumenism, modesty and skeptical restraint.

That widespread portrayal is invention masquerading as history. You want certainty? You want religiosity? How about a people who overthrow the political order of the ages, go to war and occasion thousands of deaths in the name of self-evident truths and unalienable rights endowed by the Creator? That was 1776. The universality, the sacredness and the divine origin of freedom are enshrined in our founding document. The Founders, believers all, signed it. Thomas Jefferson wrote it. And not even Jefferson, the most skeptical of the lot, had the slightest doubt about it.

TOPIC: Throw Out Pre-Conceived Notions of Christianity

Article by Lillian Kwon of Christian Today

"I want you to throw out your pre-conceived notions about Christianity for a moment and think about what Jesus said," a national evangelist told thousands seated at the Amphitheater at California State University Stanislaus. "Who better to tell us what God is like than Jesus?" posed Greg Laurie at the Central Valley Harvest Crusade, his third evangelistic outreach this summer.
Some 48,000 people flocked to the Harvest Crusade with thousands more watching top Christian artists perform and Laurie preach via live webcasts. The evangelistic crusade has been months in the making, involving around 150 churches and 3,000 local volunteers.
Addressing pre-conceived views of Christianity that some visitors may have brought to the three-night event, Laurie affirmed what many believe – that there are hypocrites in the church.

"I'd like to say to you that there are no hypocrites in the church, but there are because the church is made of real people," said Laurie Saturday night. But "just because there are hypocrites doesn't mean that's going to get you off the hook when you stand before God", the evangelist and Southern California pastor stressed. "Jesus didn't say 'follow my people'. He said 'follow me'," he highlighted. "Jesus will never let you down."

Speaking to those who may view Christianity as a religion of rules and regulations, Laurie mimicked such a person saying, "Ah, man. God is just out to ruin our lives. With all of its rules and regulations, who wants to get into that kind of thing?"
When Laurie had his Christ decision-making moment in high school, he did not originally set out to become a Christian. He was part of the party scene and had a mother who divorced seven times. And he thought Christians were Jesus freaks. "A lot of us are like that. I'm going to draw my own picture of [who] God [is]," Laurie told the Harvest crowd. And he did not deny that sin can be fun. "It's fun to sin for a while. We've all had fun. But it comes with a penalty," he warned. "It (sin) promises freedom but it brings slavery," said Laurie. "It promises pleasure but it ultimately brings misery."
Rather than judging from their own views, Laurie asked the crowd to see what Jesus says about what God is like. Like the renowned story Jesus told of the prodigal son and the father, God will throw His arms around you and say "Welcome home, son/daughter," said Laurie.
Nearly 4,000 people accepted Jesus Christ over the August 24-26 event. Laurie's next Harvest preaching is slated for New York on September 23.

TOPIC: Family Ties Key to Happy Kids

Article from FOXNews.com

So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys. Turns out the real answer is quite different.

Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey — more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 — conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America's young people.
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.

"They're my foundation," says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. "My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed."
Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: the poll shows whites to be happier, across economic categories, than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.
You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said "money" when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.
And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you're 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.
From the body to the soul: Close to half say religion and spirituality are very important. And more than half say they believe there is a higher power that has an influence over things that make them happy. Beyond religion, simply belonging to an organized religious group makes people happier.
And parents, here's some more for you: Most young people in school say it makes them happy. Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids. Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.

READ MORE...

TOPIC: Young Girls Going Wild, But at What Consequences?

Article from FOXNews.com

“Role models” like amateur porn star Paris Hilton and her underwear-challenged cohorts Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are prompting more and more young girls to “go wild,” but with negative consequences. Mental health experts say more and more youngsters are being influenced by the “sexualization of girls,” a term coined in a report released earlier this year by the American Psychological Association.
The research analyzed the content and effects of virtually every form of media, including television, music videos, music lyrics, magazines, movies, video games and the Internet. It also examined recent advertising campaigns and merchandising of products aimed toward girls. What they found was a sort of “Girls Gone Wild” effect in which young girls are succumbing to the pressure of sexualization by posting nude pictures of themselves on the Internet, allowing boyfriends to photograph them in the nude and making their own amateur porn videos. “The consequences of the sexualization of girls in media today are very real and are likely to be a negative influence on girls’ healthy development,” said Eileen L. Zurbriggen, PhD, chairwoman of the APA Task Force and associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, earlier this year in reference to the report.
As a result of an over-sexed society, young girls are reaping the following mental health issues:
Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: Sexualization and objectification undermine a person’s confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems, such as shame and anxiety.
Mental and Physical Health: Research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women—eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood.
Sexual Development: Research suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image. “As a society, we need to replace all of these sexualized images with ones showing girls in positive settings—ones that show the uniqueness and competence of girls,” said Zurbriggen. “The goal should be to deliver messages to all adolescents—boys and girls—that lead to healthy sexual development.”

