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Contents © 1999
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

September 1999 LITTLE NOTES

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Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church opened the rally with a prayer before turning the microphone over to Knoblock. Knoblock stated that while "all of us as citizens take no particular joy in recalling President Crooks ... this recall is necessary because (he) has abdicated his responsibilities" by instituting "policies opposed to the Judeo-Christian values of (over 3000 parents) in this community."

Citing a recent controversy aroused by a New Jersey state legislator who proposed that all students hear quotes from the Declaration of Independence at the beginning of each school day, Roger Hedgecock said, "The dominant public school ideology does not believe that rights came from the Creator, they believe that rights are created by government. They believe that we are beholden to government for what we have, and should be, and that all our prosperity comes from the wisdom of our leaders." He continued, "Ted Crooks stands for the proposition that you have no rights unless they are granted by government."

Following Hedgecock was Steve Baldwin: "This is a battle for how our schools operate in terms of how our children are exposed to alien philosophies that in many cases undermine our Judeo-Christian heritage, the family unit, our sense of morality, and basically attack what we try to teach our children at home."

In a July 7 interview with the Daily Californian , Crooks was quoted as saying, "This is the same old wrangling we've had all along. The board was very careful to ensure that this policy change would not affect instructional programs, but some folks have been distorting that message for political gain."

On June 20, Crooks attended the San Diego Democratic Club's Freedom Banquet at the Hyatt Islandia Hotel. According to an article in the local gay paper, Update , lesbian Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) "praised the board of the Grossmont Union High School District, which voted last month after a contentious public meeting to include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination rules. Board President Ted Crooks, who was present at the Freedom Banquet, stood to accept an ovation from the crowd."

For further information, petitions or to volunteer assistance with the recall effort, contact Danielle Robles, Recall Crooks Committee, 500 Fesler St., Suite 205, El Cajon, CA 92020, phone (619) 401-3210 or visit the recall website at www.recallcrooks.com.


FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR and presidential hopeful Alan Keyes visited San Diego June 28 on behalf of 74th state assembly district candidate Mason Weaver. Weaver, a radio talk show host, author, and lecturer running for Howard Kaloogian's current seat, hosted Keyes at a $500-a-plate Rancho Santa Fe fundraiser. His candidacy, according to a campaign spokesman, marks the first run by a black man for a California state assembly seat since 1933. About 200 blacks and whites attended the event.

Following spirituals sung by the Danny Graham Choir, Keyes began his endorsement of Weaver by noting the moral decline in the United States. "We are living in a country in which the most important thing that we own as a people in common is threatened with destruction, and if we don't wake up soon all the wonderful things that we have and enjoy will no longer be emblems of God's providential blessing for our services; they will rather be reproaches," he said. Contrasting the "humiliation and shame" brought on the country by President Clinton, whom he termed "the epitome of all that is tearing our country down," Keyes called Weaver "a champion of God's truth" who "is willing without shame to acknowledge that truth before this community and indeed, before this nation as a whole." Speaking after Keyes, Weaver stated, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He continued, "When they call me narrow-minded -- and they will -- I will remind them that the road is narrow." Weaver addressed plans for school reform, lower taxes, decreased regulations, and the return of budget surpluses to California's citizens, adding that if elected, "I'll tell [the state legislature] the truth, right between their lies. I am vintage Mason Weaver."

Contributions to Weaver's campaign can be sent to "Friends of Mason", 5160 Carroll Canyon Rd., San Diego, CA 92121, phone (858) 453-9714.

FROM MISSIONARIES OF FAITH, local evangelizing Catholic group started by Lebanese-American businessman Daniel Daou: "My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We are excited to bring you the Word of God in a new, powerful weekly Internet Bible study conducted by Dr. Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins. It is called At Home with the Word. Each week, Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins present a passage from the Bible, along with its historical background. They provide tips for understanding the meaning of the passage and make important connections to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal writings, the Church Fathers, and the Saints. This new service caters to the individual, groups and to the family. In addition, a section called Truth Tracts will also be your source for answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Catholic Faith. This section allows you to submit your own questions as well and are answered by a team of apologists including Mark Shea, Patrick Madrid, Mike Aquilina, Matthew Pinto, Brian Paul and other Missionaries of Faith members. The monthly cost of this service is just $7 per month. We do offer group discounts and Priests have free access. You can join this service at our Website at www.moff.org. Please keep all of us in your prayers and be kind enough to forward this e-mail to all your friends and family. Note: You can download a brochure for @Home with the Word in Acrobat format by clicking on the following link: http://www.moff.org/root2/brochures/AtHomeBrochure.pdf. If you need to get Acrobat Reader, you can get it for free at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html

