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LifeSiteNews Message for February 7

Dear Readers,

England is certainly getting loonier every day. The question is, How much farther will this insanity go? The Archbishop of Canterbury does seem to have gone "bonkers" as stated by the religion correspondent for the Times. And Hilary White does a masterful job today of exposing the madness of the N.I.C.E. program.

Mitt Romney is officially out and the social conservatives of the United States are left with the big question mark of John McCain. Pro-Life Senator Brownback says, "McCain has a long, consistent 24-year pro-life voting record" and "is the best pro-life candidate to win in 2008".

Dr. James Dobson and many others, however, have a very different take on McCain. Dobson presents compelling reasons for US social conservatives to have grave concerns. Peggy Noonan seemed to sum up the general mood, stating in the Wall Street Journal, "I sense little relief and much unease".

Many are saying that McCain will be a far better choice for the cause of life and family than either Clinton or Obama and that socons must vote for him.

We hope and pray that Senator Brownback is right and that a candidate who will consistently stand up for life and family will win the presidency in November. We suggest that will take a LOT of prayer and a LOT of on-going political and other efforts to influence the election and the candidates.

Steve Jalsevac
LifeSiteNews.com

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McCain Forces Romney to Submit, but Faith & Family Leader Dobson Calls Vote for McCain Unconscionable

Huckabee lambasts Dobson, Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives for refusing to vote if McCain the nominee

By Peter J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Mitt Romney announced today that he has suspended his campaign for the good of the Republican party and the upcoming presidential race in the face of Sen. John McCain's overwhelming primary victories on Tuesday. However, McCain's victory has spurred cries of alarm from conservative leaders.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who saw the establishment of same-sex "marriage" in that state, told conservatives gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that he was abandoning the campaign trail for the sake of the US "War on Terror" and the good of the GOP.

"I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror," Romney said. "If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."

He continued, "This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters...  many of you right here in this room... have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on.  But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country."

Romney's exit leaves Huckabee in the race, who is third in the delegate count. The Associated Press reported Romney gained a total of 269 delegates and Huckabee had 190; both are dwarfed by McCain's commanding lead of 613 delegates.

Republicans are voting Saturday in caucuses in Kansas, Louisiana and Washington, which will be followed by the "Potomac primaries" Tuesday in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

However, McCain's ascendancy has provoked cries of alarm from conservative leaders, who say the GOP leader is the furthest thing from a conservative, and has in fact severely undermined free speech rights and damaged the pro-life and pro-family cause.

Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said in a statement broadcasted to national audiences on the Laura Ingraham show that he could not vote for McCain as a "matter of conscience."

"I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem-cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language," Dobson stated.

"McCain actually considered leaving the GOP caucus in 2001, and approached John Kerry about being Kerry's running mate in 2004," Dobson continued. " McCain also said publicly that Hillary Clinton would make a good president. Given these and many other concerns ... I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience."

Dobson said he spoke as a private citizen, and his statements were not those of Focus on the Family, but "reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country." He said that with McCain as the nominee this November would be the first time he would not cast a ballot for president in his life.

Dobson's statement appeared to be good news for Huckabee, who has a solid record on life and family, but is not considered a governmental conservative. However, the former Arkansas governor instead turned around on CNN and lambasted Dobson and other conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh for refusing to vote if McCain is the GOP nominee saying they were "not a conservative."

"If they say that, then that just proves something: They're more about themselves than they are the cause. Because there's no way that a true conservative would vote for Hillary Clinton." He told CNN he respects McCain and "would certainly vote for him before I would vote for Hillary or Obama."

Huckabee has curried favor with McCain throughout the campaign trial, stirring up speculation as to whether the candidate is jockeying for Vice-President should he fail to win the delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the Republican Convention in St. Paul/Minneapolis.

Dobson responded to criticisms today on the Glenn Beck show for his stand saying he was "between a rock and a hard place," but would not fall in the trap of voting for the lesser of two evils.

"I know the dangers of what Clinton and Obama stand for," he said today. "I know what they will do to us. And yet, I'm being asked to do something that contradicts my conscience."

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Commentary: Britain's N.I.C.E. Think Tank Not So Nice - C.S. Lewis' Prophesy Comes Eerily True

A look into who decides on life and death in the UK

By Hilary White

February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In 1945, the great 20th century Christian apologist, C. S. Lewis, wrote a science fiction novel in which he proposed an alternative British history. In this history a government-funded scientific think tank, the National Institute for Coordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.), dictates government policy according to eugenic, utilitarian principles.

In that novel, That Hideous Strength, the ironically acronymed N.I.C.E. takes over Britain and attempts to create an anti-human totalitarianism in which human rights are abolished and people are used as disposable tools in medical and social experiments. The guiding principles of Lewis' N.I.C.E. are immediately familiar to people on the pro-life side of our current Culture Wars: a mechanistic and ultra-utilitarian, anti-life philosophy that regards human beings as merely a disposable means to an end.

In today's Britain, these same nihilistic philosophies are being adopted by the medical establishment and government, with effective abortion-on-demand and increasing calls for legalized euthanasia. Over sixty years after Lewis warned what might be the outcome of an overweening anti-Christian materialist philosophy, combined with the union of state, industry, and academia, and the manipulation of the mass media, reality is coming increasingly to resemble fiction.

And it seems beyond a coincidental irony that a real-life, government-funded organization that bases its decisions on the same utilitarian principles, could be known by the same acronym: N.I.C.E.

Set up by the Labour government in 1999, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (N.I.C.E.) produces "guidance" for the NHS on what drugs and treatments should be provided by Britain's government-funded health system. From the extraction of wisdom teeth, to the funding of Alzheimer's drugs, to the provision or withdrawal of nutrition and hydration to disabled patients, N.I.C.E. lays down what will and will not be paid for by Britain's National Health Service.

Classical utilitarianism proposes that medical treatment ought to produce "the greatest good for the greatest number," a formula that has been translated by bioethicists into the three euphemistic principles of "justice", "beneficence", and "autonomy". As they are interpreted by bioethics committees, these new principles are at odds with the classical, Natural Law, or Christian-based medical ethics that start with the principle, "do no harm" to an individual patient. The new utilitarian principles, in the matter of a nationalized health system where private medical care is largely unavailable, require that some are judged worthy of treatment and others not, in order to benefit the greatest number possible. 