SOPEBOCKS: I've been saying this for a couple of years now. The sexualization of young girls is detrimental to their health and society as a whole. When we see human beings, especially precious young women, as nothing more than sexual objects to be used, abused and then left behind, we damage the very fabric of life. Abercrombie & Fitch, Bratz, LonelyGirl15, The-N.com and pretty much ALL hip-hop music -- are current examples of sexualization of girls for the sake of entertainment and money. Prosti-tots are everywhere -- just go to your local mall and walk around any evening. Blame the parents for much of what you see, but blame yourself for allowing images of young girls to be put into the marketplace as a means of sexual excitement and gratification.
Again, we will reap what we sew -- and America is sewing the seeds of sexual abuse, depression, murder and rape into young boys and girls from every angle. We need to change the images being presented in media and music NOW.

TOPIC: Radical Islam is Our Sworn Enemy; Why Doesn't Our Government See That Fact?

Article from ChristiansUnite.com

Colonel David Hunt told Fox News last week that our soldiers could have killed Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2005. However, they were stopped from taking any action by then Secretary of State, Donald Rumsfeld.
What were the reasons for this insane decision? We are told that it was to protect the fragile democracy of President Musharraf in Pakistan and to further President Bush's goal of establishing democracies. When will we realize these people do not want a democracy, they want a government controlled by Radical Islam?
Apparently President Bush thinks by insisting upon giving them a democratic form of government they will accept it. What President Bush doesn't seem to realize is that these people are not our friends, they are our sworn enemies. Why don't we understand that Radical Islam is the greatest threat America has ever faced since World War II? Why don't we understand the words of Jihad being spoken nearly every day by Iran's President Ahmadinejad? Why don't we realize that Radical Islam teaches its followers to lie to non-believers?
Don Swarthout, President of Christians Reviving America's Values (CRAVE) said, "The real question is, Why doesn't America realize these Radical Islamic countries are our sworn enemies and that we must be defeat them by a show of force? Force is the only thing they understand." Swarthout said, "America has to wake up very soon to the real threat these people pose to our nation. Our leaders talk about the amount of chatter heard today like it is nothing. They had better wake up to the fact that Al Qaeda and Radical Islam are very real threats to us." Swarthout concluded, "We have become so politically correct that we have lost track of how America should act. Those who teach tolerance are really teaching us not to express our true opinions. Whatever happened to our freedom of speech everyone is always hollering about? Where is the value in not saying anything when you strongly disagree with something?"

CRAVE is contacting our Senators and Congressman to ask who is keeping a watchful eye on all of the Radical Islamic groups. We strongly suggest that our readers do the same. You may call 202/225-3121 and they will connect you to your Congressman and Senator's offices in Washington D.C.

OnThisDay: July 20th
1872 - Mahlon Loomis received patent for wireless ... the radio was born
1917 - World War I draft lottery held; #258 is 1st drawn
1967 - Race riots in Memphis, TN
1969 - First men on the moon, Neil Armstrong & Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin - Apollo 11

TOPIC: Statement from Schoolgirl Following Purity Ring Ruling

Article from ChristianToday

Statement from schoolgirl Lydia Playfoot following the High Court's decision to uphold a ban on her wearing a purity ring by her school, Millais School in West Sussex.

"I am very disappointed by the decision this morning by the High Court not to allow me to wear my purity ring to school as an expression of my Christian faith not to have sex outside of marriage. I believe that Mr. Justice Supperstone’s decision will mean that slowly, over time, people such as school governors, employers, political organisations and others will be allowed to stop Christians from publicly expressing and practising their faith.

Over two years ago, I was concerned at the number of teenagers who were catching sexually transmitted diseases, getting pregnant and/or having abortions. The Government's Sex Education Programme is not working, and the pressure on young people to 'give in' to sex continues to increase. This is often because of the media’s focus on sex and the expectations of others.

As a Christian I do not agree with sex before marriage. I believe I have a right not only to state my Christian views on sex, but also to demonstrate my Christian faith and commitment to God and my future husband not to have sex before marriage, through the wearing of a purity ring.

I, along with 11 other Christian girls at Millais School decided before God that we would make a commitment not to have sex before marriage, and as a sign of that commitment, to wear a simple silver ring from the ‘Silver Ring Thing’ movement. The wearing of the ring was to me, a demonstration of my Christian faith and values, which are based on the Bible – which clearly teaches that sex outside of marriage is wrong and therefore not God's best for us. Despite the fact that Muslims girls at our school wear headscarves, and Sikhs wear Kara bangles, the school refused to allow me to manifest my belief through the wearing of a ring.

The School Governors originally said it was for Health and Safety reasons that purity rings were banned from school, but have offered no evidence to support the view that wearing a ring could physically harm another pupil or staff member. I still believe the decision by the Governors of the School goes against the Article 9 rights to Freedom of Religion and my right to express my faith in word or deed, in a democratic, Christian-based country. I shall be consulting my legal team to consider whether to appeal.