THE ENTIRE CONGREGATION KNELT during the entire Eucharistic Prayer, including the consecration, at the June 25 diocesan ordination Mass at St. Michael's Church in Poway. Compliance with liturgical norms at this year's ceremony was noteworthy because it marked a departure from a four-year trend of standing during the Eucharistic Prayer at the annual rite, always presided over by Bishop Brom. Mary Ann Simard, a member of the diocesan Serra Club (which promotes priestly vocations), reported that the Mass booklets produced for the occasion did not instruct the congregation to stand, whereas they had done so for the previous four years. The booklets are produced by the diocesan office for liturgy and spirituality. Standing during the Eucharistic Prayer is, in most circumstances, a violation of Number 21 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which is included in the Sacramentary. This provision stipulates kneeling as the normative posture during the entire Eucharistic Prayer. It was adopted by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1969 and reaffirmed by the NCCB in 1995.

INTERNET SURFERS who visited the San Diego Union-Tribune's online edition at www.signonsandiego.com on July 13 noticed an unusual advertisement at the top of the "Nation" web page. The 2-1/2" wide animated banner advertisement featured the faces of Republican presidential candidates Pat Buchanan and Dan Quayle on the left, and those of Steve Forbes and George W. Bush on the right. Between the pairs of faces, a sequence of three messages flashed which read,

Which presidential hopeful said:
"I will do everything in my power to restrict abortions."
Click one to get the answer!

When asked if the policy had changed, Union-Tribune director of finance and Internet businesses, Marilyn Creson, confirmed that it had not. "We do have a policy that would prohibit accepting a pro-abortion advertisement. The online manager who accepted it thought it was [only] political, so we would not and ought not to have accepted that ad. The online business is a new business and managers just weren't familiar with the policy." When asked if pro-life ads could be placed, she said she thought so, but did not state what kind. She also declined to give further details about other types of advertisements permitted by the policy.

A check of NARAL's website reveals that the ad's placement with the San Diego Union-Tribune is part of a statewide effort to turn voters against George W. Bush. A June 23 press release titled "NARAL Ad Campaign Exposing George W. Bush's Anti-Choice Position Moves to the Internet" states "NARAL will begin airing Internet banner ads (starting June 24) ... on the websites of the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee, the San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner, the San Jose Mercury News, and the San Diego Union Tribune."

Quoting NARAL president Kate Michelman, the press release goes on to state "George W. Bush poses a distinct threat to the fundamental freedom to choose. He is solidly anti-choice and would actively seek to erode or eliminate a woman's right to choose if elected President. We are here to make sure the American public knows that."

DEMON CONCERT. In an effort to expose the connection between Lilith Fair and Planned Parenthood, 16 San Diego's pro-lifers staged a two-hour protest against Lilith Fair's concert at the Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista on July 16. Billed as "a celebration of women in music," Lilith Fair is a concert series of mostly female musicians founded by singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. Lilith Fair supports women's organizations, including NOW and Planned Parenthood, by direct financial contributions or by allowing the organizations to set up information booths at concerts. According to its website, Planned Parenthood was permitted to set up a booth at Coors Amphitheatre during the concert. Artists for the San Diego concert included headliner Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, and the Dixie Chicks.

Catholics and Protestant protesters fasted and prayed before and during the event, which took place on the south side of Otay Valley Road, 1/2 mile west of the amphitheatre entrance. In addition to displaying large aborted baby posters, pro-lifers educated passers-by about Lilith Fair and Planned Parenthood's agenda with signs that read, "Lilith is a Demon," "Lilith Kills Women and Children," "Lilith Fair Supports Planned Parenthood," and "Planned Parenthood Kills Unborn Children." A large poster depicted the lilith statue.

Chula Vista police were notified in advance of the protest. One motorcycle patrolman who spoke to a member of the group "was really cool. He told us we would be safer standing on the [north] side of the street, but said that our message would be seen better where we were."

