2001 Little Notes
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Contents © 2001
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

JUNE 2001 LITTLE NOTES

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"Mimi and the boys will be going to the conference and will also participate in the pilgrimage, actually walking part of the way with me. There will be many needs and we solicit your prayers for our safety and provision. We are hoping that we will have the benefit of at least one person to come along as a coordinator and to help with baby sitting the children sometimes while Mimi and I walk. The whole idea will present some real challenges, but, once again, we will trust God and do this pilgrimage as a walk of faith. On this pilgrimage, I will have to go over the mountains again between Santa Inez and Santa Barbara; that was the leg that was so difficult on my original trip. Frankly, it is an intimidating prospect. Last time, I didn't know what I was getting into; but this time I know how difficult it is."


PRO-ABORTION VIOLENCE AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD, OCEANSIDE: Glen Biondi of Open Eyes Ministry sent the following report on April 16 about pro-abortion violence that occurred April 14 in front of Planned Parenthood, Oceanside: "On Saturday, April 14th, a group of us from Open Eyes decided to make an unscheduled visit to the Planned Parenthood in Oceanside, on Coast Highway. We were getting the usual welcome from the passersby, but one car with a couple of 'yuts' who couldn't have been more than 25 [years old] decided that they were going to try to scare us. As they were coming up on the northbound side, the same side as Planned Parenthood, the driver veered his car directly at me, my friend's wife Patty, and their 8-year-old son while traveling at a good rate of speed. Finally, within10 feet they turned back away from us and sped by.

"Patty was able to get the full license plate number and I contacted the Oceanside police department who dispatched a squad car. A Sergeant Aguigui showed up and was very pleasant. He even told a woman coming out of Planned Parenthood, who wanted us arrested, that we had a right to be there. We gave him the license number, but at this time we didn't file formal charges. The sergeant took my phone number and said he would be willing to run the plates and contact the owner and inform him that ... if another such incident occurs with him, we will file formal charges.

"We also informed him that the last time we were out there, a couple of weeks before, a white Nissan Sonoma drove by and threw eggs at us. However, we were unable to get the [license] plate [number] because these open-minded tolerant pro-murderers covered their plate with masking tape before making a drive-by. Howard and I ran to my car parked up the street and drove after them, but they had already disappeared. But our Lord is AWESOME. Not one egg hit us. Each egg hit a big picture, and at that not one broke until it hit the ground.

"While peacefully (as always) demonstrating at Scripps Hospital in Encinitas, on Monday morning, April 23, Howard [Putnam] from Open Eyes Ministry was assaulted by one of those open-minded tolerant pro-choicers.

"Howard and I were standing on a corner on the westbound side of Santa Fe [Drive] when a white Toyota Tacoma came to a screeching halt directly in front of me. Upon jumping out of his truck, this male pro-choicer looked at me and remarked 'You got something to say to me?' He then asked Howard the same question while walking around the back of his truck. Only he went right up to Howard and got in his face and asked the same question again. Howard didn't respond provocatively at all. The pro-choicer then tried to knock the sign out of Howard's hand, and he began getting very loud and cursing. After seeing him swing at the sign a second time I called 911 and was connected to the sheriff's department. As I was speaking with the dispatcher, the pro-choicer physically pushed Howard off the curb and into the drive.... Howard picked up the signs and walked back [and] said to the pro-choicer that 'God loves you.' The pro-choicer kept kicking the sign and even pushed Howard again.

"Each time, Howard came back proclaiming that God loves him. He also quoted other scripture verses. It seemed that each time Howard told this pro-choicer that God loves him and that Jesus died for him, he only got madder. However, Howard showed remarkable restraint and did not, in the least, respond in any way, either verbally or physically, provocatively.

"Interestingly, as I was giving the dispatcher a description of the vehicle and the pro-choicer, a tall man who saw the incident came over and tried to settle the pro-choicer down. Remarkably, this man was also a pro-choicer. He tried to explain to the assailant that we have a right to be there despite his not liking the pictures. Also witnessing the event were two Scripps Hospital employees that were outside in their scrubs enjoying a break.