Finally I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents, family and friends who have stood by me though all of this, and to the many hundreds of people, both locally in Horsham, across the UK and throughout the world who have sent me letters of support and assured me of their prayers. I would also like to thank the national press and media for the balanced way in which they have covered this story, and have portrayed it for what it is; another example of the loss of the right of Christians to demonstrate their faith in public.

Lastly, but by no means least, I would like to thank my barrister, Mr Paul Diamond, and Mrs Andrea Minichiello Williams of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship for all their advice, guidance and support through what is a legal and political minefield for a 16-year-old schoolgirl to walk through. I would also like to thank Paul Eddy, of Paul Eddy PR who has guided me through the maze of working with the national press and media.

To everyone I offer my thanks, and I deeply regret that I could not persuade the Court to consider upholding the religious liberty of Christian people in the United Kingdom.

As a Christian though, I live for another Kingdom, and serve another King, Jesus Christ, and therefore I shall continue to live and speak for what is right and true.
Thank you.
Miss Lydia Playfoot
July 16, 2007"

Interview: Former Guitarist of Korn Reflects on Conversion, Freedom from Drugs
Money, fame, success; you’ve got it all, right? Not according to Brian “Head” Welch, the former lead guitarist and founder of multi Grammy-winning nu-metal rock band Korn. The mega rock star details his life story in his new book, Save Me From Myself: How I found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story. The biography, released 7 July (07/07/07), explains the freedom he received from a life devastated by drugs and entangled in the negative lifestyle that comes with being in an out-of-control band. His testimony is of a life that hit rock bottom, but was lifted up by Christ. Christian Today caught up with the musician at his hotel in New York. His long pony tails, split braided goatee and tattoos may not have given him the appearance of a typical Christian, but his witness was a heartfelt and sincere testimony to what God has done in his life.

Read the entire interview at ChristianToday.com

TOPIC: Child's Alleged 'Ecstasy Trip' Posted Online
This is a sickening story. Teenage girls laughing, poking and prodding a 5-6 year old girl whom someone obviously gave a hit of ecstasy (the date rape drug). The child's eyes continually roll back in her head (one of the signs of "X" intoxication). The teenagers get a huge kick out of the plight of the little girl -- all while traveling through city streets of what authorities believe is Houston, Texas. I almost cried as I watched the video -- at the lack of compassion for the child, at the fact that these teenage girls could derive fun from such a horrible thing and that there was likely an adult driving the minivan that carried this slut circus through town.
Here's the article and link to the video:

HOUSTON -- It's the video that's making the rounds on the internet (most likely on YouTube)
Investigators are trying to track down a little girl seen in a home video, and other teenage girls. The video shows a little girl riding without a safety seat on the floor of what appears to be a mini van in the Houston area. There are several teenage girls who claim the child may be on the drug ecstasy. The child's eyes are also seen rolling back in her head.
Investigators are seeking the public’s help in identifying her or any of the girls in the video. Jackson County sheriff's officials say they would like to do a welfare check on the child to determine if she's okay. Chief Deputy Curt Gabrysch says if you know who the child is, to please contact the Jackson County Sheriff's Department or your local police department.

Again, if you know anyone in the video, PLEASE contact law enforcement and give them the names. Someone needs to check on the welfare of the little girl -- and hold everyone involved responsible for the crimes they committed against her.

UPDATE: 7/11/07 - Teenage girls located, but claim there was no drug use. Um, they are lying -- so keep investigating and you'll find the truth.

UPDATE #2: Planned Parenthood Sues Wichita DA Kline for Abortion Records

by ChristiansUnite.com Staff

TOPEKA, Kansas -- A Planned Parenthood abortion mill in Overland Park, Kansas, has sued Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline, presumably for the return of subpoenaed abortion records. The suit, called a "Writ of Mandamus," was filed with the Kansas Supreme Court on June 6, 2007, and ordered sealed at Planned Parenthood's request the following day.
The purpose of a writ of mandamus is to compel an official to do his job. Kline had subpoenaed the abortion records when he served as Attorney General during his investigation of Planned Parenthood and abortionist George R. Tiller for illegal late-term abortions and the concealment of child rape. Kline was granted access to the records with only weeks left in his administration. He filed no charges against Planned Parenthood at that time.
Planned Parenthood fought a three-year losing battle to prevent Kline from inspecting abortion records that he and a Shawnee County judge believed contained possible evidence of crimes. Kline and Planned Parenthood are not commenting on the sealed case.
However, Attorney General Paul Morrison issued a letter to Planned Parenthood last week informing them that Kline had copies of the records. At a press conference on June 28, Morrison stated, "And we were able to find that Phill Kline had, on his last day in office as attorney general, had used the power of this office to assign those files to him in his new job as Johnson County District Attorney, totally on his own - no oversight."

