Media Watch
FAMILY TV IS BACK! Watch the new family movie THE JENSEN PROJECT Friday night on NBC
How many times have you thought, "There's nothing on TV I can watch with my kids?" But this Friday night, July 16th, there IS a new movie on TV, perfect for the whole family!
Back in April, we told you about Secrets of the Mountain, a family-centered adventure drama that your entire family could watch together. Secrets was funded by Procter & Gamble and Walmart, and was specifically designed to be fun, exciting entertainment without profanity, sex or extreme violence. Secrets was tremendously popular; in fact, it was the highest-rated program on NBC that entire week!
Now the same people behind Secrets have created a new drama, The Jensen Project. It's a thrilling adventure story with a science-fiction twist, with realistic characters viewers can identify with, and strong, positive family depictions, without any foul language, explicit scenes or overtly violent acts.
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Media Ignores Obscenities at Chicago's "Gay" Pride Parade
On Sunday, June 27th, one of the largest "Gay" Pride Parades in the country took place in the city of Chicago. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, supposedly 450,000 people lined the streets in the city's Lakeview neighborhood for the 41st annual parade. The Chicago Tribune in its hard news section wrote, "While maintaining its reputation as a lively, often flashy event, the parade has also come to reflect broader acceptance of gays and lesbians. Marching politicians were followed by dancers from gay nightclubs and floats filled with employees of major corporations." See complete article HERE.
The Tribune comments were more appropriate as commentary because the failing newspaper suggests the homosexual lifestyle is receiving "broader acceptance" from the general public. In reality, homosexuality and the alternative lifestyle represented by those who participated in and supported the parade is not a demonstration of wider support by the American people.
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AFA blasts CBS for show with profanity in the title
Coming this fall, CBS will air a new program, "$#*! My Dad Says," a new comedy based on the popular Twitter feed "Sh*t My Dad Says." The show is scheduled to air at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. The program stars William Shatner, who gives politically incorrect advice to his son. CBS's tagline for the show is "This Fall the Shat hits the fan!" Then they have the audacity to say the show is perfectly suitable for family viewing.
American Family Association president Tim Wildmon says, "The fact that they have to bleep out the first word in the title of this show tells you this is highly unlikely to be family-friendly viewing, no matter what CBS says. It's a big mistake for William Shatner to step off the bridge of the Enterprise and take the helm of this piece of dreck."
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George Will Sells Out to Cultural Corruption
In the movie, "The Rainmaker," about an unscrupulous insurance company refusing to pay a legitimate claim, the young lawyer fighting for justice for his sick client turns to the high-powered and well-paid corporate lawyer across the table and asks, "I'm just wondering, do you even remember when you first sold out?" It is a commentary on how and why people abandon the cause of what is right for financial and other reasons.
I remembered that comment when I was told that conservative columnist George Will had endorsed gays in the military on Sunday's edition of the ABC show "This Week" and had smeared supporters of the Pentagon's homosexual exclusion policy as unintelligent. I couldn't believe it. But I checked the transcript. Indeed, George Will had said those curious things.
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South Park's Attacks On Faith: Irreverence For Irreverence Sake, Not Humor
Throughout civilization, there have been those who have attempted to find humor at the expense of others. This has been the case in American history as well. People who are different because of their social class, skin color, ethnic or religious backgrounds have often been the butt of the most vile so-called humor.
However, supposedly, we now live in a time of tolerance. Yet it is clear there are certain groups who apparently are fair game to be the recipients of mean-spirited attacks which have little to do with levity.
Recently, an episode of South Park -- a cartoon which airs on the Comedy Channel--fanned the flames of controversy by insulting those who practice the Islamic faith. The same episode insulted Christianity by presenting an image of Jesus Christ which also was defamatory in nature.
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 | Rex Huppke
Chicago Tribune Reporter |
Chicago Tribune's Rex Huppke Gaga for Homosexuality
Rex Huppke, who purports to be a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, but is, in reality, a mouthpiece for homosexual activism, has written yet another propaganda piece about homosexuality. Huppke wrote an article--not an opinion piece -- but an article that doesn't even attempt a pretense of objectivity.
In language dripping with bias, Huppke wrote about the plight of Americans who define their identity by their homosexual desires and behavior and who have non-American sexual partners. Huppke wrote a thinly disguised endorsement of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez' disastrous immigration reform proposal which would allow "foreign-born partners of gay and lesbian Americans the same path to citizenship as heterosexual spouses." It was an endorsement so thinly disguised it could be mistaken for a bare-naked, Hollywood-produced public service announcement.
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Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn on Canceled Prom
 Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn asserts that the "stench of history" lingers in the air following the cancellation of a high school prom in Mississippi. It isn't the "stench of history" but rather the stench of Zorn's ignorance that hangs over his diatribe and pollutes both thought and discourse.
By suggesting that the virulent racism of the South in the 1960's is morally equivalent to societal disapproval of homosexuality, Zorn perpetuates the ludicrous and offensive assumption that race is ontologically (i.e. by nature) equivalent to homosexuality. Zorn conveniently omits any discussion of this unproven assumption upon which his analogy depends. By omitting any such discussion, he frees himself from the burden of providing evidence or justification for the proposition that homosexuality is by nature analogous to race or for the proposition that disapproval of homosexuality is analogous to racism.
