LITTLE NOTES

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Contents © 2004
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LITTLE NOTES
May 2004

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The officials said the posters, which included pictures of both live and aborted babies, violated the city's sign ordinance. The signs were displayed in stationary positions on the sidewalk in front of the Family Planning Associates abortion clinic in downtown Riverside by a pro-life group that has picketed the clinic each Tuesday and Friday since last summer.

Ruling in the pro-lifers' favor, District Judge Robert J. Timlin wrote, "There is little doubt [those] activities -- placing large stationary signs on public sidewalks to express their opposition to abortion -- are protected under the First Amendment."

Timlin added, "Since the city has chosen to allow certain commercial signs to be placed in the public right-of-way, it cannot prohibit signs with non commercial messages from being placed in the public right-of-way without violating the First Amendment."

In an April 1st e-mail message, Kumeta commented, "The law allowed certain commercial signs to rest on public sidewalks, while it banned political signs. The Court found that the law was facially invalid, content-based restriction that could not survive strict judicial scrutiny."

Kumeta failed to prevail in a similar case against the County of San Diego involving residential protests. On March 30, U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster ruled against a lawsuit filed by Kumeta on behalf of more than 20 people who picketed the Alpine home of Padre Dam Municipal Water District manager August Caires last September.

The protesters dispersed after sheriff's deputies threatened them with arrest, citing an ordinance approved two years ago by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors that prohibits picketing within 300 feet of homes in unincorporated areas of the county. The ban, which passed the Board of Supervisors by a 4-1 vote in March 2002, also prohibits pro-life protests in front of abortionists' homes. Supervisors Ron Roberts, Greg Cox, Pam Slater, and Dianne Jacob voted for it, while Supervisor Bill Horn cast the lone vote against it.

At that time, Slater drew ire from pro-lifers when she said, "What we're talking about here are people that cross the line and engage in terrorist activity -- not unlike al-Qaeda and the Taliban -- who seek to impose their extremist views on those that do not share them and seek to overturn the law using violent means."

In his ruling, Brewster said that while the ordinance somewhat curtails First Amendment free speech activity, the county can legitimately regulate picketing to protect the tranquility and right to privacy of people living in their homes.

Kumeta said, "I believe that the Court's rationale was flawed and I am hopeful that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will overturn the decision on appeal."

SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERVISOR PAM SLATER-PRICE gave a "Choice Update" to the National Women's Political Caucus at the downtown county administration building on Good Friday, April 9. Slater's talk included the following points, provided to News Notes by her chief of staff, John Weil: "To me the answer is obvious. Choice has always been a relevant issue and always will be. The landmark decision in 1973, Roe v. Wade only reinforced that. Choice will continue to be an issue well into the future as women defend the rights afforded to us as a result of Roe.... The most pressing issue taking place at the federal level is the likelihood of an anti-choice judicial appointment to the Supreme Court. The current Supreme Court narrowly upheld reproductive rights in their last decision on abortion in 2000.... This narrow victory means that an appointment of an anti-choice judge could put Roe v. Wade in jeopardy ... it is crucial that we continue to monitor judicial nominees.... There would be far fewer abortions if contraceptives were more widely available and sex/pregnancy prevention education was mandatory.... In March of 2002, I supported the passage of a targeted picketing ordinance for the unincorporated North County. The ordinance prevents picketers from targeting an individual's home and denying access to one's home."

Slater went on to talk about a personal friend of hers whose Fairbanks Ranch home had been picketed. When later asked for the identity of Slater's friend, Weil replied, "She didn't want to give the name. The person requested that they not be mentioned. However, I can tell you that they did not perform abortions nor had anything to do with the subject. She was a dentist and her husband was a doctor. For some reason, picketers were seeking press that day and picketed them."

STEM CELL RESEARCH, though it could potentially reveal how to regenerate organs damaged by injury or disease, has long been condemned by the Church because of its reliance on cells from living human embryos. Now scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego are trying to reach the same goals in a morally unobjectionable way.