"It's pretty hypocritical of Morrison infer that the forwarding of evidence to a county prosecutor is something sinister when it is done every day," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "It is also hypocritical for the abortionists to call Kline 'Snoop Dog' for daring to investigate them when Morrison has proved to be their lapdog by not prosecuting the more serious crimes against Tiller, and now is acting as a birddog for Planned Parenthood, directing them to where records might be so they can continue their efforts to hide what we believe is incriminating evidence. ... The charges of illegal late-term abortions and covering up for child rapists are serious ones," said Newman. "By filing suit and sealing proceedings, Planned Parenthood is telegraphing to the world that they have a lot to hide."

About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.

FOLLOW-UP TO JUNE 21 STORY: Tiller Associate Cut Immunity Deal in Illegal Abortion Case
Reason to believe that Tiller and Neuhaus committed hundreds of violations of the law

by ChristiansUnite.com Staff

WICHITA, Kansas -- Ann Kristen Neuhaus struck a deal for limited immunity with former Attorney General Phill Kline in exchange for her cooperation in his investigation against the notorious abortionist George R. Tiller. The current State Attorney General, Paul Morrison, is honoring the agreement in a case filed Thursday charging Tiller with 19 criminal counts based on abortion records obtained by Kline from a three-month period in 2003.
In exchange for immunity, Neuhaus gave statements under oath that spoke of her involvement in Tiller's late-term abortion practice. According to Kansas law, two doctors who are financially and legally unaffiliated, must agree that a pregnant woman faces "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" before an abortion after 21 weeks can be done. Neuhaus provided that second opinion for Tiller's late-term abortions.
Operation Rescue first reported the Tiller/Neuhaus arrangement last August after being informed of it by a confidential source that participated in the grand jury investigation against Tiller in the 2005 death of late-term abortion patient Christin Gilbert. Neuhaus has had no medical office of her own since 2002, when she closed her Lawrence abortion mill under financial pressure created by allegations that she had proceeded with an abortion on a woman who had withdrawn her consent. The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts declared in an emergency order that Neuhaus was a "danger to the public, an immediate threat, not limited to the likelihood of patient injury."
"According to the grand jury source and our own investigations, the only way Neuhaus has access to patients is at Tiller's invitation," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "She travels to Wichita in one of Tiller's old cars, she uses his office facilities, and she sees his patients. She signs a form and is paid via personal check from each patient. If Neuhaus doesn't sign the form - and there is reason to believe that she did sign in every case - then Tiller cannot do the abortion. If Tiller does not invite Neuhaus to his office, she has no means of getting paid."
"Tiller and Neuhaus had a symbiotic relationship in which neither of them could benefit financially without the other," said Newman. "If this relationship was illegal in 2003, then it was also illegal in '04, '05, '06, and '07. ... The 19 charges brought by Morrison are just the tip of the iceberg," said Newman. "Tiller very likely violated this portion of the law hundreds of times. That does not even count the more serious phony mental health excuses behind the abortions that Morrison has refused to deal with. There is a lot more illegal activity going on at that clinic than is being reported, and we demand that additional records be inspected and additional charges be brought, for the sake of the innocent lives that should have legal protection in Kansas, but don't."

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.

TOPIC: Store Video Shows Customers Stepping Over Stabbing Victim

Article from FOXNews.com

WICHITA, Kansas — As stabbing victim LaShanda Calloway lay dying on the floor of a convenience store, five shoppers, including one who stopped to take a picture of her with a cell phone, stepped over the woman, police said. The June 23 situation, captured on the store's surveillance video, got scant news coverage until a columnist for The Wichita Eagle disclosed the existence of the video and its contents Tuesday. The video showed the 27-year-old Calloway struggling to her feet and collapsing three times without anyone helping her. Worse, one woman who stepped over Calloway four times while shopping eventually paused to snap a photo of her with a cell phone.
"It was tragic to watch," police spokesman Gordon Bassham said Tuesday. "The fact that people were more interested in taking a picture with a cell phone and shopping for snacks rather than helping this innocent young woman is, frankly, revolting." It took about two minutes for someone to call 911, he said. "This is one of the most disgusting examples of disregard for life I've ever seen," Bassham said of the video. "It is a very, very tragic video to watch. It was revolting to see this lack of humanity."
Calloway, 27, died later at a hospital. Two people -- Cherish M. McCullough and George R. Brown -- turned themselves in to police and were arrested in connection with the death. The district attorney's office will have to decide whether any of the shoppers could be charged, Bassham said. It was uncertain what law, if any, would be applicable. A state statute for failure to render aid refers only to victims of a car accident.
Eagle columnist Mark McCormick told The Associated Press he learned about the video when he called Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams to inquire about a phone call he had received from a reader complaining about a Police Department policy that requires emergency medical personnel to wait until police secure a crime scene before rendering aid. McCormick said Williams then unloaded on him about the shoppers in the stabbing case. Williams told the newspaper. "I could continue shopping and not render aid and then take time out to take a picture? That's crazy. What happened to our respect for life?"

