LITTLE NOTES
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Contents © 2000
by Jim Holman.
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APRIL 2000 LITTLE NOTES
ACCORDING TO NORMS approved by U.S. bishops in November 1999, theologians who teach in Catholic universities are expected to request a mandate from their local bishops. Pope John Paul II called for these mandates in his 1990 apostolic letter on higher education, Ex Corde Ecclesiæ (From the Heart of the Church), which speaks of his desire to ensure that Catholic colleges and universities remain faithful to Catholic tradition. Some theologians, claims the February 25 issue of the National Catholic Reporter, say that when the time comes to seek certification from a church official, they will not do it. Gary Macy, professor and former chair of the theology department at the University of San Diego, said he will not seek a mandate. "I suspect that many will not," he said. (Macy is a frequent contributor to the National Catholic Reporter.)ASKED BY A CALLER to Roger Hedgecock's February 25 show if her Planned Parenthood-favorable scorecard rating of 85 percent is true, Catholic state assemblywoman Charlene Zettel replied, "Whether one is pro-life or pro-choice, the Supreme Court has spoken on the issue, period." Attempting to equate Viagra with contraceptives, she deplored the fact that Viagra is available over-the-counter while contraceptives are not, and she admitted that she has voted in favor of government-funded contraceptives. She also said she opposed Proposition 22, the Defense of Marriage initiative.
BRIAN BILBRAY, when asked if he supports fetal tissue research on Roger Hedgecock's March 9 show, he affirmed, "Absolutely." He said, "Fetal tissue is not a new thing when it comes to research.... We not only have a right but a responsibility to make sure we get some good out of the tragedies in life."
THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE'S editorial stance appeared to be more anti-family, pro-abortion and pro-homosexual than ever in its ballot recommendations for the March 7 California primary. Republicans endorsed tended to be social liberals, particularly Senate candidate Tom Campbell, a vocal abortion rights advocate and state senate candidate Mark Watton. Senator John McCain, while claiming to be pro-life, has flip-flopped more than once on his position on abortion. The most disturbing endorsement was for a "no" vote on Proposition 22, the ballot measure to recognize only heterosexual marriages, which passed by a wide margin.
So who's responsible for this liberal shift on the editorial board of the once conservative paper? The members of the U/T's editorial Board are David and Helen Copley, cartoonist Steve Kelly, Tom Nolan, Bob Kittle, Bill Osborne, Herb Klein, Karin Winner, Bernie Jones, Allen Miller, Jim Gagek, Joseph Perkins, James Goldsborough, and Bob Caldwell. While Kelly, Perkins, Caldwell and Klein are ususally conservative, the paper's liberal drift began when Mrs. Copley took over from her late husband, James. Goldsborough's columns are usually liberal. Jones, acting as opinion page editor, once ran a cartoon depicting the Catholic Church turning its head from the holocaust.
AMONG THE POPULAR RECORDING ARTISTS who support abortion-on-demand are Rage Against the Machine, Jewel, Carrie Newcomer, Ani DiFranco, Madonna, Melisssa Etheridge, Foo Fighters, Joan Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cher, Sara McLachlan, Indigo Girls, Santana, Stone Temple Pilots and Bush. A complete list of both pro-abortion and pro-life recording artists and bands is available on Rock for Life's website, www.rockforlife.org/thebands.html. "Rock for Life is dedicated to fight until abortion is abolished and a respect for the gift of life is restored." For more information, contact Rock for Life, P.O. Box 1350, Stafford, VA 22555 / 540-659-4171 / rockforlife@all.org.
NICOLE BOYLE, 23, moved out of the Real House on November 18, 1999, after living there "for a little under six months." The Real House, a five-bedroom, three-bathroom residence located near San Diego State University, contains over 20 cameras that feed audio and video to a paid membership Internet site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In August, 1999, Nicole gave her first interview to News Notes. In interviews on February 27 and March 10, 2000, she described how her experiences affected her Catholic faith and general outlook.
During the time she lived in the Real House, Boyle said, her perspective changed radically. "This house was nothing that I thought it was going to be. I moved in because it sounded exciting living in paradise with a pool and cameras -- a huge challenge. But the real challenge was living with six strangers.