A March 14, Oakland Tribune article reported that the Scripps scientists "have created a chemical compound they call 'reversine' which resets muscle cells in mice much the same way newts restart limb cell growth after injury."

"Led by Sheng Ding," the Tribune article went on to say, "the Scripps team has created a chemical compound -- a so-called small molecule -- that reverses the aging process of mouse muscle cells, turning them into "stem-like cells" and then re-growing them into different cells just like a newt,' Ding said.

"Ding said more research has to be done to determine exactly what reversine does to the cells, but he's optimistic he's onto something. The chemists' goal is to create a single compound that will turn ordinary cells into embryonic cells and then use another compound to direct the new cells to grow into desired tissues."

IT PAYS TO STAND UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT. James Hartline, an ex-gay, Christian activist who is battling AIDS, visited a local Target store in March, "And I noticed that the cashier was barely covering her upper torso. Her mid-section was completely exposed as if she were attempting to seduce customers instead of wait on them. I complained to the female manager that, as a Christian, this appearance was offensive to me, disrespectful to mothers with young, impressionable daughters, and it was bad store policy.

"The manager stated that this employee was breaking store rules and the matter would be immediately addressed and would not happen again. Well, on March 31st, I went in there again and the same employee had on the same attire. This time I angrily complained to a male manager who was on duty that I was upset that the store had not taken care of the matter the first time. This manager was not as kind as the first one. He stated that he did not see anything wrong with his cashier and basically told me to shop somewhere else. On April 1st, I called the Target headquarters and spoke with their head of customer service, and on April 5th I got in the mail a letter of apology from Target Stores, stating that the executive team lead of guest services for that store would be taking appropriate action against that manager and that the dress code would be followed in the future. Additionally, they enclosed a $20 gift card."

SPEAKING OF JAMES HARTLINE, he is spearheading a phone calling campaign and possible boycott of the San Diego Sports Arena and businesses which operate and advertise there. The row is over the "Circuit Daze" gay circuit party sponsored by Pride and local pornography outlets scheduled to take place at the Sports Arena July 31. "For those of you who do not know what one of these circuit parties are," Hartline said in his April 9 e-mail newsletter, "let me clue you in. I know, for in my sinful past, I used to attend these events. Nearly all of the men will be under the influence of methamphetamines, or other illegal substances, or alcohol. Additionally, many of the men will become almost fully nude before the end of the event. Many of the men will leave with other men to engage in sex, either in the parking lot, or in the neighborhood. Advertisements for this event are found in the gay porn magazine IN Los Angeles."

Hartline published a complete list of Sports Arena tenants and advertisers with corresponding phone numbers in a later newsletter. Send an e-mail to saintjameshartline@hotmail.com for the list.

"THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT ruled on March 1, 2004, that Catholic Charities' health care plan must include contraception," writes Michael J. O'Dea executive director of Christus Medicus Foundation, a group formed to promote the culture of life in healthcare legislation. "This means that a Roman Catholic charitable organization must include contraception coverage in its health care plan for workers even though it is morally opposed to contraception.

"Most parents don't know this means that a health plan from a Catholic organization, with prescription coverage, must pay for confidential coverage for chemical and mechanical devices that, not only prevent pregnancy, but also induce abortion. It is outrageous that a child can now take their parent's insurance card to a health clinic and get these abortifacient chemicals and devices, without parental knowledge and/or consent.

"The 6-1 ruling could reach far beyond the 183 full-time employees of Catholic Charities and affect thousands of workers at Catholic hospitals. The high court said Catholic Charities is no different from other businesses in California, which is one of 20 states that require company-provided health plans to include contraception coverage.

"This is only the beginning of the attack on the Catholic Church. If the Catholic Church can be forced to cover contraception for its workers, then it can be forced to pay for abortions and even homosexual relationships. Not only will the Catholic Church be attacked, but so will Evangelical Protestant churches and other faith-based organizations. The proponents of abortion and immorality are demanding their outrageous agenda as part of their civil rights and freedom 'to choose." Choice, however, is only for them. Catholic and other faith-based employers are given no choice. Health care is quickly becoming a major battle for freedom in the war between the culture of life and the culture of death."

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