As a result of a press release issued by Rock For Life earlier that day, San Diego Union-Tribune intern Ann Kim attended the protest for approximately 20 minutes, interviewing participants and observing drivers' reactions. A protester explained, "We want to educate people about the true nature of the word 'lilith,' to show that she is a demoness, not a goddess, and that her particular specialty as a demoness is killing infants. We also want to show that Lilith Fair supports modern-day infant killer Planned Parenthood, which is in the abortion industry." Kim took notes and observed concert-goers yelling, blowing horns, and making obscene gestures at protesters. One driver gave protesters the "demon sign" by extending only the index and little fingers of the hand (symbolic of a horned beast). In the Union-Tribune article about the concert the following morning, under the headline "Lilith Fair fills theater with music, message," pop music critic George Varga wrote, "[Sarah] McLachlan's independent spirit prompted a small protest yesterday outside Coors Amphitheatre by about a dozen members of Rock For Life, a division of the American Life League. They objected to her support for Planned Parenthood, an organization that Rock For Life denounced as 'anti-family.' Demonstrators had stationed themselves along Otay Valley Road before the concert, holding up placards with enlarged photos of aborted fetuses and slogans such as 'In God's court abortion is murder.'"

A KUSI TV van was observed traveling west on Otay Valley Road as it left the concert, but it did not stop to talk to the protesters. Later that evening, during its 10:00 p.m.. broadcast, KUSI provided only positive coverage of the Lilith Fair artists, without showing Planned Parenthood's booth inside the amphitheatre or the protest.

Channel 10 sent a cameraman in an unmarked van to cover the protest for its 11:00 p.m. broadcast. He interviewed Steven Shine of Oceanside Calvary Chapel, who explained the aborted baby pictures. "Hopefully if anyone is going to go have an abortion, they may see that sign, and they might not do it," Shine said. The broadcast included shots of protesters' signs; however none of the gruesome posters were shown. Channel 10 newscaster Hal Clement closed the segment by saying, "The protest was quiet and ended peacefully."

After the protest ended at 6:00 p.m., two members of the protest group went to evangelize at the ticket gates within the amphitheatre premises, carrying pocket Bibles and a New Testament. One evangelizer, Howard Putnam, described concert-goers' reactions. "Most people (with whom we spoke) were pretty positive. We only saw of couple of female couples holding hands. We didn't get a lot of hatred. The majority of people who will respond negatively are homosexuals." He added, "The Dixie Chicks were singing some song about praising the Lord. That was kind of ironic."

Planned Parenthood's presence during Lilith Fair's concert appears to be part of a growing trend to market its "services" at other pop music events. Planned Parenthood is scheduled to set up shop again at Coors Amphitheatre when Latin rock group Santana plays concerts there August 7 and 8. Another protest is planned.

LIFETALK is the latest weapon in the arsenal of Life Dynamics, a pro-life organization directed by Mark Crutcher and headquartered in Denton, Texas. Lifetalk is a monthly videotape news magazine begun in May, 1999 and devoted exclusively to pro-life news followed by a discussion of specific pro-life topics by Crutcher and associates Dzintra Tuttie and Linda Crawford. This is followed by one or two interviews of individuals involved in the pro-life struggle. A summary of the first 3 issues:

May, 1999 issue. "Kelly," whose voice and features were disguised, works for a firm whose business could be described as a broker of fetal tissue. Kelly takes a "shopping list" of baby body parts to abortion mills and fills the order with the desired parts from the bodies of the abortionists' victims. Only the best specimens are selected and then sold to the customer, either an independent researcher, a university or a pharmaceutical firm Proceeds of the sale go to the abortionist, minus the broker's commission. Eric Harrah, former director of one of the country's largest abortion mills, was interviewed by Mark Crutcher, who suggested, and Mr. Harrah agreed, that the reason "partial-birth" abortion has been defended by pro-aborts is that this "procedure," unlike other abortion methods, does not damage desired body parts, which therefore are more desirable for "research," thus bringing more money to the abortionist.

June, 1999 issue: topics included the Clinton/Reno misuse of the Justice Department to harass and persecute Pro-lifers, and how the abortion industry, with media complicity, distorts (downward) abortion death statistics. This month's interviewee is Debra Cardamone, whose 18-year-old daughter died at the hands of an abortionist.

July, 1999 issue: 2 interviews; first is Colleen Parro, who is the director of the Republican National Coalition for Life. The interview concerned itself with the lack of impact which the pro-life movement has on positions taken by Republican politicians who are elected only because of pro-life support. It was concluded this happens in large part because unlike pro-abortionists, pro-lifers do not play hardball with the politicians they help elect. Rev. Ray Bandy, pastor of Trinity Southern Baptist Church in Denton, Texas, was interviewed. Prior to entering the Baptist ministry, Bandy was a practicing physician. This interview lamented the fact that both the medical profession and Catholic and Christian churches, by and large, ignore the abortion issue.

If you would like a sample of Lifetalk, please call Life Dynamics at 940-380-8800; video will be sent free of charge.

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