...The American Family Association says it is sad that CBS Television found it necessary last night to include swear words in its documentary on the September 11 terrorist attacks. AFA President Don Wildmon says the producers could have elected to "bleep out" the offensive language, but instead chose to expose their audience to the vulgarity. Wildmon says it is part of the ongoing downward spiral of quality on network shows -- and he says that is why AFA has started its e-mail alert system called OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com. He says the AFA alert system will be used today to voice the concern of members for the CBS broadcast.

...A report says the Disney-owned ABC Network is in deep financial trouble. According to USA Today, the economic outlook for ABC is anything but good. It quotes analysts who say Disney will likely go from a profit of $150 million last year to a $300-million loss this year. Plummeting ratings for its prime time programs tell the dismal story. The evening audience is down 23%, putting ABC a distant third behind NBC and CBS. Shows that ABC thought would be major audience grabbers, such as the adult-oriented NYPD Blue and The Practice, are failing to do so. Several years ago, conservative groups such as the American Family Association started a boycott of Disney. Among other things, they saw the often vulgar, violent, and anti-Christian films produced and distributed through its subsidiary, Miramax, as a betrayal of its once pristine family-friendly image.

...A California student group canceled its scheduled performance at an American Red Cross luncheon yesterday. That’s because Red Cross officials told the kids they could not sing any songs that used the words "God" or "prayer." Seventh- and eighth-graders from the Orange County High School of the Arts had planned to sing a medley of "America the Beautiful," "Prayer of the Children," and "God Bless the USA" in honor of the victims and heroes of September 11. But their group director says a Red Cross representative told her that the lyrics might offend some in the audience. A Red Cross official said, "We are not a religious organization. We have to be neutral and impartial in all situations."

...Pennsylvania Republican Representative Joe Pitts is opposed to any form of human cloning, regardless of the reason. Even though proponents are promising it could lead to the cure of all sorts of diseases, Pitts says creating human embryos, scavenging their parts, and killing them is wrong. As he puts it: "This is sick, and it needs to stop." He says America is waiting for the Senate to do what the House has already done -- pass a cloning ban -- so that the "immoral, unethical science" can be stopped. Pitts says advocates of cloning may want to call it "nuclear transplantation," but it is still cloning and it is still wrong.

...A spokeswoman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform says her organization supports the idea announced by the Pentagon to put military troops along America’s borders. Susan Tulley says the U.S. needs to stop its "nice guy approach" when protecting its borders, and allow the military to take the same attitude as that of the Border Patrol -- which is if you are threatened, then you have to what you have to do. Tulley says the Border Patrol simply does not have the manpower to effectively patrol the vast area of our frontiers. That is why she believes the military needs to help out.

...The effort to once again introduce the Constitutional Prayer Amendment is gearing up. David Barton of WallBuilders ministry says resolutions asking Congress to take action on the amendment are surging through 5,500 counties in America. He says it is not just activists and grassroots groups that behind the surge, but also elected officials. Barton says in addition to supporting the resolutions, supporters are being urged to call Congress and let their opinions be known. The amendment is introduced in each Congress, but has failed thus far.

...Moderate Baptists in Texas have pledged $1 million to help Southern Baptist missionaries who decline to endorse a doctrinal statement they are being asked to approve. The moderate Baptist General Convention of Texas said it created the fund after hearing from more than 60 missionary families who said they could not sign the "Baptist Faith and Message" -- which opposes women pastors and says wives should "submit graciously" to their husbands. Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board asked missionaries in January to affirm the doctrinal statement. The Texas moderates say some missionaries feared they would lose their jobs if they refused.

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