The only thing racism shares in common with the belief that volitional homosexual acts are immoral is that Zorn hates both. If that's all that's required for Zorn to see equivalence, then I guess in Zorn's strange moral universe, disapproval of polyamory, adult consensual incest, or paraphilias is equivalent to racism, which in turn would make polyamory, adult consensual incest, and paraphilias ontologically equivalent to race. In reality, race or skin color is ontologically equivalent to biological sex--not to homosexuality.
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Will Comcast Purchase Of NBC Universal Lead To Change In Network News Division's Liberal Agenda?
Comcast, a giant media conglomerate, is currently in the process of purchasing NBC Universal. Comcast is the nation's largest cable service provider, serving 39 states and the District of Columbia. When negotiations are completed, Comcast will have controlling interest of the NBC network, its News Division and NBC Universal's cable networks--which include MSNBC and CNBC. The deal's price tag is an estimated $30 billion.
Besides the business aspects regarding Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal, which I won't go into here, some speculate Comcast's controlling interests of NBC Universal may lead to a huge shake-up in the management of its news division and address what many refer to as NBC's liberal agenda. One hint of NBC's change in its news content may have become evident when, earlier this month, one of its major news anchors, the controversial David Shuster, was suspended indefinitely for reported behind the scenes negotiations with cable news rival, CNN. For years, NBC has been criticized for liberal bias in its news content, and there may be indications other on-air personalities may also be looking for employment elsewhere when the Comcast deal is finalized.
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Health Care Reform Law: Medicare & Services To Seniors To Take Huge Hit: Why did Mainstream Media Ignore Facts About What's In The Bill?
Whether one is a Republican, Democrat or Independent, it was clear over 55% of the American people were against the recently passed health care reform bill. As Americans learn about what's actually in the bill--passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sunday, March 21, 2010 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, March 23rd--these numbers will increase.
Unfortunately, the mainstream media did not adequately or, in some cases, even attempt to address the issues within the bill before its passage into law.
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IFI Media Watch Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Mark Brown Explains "Dirty Little Secret" Regarding Vote Count In Illinois GOP Gubernatorial Primary: Great Read For Political Outsiders
Perhaps by the time you're reading this column, the primary results from the February 2, 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary will have been released. Yes, it's taken one month for state officials to tabulate the numbers regarding the primary race between State Senators Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard.
I personally think this is ridiculous for a number of reasons; first of all, a lot of us care -- Republican or Democrat. Illinois is one of the most important states in the union and the state's residents have virtually been kept in the dark regarding the vote tabulations in the close race between Brady and Dillard. To say this has been frustrating would be an understatement. On election night, Brady's lead was right around 500, but vote counts have shown the Senator from Bloomington with a lead dipping close to the 200 mark.
At first, I took my frustrations out on the establishment media in Illinois. Why weren't we seeing day by day updates of who was ahead in the race? Where were reports concerning what safeguards were being taken to protect the integrity of the electoral process? It seemed like there was never an election to determine the candidate from the Republican Party who would run for Governor against the Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn.
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NBC 5 Chicago to Air Interview Featuring Central Illinois Family Who Experienced Mortgage Nightmare First Exposed by Illinois Family Institute Investigative Report
Did Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan Lure Families Into Default Or Foreclosure?
On January 4th, 2010 the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) posted an exclusive report titled: Obama Administration's "Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan" Actually Putting Homeowners In Default or Foreclosure. This month NBC 5 Chicago will run a series of special reports conducted by consumer affairs reporter Lisa Parker which will look into the mortgage foreclosure crisis facing thousands of Illinois residents and millions of homeowners across the nation.
IFI's investigation exposed how the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan may have lured unsuspecting Illinois mortgage holders into default or foreclosure regarding a seemingly well-intentioned program. A central Illinois couple from Eureka --who were not in arrears on their mortgage payments--applied for and were accepted into a program funded through the $787 billion stimulus package titled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
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Fake "Conservatives" Embrace Homosexual "Monster"
Kathleen Parker is the "conservative" columnist liberals can count on to bash conservative personalities and causes. This is why her column is syndicated by the Washington Post and why she is featured on the Chris Matthews show.
Now, Parker has done her best imitation of lesbian MSNBC-TV commentator Rachel Maddow by writing a column bashing Uganda's Christian majority for considering passage of a bill to toughen laws against homosexuality. This has been a Maddow cause for months, and Parker is now on the bandwagon.
When the MSNBC-TV host isn't attacking Christians here and abroad for opposing homosexuality, she is promoting homosexuality in the U.S. military, as Post media critic Howard Kurtz was recently forced to acknowledge in a story about her preoccupation with this matter. But it's really not surprising. Maddow's show is an extension of her lesbian lifestyle. She is gay and proud and given free rein at MSNBC because of her role as the first "out" lesbian to host a show on a national cable news network.
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IFI Responds to Chicago Sun-Times' Neil Steinberg (Again)
In a recent article, Chicago Sun-Times' columnist Neil Steinberg criticizes the Illinois Family Institute's website for not "addressing what an individual could do to improve his own family."