"Unfortunately, the pro-choicer left before the sheriff's deputy arrived, however, as it turned out, she (the deputy) was a Christian and pro-life. She took statements from Howard, myself, and Ron, as well as Trisha, who was there with her 3-month-old son. I informed the deputy about the man who tried to calm the pro-choicer down, but he had disappeared. She was unwilling to include him in the report because he wasn't there, but before I could finish my statement this same man, who had walked into one of the stores across the street, reappeared. At first he told the officer that he was unwilling to give a statement. I graciously thanked him for stopping anyway, and as he walked away I said 'God bless you.' I continued with my statement to the deputy and by the time I was done, this man had returned yet again and told the deputy that he had changed his mind and would like to give a statement.

"Even more astounding is that before the deputy showed up, I noticed that the Scripps employees were returning back to work. I told Howard and he yelled to them and asked if they saw the incident. When they acknowledged that they had, Howard asked if he could get their names. One of them was willing and as it turned out that this man was also a Christian and was out on his break reading the bible!!

"He gave Howard his name, work number and church number. He also praised Howard for having such restraint. God is AWESOME in how he provided such witnesses.

"Finally, it couldn't have been 15 seconds after the deputy left that a white sedan drove by and threw a half-gallon bottle of water at Howard and me. Fortunately, God provided protection yet again, as the bottle landed smack in between Howard and myself and slid into the bushes, and not even the water touched us as it sprayed out of the bottle.

"So praise God for His protection, and provisions of the Christian witnesses."


WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHURCH and the media, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput emphasizes the personal touch, an aide says. (This is from an April 26 Zenit news release.)

"For years he has personally answered over 100 messages a day," Francis Maier, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado, said of his ordinary. "He could delegate this task to his team, but he has decided to answer personally, as it is a means that encourages personal relation."

Maier's comments came during the fourth International Conference of Institutional Communications, being held in Rome today and Friday, by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

"If you write the bishop, you can be sure that you will have an answer within a week, and that your letter ends up in his hands," Maier said. "It seems trivial, but it shows the pastor's attention to his flock. No one can say that the bishop has ignored him."

"Moreover," he added, "the bishop thus obliges his team to behave the same way, in order to avoid problems of isolation. So the expansion of the work of all the people is encouraged, including that of journalists."


USD GAY EMAIL. On May 3, the University of San Diego Senate passed this resolution: "The University prohibits discrimination against current or prospective students and employees on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic. The University does not by this non-discrimination statement disclaim any right it might otherwise have to maintain its commitment to its Catholic identity and the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church." In a May 3 e-mail message addressed to "PRIDE-rs & PRIDELAW-yers," two of USD's pro-homosexual student groups, Professor Evelyn Kirkley wrote, "There is reason to believe that the BOT [Board of Trustees] will favor this version of the policy.

"I realize this language is not what many of you want; I reported at the meeting the overwhelming responses I have heard from you to have a policy with unqualified language," said Kirkley. "However, I believe this language is strong and places the university in the position of demonstrating how an individual's sexual orientation indicates a lack of commitment to Catholic identity and doctrine. That is a fairly high bar, although I agree with many of you, not high enough."


FEWER THAN SIX MONTHS after she was elected to her first term in the California state assembly, Gloria Negrete McLeod (Democrat, San Bernadino County) has been selected as the first politician targeted for support of pro-homosexual legislation in full-page newspaper ads placed by the Campaign for California Families. The ads are being run in districts that voted overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 22, the Protection of Marriage Initiative, last year but whose state representatives have supported pro-homosexual bills.

The ad, which ran April 16 through 18 in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, claims that McLeod's support for bills AB 25 and AB 1338 is in direct opposition to the majority of her constituents who voted in favor of Proposition 22: "Last year, 74.9 percent of voters in the 61st Assembly District voted to protect and define marriage as only between a man and a woman -- that's more than voted for Gloria Negrete McLeod. And people are concerned. McLeod has been asked to sign a pledge protecting marriage on behalf of the voters in her district. So far, she's refused.

"AB 25 robs marriage of its value by giving 14 marriage rights to homosexual 'domestic partners.' In addition to undermining marriage between a man and a woman, AB 25 is unnecessary because most of its provisions can already be accessed through inexpensive legal forms. Awarding spousal benefits to non-spouses, this bill cheapens the value of every marriage for every child to see.