The N.I.C.E. describes its template of criteria as being based on "efficacy and cost effectiveness," in which a key formula is the "quality adjusted life year" (QALY). The QALY "takes into consideration the quality of life of the patient during any additional time for which their life will be prolonged". The clinical and cost effectiveness of the treatment is then used as the basis for a recommendation as to whether or not the treatment should be provided.

Other aspects of the N.I.C.E. criteria include the concept of the "cost per quality adjusted life-years gained" (CQG). The CQG examines the cost of treatment, divided by the estimated years to be gained by the treatment and creates an "overall cost benefit ratio", giving the "cost per quality adjusted life-year gained". Under this criterion, cancer treatment for a small child may deliver many more years of "quality of life" than the same treatment on an elderly patient.

The case of Leslie Burke, a retired postman with a degenerative motor neurone disease, is illustrative. Burke sued the government for the right not to be denied nutrition and hydration when his illness rendered him unable to swallow or communicate. He won his first case in 2005 with a judge ruling that denying nutrition and hydration "would be a breach of claimant's rights under . . . the European Convention on Human Rights." But the General Medical Council and the Department of Health appealed and won.

The head of scientific development and bioethics at the Department of Health, Elizabeth Woodeson, argued in the case that the NHS, according to the guidelines laid down by the N.I.C.E., must retain the right to dehydrate such patients to death or "there would be considerable risk of inefficient use of NHS resources."

She said, "The Secretary of State believes that...clinicians should be able to follow the N.I.C.E. [quality of life] guidelines without being obliged to accede to patient demands."

"If that principle were undermined, there would be considerable risk of inefficient use of NHS resources."

As Wesley J. Smith noted in the Burke case, "It all boils down to two concepts that are increasingly intertwined in modern bioethics theory and practice. First is the so-called quality-of-life ethic that presumes to judge the worth of patients' lives according to their mental and physical capacities. Under this view, doctors or bioethicists may judge a life to be of such low quality that it is not worth extending, irrespective of the patient's wishes."

Leslie Burke himself noted dryly that he was aware that "bioethicists have a low opinion of the quality of life of people with profound disabilities."

The N.I.C.E. continues to be controversial. It is regularly criticised by patients' groups and doctors who say that its decisions have deprived patients of needed medications and treatments.

More recently, government ministers this month are promoting the use of long-term chemical contraceptives, shown to cause serious health risks for women, including death, on the grounds of a N.I.C.E. recommendation of cost-effectiveness. News reports today revealed that the Department of Health has launched a £26.8 million drive to encourage younger women to have contraceptive implants or injections.

Terminally Ill UK Man Fights for Right to Not be Killed by Withdrawal of Food and Water
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/feb/04022705.html

Euro Court Refuses To Guarantee Ill British Man Won't Be Dehydrated to Death
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06080903.html

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Scandal: Catholic School Board Approves Explicitly Anti-Catholic Brochure

"Some religions place great value on homophobia in the name of certain beliefs…Just think of the Catholic Church," says brochure.

By John Jalsevac

WATERLOO, ON, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The mounting evidence that the Waterloo Catholic School Board is not only soft when it comes to matters of Catholic sexual morality, but actively promotes gravely immoral behavior, has been recently compounded by a discovery that the Board's Family Life Advisory Committee (FLAC) approved for annual use a specifically anti-Catholic brochure.

According to FLAC minutes, at an April 2006 meeting, FLAC approved for annual use, a brochure entitled "Hiding Its Face", which gives information about the "National Day Against Homophobia" that takes place on May 17th every year.

The minutes say that the brochure was "approved for staff to use each year under the guidance of the school principal."

The problem for FLAC and the Waterloo School Board, however, is that the brochure specifically names the Catholic Church, and accuses the Church of placing "great value on homophobia" and of being "anti-gay."

"Some religions place great value on homophobia in the name of certain beliefs," reads the "Hiding Its Face" brochure. "For example, just think of the Catholic Church, which openly preaches against homosexuality yet by referring to its beliefs, will not admit being anti-gay. It would be impossible for any other minority group to tolerate the same situation."

This anti-Catholic invective is found in a brochure that elsewhere contradicts Catholic teaching by promoting a day, the purpose of which "is to raise people's awareness of homophobia's harmful effects, to provide a positive image of homosexuality and sexual diversity, and to combat exclusion."

"This passage is deeply problematic," says Jack Fonseca, the Communications Director for Defend Traditional Marriage & Family, who has been involved in an ongoing battle with the Waterloo School Board over similar issues. The Waterloo board has an extensive history of contradicting or undermining Catholic moral teaching, especially in matters of sexual morality. In the past Defend Traditional Marriage and Family revealed that the board had approved a number of pro-homosexual tracts, and was working in conjunction with pro-homosexual groups.

This newest discovery, however, says Fonseca, is the only second time that they know of that the board has approved explicitly anti-Catholic materials. The Waterloo board previously made headlines after approving for its schools the "Golden Compass" books, the author of which has made explicitly clear that his intention in the books is to undermine Christianity and Catholicism, and to indoctrinate children with atheistic beliefs at an early age.

"It is clear that 'provide a positive image of homosexuality and sexual diversity' actually means, 'gain approval of homosexual activity'," Fonseca says about the passage from the brochure quoted above. "This statement directly contradicts Catechism section 2357 which teaches 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered …Under no circumstances can they be approved'. How can Catholics have a 'positive image' of a behaviour which the Church teaches is objectively sinful, i.e. homosexual acts?"

Fonseca wrote Roger Lawler, the Waterloo Director of Education last November, pointing out FLAC's approval of the anti-Catholic brochure, requesting that the school board take action against the brochure's approval. After a follow-up letter, sent in late January, Fonseca received a response from Lawler, indicating that the issue was "closed."

"With regard to your concern about a brochure called the National Day Against Homophobia 'Hiding Its Face,'" wrote Lawler, "please note that we did respond indicating that we would take your concern under advisement.  'Under advisement' means an issue will be looked into and acted upon, if necessary.  There is no evidence that the brochure you referenced was ever distributed in the school system.  The matter is therefore closed."