While Mr. Steinberg would love to see our organization relegated to self-improvement, family entertainment and leisure activities, IFI is a public policy organization that addresses policy issues that are substantial and consequential to the families of Illinois. If Steinberg bothered to look past the home page of our website to the "About Us" section, he may have understood our mission and purpose.
The Illinois Family Institute is a nonprofit research and education organization committed to protecting and defending the family by influencing policy and promoting timeless values consistent with Judeo-Christian teachings and traditions.
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 | | Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Neil Steinberg |
Sun-Times' Neil Steinberg's Non-Rational Rant About Marriage
If the superficial, silly, ad hominem non-arguments that constitute the sum total of Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg's indictment of conservative positions on homosexuality were not so dangerous, they would be laughable.
In a rant in the Sunday Feb. 14 Sun-Times, Mr. Steinberg describes opposition to faux same-sex marriages and civil unions as "sick," "twisted sexual" obsessions, "creepy, fixated" fundamentalism, "religious prejudice," "intolerant," and "inhuman."
He compares opposition to the radical, subversive, a-historical effort to jettison the central defining feature of marriage--sexual complementarity--to teeth flossing and clean underwear checks.
Ah, yes, I can hear the mellifluous tones of tolerance wafting through his rhetoric.
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Tribune Article Fails to Address the Purpose of Marriage
Chicago Tribune reporter Rex Huppke recently wrote an article titled "Marriage benefits costly for gay couples" in which he addresses the economic costs for gay partners to legally protect their relationships. The article failed to address the underlying issue in this debate: the public purpose of marriage.
Marriage is not a relationship that society created in order to give some people benefits and deny them to others. Marriage is the institution that societies worldwide have recognized and encouraged because this unique relationship between a man and a woman provides particular benefits to society, chief among them, the procreation and nurturing of the next generation.
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The Crucifixion of Brit Hume
1/12/2010 2:29:00 PM
By J. Matt Barber
During the Roman Empires secularist era those who acknowledged the deity of Christ were frequently fed to the lions to entertain for lack of a better word the progressive elites of the day. Theres little doubt that if many of todays secular-progressives (more accurately: moonbat liberals) had their way, Caesar Obama would call out the lions once again.
Nothing makes the left lose its collective noodle like an open proclamation of Christian faith. You don't see it when Muslims proselytize in government schools; the ACLU doesn't sue when Wiccans share their witchy ways; militant gay activists don't picket Buddhist temples with bullhorns while inhabitants grasp at Zen. No, theres something about Christianity that just drives em nuts. Always has. Always will.
Case in point: Recently, on two separate occasions, Fox News veteran Brit Hume both publicly pronounced his own faith in Jesus Christ and boldly suggested that Tiger Woods might find forgiveness and redemption for his serial philandering should he turn to the Christian faith.
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IFI Media Watch Mainstream Media Or Lamestream Media Regarding Information About Political Candidates & Issues: IFI Voter Guides Help Voters Make Informed Decisions At The Poll
There are those who believe America is at its zenith as a nation. They claim "tolerance"--which was a result of the cultural revolution of the 1960's and 70's--has made the United States a better place to live. I strongly disagree with this assessment--which mostly comes from liberals who feel the sexual revolution has liberated men and women and that diversity has created a more "just" nation. They see the Judeo-Christian ethic as a mechanism which binds the true expression of self--both on the individual and societal level. I could not disagree more with this myopic view of our country.
I still believe in the vision our Founding Fathers had when they created a nation that was radically different from anything the world had ever seen before. But there are forces which are bringing America to its ruin.
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Avatar: Dubious Holiday Film
If you're looking for a family holiday movie that extols pantheism and environmental alarmism while denouncing the genocidal, rapacious history of America, it sounds like Avatar just might fit the bill. The title of John Nolte's review of Avatar for the website "Big Hollywood" tells it all: "Cameron's 'Avatar' Is a Big, Dull, America-Hating, PC Revenge Fantasy."
According to New York Times Op-Ed columnist, Ross Douthat,"Avatar" is Cameron's long apologia for pantheism--a faith that equates God with Nature, and calls humanity into religious communion with the natural world. In Cameron's sci-fi universe, this communion is embodied by the blue-skinned, enviably slender Na'Vi, an alien race whose idyllic existence on the planet Pandora is threatened by rapacious human invaders. The Na'Vi are saved by the movie's hero, a turncoat Marine, but they're also saved by their faith in Eywa, the "All Mother," described variously as a network of energy and the sum total of every living thing. Douthat explains the reasons that this film will appeal to Americans:
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IFI Media Watch: Do Hate Crime Laws Exclude Christians? It Seems To Be The Case-- Or Lack Thereof
Perhaps you missed it, after all, there was that story about Tiger being in the proverbial woods regarding a late night Thanksgiving crash. The story about this world famous golfer and his possible extramarital affairs have filled the airwaves to the point of absurdity. And then, of course, there were the reality show wannabes who participated in a crash of their own, except their incident didn't involve a car. The couple sashayed in to a state dinner at the White House without an invitation. This story has also received a ridiculous amount of coverage by the mainstream media to the point where legislators are now calling for special hearings concerning the matter. I guess this is more of our tax dollars well spent. Here's a crazy idea: Arrest the two gate crashers, hit them with a heavy fine, and possibly tack on some jail time to boot.
