OUR COLUMNISTS Freedom of Speech for Churches Guest Commentary by Paul Weyrich Churches are not just in danger of losing their tax-exempt status for intervening in elections. They are in danger of losing their tax-exempt status for intervening in policy politics. In other words, even if churches and synagogues preach the Word of God -- about life, about marriage, or about sin -- this can be interpreted as practicing politics. Virtually Vapid Commentary by Brad Locke Sports video games provide an advanced form of escapism. They move us a degree further from reality. And the further removed we are from reality, the further removed we are from God and His real truths. We forget that God is in control of all things. On the Ballot Commentary by David Sisler Fifty-two senators dishonored marriage by voting against the Federal Marriage Amendment last week. Fifty of them had the courage to stand on the Senate floor and say, "Nay." Two cowards did not even show up to vote. Those two yellow-stripers are what constitutes the longest sewer in the country. It runs from Massachusetts to North Carolina and has a John at both ends.

...A pro-life advocate says Planned Parenthood has sunk to new lows with the release of a T-shirt that brazenly promotes abortion. Viewers of the Democratic National Convention coverage this week got a sneak peek at the latest offering from Planned Parenthood: T-shirts with the words "I had an abortion" in bold letters across the front. The shirts were visible on a number of young females at the convention in Boston. Jim Sedlak of the American Life League says the shirts were released just in time for the Democrats' big show. "We are absolutely outraged at this T-shirt," he says. "Basically it is someone wearing a sign on their front saying 'I killed my child.' No sensible organization would put this kind of a shirt out to the public. It shows the depths to which Planned Parenthood has sunk, and it shows how much Planned Parenthood looks for any opportunity it can to make money." The pro-life advocate points out that the shirts sell for $15 each on Planned Parenthood's website. "It is making money off of women who have had abortions -- and we think it is absolutely atrocious," he says. Sedlak believes many Planned Parenthood supporters are unaware of the group's true agenda, which he says is primarily abortion-for-profit. [Rusty Pugh]

...Dr. John Kilner, president of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (CBHD), is criticizing Ron Reagan, Jr.'s stance on embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR) and so-called therapeutic cloning as both misinformed and misleading. Kilner says history is littered with similarly misguided attempts "to relieve suffering by cutting ethical corners," but in the case of ESCR, he points out that it is not only unadvisable to do so -- it is unnecessary. The Center's president notes, "All that Ron Reagan advocated can be achieved through adult stem-cell research. But he amazingly never mentioned adult stem cells. Instead, his misleading language covered up the fact that producing the cells he seeks requires cloning human beings and then destroying them." But Kilner insists, "Cloning and killing are too high an ethical price to pay, particularly when there is another safe way to develop the same cures." Daniel McConchie, director of public relations at the CBHD, points out that the U.S. government is spending around $28 million this year on ESCR, and the administration is proposing to add $18 million to that. He says more money would be better spent on adult stem-cell research, where 45 diseases are currently being treated, and new treatments are forthcoming. [Jenni Parker]

...One of the founders of a group of Vietnam veterans dedicated to the defeat of John Kerry thinks the Democratic presidential candidate was show-boating when he entered Boston aboard a water taxi yesterday. Kerry was accompanied by a number of men who served with him in Vietnam as he entered the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. Ted Sampley of Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry says the senator's grandstanding reflects his service in Vietnam. He says Kerry spent "four short months in so-called combat, where he managed to secure three Purple Hearts resulting from three of what I call 'ow-ee scratches.' None of the wounds caused him to go into the hospital, but he used those Purple Hearts as an excuse to leave Vietnam after he'd done a little bit of grandstanding to get a Silver Star and a Bronze Star." Sampley says Kerry apparently knew that receiving three Purple Hearts would get him a free-trip home, so he used those medals to leave Vietnam eight months before his tour of duty was over. [Chad Groening]

...The official selection of John Edwards as the vice presidential candidate for the Democratic Party is being celebrated by trial lawyers all across the United States. Cliff Kincaid of the think tank America's Survival believes trial lawyers are excited about being another step closer to putting one of their kind in the White House. And the infusion of lawyers' money into the Kerry campaign has been a big help in its promotion, Kincaid says, adding, "It is a really extraordinary story for a lobby like the lawyers, or what some call the litigation lobby, to actually buy a slot on the national campaign ticket." This influx of influence in the form of capital comes at a time when tort reform efforts in Congress threaten to take a sizeable chunk out of lawyers' wallets by limiting damages in lawsuits. Kincaid feels sure that Senator Edwards' presence on Pennsylvania Avenue would have a big impact on tort reform efforts under way in the House. [Bill Fancher]

...On Wednesday, Human Rights Campaign President Cheryl Jacques addressed the Democratic National Convention, calling for equal rights for homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans and for the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. Jacques mentioned her lesbian partner and their twin boys, saying she spoke for all of them when she said she was proud to be back in her home state of Massachusetts, where she and others are "working for marriage equality." Jacques also made an appeal on behalf of homosexuals in the military who "seek the right to serve openly and honestly in our armed forces." The head of the Human Rights Campaign went on to praise Senators John Kerry and John Edwards for opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment, a constitutional amendment that would ban homosexual "marriage" by defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. "Together we will send a message for all Americans to hear, that the light of inclusion will once again wipe away the darkness of division," Jacques said, ending her address with, "Thank you, and God bless America." [Jenni Parker]

...One of America's most prominent black ministers says legalization of homosexual marriage "has to stop short of the doorsteps of the Church." Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House church in Dallas says Christians should be "tolerant and respectful," but freedom of religion means that tolerance should be a two-way street. Jakes says "the times may come that we are persecuted for our faith," but he does not believe that a "biblically-based church" can perform marriages for homosexual couples. [AP]

...Barry Lynn's organization, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, is taking aim at ministers and priests who voice any political opinions or views from the pulpit. North Carolina Representative Walter Jones says Lynn is out to stifle free speech in churches throughout the land. "I can honestly tell you that he's already filed a complaint against the Catholic Bishop in Colorado Springs, Bishop Sheridan, simply because the bishop wrote a three-page pastorial [sic] letter to every Catholic in his diocese, reminding them that they should look carefully at pro-life candidates. He never said the word Bush, he never used the word Kerry. What he did was use the word pro-life." Lynn is trying to use a law that could cause churches to lose their tax-exempt status if found guilty of uttering political speech. However, Jones says Catholic clergy and other religious leaders have the right to voice their views under the First Amendment. The Congressman has a bill before the House that would allow churches to engage in free speech without fear of negative legal consequences. [Bill Fancher]

...To avoid a lawsuit, a city councilman in Fredericksburg, Virginia, did not give the opening prayer at Tuesday night's council meeting as planned. Councilman Hashmel Turner, who is also an associate minister at a Baptist church, yielded to council members' requests to let someone else give the invocation. Turner usually prays in Jesus' name, but said he "wouldn't want to burden the taxpayers with heavy legal expenses" from a threatened lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. The prayer issue surfaced after the federal appeals court whose jurisdiction includes Virginia ruled last week in a South Carolina case that prayers with Christian references at the beginning or end of public meetings are unconstitutional. [AP]

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