Fonseca, however, says that Lawler's response fails to address the heart of the matter, pointing out that Lawler never offered evidence that the brochure hadn't been distributed. It seems strange, said Fonseca, for a board to approve a brochure, and then to not use it.

Furthermore, he told LifeSiteNews, "[The letter] does not say that the [Hiding Its Face] campaign has been banned, which we asked.  It's an anti-Catholic campaign.  It revealed their prejudices against the Catholic Church.  And clearly no Catholic school system should be involved with this organization. That's not been put to rest. That question's not been answered."

Fonseca said that Lawler's response is surprisingly apathetic, given the seriousness of the charges. "I think that Catholics have a right to know that the people making decisions on curriculum, on programs, on advisers, and books are doing so with the intent of adhering to Catholic moral doctrine, and passing on authentic Catholic faith to their children.  That question has been dodged."

A telephone call and message left on Lawler's voice mail was not returned by press time.

Besides the already cited offenses, the "Hiding Its Face" brochure also sends students to a website that depicts, very prominently on the home page, both a male and female homosexual couple engaged in passionate kissing. (http://www.homophobiaday.org)

To respectfully voice concerns:

Roger Lawler
Director of Education
Waterloo Region Catholic School District
35 Weber St. W., Unit A, PO Box 91116
Kitchener, ON, Canada N2G 4G2
E-mail:
Phone: 519-578-3660
Fax: 519-578-5291

His Excellence Bishop Anthony Tonnos
700 King St. W.
Hamilton, ON L8P 1C7
Phone: (905) 528-7988
Fax: (905) 528-1088
Email:

Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Bergie
Phone: (905) 528-7988
Fax: (905) 528-1088
Email:

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Waterloo Catholic School Board Found Supporting Pro-homosexual Groups and Literature
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jun/07062605.html

Ontario Catholic School Board Approves Referrals to Gay-Activist Therapist, Censors Right to Life Material
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07080907.html

Catholic School Board That Winked at Homosexuality Now Approves Golden Compass Books
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07120606.html

Catholic School Board calls Pro-Family Group "Extremist Hate Group", Board Defends Pro-Gay Manual
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07092801.html

Catholic School Board Committee Approves Pro-Gay Manual, Does Not Teach Homosexual Acts Sinful
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07110207.html

Catholic School Libraries Stock Gay Promoting Books and Videos
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07041005.html

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President Bush in Last Address to National Prayer Breakfast

WASHINGTON, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - This morning U.S. President George Bush delivered his final address as President to the annual National Prayer Breakfast.  After his initial greetings he addressed the gathered crowd as follows:

"Every President since Dwight Eisenhower has attended the National Prayer Breakfast -- and I am really proud to carry on that tradition. It's an important tradition, and I'm confident Presidents who follow me will do the same. The people in this room come from many different walks of faith. Yet we share one clear conviction: We believe that the Almighty hears our prayers -- and answers those who seek Him. That's what we believe; otherwise, why come? Through the miracle of prayer, we believe he listens -- if we listen to his voice and seek our presence -- his presence in our lives, our hearts will change. And in so doing, in seeking God, we grow in ways that we could never imagine.

"In prayer, we grow in gratitude and thanksgiving. When we spend time with the Almighty, we realize how much He has bestowed upon us -- and our hearts are filled with joy. We give thanks for our families, we give thanks for the parents who raised us, we give thanks for the patient souls who married us, and the children who make us proud each day. We give thanks for our liberty -- and the universal desire for freedom that He has written into every human heart. We give thanks for the God who made us in His image -- and redeemed us in His love.

"In prayer, we grow in meekness and humility. By approaching our Maker on bended knee, we acknowledge our complete dependence on Him. We recognize that we have nothing to offer God that He does not already have -- except our love. So we offer Him that love, and ask for the grace to discern His will. We ask Him to remain near to us at all times. We ask Him to help us lead lives that are pleasing to Him. We discover that by surrendering our lives to the Almighty, we are strengthened, refreshed, and ready for all that may come.

"In prayer, we also grow in boldness and courage. The more time we spend with God, the more we see that He is not a distant King, but a loving Father. Inspired by this confidence, we approach Him with bold requests: We ask Him to heal the sick, and comfort the dying, and sustain those who care for them. We ask Him to bring solace to the victims of tragedy, and help to those suffering from addiction and adversity. We ask him to strengthen our families, and to protect the innocent and vulnerable in our country. We ask Him to protect our nation from those who wish us harm -- and watch over all who stepped forward to defend us. We ask Him to bring about the day when His peace shall reign across the world -- and every tear shall be wiped away.

"In prayer, we grow in mercy and compassion. We are reminded in prayer that we are all fallen creatures in need of mercy. And in seeking God's mercy, we grow in mercy ourselves. Experiencing the presence of God transforms our hearts -- and the more we seek His presence, the more we feel the tug at our souls to reach out to the poor, and the hungry, the elderly, and the infirm. When we answer God's call to love a neighbor as ourselves, we enter into a deeper friendship with our fellow man -- and a deeper relationship with our eternal Father.

"I believe in the power of prayer, because I have felt it in my own life. Prayer has strengthened me in times of personal challenge. It has helped me meet the challenges of the presidency. I understand now clearly the story of the calm in the rough seas. And so at this final prayer breakfast as your President, I thank you for your prayers, and I thank our people all across America for their prayers. And I ask you not to stop in the year ahead. We have so much work to do for our country, and with the help of the Almighty, we will build a freer world -- and a safer, more hopeful, more noble America."

"God Bless," he concluded to a tremendous applause.

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Archbishop of Canterbury: Because Britain Tolerates Pro-Life Activists, We Should Accept Sharia Law

By Hilary White

LONDON, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Commentators, bloggers, and columnists alike were aghast this evening as Rowan Williams, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, told the BBC that Britain had to "face up to the fact" that the encroachment of Islamic Sharia law into the British legal system is "unavoidable".

The titular head of the Church of England suggested in an interview with BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that, because they are both "religious", there is an equivalence between the brutal system of Sharia and the principles of the Natural Law upon which western jurisprudence is based. "The eternal law of religious communities is recognized by the law of the land," he said.