In the midst of this madness, a case regarding an Ohio man who assaulted a Salvation Army bell ringer and stole a collection kettle containing an estimated $700 seemed to have been lost in the ether. An Associated Press article reported Shawn Krieger, 44, of Toledo was arrested and being held on numerous charges related to the theft. Toledo authorities say more charges may be pending because Krieger--after stealing the Salvation Army collection kettle--left the scene in a stolen car which was later recovered.
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IFI Media Watch: Dominant Media Fails In Its Duty To Report On DCFS: Horror Stories Abound
A little over a year ago, I wrote a column regarding the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services' (DCFS) supposed confidential hotline. The DCFS hotline itself was a means by which Illinois citizens could report cases of child abuse and/or neglect. I had a personal experience regarding the use of the confidential hotline which was disturbing, to say the least.
I was aware of a family who lived near me in which children were exposed to an unhealthy environment according to anyone's standards. During a visit to the home, three children (all under the age of ten) were found to be living in filthy conditions. There was animal excrement on the floors and carpeting which obviously exposed not only the children, but the entire family, to disease. My wife saw these children walking around in the home barefoot, negotiating their way around feces. Indeed, when the door to the home was opened, the stench was overwhelming, literally causing us to gag. While it was apparent that the situation was something this family considered normal, I felt a duty to report this matter to DCFS.
I used the DCFS "confidential" hotline in my attempt to notify the state agency regarding the unhealthy conditions these young children were subjected to. However, to my surprise, I could not make a "confidential" phone call to a hotline which, for many reasons, is designed to protect the confidentiality of those reporting the abuse and neglect of children. After inquiries, I was told by a DCFS spokesman that those using the hotline had to reveal their personal information or else DCFS would not document their calls.
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Chris Matthews Does Not Understand the Military
When my husband and I lived in West Berlin during the late 1970s, it was a common joke that if war broke out, the enemy would simply hang up POW signs. I really didn't get the joke at the time. So my husband explained, "We are 110 miles inside communist country. All those armed guards stationed on the wall have to do is turn around and point their rifles toward our side." Until that moment, I didn't realize that the Berlin Wall was around us-not them.
My excuse for my simplistic view of the world was my youth. As a military wife living in an occupied city I caught on quickly-we weren't in Kansas anymore.
The life of a soldier or police officer is so foreign to the Left that it falls into the Twilight Zone category. Chris Matthews, host of "Hardball" and Obama's faithful shoeshine boy, proved that point in his recent interview with Stewart Rhodes, founder of Oath Keepers, when he asked Rhodes with a straight face, "What scenario do you live in?"
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Where's the Outrage Over This Murder? Letter to the Editor
The premeditated murder of James Pouillon of Owosso, Mich., a disabled pro-life activist, father of two and grandfather, affectionately known by locals as the peaceful "sign guy," is being mourned by the nation's pro-life community.
Pouillon was gunned down across the street from the Owosso High School while holding a photograph of a baby with the word "LIFE."
County officials have accused 33-year-old Harlan Drake of shooting Pouillon several times because he was "offended by the manner of Mr. Pouillon's message."
Leading pro-life advocates are questioning the lack of a concerned response from key abortion advocates, especially from the office of the president, which were quick to condemn the murder of late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller and call for drastic protective measures for abortion centers.
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Progressives Look to Dan Rather for Salvation
Of course, it is past due for our media to start the investigation of Obama that they should have launched during the Democratic primaries and the general election campaign.
If you want some indication of the disarray that the "progressives" find themselves in, consider that disgraced broadcaster Dan Rather will be keynoting a September 23 event sponsored by The Nation magazine on "What Will Become of the News?" The Nation calls Rather "legendary," ignoring how he was put out to pasture by CBS News after he used fake documents in 2004 to smear then-President Bush. Tickets to hear and see Rather are $200 each.
Rather is a legend in his own mind- and apparently the minds of those left-wingers who appreciate his effort to defeat Bush's re-election bid and throw the election to Senator John Kerry. However, the effort backfired, thanks to conservative bloggers who exposed Rather's anti-Bush documents as fake. If liberals want to understand "What Will Become of the News?," they first have to understand what Rather & Company did to it. They seem ignorant.
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 | Join us on Oct. 6th for our Fall Banquet with Gov. Huckabee.
>>Click HERE<< to learn more. |
IFI Media Watch: IFI Guest Speaker Former Gov. Mike Huckabee On A Huge Roll: A Hit On Television and Radio
A little more than a year ago, most Americans would have thought the name "Huckabee" was a punch line to a joke. That's not the case any longer. Today, the former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, is one of the most popular personalities on television and radio.
Huckabee, who will be the featured speaker at IFI's "Family, Faith and Freedom Banquet" [www.illinoisfamily.org/huckabee], nearly pulled off the biggest political upset in our nation's history when he seemed to come out of nowhere with his second place finish in the Republican Party's presidential primary in 2008. In a time when candidates seeking the presidency spend one hundred million dollars and more on their campaigns, Huckabee had virtually no campaign money. Despite this fact, he nearly shocked the political world.