SopeBocks: This is an example of the LACK of compassion we have for each other in this country. The violence we see no longer bothers us. We don't want to "get involved", so we step over victims and go about our business. As I've said many times before, we will reap what we sow -- and this is a prime example of what has been sewn through TV, movies, video games, music and the violence of the hip-hop culture. If you think I'm wrong, think about this -- even in countries where terrorist bombings are "regular" occurrence, citizens don't step over dying victims to buy a candy bar. They HELP those victims. In those cultures, there are NO Manhunt or GTA video games, Die Hard movies, hip-hop gangstas nor any The Shield style TV shows. If we do not cherish life, it will not have any value.
When is America going to wake up?!? Compassion is a basic tenant of civilized society. IF we lose it (and we're well on the way to that end), anarchy WILL follow.

TOPIC: Abstinence Brings 'Dignity'
Traveling in Africa, First Lady Laura Bush speaks in favor of faith-based HIV prevention.

Article by Isaac Phiri in Zambia

Thursday, June 28, started out as a pampered day in Mrs. Laura Bush's four-nation Africa marathon. Lusaka, Zambia, was the third stop in her week-long trip through Senegal, Mozambique, and Mali. After a private breakfast in one of the top hotels, she was sped to the country's luxurious presidential residency for photos, coffee, and a brief closed-door meeting with President Levy Mwanawasa. After that, accompanied by her Zambian counterpart, First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa, Mrs. Bush hit the road. "I hope you have comfortable shoes," she had warned at the beginning of her trip. "We will work hard." In Lusaka, she certainly did.
Her first stop was Regiment Basic School—a grade 1–9 Catholic-founded school populated by children with HIV and children who have lost parents due to the virus. Mrs. Bush observed a few minutes of a math lesson offered through a U.S.-funded, locally produced radio program. Next, she was entertained by the school drama group, which put on a 10-minute, anti-AIDS play. Then, she held an informal roundtable discussion with 13 female students, some HIV positive, all supported by either the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) or the Africa Education Initiative (AEI). Both PEPFAR and AEI provide hundreds of millions annually in U.S. taxpayer funds to help children in Africa with education and health care.
The final event at the school was a visit to the new Play Pump—a merry-go-round attached to a water pump. The invention is designed to provide clean drinking water from a deep well, and it's kid-powered. Mrs. Bush noted, "It runs on the energy of children at play and is a fun [piece of] equipment in the schoolyard." A cloud of red dust announced the arrival of the heavily guarded entourage that took Mrs. Bush and her daughter Jenna to the Mututa Memorial Center. Center director Martha Chilufuya's late husband, having received a lot of home-based care during his long illness, donated half of their farm to care-giving initiatives.
Today, thanks to PEPFAR, local, and international support, the center has 36 caregivers serving 200 people. Faith-based organizations such as World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, Expanded Church Response, and the Salvation Army are involved in a consortium known as RAPIDS (Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support). These organizations help operate a community garden producing food and income for caregivers and their clients. Speaking to the Bush delegation, World Vision's Bruce Wilkinson, a leader with RAPIDS, said, "Today is a day to celebrate." And it was. Salvation Army–supported youth put on a skit. Women, mostly widows, sang and danced. A choir of children moved the audience with their song, "I know the Lord will make a way for me." Young women, led by American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle, performed the hymn "Amazing Grace."
Mrs. Bush presented an American face that poverty-stricken Zambians rarely see. "Zambia is a strong partner with the United States," she said. "Our two countries are working to advance goals shared by people everywhere: improved opportunities for families, economic empowerment, and, most of all, good health." Mrs. Bush, seemingly oblivious to the blazing mid-day sun and the raging debate over faith-based HIV-prevention through abstinence programs, drove home the role of faith-based organizations in the fight against HIV, malaria, and other diseases. This is a theme she'd taken up starting the day before in Mozambique.

"Faith-based organizations have local connections," she said at a Maputo, Mozambique, seminary. "Churches, monasteries, temples, mosques, and synagogues have gone where no one else would." Places of worship are community centers, she said: "They serve as focal points for education, for distribution of commodities, and for advocacy for the needs of their people." Mututa seemed the right place to drive this point home. "One of the greatest sources of hope is the compassion of people of faith," she said. "In the United States and around the world, I have seen how houses of worship inspire volunteers with their messages of charity and hope."