Dr. Williams argued that since British law "accommodates" the views of Catholics and some others on abortion, Sharia should be welcomed on the grounds of tolerance for religious viewpoints. And anyway, he said, "certain provisions of Sharia are already recognized...So it's not as if we're bringing in an alien and rival system."

While admitting that the concept of a single body of law applying equally to all citizens is one of the foundational tenets of western democracies, Williams said such a notion is "a bit of a danger" in modern multicultural societies.

"A lot of what's been written," he said, "suggests that the ideal situation is one in which there is one law and only one law for everybody." But he said there are "other affiliations" that claim the loyalties of citizens "and that the law needs to take some account of that."

A system, he said, "that says, there's one law for everybody, and that's all there is to be said - I think that's a bit of a danger."

Williams said "creative accommodation" of Sharia is justified because of the way "the consciences of Catholics, Anglicans and others who have difficulty about issues like abortion are accommodated within the law."

Within hours of the BBC interview being posted to their website, hundreds of commenters had written in to the site protesting, and some calling for Williams' resignation.

Also quick to respond was the Pakistani-born Anglican bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who said, "English law is rooted in the Judaeo-Christian tradition and, in particular, our notions of human freedoms derive from that tradition. In my view, it would be simply impossible to introduce a tradition, like Sharia into this corpus without fundamentally affecting its integrity."

Nazir-Ali is under police protection after receiving death threats for writing in January that Islamic extremism had turned some British communities into "'no-go' areas" and that there are ongoing attempts to "impose an Islamic character on certain areas."

Damien Thompson, editor of the Catholic Herald newspaper and a blogger at the Daily Telegraph, wrote that the Archbishop's comments were the "most monumentally stupid thing I have ever heard an Archbishop of Canterbury say. In fact, it's more than stupid: it's disgusting."

"The idea that 'one law for everyone' is 'a bit of a danger', as Williams argues, goes against every tradition of English law and culture that the Primate of All England is supposed to uphold." Thompson wrote that if he had been quoted accurately, the Archbishop of Canterbury "is lending his support to the establishment of a non-Christian theocracy in Britain."

"Has the Archbishop gone bonkers?" asked Ruth Gledhill, the religion correspondent for the Times.

Gledhill said that "commentators of every variety," have been "stunned into blunt expression by the Archbishop of Canterbury's uncharacteristically clear comments on Sharia in Britain."

Williams, she wrote, "wants women, children, all of us in fact, to have to kow-tow to some of the strictest, harshest and most draconian laws dreamed up by any religious system, ever, anywhere in the world."

"There might not be no-go areas for non-Muslims in Britain...But this is certainly the way to go about creating them."

Thompson pointed out that Williams' credibility "is in tatters" in his struggle with the Anglican leadership in Africa over acceptance of active homosexual ministers that has threatened to destroy the Communion. "Anglicans in parts of Nigeria live under what is, in effect, totalitarian Sharia."

"What will the Archbishop of Canterbury's fatuous remarks about Sharia do to his authority as head of the Anglican Communion? Pretty well finish it off, I should think," Thompson concludes.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

The Split Widens: Anglican Bishops Call Global Conference for Traditional Anglicans
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010401.html 

No Affirmation of Christian Sexual Morality from Anglican Mother Church at Synod
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030108.html

No Theological Opposition to Homosexual Unions, but No Same-Sex Blessings: Canadian Anglicans
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jun/07062504.html

Nigerian Prelate Calls for Suspension of Church of England from Worldwide Anglican Communion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05081501.html

Anglican Church Splits over Consecration of Active Homosexual as Bishop http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/nov/03110404.html

US Episcopal Church: We'll Leave Anglican Communion Before Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07032303.html

Archbishop of Canterbury Fears Coming Anglican Schism over Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07010904.html

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Pro-Abortion Feminists Fight Rape Coverup Investigation

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

MANAGUA, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The pro-abortion feminists of Nicaragua's "Women's Network Against Violence" and their allies are continuing to wage an international publicity campaign to prevent an investigation of the Network's possible role in covering up the sexual abuse of a nine-year-old girl.

The case has not visibly proceeded since last year, when investigators interviewed nine members of the Network accused of covering up a rape, instigation and conspiracy to commit a crime, and defending a criminal abortion, in relation to the celebrated "Rosita" case in 2003.

"Rosita", whose real name has been concealed by the media to protect the girl, was reportedly nine years old when members of the Network secured an abortion for her after clandestinely moving her and her stepfather, Francisco Fletes, from Costa Rica, where he was under investigation for causing her pregnancy.  Fletes was convicted of sexually abusing "Rosita" after her second pregnancy was discovered last year, and is serving a prison sentence.

The announced investigation into the role of the "Women's Network Against Violence" in the affair was followed by an international pressure campaign by groups friendly to the Network, who demanded that it be stopped.  However, in recent weeks the Catholic bishop of Estelí in Nicaragua has complained about the government's inaction, raising fears among the feminists that the accusations against them will be fully investigated.

On January 29th, the Network issued a public demand that Nicaragua's prosecutors reject the accusation against them, which had been made by the Nicaraguan Pro Human Rights Association (ANPDH). They called the accusations "manifestly false, and lacking any merit."

The group even went so far as to claim that the acts they are accused of shouldn't be considered crimes, because of "the anger, bad intentions, misinterpretations, prejudices, and limited tolerance that the supposed accuser has against women."

However, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews, two of the accused women went on record in 2003, admitting in an interview with the Women's Health Journal that they knew that Francisco Fletes was being investigated by Costa Rican authorities for the sexual abuse of his stepdaughter when they helped him, his wife, and stepdaughter to leave the country in 2003 (see coverage at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07081603.html).

After executing their plan to use the "Rosita" case to promote "therapeutic abortion" in Nicaragua, the Network disposed of the body of Rosita's child, making it impossible to check the DNA to verify the real identity of Rosita's abuser. 

Moreover, ANPDH alleges that there are witnesses among Rosita's former neighbors who can testify that in fact the Network was aware of the ongoing sexual abuse against the girl well before it was revealed by the Nicaraguan media (the Network helped to maintain the family for years after the events, and made repeated visits to them, while they used the case in their pro-abortion campaign).