Since the end of Huckabee's remarkable showing, the soft-spoken, former Baptist minister is one of the hottest commodities going. His television show called "Huckabee" which airs on the FOX News Channel (FNC) at 7 P.M. Central on Saturdays and re-run on Sunday evenings is the most watched weekend program on cable news. The Huckabee show features lively discussions on politics and society, but viewers who tune in are treated to much more.
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IFI Media Watch: Media Feeling Financial Crunch: Management Looks For Ways To Diversify In Age Of Internet
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a number of American newspapers were either greatly downsizing, solely publishing on the Internet, or completely going out of business. [IFI Media Watch, 04/02/09: Local and National Newspapers in Deep Financial Troubles: Is Technology or Ideology at Fault?] However, the print media is not alone regarding the fiscal woes facing many in the field of journalism.
It is clear there is a new paradigm concerning how the public now receives information. The Internet has revolutionized the media in content, presentation, and dissemination of news.
Indeed, there are young people who have never picked up a newspaper or waited for the 5 P.M. local television news to find out what's going on in the world around them. Print journalism has felt the greatest impact from these changes as a result of the technological boom which has swept across the world during the last two decades.
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IFI Media Watch: Health Care Reform, Cap & Trade: Media Must Do Better Job Of Informing Americans About Landmark Bills
In a democratic republic, good governance is dependent upon an informed citizenry. This is more than a clever saying or catchy motto. The Constitution's framers gave special consideration to the press in the First Amendment. The Founding Fathers did this because the newly formed government was created by the people and for the people.
Unfortunately, many in the mainstream media have lost sight of this important duty to provide information to Americans without political bias or ideological spin. When the system works the way it was designed, the public can evaluate the merits of legislation. Subsequently, the voter's wishes are supported or not supported by the elected officials who represent them. However, the only way most Americans receive information on issues involving government is through the media.
Two very important pieces of landmark legislation are now pending in the United States Congress. Health care reform, a plan which many agree would place government in control of one/sixth of the nation's economy, is now being hotly debated in Washington, D.C. Another crucial bill that would have the potential to drastically change America, referred to as "Cap and Trade," has already passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and awaits a vote in the U.S. Senate.
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IFI Media Watch: After Obama's Flowery Speech At Notre Dame, Pro-Life Issue Wins the Day--Despite Media Spin
After Barack Obama's controversial visit to the University of Notre Dame where he gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2009, many in the mainstream media believed the President won the day. Mr. Obama's flowery words calling for "compromise" over the issue of abortion supposedly threw water on the heated debate over the dispatch of the innocent unborn--which he supports.
However, Obama's trip to Notre Dame did more for the pro-life cause than many realized. The issue of abortion was front and center in the media for at least a month, due to the flap over a pro-abortion president being honored by the nation's preeminent Catholic University. There were some on the pro-life side who felt victory would only be achieved if Notre Dame rescinded its invitation to Obama. In fact, at first, I was among those who held that opinion. But, in reality, a tremendous victory was achieved because the mainstream media was forced to focus on the issue of abortion, and this would not have happened without Obama coming to Notre Dame.
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CBS Gives Free Pass to David Letterman for Crude Jokes About Gov. Palin's Daughter
IFI Media Watch
The television broadcast giant CBS should take severe action against David Letterman for several crude sexual jokes he made recently on CBS' "The Late Show" about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her teenage daughter.
According to a Fox News report, Letterman, in his monologue Tuesday night (June 9), noted that the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate attended a Yankees game during a trip to New York City, where she was honored by a charity which helps people with disabilities. Letterman referred to Palin, Alaska's governor, as having the style of a "slutty flight attendant."
The "Late Show" host also took a shot at Palin's 14-year-old daughter, joking: "One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game," Letterman said, "during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez." And the studio audience laughed.
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Angels and Demons
Disparaging the Catholic Church is the real purpose of the latest Dan Brown/Ron "Opie" Howard movie "Angels and Demons." Bill Donohue, President of the anti-defamation Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (www.catholicleague.org) is demanding a disclaimer as the team who produced "The DaVinci Code" uses the same confusing mix of "fact and fiction" to spin a suspenseful conspiracy tale revolving around a secret [long thought moribund society], the Illuminati.
The League has published a booklet, "Angels and Demons: More Demonic Than Angelic" to debunk the mythology, lies and smears of Dan Brown's book made into a movie which was released on May 15th in U.S. theaters. Donohue states, "As with "The DaVinci Code," the real problem lay in Brown's deceit. He takes real life characters, like Copernicus and Galileo; and real life organizations, like the Illuminati; and real life issues, like science and religion, and blows them to smithereens."
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Illinois Family Institute In Front Lines Defending Pro-Family Values: The Danger Is Very Real
For years, traditional Catholics and Evangelical Christians have been under a withering attack from the mainstream media. Those who take their faith seriously are usually depicted as everything from intolerant bigots to Bible-quoting serial killers in movies and television. Indeed, when Christians are portrayed in a positive light by the media it is something unusual.