The impact of faith-based initiatives is evident, Mrs. Bush said. "Millions of people have heard these messages, and they are putting their faith into practice across the continent of Africa."
In case there was a doubter in the audience, she cited an immediate example. "Here at Mututa, parents and caregivers know very well the healing power of faith," she added.
Later, Christianity Today asked Zambian First Lady Mwanawasa whether advancing abstinence using public resources was an issue in Zambia. "Not at all," she said. "As Zambians, we consider churches one of our biggest partners." The teaching of the church is critical, she said: "The message of abstinence is very important in preventing new infections." She mentioned another plus, too. "It brings dignity to young people," Zambian First Lady Mwanawasa said. "It must continue."
During the program at Mututa, Bishop Joshua Banda, pastor of one of the largest Assemblies of God churches in the country, sat in the fourth row. The bishop was encouraged by what he heard. "This is really heart-warming," he told CT. Banda, whose church runs a PEPFAR-funded project for orphans and vulnerable children, has followed closely the abstinence debate in the U.S. and is concerned. "Will there be PEPFAR funding after the end of the Bush administration?" he asked, calling the possibility of losing it "heart-breaking." Banda said he prays that the Bush-backed funding to help Africa fight HIV through encouraging abstinence continues. (The Bush administration has asked Congress for another $30 billion to fight HIV for the next five years.) Banda is disappointed that abstinence remains a topic of debate in the U.S. "We are beyond that," he said, before dashing to his car to beat the Lusaka traffic jam worsened by Mrs. Bush's convoy.
After a quick Zambian lunch at Mututa, Mrs. Bush was back on the road headed for Chreso Ministries, another PEPFAR-funded, faith-based HIV/AIDS initiative.
Chreso started as an outreach of a local church founded by Lusaka-based German preacher Helmut Reutter. The ministry encourages voluntary testing and provides antiretroviral medications to 2,500 adults and 100 children. Mrs. Bush's tour of the health facility ended in the church's sanctuary, where she chatted informally with staff and patients.
After the Chreso visit, Mrs. Bush was taken a little outside of Lusaka to a rural project that serves as a transit home for street children and also offers microfinance opportunities to women from surrounding communities. Mrs. Bush was pleased to see women "able to take care of themselves." Speaking at a formal evening event just before her departure, Mrs. Bush again commented on the role of faith-based organizations. "We saw very moving and sweet faith-based projects, where ministers and pastors and imams are working in their communities to extend the reach of care to people who are either ill or vulnerable," she said. "America stands with you." Mrs. Bush arrives back in the United States this weekend.

Article from christiansunite.com

A psychologist who has examined over thirty medical records subpoenaed from abortionist George R. Tiller, says women were given late-term abortions on viable babies so they would not have to miss rock concerts and sporting events.

Dr. Paul McHugh revealed last week that he examined medical records that showed women who were 26 to 30 weeks into their pregnancies were being given abortions by Tiller for "trivial" birth control reasons under the guise of "mental health" concerns that could not be substantiated by the records.

Dr. McHugh is a Harvard educated psychologist who headed the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 26 years and serves on the President's Council on Bioethics. He was asked to review the abortion records by former Attorney General Phill Kline to determine if the mental health diagnoses were psychiatrically justified. Dr. McHugh stated that the records "highlighted certain kinds of things, which ...were sometimes of a most trivial sort, from saying that, 'I won't be able to go to concerts,' or 'I won't be able to take part in sports,' to more serious ones, such as, 'I don't want to give my child up for adoption.'"
Of Tiller's psychiatric diagnoses, Dr. McHugh stated, "He had mostly social reasons for thinking that the late-term abortions were suitable ...Again, these ideas that he was suggesting - these were not psychiatric ideas, these were social ideas that he is proposing. And by the way, again, there was nothing to back these things up in a substantial way."

When asked if Dr. McHugh could find even one file that justified a late-term abortion by demonstrating that the woman would suffer substantial and irreversible harm as required by Kansas law, he responded emphatically, "I saw no file that justified abortion on that basis."

"The people of Kansas have written these laws. Viable fetuses should not be aborted unless there's a substantial and irreversible condition that the pregnancy will produce. Well, when a psychiatric diagnosis is brought forth, I think that people should understand that that requires a heck of a lot more than I found in these records," Dr. McHugh said. "It doesn't take a Harvard education to understand that missing a rock concert doesn't 'substantially and irreversibly' impair a woman, physically or mentally," said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. "It is clear that Tiller is breaking the law at the cost of innocent lives. The public must rise up and say that enough is enough!" Please continue to contact Attorney General Paul Morrison and ask him to charge Tiller for committing illegal late-term abortions.

Attorney General Paul Morrison
Phone: (785) 296-2215; Fax: (785) 296-6296

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.