"AB 1338 equates a homosexual partner with a married spouse in all areas of the law. It forces Vermont-style 'civil unions' on California, essentially legalizing homosexual 'marriage.' This bill makes a mockery of marriage by making a wife and a 'spouse' in a 'civil union' morally equivalent in the eyes of the law." (AB 1338 was dropped for the year shortly after the ad was published.

"McLeod was the first one and there are going to be a lot more. The battle has just begun," said the Campaign's Randy Thomasson in a May 7 telephone interview. "McLeod voted for AB 25 in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee. She said this is a civil right, so that means she believes in a right to homosexual marriage.

Pro-lifer Judy DeVries, a McLeod constituent who directs Project Jericho in Montclair, said on May 9 that the assemblywoman "ran [her campaign] as a Nell Soto type who we thought was a Catholic Hispanic and therefore pro-life. She hit all the Catholic churches with fliers. We voted for her thinking she was going to represent us, knowing what we voted on Prop 22, and then she turns around and slaps us in the face with AB 25, totally contrary to what her district voted."

When asked "Is McLeod Catholic?" a Sacramento office staffer said she could not answer the question. "We don't discuss religion here." A staffer at McLeod's district office said, "She prefers not to state her religion. That's a personal request of hers." The staffer did admit, however, that "a majority of her family" is Catholic.


NOT THE PRODUCT OF RAPE. The case of Paulina, the Mexicali teenager whose claims she was raped provoked an unparalleled debate about abortion across Mexico, has taken an unexpected turn. DNA testing has revealed that the man the girl accused of sexually attacking her cannot be the father of her baby. Two separate DNA tests, one at the request of the accused rapist's defense attorney and a second requested by Paulina's attorney after the results of the first test became public knowledge in March, proved that Julio César Cedeño Alvarez cannot be the father of her child. Paulina had said that Cedeño raped her in July 1999 in Mexicali when she was just 14 years old.

Paulina was able to obtain legal authorization for an abortion -- which is normally illegal in Mexico -- because she said her pregnancy was the result of a rape. But doctors at Mexicali's General Hospital refused to perform the abortion, and state health officials later persuaded her family not to go through with the abortion. On April 13, 2000, Paulina gave birth to a son, Isaac, at a private clinic in Mexicali. Pro-life groups paid Paulina's medical bills, and provided the family with money for diapers, milk, medicine, pediatric exams, and other necessities.

When feminists in Mexicali learned of Paulina's case, they filed a complaint with the State Attorney General for Human Rights alleging that Paulina, as a victim of rape, had been denied her "right" to an abortion. The findings of the attorney general, issued in a March 3, 2000 report, were severely critical of everyone involved in preventing the abortion. Paulina and her family have repeatedly asked for financial compensation from the state for refusing to allow the abortion, and have repeatedly appealed to the public at large for support. Books have been written about her and her case discussed on radio and television. But the latest revelation -- that the accused rapist could not be the baby's father -- has cast doubt on the girl's original story. "The important thing is that the child was not the product of rape," said Baja California Governor Alejandro González Alcocer. "For me, this is fundamental." The governor said he was "absolutely" certain that Paulina knows who the father of the child is -- and she needs to reveal the truth. Tijuana Bishop Rafael Romo Muñoz said it was clear that Paulina "was manipulated by other persons." Romo said that, while he did not seek to condemn anyone, "we want to express our discontent that someone who was supposedly guilty is not." Mexicali Bishop Jose Isidro Guerrero Macías, who has been openly critical of Paulina and her family from the outset of the controversy, told newspaper reporters: "If it is not him, we need to keep looking for the truth."

Paulina and her family held a press conference on May 2 after the second DNA results came in. She and her family maintain that the first man she accused of rape still raped her -- but that a second rapist the same night may be the father of her child. Feminist groups have posted a $5000 reward for the capture of the 'second rapist.'


MEMBERS OF CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION OF MUSICIANS, founded six years ago by John Michael Talbot, will appear in concert at East County Performing Arts Center in El Cajon on July 21. Singing will be Tony Melendez (plays guitar with his feet), Chris Muglia ("Fight the Fight," "Change the World"), Connie Salazar ("I Heard a Gentle Call"), Peter Rubalcava (nominated for 1990 Grammy, director of liturgy at Mt. Carmel in Rancho Penasquitos), and Donna Lee ("Immaculate Heart, O Sacred Heart," St. Louise parish in Crest). Note from the group points out that "We need the support of our Catholic church. The evangelical community will only support us so much. They have their own huge concerts at various venues around San Diego." Tickets available by phone at 619-440-2277.