Bishop Abelardo Mata of Estelí, who is president of ANPDH, recently told the Managuan daily La Prensa that he simply wants an investigation.  "We say that it should be investigated, that it should be analyzed and that it not be done as a political scheme or for making someone happy, ourselves or anyone, that the thing be done only for the purpose of justice," he said.

On February 5th, the accused Network members began to speak out individually, complaining that the author of the formal accusation against them has no history of defending "women's rights".  Martha Munguía, one of the accused feminists, told the Managuan daily El Nuevo Diario that "he's just an instrument of political persecution" against her group.

The newspaper reports that the nine accused Network members met recently with Nicaragua's Attorney General, Dr. Julio Centeno Gómez, demanding that he reject the accusation against them.  

Centeno Gómez reportedly assured the nine that he recognized the "labor" of the group on behalf of "human rights" for women, but promised only to expedite the investigation.

The women seemed encouraged by his response.  "He at least recognized that we are defenders of women's human rights," said Juana Jiménez, another accused Network member.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Human Rights Group Files Charges Against Nicaraguan Abortion Lobby
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111904.html

Pro-Abortion Feminists Subpoenaed in Nicaragua Rape Coverup Investigation
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07113010.html

Nicaraguan Bishop Demands Justice for Rape Victim Sheltered by Pro-Abortion Feminists
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08012302.html

Pro-Abortion Group in Nicaragua Caught Aiding Rapist Escape Criminal Investigation
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07081602.html

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Exodus: California Christian Groups Unite to Remove Children from Public Schoools

New laws mandate the positive potrayal of homosexuality in public schools

By John Connolly

SACRAMENTO, California, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Several Christian groups have formed a coalition to boycott the California public school system, following legislation signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger that will indoctrinate children to favor sodomy as a healthy and normal lifestyle choice.

A variety of Christian grassroots organizations have joined together in calling for an "exodus" from the California public school system in an effort to save children from the subversive indoctrination (See LifeSiteNews Coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07052503.html). The coalition includes Eagle Forum, the Campaign for Children and Families, and Exodus Mandate, as well as ten others.

"Many of us have worked to reform public schools," said Phyllis Schlafly, President of Eagle Forum, in an interview with Christian Newswire. "Unfortunately, SB 777 and the related legislation represent a repudiation of 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and the family. The result is that California's schools are now promoting behaviors and lifestyles that are physically and spiritually dangerous for children. Consequently, in California, parents must try to find alternatives to the public schools."

Dr. Ron Gleason, the Chairman for California Exodus and pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda, California, said, upon accepting the role of chairman, that education is of tantamount importance, but that it is failing in the States.

"As a parent and grandparent, I want those near and dear to me to have quality education," he said. "This country excels in every social, economical, scientific, and political category known to man, but gets low grades on the education of its children. We should be leading the world in developing well-educated young people. This role is first and foremost the responsibility of parents."

"First, the law allowed public schools to voluntarily promote homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality," said Randy Thomasson of the California-based Campaign for Children and Families. "Then the law required public schools to accept homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual teachers as role models for impressionable children. Now the law has been changed to effectively require the positive portrayal of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality to six million children in California government-controlled schools. To rescue their children, loving parents need to find an alternative to government schools, and every church needs to make it a priority to help parents be in charge of their children's education again."

California law now requires schools to portray homosexuality and bisexuality as positive lifestyle choices to students. The bill was signed into law in October of 2007, and a referendum campaign was launched to overturn the law in November. The campaign fell short on the needed votes, gathering only 350,000 of the necessary 434,000.

Contact California Exodus Mandate:

803-714-1744. 
http://www.californiaexodus.org 

See Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:

Bill Mandating Pro-Homosexual, Bisexual, Transgender Material in Schools Passes California State Senate
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07052503.html

Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Bills Forcing Schools to Promote Homosexuality to Five Year Olds
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07101504.html

Referendum Campaign Launched to Overturn California's Pro-Homosexual "Anti-Bias" Law
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111408.html

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Archbishop Burke "Profoundly Saddened" at Catholic University Basketball Coach's Abortion Support

By Hilary White

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke of the St. Louis Archdiocese has expressed his "profound sadness" that a prominent sports coach at St. Louis University publicly expressed his support for abortion and destructive embryo research.

In an interview with the diocesan newspaper, the St. Louis Review, Archbishop Burke said, "At a time when in the Church we need to give such a strong witness to the dignity of human life and the Respect Life Apostolate, this counter witness is being given. I was very sad. Did it upset me? Yes, it did."

In January, Rick Majerus, the basketball coach at St. Louis University, a Jesuit institution, while voicing his support for Hillary Clinton's bid for the Democrat presidential nomination, also announced his support for legal abortion and embryo research. In response Archbishop Burke said he expected the school to discipline Majerus.

Burke told the St. Louis Review that the problem is one of "scandal", which in Catholic theological terminology means to "lead other people astray". He explained that his main concern is to "correct any perception" that it is possible to be at the same time a Catholic and in support of abortion or embryo research.

Speaking from the March for Life in Washington DC, Archbishop Burke said at the time that as a Catholic employee of a Catholic institution, Majerus was not free to "make statements which call into question the identity and mission of the Catholic Church."

Majerus, however, showed no remorse, telling media his "First Amendment right to free speech supersedes anything that the archbishop would order me to do".

"I'm respectful of the archbishop's position, but it's not going to change my mind. We're given free will and the right to vote for changes. I think religion should be inclusive," Majerus said.

But Archbishop Burke says Majerus was charged with a "sacred trust" as an employee of a Catholic university. Above all, the Archbishop said, "no Catholic institution could have its representatives espousing such positions. When people take a position at a Catholic institution, there's a certain sacred trust involved there."

The issue is not a political matter of freedom of speech, said Burke. "It's not a question of freedom of speech. Academic freedom is something quite different. It gives you a freedom to make declarations within your particular area of competence, and according to the canons (laws) for investigation of the truth. It doesn't give you a kind of heightened freedom to make declarations that are contrary to the truth."

Burke said that as a representative of a Catholic institution, someone who has views opposed to those of the Catholic Church has a duty to remain silent on the issues. "If there is a Catholic who for some reason is struggling with his or her adherence to this, then the correct thing to do is to be silent - certainly not to expound error or to air doubts that you're trying to resolve in your own mind. But to seek the help of a spiritual director to clarify these things."