TOPIC: Manuscript Shows Isaac Newton Calculated Date of Apocalypse

Article from FOXNews / AP

Three-century-old manuscripts by Isaac Newton calculating the exact date of the apocalypse, detailing the precise dimensions of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and interpreting passages of the Bible — exhibited this week for the first time — lay bare the little-known religious intensity of a man many consider history's greatest scientist. Newton, who died 280 years ago, is known for laying much of the groundwork for modern physics, astronomy, math and optics. But in a new Jerusalem exhibit, he appears as a scholar of deep faith who also found time to write on Jewish law — even penning a few phrases in careful Hebrew letters — and combing the Old Testament's Book of Daniel for clues about the world's end.
The documents, purchased by a Jewish scholar at a Sotheby's auction in London in 1936, have been kept in safes at Israel's national library in Jerusalem since 1969. Available for decades only to a small number of scholars, they have never before been shown to the public. In one manuscript from the early 1700s, Newton used the cryptic Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060. "It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner," Newton wrote. However, he added, "This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail." In another document, Newton interpreted biblical prophecies to mean that the Jews would return to the Holy Land before the world ends. The end of days will see "the ruin of the wicked nations, the end of weeping and of all troubles, the return of the Jews captivity and their setting up a flourishing and everlasting Kingdom," he posited.
The exhibit also includes treatises on daily practice in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. In one document, Newton discussed the exact dimensions of the temple — its plans mirrored the arrangement of the cosmos, he believed — and sketched it. Another paper contains words in Hebrew, including a sentence taken from the Jewish prayerbook. Yemima Ben-Menahem, one of the exhibit's curators, said the papers show Newton's conviction that important knowledge was hiding in ancient texts. "He believed there was wisdom in the world that got lost. He thought it was coded, and that by studying things like the dimensions of the temple, he could decode it," she said.

The Newton papers, Ben-Menahem said, also complicate the idea that science is diametrically opposed to religion. "These documents show a scientist guided by religious fervor, by a desire to see God's actions in the world," she said.

More prosaic documents on display show Newton keeping track of his income and expenses while a scholar at Cambridge and later, as master of the Royal Mint, negotiating with a group of miners from Devon and Cornwall about the price of the tin they supplied to Queen Anne. The archives of Hebrew University in Jerusalem include a 1940 letter from Albert Einstein to Abraham Shalom Yahuda, the collector who purchased the papers a year earlier. Newton's religious writings, Einstein wrote, provide "a variety of sketches and ongoing changes that give us a most interesting look into the mental laboratory of this unique thinker."

TOPIC: Enough of the ACLU, Says the American People

Article from ChristiansUnite.com

On June 15th, Californians have a golden opportunity by uniting in a show of strength outside the offices of the ACLU of Orange County. The picket and protest were originally organized by Lake Forest residents in response to litigation the ACLU filed against the city in February but has been expanded due to ACLU actions locally and across the state.

"Cities, counties, states and even private businesses and persons are relentlessly targeted by the ACLU in pursuit of deconstructing America's moral infrastructure and creating a godless society", states Nedd Kareiva, director of the Stop the ACLU Coalition. "When someone or a city dares to resist the ACLU, it is frequently bullied into submission to its will, often with threats of costly lawsuits".

California is a state hard hit by the ACLU, both policy- wise and in taxpayers' wallets. The ACLU successfully sought removals of crosses on the seals of L.A. County, the city of Redlands and a makeshift steel one at the Mojave Desert and nearly succeeded in removing the Mt. Soledad cross in San Diego. They sued the city of Escondido for seeking to curb illegal immigration while threatening other communities seeking to do similarly. And with its pursuit of assisted suicide and same sex marriage in California's legislature, the ACLU seeks to overturn previously enacted voter referenda.
ACLU policies and lawsuits have affected California children. Its faithful defense of Planned Parenthood has thwarted prosecutions of child molesters and prevented parents from knowing when their teen girls sought abortions. And its support of homosexual teaching and activities in public schools and unrestricted pornography has gravely hurt many families.
"The ACLU has met its match in the courts with legal groups like the Alliance Defense Fund & Liberty Counsel taking them on", says Kareiva. "However, outside these excellent firms, Americans have had little say-so against the ACLU until recently. The Coalition represents God-fearing Americans by raising massive public awareness of ACLU policies and positions and organizing more rallies like this one. Only when huge numbers of Americans mount sustained resistance of the ACLU's agenda will America truly be kept safe and free."

BTW, did you know that the founder of the ACLU was a Communist sympathizer?

TOPIC: Internet Sees Increase in "Parent Spies"

Article from ChristianToday

Parents are increasingly visiting social networking websites to ‘spy’ on their children, according to a study by London School of Economics (LSE). Parents are using technical methods in order to keep track of their kids’ plans and thoughts through sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. With concerns about stalkers and paedophiles on the rise, parents have the opportunity to keep up to date with the social lives of their kids through the sites.
According to the study, 41 per cent of parents questioned with children aged between nine and 17 were checking the site history on their computers to discover which sites had been visited. Jan Fry of Parentline Plus outlined a number of reasons why this is a growing trend: “In many ways it is a general anxiety about children pulling away from the family, and a fear the computer is beginning to rule their lives, although with others it is concern about whether their children are too young to be going online.” However she did support parents who have genuine concerns about their children: “If it looks like it is becoming obsessive, if your child is upset when they come off the internet, or if it looks like it is becoming a substitute for friendship, I would recommend taking action.”