"I went into it with such an open mind, thinking, 'Okay, I can change people in the house, shed some light on them.' I thought maybe I could change them and spread my faith and make it a positive environment, but instead they brought me down and I was becoming like them. You find yourself slipping when you're in an environment like that. Actually, I stopped going to Mass for awhile, and going back [to Mass] just made me realize that living there was wrong and how susceptible you become to the negative energy and the nearness of sin."
"GREETINGS FELLOW DISCIPLES OF CHRIST: This is a reminder that we will be working with Holy Spirit parish this weekend (and every weekend during Lent) in a combined effort to spread our Catholic faith. We will meet at 10:00, at Holy Spirit Church, 2725 55th Street, 619-262-2435.
"If you are in the North County, St. Mary's in Escondido will also start evangelizing this weekend. Contact me at the number below if you are interested in this new project.
"It is very exciting to see many people taking to heart the words of the Holy Father regarding the Springtime for Evangelization. I have received many calls and letters from people asking how to start evangelizing in their area. The momentum is definitely building!
"Going door-to-door is not the only way to evangelize. Your day-to-day witness is a perfect way to evangelize. Demonstrating that you are "proud to be Catholic" works just as well. It still does not mean getting involved in heated debates -- but it does require knowing your faith.
"Many have had fears about going door to door with us, but we have found out there is a lot of encouragement from the people that we meet. No negative situations have been reported from our evangelizers. It's worth it when you meet a person who has been waiting for someone to help guide them back into the Church!
"For the Glory of His Kingdom, Mary and all the Saints, Scott Maxwell (760-788-3166)."
RALPH OVADAL, pastor of Christ the King Church in Monroe, Wisconsin, was the featured speaker at the "Answering Sodom" men's conference held at West Hills Christian Fellowship in Spring Valley the weekend of January 28-30. According to Pastor Gary Cass, the conference, attracted 50 men; state assemblyman Steve Baldwin also spoke during the Friday night session (see following story).
Approximately 30 anti-Ovadal picketers, mainly women, protested outside the church prior to Ovadal's 7:00 P.M. talk. They beat bongo drums and carried signs stating "Stop Preaching Bigotry," "Hate is Not a Family Value," "No Hate, No Bigotry, No on Knight," "Bigotry Hurts Everyone," "Unitarian Universalists Affirming the Inherent Worth and Dignity of All People," and "Straight but Not Narrow."
Katie DeBolt, a middle school teacher in the Poway Unified School District, explained that she and others were protesting Pastor Ovadal's talk "because people are spreading lies and rumors about gay people, and they're speaking in error and they're stereotyping, and this doesn't work for us; that's not who I am." Referring to Steve Baldwin's slide presentation, which shows homosexualist ideology in public schools, DeBolt said, "What Steve Baldwin is saying on his film, that's not part of my reality; that's not who I am. And I'm here to be a testimony to that."
DeBolt continued, "I feel oppressed, as a lesbian and I don't have my civil rights. You know we're supposed to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Well, I have life; that's what I have. I don't have liberty. I do, to a certain extent, but I am always concerned about my safety. And I certainly don't have the pursuit of happiness if I don't have the same rights that heterosexual people have."
Protester Lori Brickley, who lives in Poway with her female lover of five years, her 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, said, "We hope to accomplish diversity and equality for the whole world." When asked how it can be good for children to grow up without traditional family with role models of both sexes, she said, "I'd get married in a minute [to my partner] if I could. The thing that matters is if my children turn out to be happy productive adults. How will they know how to love if it's not modeled?"
On Saturday morning, several protesters returned to West Hills, including a Unitarian church attorney and a female minister from the Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego; MCC has sponsored "Gay Leathermen Only" "Fisting for Beginners," and "Whipping 101" workshops." When confronted by West Hills member Shamgar Jabez about her church's sponsorship of the seminars, the MCC minister denied the charges and said that she teaches safe sex through condom use.
Pastor Ovadal opened his Friday night talk with a history of his pro-life and anti-homosexual activism. Despite being jailed 130 times, having his driver's license suspended for 10 years, losing his property, and receiving death threats (including an anthrax scare), he praised God for looking after him. "Jesus will take care of us as long as we pick up our cross and follow him. It never fails to amaze me that Christians are afraid of the enemies of God. We have to stop thinking about what the enemy is going to do to us and start thinking instead about what we're going to do to them."