PRO-LIFERS FROM FIVE MINISTRIES shared the Gospel and showed the truth about abortion to thousands of people at the Earth Day fair in Balboa Park on Sunday, April 22.

Last year pro-lifers were denied an exhibitor's permit and one of their members, Jarmey Fowler, was arrested for displaying a small abortion poster. This year besides poster displays at Park Boulevard and President's Way, "We had two booths inside the park, one for evangelism and one for abortion," said organizer Cheryl Sullenger.

"We applied for the abortion booth under the name 'San Diegans Against Violence and Discrimination.' That booth was near the Prado entrance, right next to Planned Parenthood."

Sullenger said that they were "very up front" about their reason for wanting to exhibit at the festival. "We told [the Earth Day people] that we intended to share the Gospel, that we believe people are more valuable than animals and plants."

Steve Klein, director of San Diego Christians United, explained the pro-lifers' strategy in an April 23 e-mail message: "[We had a] Grand Slam coalition of Open Eyes Ministries, California Life Coalition, Operation Rescue, Unchained Christian Church, and San Diego Christians United. We had a 3-prong approach: Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King.

"Outside [at the intersection], we had our prophets holding down graphic signs and bobbing and weaving as the 'tolerant' pagans let us know that they weren't happy with us. At least 70,000 people went right by our signs.

"[Inside] We had our Priest booth with our evangelizers. Right across [from] them was the Muslim booth. The mullah kept going over to our booth to bring his boys back as they were so interested in what our evangelizers were presenting on the truth.

"At the King booth we set up our pro-life booth ... and who was our next door neighbor booth? Planned Parenthood! We were able to stay in our booth, after an hour and a half of negotiations on our part and whining on Planned Parenthood's part and ... we were able to put up our graphic pictures! Of all the booths at Earth Day, clearly ours was by far the most busy."

Brenna Sullenger told how Planned Parenthood and Earth Day personnel tried to stop the pro-life exhibit: "At 8:45 a.m. we started to set up all the literature. Mariah from Earth Day came over and wanted to know who was in charge. I said I was since Troy Newman hadn't gotten there yet. She pulled me aside, and she was very upset. She said that since we didn't say that we were going to be displaying graphic literature, she could throw us out. I had told her that I didn't remember what I had put on the application and that she'd have to show it to me, so she said she'd go get it.

"She started talking to the other Earth Day people and the police, and they wanted us removed. By that time Troy had arrived, so the police came over and were talking to him about the application. I guess they thought we were trying to pull one over on them. Michael Kumeta talked to the police officers and explained what we meant by our application and what we were doing. The police didn't have a problem with it after Michael explained it to them, and they said we could stay."

Since last year, local pro-life leaders, assisted by La Mesa attorney Michael Kumeta, have cultivated relationships with key San Diego law enforcement personnel to ensure that pro-lifers' rights are upheld. Kumeta worked with the American Center for Law and Justice to get Fowler's charges dismissed.

Festival-goers -- sometimes as many as five deep -- lined up at the abortion booth to take brochures, see a 14-week-old miscarried "Baby Teddy," ask questions, or argue with pro-lifers. Spontaneous discussions also broke out amongst people in the crowd. Despite complaints about the posters by some passers-by, several adults with young children -- mostly black and Hispanic -- walked up to get a close look at the graphic posters.

Phil Magnan, who displayed Baby Teddy to the crowd, described his experience. "'Is that real?' I was asked countless times, and I answered in the affirmative. To that, many would say 'Oooo', like it was something really gross, but when I told them that Teddy was a miscarried child they appeared more relieved. I told them that if 'Teddy had been aborted that he would have been in pieces.'

"One man's reaction was that Teddy was simply a parasite, and not human. It reminded me about all the words that Nazis used to describe the Jews to justify their holocaust."


