OUR COLUMNISTS Saying Sorry for Lynchings and the Cheap Talk of Congressional Apologies Commentary by Matt Friedeman This year's Senate apology casts a vote of regret for Senate inaction on lynchings. All in favor, say "Aye!" And for those who didn't sign up as co-sponsors (only 15 of 100 senators didn't), get ready for reporters' phone calls. A Recipe for Families Commentary by Jane Jimenez Apple pie without the apples? How would one do that? And why? Sometimes, substitutes just won't do. Sporting Dads Commentary by Brad Locke Father-son relationships can literally be established or destroyed on the playing fields. Fathers who understand this can make a world of difference in the lives of their sons. Amnesia Commentary by David Sisler What would it be like to wake up and not remember the evil that you had done, the people you had hurt, the sins you had committed? What would you pay for a little selective amnesia? The Cross Is Not a Symbol of Racism Commentary by Mark Creech Regardless if racism is supported by racial mythology, economic privilege, or even perversions of biblical references to different people groups, God has declared over and again that racism, prejudice, and bigotry are sins.

...The child welfare department in Milwaukee is being sued for the illegal interrogation and seizure of two children at a Christian school. Steve Crampton, chief counsel with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy, filed the suit on behalf of the children and their parents. He says a social worker was given an anonymous tip of alleged child abuse, then went to the school and demanded that she be allowed to enter. "The principal wanted to call the parents and get permission," Crampton explains, "and the social worker actually told the principal, basically on pain of criminal violation, she could not contact the parents." The social worker then searched the children for signs of abuse by having them partially remove some of their clothing. Crampton says he litigated a similar case a couple of years ago in which a federal court ruled it is "patently unconstitutional" for government officials to search the premises of a private school and seize the children there without a warrant or a court order or some emergency. The attorney contends that the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare has, in effect, thumbed its nose at the court and made its own law. [Mary Rettig]

...California District Judge Gary Taylor has refused to take the "judicial activism" route, says Focus on the Family, and instead has taken into account the well-being of the nation's families. On Thursday, Judge Taylor upheld the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in a California case, providing "an excellent example of how judges ought to carry out their responsibilities," says FOTF analyst Amanda Banks. "Taylor's ruling upheld DOMA's definition of marriage as being 'one man and one woman' -- finding that there is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage -- and appropriately held that promoting traditional marriage is in the best interests of society," Banks adds. But the analyst points out a federal judge in Nebraska recently ruled just the opposite, throwing out that state's marriage amendment which had been approved by 70 percent of the voters. "Only a marriage protection amendment to the U.S. Constitution will eliminate this legislating by the courts," she says. Taylor, on the other hand, should be applauded for "refusing to follow the path to judicial activism taken by so many of his colleagues," she adds. [Jody Brown]

...Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is backing an effort to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot in his state. The proposed initiative would also ban civil unions for such couples. A spokesman for Romney thinks voters should get a measure that does not allow civil unions. The spokesman says allowing such partnerships "muddies the waters" by allowing unions that are marriage in everything but name. Supporters of traditional marriage unveiled the new citizen initiative on Thursday (June 16). November 2008 is the earliest it could appear on the ballot. The State Legislature has passed an amendment to ban same-sex marriages, but legalize civil unions. To sent it to the voters, lawmakers must pass an identical measure this year. The state's highest court ruled in November 2003 that the state constitution guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marry. [AP]

...Officials in Gibson County, Indiana, say they never intended to defy a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse grounds, despite their congressman's efforts to block the removal. Republican Congressman John Hostettler sponsored an amendment that was passed by the House, prohibiting federal money from being used to remove the monument. But the attorney who defended the Ten Commandments display says Gibson County residents will obey Judge Richard Young's ruling, whether they like it or not. Young has put his order on hold pending rulings on two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. [AP]

...A Memphis-based ministry designed to provide treatment and recovery for sexual problems is being protested by homosexual activists. The group's executive director says he cannot understand why a message of love and hope is being met with such hate. Love In Action International is a Christ-centered recovery treatment center that helps individuals make informed decisions about sexuality choices. The program helps people who are willing to leave the homosexual lifestyle. The ministry's headquarters in Memphis have been picketed by a group of lesbians who do not like that message. LIA executive director John Smid says his group simply offers solutions -- and that includes helping parents with confused children. It is that stance which has sparked the lesbians' protests. "With our adult program, that is absolutely our philosophy: if a person wants to pursue counseling and therapeutic groups and support to live a sober and obedient life in Christ outside of inappropriate sexual behaviors, we offer that option to them," Smid explains. "For the youth, we believe very strongly that the parents hold the convictions about how they will raise their children." Smid says he is simply asking everyone to show a little tolerance and open-mindedness about his ministry -- something he notes homosexuals claim they care most about. [Rusty Pugh]

...Sex offenders not welcome -- that's a key feature for a new housing development in Lubbock, Texas. The new housing development will be doing a background check to keep sex offenders from purchasing homes there. Jerry Brown with the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development tells Family News In Focus that the Fair Housing Act does not prohibit screening for sex offenders. "From our perspective, they're not a protected class," the HUD spokesman says. "They're not covered under familial status; they're not covered under race or religion. They're not a protected class." It is believed the subdivision may be the first in the nation to make sex crime history a disqualifier for purchase. [FNIF/Terry Phillips]

...A pro-family senator is taking on a public health professor who charged that abstinence education programs are filled with lies. Sam Brownback of Kansas bristled at the criticism of abstinence education programs by Case Western Reserve University professor Dr. Scott Frank. "Clearly abstinence education does work," the senator emphasizes. "More teens now are abstaining and waiting until they are older. This is according to the 2004 National Survey of Family Growth report." Despite the professor's criticism, Brownback says there is much more proof of the value of abstinence eduation. "Abstinence education is well referenced in peer-reviewed journals and other reputable sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Health," Brownback says. "Abstinence until marriage and fidelity afterwards is the only 100 percent effective method to prevent [sexually transmitted diseases]." The Kansas lawmaker says it also prevents out-of-wedlock births. [Bill Fancher]

...A Democratic senator is under fire for his verbal attack against American military personnel who are guarding the terrorist suspects being kept at Guantanamo Bay. Senator Dick Durbin compared what is taking place at "Gitmo" to Hitler's concentration camps, Stalin's gulags, and Pol Pot's killing fields. Gary Bauer of the Campaign for American Families says he has "great sympathy" for the citizens of Illinois. "It must be a very disheartening thing to wake up and realize that your U.S. senator cannot distinguish between the murderous death camps of Nazi Germany or the gulag of the Soviet Union -- and the inconveniences that a few terrorist thugs are suffering at Guantanamo Bay," the conservative spokesman says. Bauer calls the senator's comments a "disservice" to the nation, to America's fighting men and women, and to the soldiers at Gitmo who are guarding the terrorist prisoners. [Bill Fancher]

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