Though I am young in years, Youth thou canst use.
Make your demands of me, I'll not refuse!
Take all there is of me, all that I hope to be...
Your way; that's what I choose.
- Poem read by Alistair Begg
in a sermon about following
God's plan for your life

TOPIC: Ambulance Takes Planned Parenthood Victim to Hospital

Article from christiansunite.com

Rescuer Ed Sauley reports that an ambulance carried a patient of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Olympia, Washington, to a hospital on Friday, May 25. It is believed that the woman was the victim of a botched abortion. It is unknown if she survived her injuries.
"Alert pro-lifers are exposing more and more cases of serious abortion injury and death," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

"These abortion mills are hurting women at an alarming rate, yet they still try to tell people that abortion is safe. It wasn't safe for that Washington woman last week, and it isn't safe for the thousands of women across America who are seeking abortions this week. Women need to know the truth that if they walk into an abortion mill, they may not walk out."

It is difficult to know how many women suffer abortion injuries requiring emergency hospitalization because abortion mills are often hesitant to call ambulances. There have been an estimated 347 known abortion deaths since 1973, but that figure is likely much higher, since abortion deaths are frequently classified under something other than abortion.
A listing of known abortion victims is available at The Blackmun Wall. Planned Parenthood is Olympia's only remaining abortion mill. Sauley told Operation Rescue that two other area abortion mills have closed in the last four years, the most recent as of last March. Sauley operates one of Operation Rescue's Truth Trucks throughout the Pacific Northwest. He directs a group called "Show the Truth" that tours public places exposing the truth about the human tragedy of abortion.

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.

Former ACLU chief admits guilt

From WorldNetDaily.com
A former executive for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has been sentenced to eight years in prison after he admitted having "graphic and violent" child pornography. The guilty plea was entered in court in Virginia by Charles Rust-Tierney, where he was immediately sentenced, according to a report today from WJLA television.

Rust-Tierney previously had served as the president of the Virginia chapter of the ACLU, and admitted his guilt under a plea bargain. He had been in jail since his arrest earlier this year, because two separate judges in pretrial hearings had rejected his request for freedom, describing the pornography as some of the most sickening they ever had encountered.

It was Rust-Tierney who, nearly 10 years ago, had argued before the Loudoun County Library Board against any Internet filters on the computers at the public facility. The library, which had been using filters on its computers, was ordered to change its policy by a federal court.
"The ACLU of Virginia urges the board to carefully consider a new Internet Use Policy that allows for maximum Internet access…," he said at the time. He encouraged the library board to recognize "that individuals will continue to behave responsibly and appropriately while in the library," so therefore "the default should be maximum, unrestricted access to ... the Internet."

Prosecutors said Rust-Tierney, who also served as a youth league sports coach in the area, actually downloaded the materials on a computer in his son's bedroom at home. As WND reported, the 51-year-old was arrested in February and was indicted in May on charges of having what a U.S. magistrate described as "the most perverted and nauseating and sickening type of child pornography" she ever had seen. Authorities said he used his own credit card and his own e-mail address to access and purchase an estimated $1,000 in graphic and violent child pornography during 2005 and 2006, according to Virginia's North Country Gazette.

Magistrate Theresa Buchanan said the material included an extended video featuring the sexual torture of children, accompanied by a song by the band called Nine Inch Nails. He faced a maximum sentence of 11 to 14 years on each of two counts, had he not reached a plea agreement. Court records indicate Rust-Tierney had subscribed to several websites featuring child pornography over a period of years. The federal indictment alleged he "knowingly received multiple computer files that contained photo and video depictions of minor teenage and prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct."

An anonymous chat room participant on the cannablog was distressed by the low profile in the national media over the case. When Rust-Tierney's arrest first was announced, authorities didn't even mention either his ACLU or youth league coaching connections. "This man was the PRESIDENT of the Virginia ACLU and while he was president, he lobbied to keep the Internet available to child pornographers via any port available, and WHILE he was president he was engaged in purchasing and subscribing to child (infant and toddler torture) pornography for his personal and sexual gratification. The ACLU. Pouring money into a machine that victimizes children. For years. And that the media is keeping this out of sight is okay with you? Wow," he said.

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly called it a "horrifying" case. And he noted that the two "biggest left-wing outfits in the country – the New York Times and NBC News – ignored the story entirely." CBS News, CNN and most of the big city liberal newspapers also failed to cover the Rust-Tierney arrest, Fox said. Several area broadcast stations and newspapers actually started covering the case as it headed towards a conclusion. [ABC News covered the story in February, 2007.]

"That Mr. Rust-Tierney, a leading proponent of unrestricted access to the Internet, has now been arrested for receiving and possessing graphic child pornography should serve as testimony to the injudicious and baleful outgrowth of the legal challenges launched by the ACLU questioning the constitutionality of important legislation that protects children from Internet exploitation and content harmful to minors," said a statement released by spokeswoman Cris Clapp of Enough is Enough, an organization dedicated to protecting children from the dangers on the Internet.

"When Mr. Rust-Tierney argued before the Loudoun County Library Board that unrestricted access to the resources of the Internet was essential for our children's ability to learn and communicate, and when groups like the ACLU contend that acceptable use policies alone are capable of protecting children online, they fail to acknowledge the tragic and devastating effects to children and families of both intentional and unintentional access to online pornography," the statement said.