On Friday, April 8, at 7:00 P.M., CMU will sponsor "Seven Steps to Recruit-proof your Child from Homosexuality" at Casa De Oro Baptist Church. Scott Lively, Esq., co-author of The Pink Swastika -- Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, will be the featured speaker. This event is open to the public.
For more information, contact Christian Men United, P.O. Box 129, Spring Valley, CA 91976, phone (619) 466-0500, e-mail info@christianmenunited.com, or visit the website at http://www.christianmenunited.com.
STATE ASSEMBLYMAN STEVE BALDWIN spoke against the pro-homosexual lobby during the Friday night session of the "Answering Sodom" men's conference held at West Hills Christian Fellowship.
"We are indeed in the midst of a massive culture war," he stated, "a war that we are currently losing because Christian men ... are not in the battle, for the most part. Indeed, most Christians have no idea what's really going on.
"It's well-known that the homosexual community has targeted the Boy Scouts for attack, the Big Brothers program is under assault, and the bills that passed [in the state legislature] dramatically affect our public schools.
"When I was elected, I was shocked to find out that there were groups of gay teachers and gay administrators and gay school board members in a national group called Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) [www.glsen.org], with chapters in every major city, which strove to integrate pro-homosexual curricula throughout our history textbooks, literature textbooks, social studies and even science [textbooks] ... without the knowledge or consent of parents."
Baldwin distributed samples of pro-homosexual materials now used in California public schools. A handout produced for the Los Angeles Unified School District by its Gay and Lesbian Education Commission (GLEC) [www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/offices/gle] asserts that President Abraham Lincoln was a homosexual. A GLEC newsletter exalted the adoption of pro-homosexualist programs in elementary and middle schools and announced an "annual Gay & Lesbian Junior Prom" for students and "chaperones." Other samples distributed by Baldwin included an excerpt from "One Teenager in Ten," a Santa Rosa High School library book that portrays in graphic detail an adult lesbian's seduction of a teenage girl and a positive view of lesbianism; tips for practicing homosexual teachers on coming out of "the classroom closet"; a list of "gay and lesbian victories in the Los Angeles Unified School District" including, among other things, "full inclusion of ... gay and lesbian interests in the District's ... policies" and the distribution of condoms in high schools; an invitation from GLSEN to march in a "gay pride" parade; and suggestions for promoting the acceptance of sexually deviant lifestyles in schools, which appeared to be aimed at school faculty and staff members.
Baldwin described the GLEC as "adult homosexuals from outside the community who gather together and discuss how best to promote the gay lifestyle in the schools. We have them here [in East County school districts]; we have them in San Diego Unified [school districts]; they meet every few months. They have not only infiltrated our curriculum, but they have taken over all the professional associations [in the schools]. It is quite normal for counselors to counsel your child to become homosexual. That's commonplace; it happens all the time and most of the time parents will not be informed. In fact, the school counselors actually publish how-to manuals on how to encourage a child to come out of the closet. The most notorious school counseling program is called Project 10 in the LA Unified [school district]."
Baldwin explained that Project 10 was responsible for placing the above-referenced book in the Santa Rosa High School library. "The schools are passing out materials which actually encourage child molestation and statutory rape, and this is one of a couple of dozen stories, all similar, all pro-gay, all describing the seduction of our children by adult homosexuals, which are passed out in San Diego Unified, LA Unified, San Francisco, many of the large districts.
"Legislation passed last year institutionalizes what I've raised here tonight. AB 1001 places the term 'sexual orientation' into our housing and labor codes ... recognizing homosexuality as a minority group like race or gender. Another bill passed, AB 537, places sexual orientation in the education code.
"Both these bills passed by one vote. In every case, the one vote was a Christian voting for it: a guy named Tony Cardenas of Pasadena.... He was told by his Democratic colleagues that he could vote for these things and not violate his Christian convictions. I pointed out that AB 537, would apply to private Christian schools.... They mocked me; the media attacked me; editorials in the San Diego Union [-Tribune] called me a bigot; they said I was lying."
Baldwin concluded by noting that "our schools are always trying to tell kids not to smoke, not to drink, not to use drugs.... But they turn around and encourage the gay lifestyle which, on average, takes forty years off the male homosexual life span. It's the culture of death and they have no qualms about promoting it...."