Sadly, many dismiss this anti-Christian agenda as nothing more than entertainment. The same can be said for the political schism which exists in America today. "It's just politics," is the opinion held by many Americans who are not aware of the dangers that may confront people of faith and the pro-family movement in the very near future.
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IFI's Laurie Higgins Responds to the Tribune's Sheawn Healy
Once again another academic frets over the rare occasion of a school district acquiescing to the concerns of taxpayers who are tired of funding the efforts of "social justice" teachers to use public money to advance their particular socio-political ideology. Chicago Tribune columnist Shawn Healy claims that "academic freedom is truly under attack" because Naperville North High School rescinded an invitation to the foul-mouthed, former domestic terrorist, capitalism-hating, "social justice" proponent Bill Ayers. (Read the full column HERE.)
Academic freedom conventionally and properly understood refers to the right of college professors to conduct research free from government interference. It does not suggest a right of high school teachers to use their classroom and public funds to advance their moral, social, or political visions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Naperville North teacher who invited Ayers has a history of doing just that.
The body of thinking that Bill Ayers promotes goes by the beguiling name of "social justice" theory, which speciously confers on it a patina of legitimacy and leads many to confuse it with compassion and justice. "Social justice," however, is a conceptual framework that entails what numerous scholars, including F.A.Hayek, Thomas Sowell, Sol Stern, and David Horowitz, consider problematic philosophical commitments.
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IFI Media Watch: Local and National Newspapers in Deep Financial Troubles: Is Technology or Ideology at Fault?
It might sound unbelievable, but the days of sipping a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper while sitting at the kitchen table or riding a train to work may soon become a thing of the past. According to reports, many major newspapers across the U.S. are in deep financial trouble. A number of publications may go out of business entirely, change to an Internet format only, or file for bankruptcy.
A recent article published on Time.com listed many cash-strapped major newspapers. The list includes such noted publications as The Philadelphia Daily News, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Miami Herald, The Detroit News, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Daily News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Long-time stalwarts, including the Rocky Mountain News, have stopped their presses and no longer exist. Today, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer can only be found online. In Illinois, The Chicago Tribune recently declared bankruptcy.
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IFI Media Watch: Media & Hollywood Attacks On Pro-Family Values, Oh So Effective
The other day, my wife and I were sitting on the couch having a conversation about this or that, and the television was on over in the corner, chattering away to no one. Isn't that the case in most households? It's as if the TV is a full-time babysitter, even if there's no baby to sit with. It's simply the all-seeing eye that can't see but is always there.
While my wife went to the refrigerator, my attention drifted over to the TV and I heard something strange. A cute movie called "Kindergarten Cop" was on. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and was made in 1990. Arnold plays a tough undercover cop, doubling as a kindergarten teacher to catch a bad guy. I was taken aback when I heard Arnold leading the children in the Pledge of Allegiance. In the course of Arnold's students reciting the pledge, they said, "...one nation, under God..." It suddenly came to me. This movie--made just under 20 years ago--would be politically incorrect today.
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Media Plays Important Role in Sad State of Illinois Politics
IFI Media Watch
It was shocking to some, just "business as usual" to others. A governor of Illinois was arrested by federal agents for a litany of charges, including an alleged attempt to sell a U.S. Senate seat.
We have gotten to the point in Illinois where the names don't matter and the political affiliations don't either. One more story about government gone bad with the victims being the people of our state.
How did we come to such a place where corruption in politics is part of Illinois folklore? There is even a joke in Chicago that goes something like: "Vote early and vote often."
The only problem with that gallows-type humor is the joke is a true statement of politics in the "Land of Lincoln" that is more sad than funny. A vast majority of the public blames the politicians themselves for the sad state of affairs which has made Illinois the brunt of comic relief across the nation, and they are right in doing so. Men and women are responsible for their actions whether they work in a grocery store or as a member of the U.S. Senate. However, I found great irony when one of the allegations facing now impeached former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich included charges involving the Chicago Tribune.
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IFI Media Watch: Politicians & Media Pushing To Publicize Return Of American Armed Forces War Dead
Without exception, the most trying duty of an American President is to send men and women into harm's way. Even more emotionally devastating is when a Commander-in-Chief must take responsibility for those who paid the ultimate price while defending U.S. policy on foreign soil.
One of the greatest speeches in American history took place on a then-unknown battle field in Pennsylvania. The Gettysburg Address was written by Abraham Lincoln and will go down as perhaps the most eloquent description of the sacrifice made by tens of thousands of men who died on American soil.
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IFI's Laurie Higgins Responds to Southtown's Mischaracterization
 Kristen McQueary of the Southtown Star newspaper has the dubious honor of being the first journalist of whom I'm aware to mischaracterize a position of mine through rhetorical manipulation. (Read McQueary's column HERE.)
The offense occurs in this statement by McQueary: "[Higgins] went on to say that no human being is perfect and that an extramarital affair, for example, would be an OK offense for a schools [sic] CEO, as long as the person repented their wrongdoing -- much as she believes Huberman should."
What she neglected to say was that she asked me the question: "Well, what would you say if Mayor Daley appointed someone who had had an extra-marital affair?"