Burke said that a person claiming to be a Catholic and making statements such as those made by Majerus in a public forum, "lead(s) other people astray with regard to what the Church teaches".

"You can lead astray Catholics, and you also can lead non-Catholics into error about what the Church teaches. And you even can influence them to do things that are gravely wrong. And this is what we call scandal: when you do something which leads other people into error or even into committing a sin."

"This is a very serious matter when a Catholic publicly espouses a position contrary to the faith."

St. Louis University has yet to make an official response to Archbishop Burke's concerns. A spokesman for the university, Jeff Fowler, at the time said only that Majerus' comments were not related to his role at the university. "Rick's comments were his own personal view. They were made at an event he did not attend as a university representative."

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California Supreme Court to Decide on Gay 'Marriage' by June

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

SAN FRANCISCO, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The California Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will hear three hours of arguments on March 4 in the cases challenging the decision not to allow homosexual "marriage". A ruling will be made within 90 days.

The case is a combination of lawsuits filed by fifteen same-sex couples and the city of San Francisco, challenging the marriage restriction, and two countersuits by private organizations, defending the law.

The law was first tested in February 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the city clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages were performed in the next month. The state Supreme Court invalidated the weddings in August 2004 and ruled that Newsom had no authority to disregard the marriage law.

In April 2005 the San Francisco Superior Court ruled that the California Constitution guaranteed the right to marry the partner of one's choice, and that exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage was therefore discriminatory.

The California Court of Appeal reversed the San Francisco Superior Court ruling in October 2006, saying the law's exclusion of gays and lesbians from marriage could be justified by tradition and by the fact that domestic partners in California have nearly all the rights of married couples.

In December 2006, the California Supreme Court granted review of the cases in order to consider the constitutional questions.

The California law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman was passed by the Legislature in 1977 and reaffirmed by the voters in a 2000 referendum.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who twice vetoed measures passed by the California legislature that would have permitted same-sex couples to marry, said that the California Supreme Court should decide the constitutionality of the marriage statutes.

Among those supporting marriage rights for homosexuals are the governments of 20 California cities and counties, the NAACP and other civil rights groups, associations of psychologists and anthropologists, companies such as Levi Strauss, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the Unitarians and other liberal denominations.

The Knights of Columbus, organizations advocating alternatives to homosexuality, the Mormon Church, the California Catholic Conference, and groups such as Campaign for California Families are among those opposing.

Attorney Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, who will argue to uphold the state law on behalf of the Campaign for California Families, said allowing marriage for same-sex couples "will destroy the unique institution that provides a stable cultural environment for children and their families," in a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

See previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

California Supreme Court Blocks San Francisco Same-Sex 'Marriages'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/mar/04031210.html

California Supreme Court Refuses to Rule on Gay "Marriage"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05081101.html

California Supreme Court Asked to Overturn Ban on Homosexual 'Marriage'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06111406.html

Same-Sex 'Marriage' Bill Re-Introduced in California Legislature
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/dec/06120502.html

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Judge: Teaching How to Use Condom and that Homosexuality is Inborn to 8th and 10th Graders is OK

ANN ARBOR, MI, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Maryland Circuit Court Judge William J. Rowan, III, ruled last week that it is permissible to teach 8th and 10th grade Montgomery County public school students how to use condoms during anal and oral sex, as well as that homosexuality is inborn, even though in 2007 Maryland's highest appellate court ruled there is no scientific basis for such a conclusion.  

The controversial new curriculum was adopted as a result of pressure by homosexual advocacy groups.

That sexual orientation is innate is a theory that has been rejected by courts in several states including Maryland. Maryland's highest appellate court issued an opinion in a 2007 civil union case, holding that the proposition that homosexuality is innate is not supported by credible evidence. In fact, not one U.S. court presented with the issue has found homosexuality to be an innate characteristic.

The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which represents Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, the Family Leader Network, and the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays had asked the Judge Rowan to overturn a Maryland Board of Education ruling that approves of public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland to teaching 8th and 10th graders that homosexuals are born that way, and how to use condoms during anal and oral sex.

274 Montgomery area doctors signed a petition objecting to the curriculum which promotes the notion that the use of condoms prevents disease in anal intercourse.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center commented, "Judge Rowan's ruling gives a green light to homosexual groups throughout Maryland to pressure school boards to adopt similar policies. We will be meeting with our clients next week regarding an appeal. " 

Montgomery educators defended their new sex curriculum that promotes anal sex, homosexuality, bisexuality and transvestitism despite strong opposition from several pro-family groups.             

Brandon Bolling, the Thomas More Law Center attorney who argued the case, asked Judge Rowan to either declare the curriculum illegal or send it back to the state board of education for another review. "Maryland law says that you have to teach something that is factually accurate," said Bolling. "They are not doing that, therefore it is illegal. "

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Sapienza Protesters Likely Protested Benedict XVI Based on Inaccurate Wikipedia Article

By John Connolly

ROME, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Italian professors and students who attracted worldwide attention in January for engineering break-ins and sit-ins that ultimately derailed a papal visit to La Sapienza University, likely based their protest letter on an inaccurate Wikipedia article, according to L'Osservatore Romano's February 6 report.

67 professors from La Sapienza wrote a letter of protest against Benedict XVI's visit to the school on the grounds that the Pope was hostile to science. The letter based its claim on an interpretation of a March 15, 1990 speech given by then-Cardinal Ratzinger on Galileo.

"On March 15, 1990," says the letter, "During a speech in the city of Parma when he was still a cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger quoted a statement by Feyerabend (a philosopher of science): 'During the era of Galileo the Church was more faithful to reason than Galileo himself.  The trial of Galileo was reasonable and just.'  These are words that, as scientists faithful to reason and teachers who devote their lives to the advance and spread of knowledge, offend and humiliate us.  In the name of the lay nature of science and culture and out of respect for our forum open to teachers and students of all creeds and ideologies, we urge that this event be canceled."