THE LONDON GUARDIAN'S March 13 story about the failure of experimental fetal cell transplants to treat Parkinson's disease patients did not bode well for scientists hoping to find a cure. Locally, two doctors are still optimistic about a cure for Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Mark Tuszynski, is a neurologist and has been a researcher with UCSD Medical School since 1991. He is researching regeneration in the brain and spinal cord using gene therapy to deliver growth factors to the brain. His research is directed primarily to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injuries. Tuszynski does not work with fetal cells in his research, but occasionally uses stem cells. He also does not study Parkinson's disease, but he is aware of the fetal cell research and is not totally discouraged: I just returned from a meeting of the American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair where the fetal transplant study for Parkinson's disease was discussed. The principal investigator, Dr. Curt Freed, was present, together with an investigator in another clinical trial of fetal transplants for PD being conducted at the University of South Florida (Dr. Tom Freidman). Dr. Freed says that only about 10 percent of the patients in the fetal transplant study developed side effects, and that their symptoms are somewhat better controlled now. He also says that younger patients did show some evidence of benefit form the procedure.

"Another important point to consider is that the findings reported in the New England Journal of Medicine only addressed the question of whether fetal transplants improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. It is also possible that fetal transplants could reduce the rate of decline of the disease, and the study did not provide an answer to that question because of its relatively short duration. Dr. Freidman agreed with the comments of Dr. Freed.

"My own opinion is this: The results of the first study were not positive overall, but we should probably keep an open mind. It is possible that the transplants could reduce progression of the disease, and there is currently another study in progress where patients have already received the transplants and this study will provide additional information. I don't believe that new additional studies should proceed until the findings of the second study are reported. I believe that the clinicians performing the studies should openly disclose their findings as soon as they are available. And I believe that it is correct that additional studies in animals should be performed to look into the side effects observed in the human study.

"Finally, given societal debate over the use of fetal tissue, I believe that stem cell research should proceed as a widely acceptable alternative to fetal tissue. Stem cells can be obtained from adult brains, not just fetal brains, potentially eliminating the abortion component from the whole debate. Stem cell research is very promising. The results of this first Parkinson's disease trial by no means provide, in my opinion, justification for an end to this research. If anything, one could interpret the side effects of the 10 percent of patients in the fetal trial as a sign of "over-activity" of the transplants, suggesting that they may be doing something that would ultimately (but not in this first trial) be useful in treating Parkinson's disease. It is easier to obtain stem cells from fetuses than from adults, and I believe that the federal government should continue to support this research because of its remarkable potential. Research today using fetal stem cells will provide good proof of principle for future uses that would probably use stem cells obtained from adults rather than fetuses. Incidentally, the vast majority of stem cell research is being conducted using animal tissue, not human. Our own use of stem cells in spinal cord injury experiments is using tissue from mice and rats."

Dr. Kenneth Ott, a neurosurgeon with Scripps, who treats Parkinson's patients with surgery agrees. "The cure for Parkinson's disease will come from this animal model. It's not going to come from us experimenting on humans."

Like Tuszynski, Ott isn't especially discouraged by the results of the experiment. "It wasn't a disaster. It was interesting, because they proved several things. First of all they proved that implants worked. You could actually plant this tissue in the brain and the tissue would take hold and grow. It also proved that the tissue produced dopa and the dopa had an effect on the nervous system.

"In brief, the end result was that it didn't cure Parkinson's disease and in some subgroups of patients, they were worse because it was like they were taking dopa all the time and getting dykenesia. It was like they were getting dopa injected into their brains by the cells and they couldn't stop taking it. There were very few of them, but it did happen. It wasn't the result that they had hoped for, probably because the dopa can't be turned off by the brain like it normally is. The results were mixed. These tissues can be implanted and they live. It does work, but it isn't the cure for Parkinson's disease -- but it's a beginning.

"I think the eventual result will be that germ cells or stem cells will be developed from non-controversial tissue rather than embryos. That's already been shown for many types of tissues. So the philosophical and religious objections will eventually go away and gene changes will be made in tissues, perhaps even the patient's own tissues. For instance, there's was a well-publicized operation at UCSD a few weeks ago on a demented patient, where they took the patient's own tissues and genetically manipulated those tissues to produce nerve growth factor, then injected those tissues into the part of the brain that would help with dementia -- certainly that was non-controversial in terms of the tissue that was used. I think the objections will go away as we become more sophisticated in genetic manipulation."

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