I responded that if this person came forward publicly and affirmed extramarital affairs as morally legitimate and shared with the public his intention to maintain an extramarital relationship, I would be equally concerned and find him equally unsuitable for the position.
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IFI Media Watch: A Parting Word on Christmas, the Secretary of State, and the Media
Just when I thought the insults were over regarding Christmas, Dane Placko of Fox 32 Chicago decided to make a trip to Springfield probably to cover all the turmoil surrounding Governor Rod Blagojevich's legal travails. In a short piece aired on Fox last week, Placko in his "Sunday Sound Off" told viewers how something caught his eye as he was walking through the remaining Christmas displays in the Capitol Building Rotunda. Low and behold, Placko was attracted to an object which is a celebration of nothing.
I'm talking about a "pole" that was put up by an 18 year-old Springfield man who lacked sensitivity, originality, and, most likely, supervision.
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Family-friendly Films on the Rise in Hollywood
The Christmas season is a popular time for families to go to the movies. To cash in on this opportunity, Hollywood typically releases a glut of films catering to every ticket-buying demographic. The week of Christmas, the PG-rated Marley & Me film was the top draw at the box office. Maybe Hollywood is starting to get the message that customers want more wholesome entertainment for their families.
The family-friendly Movieguide recently announced that in the past two decades, "the number of family movies has more than doubled and the number of movies with positive moral content has nearly quadrupled by 388 percent." Moveguide founder and publisher Dr. Ted Baehr commented, "The surprising thing is, Movieguide's top picks turn out to be among the most profitable films Hollywood produced during the year."
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IFI Media Watch: Quick Feet
During a surprise visit to Iraq, President George Bush received an example of Iraqi good cheer. Well, let's be more specific. A member of the media--which was gathered for a press conference which included Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Bush--suddenly was thrown into turmoil when an Iraqi journalist first threw one shoe and then another at the President of the United States. Bush did not suffer any injuries, but a member of his staff was struck near the eye during the incident, resulting in a substantial bruise.
All present say Bush was amazingly cool after the fracas, even telling those gathered to relax because things were well under control. The reporter, Muntazer al-Zaidi, was noted for his anti-American sentiment. At the close of television broadcast, he strongly suggested Americans exit Iraq ASAP.
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Jon Stewart Argues for Gay "Marriage"
On a recent episode of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart debated Mike Huckabee on the issue of legalized homosexual marriage-an oxymoron if ever there was one. (Click HERE to watch video.)
What is truly astonishing is that Jon Stewart's debate performance has been widely lauded by homosexuals and their supporters as "brilliant" and "erudite"-a virtual intellectual sucker-punch to the ignorant masses whose views Huckabee represented.
I guess if one measures brilliance and erudition by an applause meter or by the number of words Stewart spoke as contrasted with the number Huckabee spoke, Stewart was brilliant and erudite. Let's remember, though, that his audience is primarily NY liberals-hence the perfervid applause-and that talk show hosts always monopolize the conversation.
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Jack Black Does Theology
There has been a blasphemous video widely circulating on the internet this week that demonstrates with abundant clarity both the biblical ignorance and spiritual darkness that pervades Hollywood. Gluttons for punishment can view it HERE.
Someone should tell these actors that they sound like chuckleheads when they attempt to do biblical exegesis. If their egos were not so enormous and their milieu not quite so biblically illiterate, these entertainers might be able to recognize their embarrassing lack of theological knowledge and understanding. It might have behooved these entertainers to consult some actual biblical scholars before they publicly humiliated themselves by opining on theology in this madcap music video.
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Newsweek's Heresy
A perhaps unbiblical dudgeon almost overcame me as I read this week's Newsweek article entitled "Our Mutual Joy: Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side."
There were a number of reasons for my anger, including the remarkable absence of theological balance and a remarkably poor understanding of Scripture. I suppose Illinois Family Institute and numerous other pro-family organizations could respond to this heresy, but why should we when there are scores of church leaders and biblical scholars far better suited to the task than we are? Why are they not correcting the errors in exegesis and logic that permeate this article and will likely prove persuasive to not only the unchurched but the Body of Christ also? Why do we so rarely read editorials in our local press and national media from orthodox biblical scholars?
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IFI Media Watch: "Gay" Adoption
The old aphorism "hard cases make bad law" is relevant to the Florida adoption case about which Stephen Chapman opined in his November 30, 2008 Chicago Tribune article entitled "Viewpoint: Gay Adoption-The Real Agenda."
This is the painful story of two severely neglected boys whose plight was complicated by the initial placement in the home of two homosexual men who have clearly loved, nurtured, and healed two traumatized little boys. It's further clear from the fact that these two men have taken in nine prior foster children that they have a heart for hurting children and a willingness to sacrifice for them that is all too rare.
But this case has little to no relevance to the debate on homosexual adoption because this case is centrally about removing children from the care of the only stable, nurturing family they have ever known. This case is irrelevant to a discussion of whether they should have been placed with this particular family in the first place.
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 | A Nativity Scene was unveiled in the East Hall of the State Capitol Building Tuesday.