To the embarrassment of the professors, who claimed to be standing up for the freedom of education, the talk was not given in Parma, but in Rome at La Sapienza. L'Osservatore Romano traced the inaccurate information to an Italian article from the online user-edited encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

"That Wikipedia in all likelihood is the source of the quote is evident by the fact that the letter from the 67 professors makes reference to a speech by Cardinal Ratzinger on March 15, 1990 in Parma.  The speech was given, but it took place in Rome, at La Sapienza University on exactly that day," reported L'Osservatore Romano. "The surprising thing is that whoever took the quote from Feyerabend could not have read the rest of the entry in Wikipedia, as he would have realized that the meaning of Ratzinger's statement is exactly the opposite of what the 67 claimed the Pope was saying."

Although Benedict did indeed say that the trial of Galileo was reasonable and just, he concluded by saying he did not agree with the Church's ultimate ruling in the case. This fact was studiously overlooked by the professors in their letter.

The Wikipedia revelation is the latest in a long series of humiliations for the professors of La Sapienza, who attracted worldwide criticism for excluding the pope from speaking in the name of "tolerance." More than 200,000 people showed up at the Vatican on January 20 as a show of solidarity with the Pope for the persecution against him. Officials at La Sapienza have promised to invite the Pope to speak again, determined to clear the school's name in what has become one of the largest public relations victories for the Vatican during Benedict's pontificate.

See Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:

200,000 Faithful Catholics Throng into St. Peter's Square after La Sapienza Insult
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08012106.html

Rome Cardinal Calls for Faithful to Rally in Support of Pope Sunday - Prayers Urged
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08011609.html

Fallout From La Sapienza Controversy: Rome Reacts Following Papal Rejection
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08011705.html

Students Flock to Pope's Wednesday Audience After Speech Cancelled over Protests
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08011602.html

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New Emergency AIDS Relief Plan Would Fund Abortion and Prostitution Groups

WASHINGTON, DC, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pro-life and pro-family groups in the U.S. are crying foul after a proposal to alter the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is scheduled for review in the House Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday, February 14.

Members of Congress and community leaders will hold a press conference 90 minutes before the House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting.  The conference will underscore the importance and success of the current PEPFAR policy programs and highlight provisions in the Democrat rewrite that threaten to destroy the popular, successful HIV/AIDS program. 

In his 2008 State of the Union, President Bush said "Our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is treating 1.4 million people.  We can bring healing and hope to many more.  So I ask you to maintain the principles that have changed behavior and made this program a success."

Instead, a draft by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-California) seeks to radically change or abandon the principles of this widely successful program. The radical rewrite will pour billions into the hands of abortion providers with little or no regard for the pro-life, pro-family cultures of recipient countries.  It also strips provisions that ensure priority funding for the highly effective abstinence and fidelity programs, which have reduced HIV rates in African nations that have implemented it. The Democrat proposal also strips the provision that forbids grants to groups that do not have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking - a provision designed to combat exploitation of women in recipient countries. 

President Bush's PEPFAR program is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.  To date, PEPFAR has worked to support life-saving antiretroviral treatment for over 1.45 million men, women and children worldwide, including 1.3 million in the 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Caribbean - compared to an estimated 50,000 at the time President Bush originally announced the initiative.  Additionally, the program has lead to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services for women during more than 10 million pregnancies. 

"Abstinence education, which has proven effective in target countries in reducing HIV/AIDS, would be removed.  Providers of HIV/AIDS preventive services would be required to refer for family planning services, which may include abortion, thus cutting faith-based groups from participation.  This would force American taxpayers to fund groups that commit abortions overseas," stated Wendy Wright, President of CWA.

Pro-life activists are urging pro-lifers everywhere to contact the members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and encourage them to vote against Lantos' bill. Contact info for the members can be found here: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/members.asp?committee=full&subnav=subcom...

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193 Catholic Campuses Reject Vagina Monologues, But Georgetown and Others Go Ahead

Catholics urged to contact universities, asking them to cancel play

MANASSAS, VA, February 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In the seventh year of the Cardinal Newman Society's campaign to rid Catholic colleges of the obscene and offensive play The Vagina Monologues, 20 Catholic campuses will host the play in the weeks surrounding Saint Valentine's Day. The number of performances has declined annually from a peak of 32 in 2003.

"In the holy season of Lent and just weeks before the Holy Father visits the United States, these nominally Catholic colleges will shame themselves publicly in defiance of Catholic morals and basic civility," said Patrick J. Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS). Pope Benedict XVI will address the presidents of all American Catholic colleges on April 17, and he is likely to repeat the Vatican's calls for the reform of Catholic education.

"Most disturbing of all is the return of The Vagina Monologues to the University of Notre Dame," Reilly said. "In the absence of moral leadership, Notre Dame will again thumb its nose at Bishop D'Arcy, who has publicly condemned the play and chastised the university."

Fort Wayne Bishop John D'Arcy has complained that The Vagina Monologues is "offensive to women" and "antithetical to Catholic teaching." Last year the play was moved off Notre Dame's campus, but this year campus performances will be sponsored by the Anthropology and Sociology Departments. CNS has written to Bishop D'Arcy urging him to intervene.

In The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, CNS refused to recommend Notre Dame, noting one professor's chilling comment that "a kid who is struggling with his faith will sink like a stone." But Newman Guide editor Joseph Esposito expressed hope that Notre Dame would strengthen its Catholic identity.

By contrast, 193 Catholic colleges in the United States will not participate in the annual "V-Day" college campaign, which occurs each year around Saint Valentine's Day.

"The nominally Catholic colleges that host this vile play are increasingly marginalized," Reilly said. "The progress is slow, but we're winning the fight against the Monologues."

More than half of the colleges hosting the play in 2008 are Jesuit, a fact with particular significance following recent statements by Pope Benedict XVI urging the Jesuits to fidelity and loyalty to the Church.

The Vagina Monologues is a sexually explicit and offensive play that favorably describes lesbian activity, group masturbation, and the reduction of sexuality to selfish pleasure. In one scene, the lesbian seduction of a teenage girl is described as the girl's "salvation" that "raised her into a kind of heaven."

CNS has contacted the president of each host college by mail, urging them to halt the play. CNS is also calling on its more than 20,000 members and other Catholics to convey their concerns about the Monologues to college presidents.  The full list is below.

The following Catholic colleges and universities are hosting the lewd play The Vagina Monologues.

Bellarmine University
Dr. Joseph McGowan, President


College of the Holy Cross
Fr. Michael McFarland, S.J., President


College of Mount Saint Vincent
Dr. Charles Flynn, Jr., President


College of Saint Rose
Dr. R. Mark Sullivan, President


DePaul University
Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., President
 

Dominican University of California
Dr. Joseph Fink, President


Fordham University
Fr. Joseph McShane, S.J., President
 

Georgetown University
Dr. John DeGioia, President
 

John Carroll University
Fr. Edward Glynn, S.J., President


Le Moyne College
Dr. John Smarrelli, Interim President


Loyola Marymount University
Fr. Robert Lawton, S.J., President


Loyola University Chicago
Fr. Michael Garanzini, S.J., President
 

Loyola University New Orleans
Fr. Kevin Wildes, S.J., President


Marygrove College
Dr. David Fike, President


Regis College
Dr. Mary Jane England, President


Saint Louis University
Fr. Lawrence Biondi, S.J., President


Saint Mary's College of California
Br. Ronald Gallagher, President


University of Detroit Mercy
Fr. Gerard Stockhausen, S.J., President


University of Notre Dame
Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., President


University of San Francisco
Fr. Stephen Privett, S.J., President

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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information.

From the Right, Both Acceptance and Distrust of McCain - Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/06/AR2008020604769_...

GOP conservatives were in the mood to unite behind McCain, regardless of what good folks like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Dr. Dobson say about him - Deal W. Hudson
http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_myblog&Itemid=127

Video: McCain at CPAC–not quite The Uniter yet By Michelle Malkin
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/02/07/video-mccain-at-cpac-not-quite-the-uniter-y...

McCain Must Convince Skeptical Conservatives by Deeds, not Words; Viguerie: Rhetoric Won't do it
http://christiannewswire.com/news/628135631.html

McCain's is a peculiar conservatism - needs to train himself at least to oppose the things conservatives oppose. Conservatives should view McCain not as a hostile force, but as a foreign and unfamiliar presence, bearing real potential as well as real risk By Yuval Levin National Review
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OWM2NWZlYjVmOGFiY2E1MGQ4ZmI5YTFlZjg5NTIxYTM...

Rush Limbaugh suggests McCain will march Republicans to defeat in November unless he picks Mike Huckabee, who did well among Christian evangelicals last night, as his running mate.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=4250919&page=2

McCain is planning to toss Huckabee overboard as soon as he's served his purpose- Mark Steyn
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NGUyNjRmZGQ2NzBiZjY5OTIwYTExMGVjMWYzZjc...

Once John McCain Wins, He'll Make a Left
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02062008/news/columnists/once_john_wins__hell_make_a...

Why the Clintons shouldn't be president - Combative and restless, Bill Clinton would have inordinate influence behind the scenes — but with no accountability
http://www.macleans.ca/world/usa/article.jsp?content=20080206_72355_72355

Anyone who still has an easy confidence about the Catholic “place” in American life had better wake up By Charles J. Chaput
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=966

Members of Congress and community leaders decry hijacking of President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/14665/CWA/life/index.htm

Liberty and grievance in Canada.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/687vefpl.asp

Canadian MP Keith Martin refusing to withdraw private member's motion to delete section of Human Rights Code - Leader Stephané Dion wants him to withdraw the motion
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=91e424b3-d03b-496a-bdee-891...

National Post comes out strongly in favour of Liberal MP Keith Martin's move to have dangerous subsection 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act repealed
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=288198

CBC blasted for exploiting Neo-Nazis to support its opposition to Keith Martin's widely supported motion to change Canadian Human Rights Act
http://soonews.ca/viewblog.php?id=15826

Oregon Homicide Exposes the Fallacy that Euthanasia Can be Controlled Says Fr. Pavone
http://christiannewswire.com/news/149765620.html

Planned Parenthood Works to Increase its Share of Abortion Market by building supoer abortion clinics
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000006470.cfm

Lawsuit after abortion survivor's speech banned - 'We just don't like to encourage discussion of those types of issues in our facilities'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=55714

The March for Life News Blackout
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2008/02/07/catching-march-life-blackout

Brazilian bishops’ conference official defends and promotes abortion
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=11694

Bush Calls on Senate to Give Nominees a Fair Vote - More than 180 highly-qualified nominees — including 28 judicial nominees — awaiting fair vote in the Senate, nine have been waiting more than two years.
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000006472.cfm

Should Political Leaders be Jailed for Questioning Global Warming?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/02/07/should-political-leaders-b...

Cleaning Up The Media Clutter In Your Kid’s Room  
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/14648/BLI/dotcommentary/index.htm

Former Archdiocese of Los Angeles official decries city’s pornography industry - “the world capital of pornography” - Says Cardinal Mahony should step down and let Pope Benedict XVI appoint replacement.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=11724

What to expect at this year’s Los Angeles Catholic Religious Education Congress sponsored by Los Angeles archdiocese
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=737b73b7-955f-4531-90d7-82e2...

Conceiving Parenthood: American Protestantism and the Spirit of Reproduction
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=969

Deadline kills “anti-spanking” bill in state assembly
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=a10b17ca-4a03-4a18-ab55-9aa1...

Often, Teachers’ And Coaches’ Abuse Goes Unreported
http://ncregister.com/site/article/7970

Windows Vista SP1 lacks any compelling "must haves," and, in most cases, doesn't significantly improve performance (in some cases, it even degrades performance).
http://reviews.cnet.com/windows/windows-vista-sp1/4505-3672_7-32853289.html?tag=...

Why Are Media Calling Obama’s Super Tuesday Victory a Tie?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/02/06/why-are-media-calling-obam...

Canada's Conservative Government threatens confidence vote on crime bill
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/301129

Almost Unthinkable Global Warming Skepticism at NYT
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/02/06/almost-unthinkable-global-...

Global Warming Evangelism: Give Up Carbon For Lent!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/02/06/global-warming-evangelism-...

Jewish regret at Pope’s ‘missed opportunity’ in rewritten prayer
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3315419.ece

California assembly bill seeks to make large grant-writing foundations more homosexual friendly
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=79e0b96d-5c12-4578-8f91-22c2b684...;

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