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Contents © 2004
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LITTLE NOTES
October 2004

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Although technically the hearing was nonpartisan, opponents of Prop 71 said they were not given equal time. "It was a four hour hearing and they gave us 15 minutes" said Wayne Johnson, the No on 71 political director. "It was pretty stacked against us."

Opponents to Prop 71 have launched a campaign to warn voters of the debt that the state is facing if Prop 71 is approved. Johnson has been tapped to lead the campaign for Doctors, Patients and Taxpayers for Fiscal Responsibility. The group hopes that voters will see the millions and possibly billions it will cost California taxpayers to fund research that is of questionable medical value.

Speakers at the hearing who oppose Prop 71 include Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, an Assistant Professor of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. Dr. Fortanasce told the committee that in his medical opinion Prop 71 would fund "primarily speculative research." He added, "We oppose Prop 71 because it is the wrong bill and the wrong time. Prop 71 is medically too dangerous; fiscally too expensive, and constitutionally irresponsible to the people of California."

Another speaker who opposed Proposition 71 was Diane Beeson, a Professor of Sociology at California State University at Hayward. Dr. Beeson said that she was at the hearing to represent "not only myself, but a growing alliance of pro-choice, progressive and liberal scholars, attorneys and others working to defeat Proposition 71."

Dr. Beeson said that she was not opposed to public funding of stem cell research, "including embryonic stem cell research, provided it is conducted responsibly, with appropriate transparency and oversight." But Dr. Beeson said that Prop 71 "falls short on these and other counts.'

Proponents of Prop 71 contend that approval of the ballot measure is critical to ensure critical research that will produce life-saving cures. Opponents point to the fact that venture capitalists are not investing in embryonic stem cell research because it is not fiscally sound and will merely enrich a few scientists and research institutes at taxpayer's expense.

August 28 was move-in day for new University of San Diego students. There for the occasion was a group of eight identifying itself as the Catholic Crusaders. They stood on the public sidewalk outside the University's main entrance holding signs designed to alert parents to the presence of homosexual activist organizations, Pride and Rainbow Educators. One protester explained, "I'm here because the university, while giving itself the image of being a Catholic university, is not following through and supporting Catholic doctrine. It's going in the opposite direction. The question is why are they giving in to the homosexuals? Where are the pressures involved?"

Another commented, "It's a Catholic university with a diabolical agenda. They're supporting abortion; they're supporting the homosexual lifestyle. What's coming next?"

The Crusaders, some of whom are alumni of the University, also distributed flyers to passersby. Attached to the flyer was an email sent by the campus Pride president, Karin Winters, advertising that University President, Mary Lyons, would be speaking at the group's September 8 meeting.

When asked how USD's activities affect Catholics with no direct involvement in USD, a Crusader responded, "We're members of the Mystical Body and anything that happens to one member of the Mystical Body affects all the members of the Mystical Body, so if there's sin being committed here and the bishop is going along with it and fails to do his duty to fight it, then it's going to affect everybody."

A protester who identified herself as an alumna said that "it saddens me to see that there are two gay groups on the campus; I feel it sends mixed messages to our young people and causes a lot of confusion as far as the Church's stance on the gay issue. I believe we should be charitable to gays, but I think we should be clear that that lifestyle is a sin and it goes against the teachings of the Catholic faith. The other thing that concerns me about the campus is that the theology department refuses to take the oath saying that they will teach according to the teachings of the Catholic Church.... It makes me wonder why they are not willing to do this and stand by the teachings of the Catholic Church. I feel there are a lot of parents paying for a very expensive college, assuming this is going to be a very Catholic college and instead they're being deceived."

Another Crusader made this statement: "I'm here to inform the students and parents and visitors that [some of] the activities taking place here at USD are activities that are not in line with the teachings of the Catholic faith.... We have two sons that would very likely have come to USD but because of several issues -- not only this issue of having organizations on campus that promote the gay lifestyle -- we felt it was important that they not attend this school."

Yet another protester commented that "it's worthwhile to come here and make a small attempt at presenting some ideas that might be out of favor at this time among many groups. We think it's acting actually in charity to present these ideas; these are eternal truths and you're not doing anybody a favor by suppressing them.... I think they will come back 50 years from now, a 100 years from now and they'll say, 'Those people were right,' and they'll say, 'Thank God they were willing to be unpopular or politically incorrect; they did what was actually beneficial to everyone.'"

The Catholic Crusaders have conducted approximately eight pickets at USD since April of 2003.

OCTOBER IS THE MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY, and also a month graced by two Marian feasts: Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, and Our Lady of the Pillar on October 12. (Prior to the liturgical reforms of 1969, there were four more Marian feasts in October.) But at University of San Diego, there will be no activities to foster devotion to the Blessed Virgin or the rosary on campus during October. A call recently placed to the campus ministry office was answered by a woman named Megan, who said, "We have nothing planned on campus. There may be some off campus activities, but we don't support them."

University of San Diego students will, however, be able to celebrate National Coming Out Day (October 11), a call to the campus Pride group revealed. Though the woman who answered at the Pride office could give no details, she did say, "We will be celebrating that day."

The Thomas More Law Center, the Catholic legal action organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has thrown its hat into the ring surrounding the decade-plus legal battle over the Mount Soledad cross. According to the More Center's September 8 newsletter, their West Coast Regional office in Rancho Santa Fe, under the direction of Charles LiMandri, "has filed a brief in federal court challenging a planned attempt by the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association to remove a 43-foot cross that has stood atop Mount Soledad in San Diego, California for the last 50 years. The Memorial Association's effort is part of a private deal to settle a 15- year lawsuit brought by an atheist to remove the cross. The Law Center's brief was filed on behalf of a former Navy fighter pilot who is enlisting the support of other veterans to oppose removal of the cross.

"The cross was erected in 1954 and today honors veterans of World War I and II and the Korean War. The San Diego landmark has been the subject of a fifteen-year court battle between an atheist and the City of San Diego.

"Charles S. LiMandri, West Coast Regional Director of the Law Center commented, 'The long and complicated struggle to remove the cross now involves hundreds of donors and owners of plaques purchased to honor our nation's veterans. These individuals were promised that the cross would stay as a part of the memorial atop Mount Soledad. It is a sad day when we are faced with the prospect of withholding a promise made to those who wish to honor our nation's veterans, and instead surrender to the demands of a hypersensitive atheist who is set on destroying one of San Diego's most treasured landmarks.'

"The Memorial Association has continually promised owners and donors of plaques that the cross would be maintained as a part of the memorial. Yet the Memorial Association under threat of legal fees privately agreed with the objecting atheist to remove the cross. Further complicating the planned move of the cross is the question of whether the Association continues to rightfully own the land.

"The Law Center's brief argues that if the Memorial Association is considered the rightful owner of the property, then the cross would no longer violate the Constitution because it is a private entity. Moreover, the Association would not be permitted to remove the cross without violating the rights of the owners and donors of plaques who were promised that the cross would stay.

"If however, in the more likely event that the land is returned to the City of San Diego, the brief argues that since the Association has conducted extensive improvements to the property, thereby incorporating the cross into a war memorial, a new hearing must be held. The Law Center brief suggests that a new hearing would determine whether the changed circumstances no longer create a Constitutional violation in the form of the government's endorsement of religion.

"Atheist Phillip Paulsen filed suit in 1989 and the court ordered the City to remove the cross. In response the City chose to place the property up for public sale, a decision approved by 76 percent of the voters. The subsequent sale of the property was ruled unconstitutional after atheist Paulson objected because he believed the sale indirectly aided preserving the cross.

"The City of San Diego attempted a second time to sell the property in 1998, this time to the Mt. Soledad War Memorial Association. The second sale was also challenged, but originally upheld before finally being overturned by a panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. During its short period of ownership, the Memorial Association made significant improvements to the land including extensive landscaping and the addition of over 3000 plaques honoring military veterans. The issue now facing the court is who owns the property. The American Civil Liberties Union assisted in the litigation to remove the cross.

"The brief points out that a 'determination that the City still has title to the land should completely remove any power of the Association to remove the cross.'"

The U.S.S. Midway, the retired aircraft carrier now moored as a museum at the Broadway pier, served the United States for 47 years from the end of World War II, through the Cold War, to the Persian Gulf War of 1991. On September 18, it served as a party venue for a homosexual organization called Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The Washington, D.C.-based Network, according to its website "is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and related forms of intolerance."

Tickets for the "Momentum on the Midway" reception and dance ranged from $50 to $300.

In May of 2002, News Notes reported that the San Diego diocese was co-sponsoring a series of town hall meetings called "Meet Your Muslim Neighbors." The meetings were organized by Rosemary Johnston, the former diocesan pro-life director who was fired in 1991 for publicly dissenting from the Church's teachings on contraception. The meetings were designed to allay fears about the Muslim community in the wake of 9-11. They continued even after one of the panelists, Mohammad El-Mezain, a local Muslim cleric, made the news in December of 2001, when federal agents nationwide raided and closed the four offices of his organization, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, founded in 1988. The Holy Land Foundation describes itself as a Muslim charity but is accused by the U.S. Department of Justice of being the primary U.S. fund-raiser for Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization responsible for numerous suicide bombings in Israel. The Holy Land Foundation is alleged to have illegally funneled $12.4 million to Hamas since 1995.

The Muslim Neighbor meetings continued even after the raids and El-Mezain attended. But on July 26 of this year, a federal grand jury in Dallas, Texas indicted the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation and seven of its leaders on for supporting Hamas. El-Mezain, the Holy Land Foundation's director of endowments, is among the seven defendants. According to a July 27 Department of Justice news release, "HLF is alleged to have been so concerned about investigators uncovering the group's intentions that the defendants ... followed security procedures ... [including] hiring a security company to search the HLF for listening devices; ordering defendant Haitham Maghawri [the executive director] to take training on advanced methods in the detection of wiretaps; shredding documents after board meetings, and maintaining incriminating documents in off-site locations."

Five of the seven defendants, including El-Mezain, were arrested on July 27, and the other two fled the country prior to the arrests. El-Mezain was arrested in San Diego. A federal judge jailed him without bond a few hours later, after being told by an Assistant U.S Attorney that El-Mezain is a flight risk and dangerous to the community. Nonetheless, El-Mezain still has supporters in the local Christian community. The July 28 Union-Tribune reported the following comments: "He's been in the U.S. over 20 years and I don't think he's gotten as much as a traffic ticket,' said Rosemary Johnston, a Roman Catholic who has worked with El-Mezain on interfaith projects. 'I don't know about the veracity of any charges, I can only speak to the Mohammad I know, and whose friendship I value, and I'm sure that's true of other religious leaders in the community as well.... I know him as a hard-working, law-abiding family man who is deeply committed to his faith.'"

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