Click HERE to watch a short video segment from the State Journal Register. |
IFI Media Watch: Springfield Nativity Scene
How the Mainstream Media Covered the Historic Event
During the last year, I had the pleasure to take part in something that comes along once in a lifetime. I chaired the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee which led a successful effort that now has a Nativity Scene standing in the state Capitol Building of Illinois.
In actuality, I had probably the easiest job of all. Coordinating the efforts of committed people is a pleasure. And to say members of the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee and friends of the project went above and beyond the calling to make the entire project a success would be an understatement.
Perhaps the greatest trepidation I had going into this endeavor was trying to anticipate how the media would react to an attempt which would place an artist's rendering of Christ's birth in the Capitol Rotunda. Would the press be hostile to our efforts? How would I respond to the hostility, if it came? I had questions about my ability to deal with what could have been an emotional situation. But we pressed forward, putting our faith in the Lord's guidance and He did not let us down.
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PTC Releases Its List of Best, Worst Advertisers: List Ranks Companies Based on Primetime Broadcast Shows They Support
The Parents Television Council Monday released its annual ranking of the 10 "best" and "worst" advertisers determined by the organization's evaluation of the "family-friendliness" of the primetime broadcast programs they chose to support.
Advertisers that landed on the best list primarily "sponsored family-friendly television shows, while those on the worst list often supported programs containing graphic sexual content, excessive violence or profanity," the organization said in a statement.
"The role that television advertisers play in determining what type of content comes into every home in America cannot be overstated," PTC President Tim Winter said in a statement. "We commend the advertisers on our best list that have chosen to associate their hard-earned corporate brands with positive programming that the entire family can watch together."
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IFI Media Watch: Washington Post Writer Admits Liberal Media Bias
 But Important Pro-Marriage Ballot Measures Pass In Places Like California. Why?
Now that election day is fast disappearing in the rearview mirror of the American psyche, there are some disturbing and encouraging trends we can see from the results.
One thing was made painfully clear. Many in the dominant media have strayed from their charge to be objective in their reporting. Studies by organizations, including the Pew Research Center, Accuracy In Media and Media Research Center affirm this fact.
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Conservative Talk Radio on the Chopping Block?
10/27/2008 7:36:00 AM By Jim Brown and Jody Brown
- OneNewsNow
A conservative author and columnist predicts that if Barack Obama is elected president, the Democratic-led Congress will mount a legislative effort next year to wipe out political talk radio in its current form. He calls it a "lurking threat to the freedom of the airwaves."
Barack Obama's campaign has said the Democratic presidential nominee is not seeking to reinstate the "Fairness Doctrine," but top Democratic leaders such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator John Kerry, and Al Gore have expressed support for mandating equal air time for all political views.
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Good News: Newspaper Ad Applauds Dr. Dobson
When Dr. James Dobson and the "Focus on the Family" broadcast were voted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in July, no one could have guessed how gay activists would react.
They have launched not one, not two, but three campaigns to get Dr. Dobson kicked out of the Radio Hall of Fame. The latest attack - a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune - accused Dr. Dobson of bigotry, intolerance and hatred. All this because Dr. Dobson takes a biblical view of sexuality.
In today's Chicago Tribune, two Salem radio stations - WYLL and WIND - are running a full-page ad of their own, to congratulate Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family.
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'Fireproof' Soars Past $12 Million
Faith-based movie "Fireproof" hung in the box office top ten [last] weekend, raking in $3.99 million across 852 locations.
Over the past two weeks, the pro-marriage flick has pulled in $12.4 million, according to final figures released Monday by Media By Numbers LLC.
"Facing the Giants," the last movie produced by Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., had grossed nearly $10.2 million after about four months.
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When Truth is Expelled
It was clear from Roger Moore's Chicago Tribune review of Ben Stein's film "Expelled" that evolutionists are afraid. There have finally arisen a few thinking people in Hollywood who no longer accept evolution simply because certain elites declare it to be so.
The fact that so many credentialed people are willing to sell their souls for a theory that has so little credible evidence behind it merely reveals what their credentials are really worth. Relying on name calling rather than argument, Moore does for the film what critics do to creationism in general, but, at some point this method backfires.
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Fireproof The Movie
Fireproof the movie, will open in theaters nationwide on Friday, Sept. 26. This excellent movie, tells the story of a Georgia firefighter, Lt. Caleb Holt, played by actor Kirk Cameron. At work, firefighter Holt is taught to never leave his partner behind. But, at home, within his marriage to his wife, it's a whole different story. Fireproof tells the engaging story of how Holt learns to love his wife, through a life-changing transformation.
This film is brought to moviegoers on 1,200 screens nationwide by the film ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church, of Albany, Ga. Besides the film, a large number of marriage-strengthening resources have been developed to help couples in their own marriage relationships.
To learn more about the movie, click HERE. To see some of the marriage resources which have been developed, click HERE.
If possible, try to see Fireproof during the first weekend, so the film will have sufficient profitability to reach more people in the following days and weeks after the initial opening.
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There is Another Reason to Object to the 'Oprah Winfrey Protect Act,' Namely That it Fails to Deal with the Whole Problem
In a program earlier this week, Oprah Winfrey put the weight of her TV talk show behind passage of Senate Bill 1728, entitled the "Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2007." MIM President Robert Peters had the following comments:
On its face, