OUR COLUMNISTS Democratic Leadership Vows to Block Traditional Marriage Amendment Guest Commentary by James L. Lambert A huge amount of registered Democrats probably do not realize their party's staunch opposition to upholding traditional marriage between one man and one woman. If word of this gets out, it could make a difference in such swing states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Florida. Paying for Trouble Commentary by Brad Locke It's a scenario that plays out regularly in professional sports: an athlete becomes more trouble than he's worth and is told to take a hike. Unfortunately, the scenario usually includes another team more than willing to accept such a player and all his baggage. God Bless America's Fighting Men and Women Commentary by David Sisler In recent days the memories of those who have given "the last full measure of devotion" have been darkened by other news. But President Bush has reminded us to honor their memory, honor their sacrifice, and give thanks for what they did. Simply Rearing Pagans Commentary by Mark Creech Between 12 and 15 million evangelical Christian children attend public schools. If the mass majority of these students were to leave public education, it would cripple the one system that is doing more harm to our nation than any single thing except perhaps the popular media.

...At a recent Capitol Hill summit, a Republican official told young conservatives it is crucial that Christians vote their values in this year's upcoming elections. According to an Associated Press report, Republican National Committee's Drew Ryun addressed the Eagle Forum Collegians Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., saying the Bible clearly teaches that Christians should be morally opposed to abortion and homosexual marriage and should vote accordingly. "The Bible speaks very clearly on those and how we are to act on those issues," Ryun says. The son of Kansas Congressman Jim Ryun told his audience the Bible is the "foundation upon which to build the rest of our lives," but that a growing effort to silence churches on moral issues is under way. The GOP's grassroots development director also told the crowd that this year's election will be a clash of world views between "postmodern relativists who believe that anything goes," and those Americans "who believe in absolute truth." [Sherrie Black]

...The Supreme Court has preserved the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, but only because the atheist who filed suit does not have custody of his daughter. That leaves the door open for future lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of public schoolchildren reciting the pledge. Political science professor Vincent Phillip Munoz says the Supreme Court has set a bad precedent with past rulings that forbid religious expression that purportedly endorses religion or even simply makes people feel excluded or uncomfortable. Munoz told a congressional hearing last week that reading the Constitution that way has encouraged anti-religious lawsuits resulting in "costly litigation" and preemptive bans on prayer and the Ten Commandments. The political science expert contends that the Supreme Court's reinterpretation of the First Amendment has, in effect, created a legal environment that is hostile to people of faith, and he fully expects that more lawsuits designed to remove religious expression from public life will follow. [AP]

...In mid-April, some of the largest pornography production companies in the U.S. announced a 60-day moratorium on filming because two porn stars have been diagnosed with HIV. The porn industry would appear to be susceptible to AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. For one thing, most customers of smut films demand that the portrayal of sex be without condoms. Moreover, according to the Los Angeles Times, there are more than 6,000 porn actors and production personnel in Southern California alone, and with thousands of "adult" films being produced each year, the potential for HIV infection seems clear. Some companies rejected the moratorium, said the Times, calling it "paranoid." One porn producer said filming sex with the actors using condoms "kills the fantasy." CitizenLink said that at least 45 male and female "adult" actors were under "voluntary quarantine" because they had had sex with the two infected porn stars or their sex partners. [AFA Journal]

...At their closed-door retreat in Denver this week, America's Roman Catholic Bishops are considering whether politicians who reject the church's teaching on abortion should receive Communion. The American Life League is urging the bishops to withhold the sacrament from such politicians until they either "recant their position or stop calling themselves Catholic." Bishops can set policy for their own dioceses and have taken varied positions on the issue. St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has said he would deny communion to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Other bishops have said such lawmakers should abstain from the sacrament, while another group of prelates say communion should not be used as a sanction. [AP]

...The head of the Christian Defense Coalition says the greatest threat to the U.S. today is not from terrorism, but from America's own activist judiciary. Pat Mahoney say the rights and freedoms of Americans are being trampled daily by judges with personal agendas. Meanwhile, he says, these same judges are threatening American lives as well. Mahoney remarks, "I was just in New York City, at Ground Zero. We mourn the loss of 3,000 people, but think about this for a moment: the federal bench issued a decision that has resulted in the deaths of 43 million innocent lives." The Christian Defense Coalition spokesman points out that the decision by activist judges that the most innocent of all life is not protected has resulted in the ongoing, legalized murder of 3,000 unborn babies in the U.S. each day. [Bill Fancher]

...An Arizona state representative who wants to replace Jim Kolbe in Congress says it makes sense for the U.S. military to help the Border Patrol in preventing illegal immigration into the country. Randy Graf, who is challenging Kolbe in the September 7 Republican primary, does not agree with the ten-term incumbent congressman when it comes to the question of putting troops on the border, and says Kolbe does not seem to understand how the troops could be used. "The military has done some exercises on our Canadian border where they shut down drug trafficking in conjunction with border control," Graf says. He goes on to explain, "The military does not have to do the interception and the apprehension, but they can identify and locate where people are coming across illegally and then notify the Border Patrol to do the apprehension." While Graf says Kolbe has opposed the idea of using troops by saying that the U.S. does not want to have tanks driving through Tucson, the GOP challenger insists that simply would not be the case. "We are simply talking about the technology and the manpower that the military can provide ... to reinforce the Border Patrol in doing their job," he says. [Chad Groening]

...Earlier this month Christian Coalition of Alabama officials called on the National Indian Gaming Commission to close all three of the Alabama Poarch Creek Indian gambling facilities, claiming they are operating illegal and unauthorized Las Vegas-style casino-style gambling operations. Coalition president John Giles says members of his group have obtained an investigative report that proves what they have maintained for some time -- "that these facilities are operating unconstitutionally and illegally," and his group is calling for their immediate closure. In a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), Giles reminded the government entity of its mandate to regulate gaming on Indian lands in order to shield tribes from unfair gaming practices, organized crime and other corrupting influences. "Gambling preys on the poor, elderly, and our youth, and we maintain it is poor public policy. We have been very patient for over a year wading through the bureaucratic maze to bring justice to Alabama," the Christian Coalition spokesman says. Now Giles is demanding that the NIGC provide clearer guidelines concerning illegal electronic gambling machines, and he is asking commissioners to "use their authority and close these facilities, as they have previously with other illegal gambling operations." [Jenni Parker]

...A European policy expert believes the United States must shore up its support of several European countries in order to counterbalance the defection of Spain to the Franco-German alliance. Nile Gardiner, visiting fellow for Anglo-American Security Policy at the Heritage Foundation, says thanks to the new socialist government in Spain, the balance of power in Europe has tilted away from the United States and Great Britain. He says what has happened is "a major strengthening of the Franco-German axis -- it's now a Franco-German-Spanish axis," he says. Gardiner notes that the French and the Germans continue to be very critical of the U.S. policy in Iraq, and so he says Washington needs to buttress its support elsewhere on the European continent in order to restore and maintain the balance of power on the continent. "I think Washington needs to redouble its efforts at diplomacy in Europe to try to shore up the pro-American coalition within Europe to act as a counter-weight to the power of France and Germany," Gardiner says. [Chad Groening]

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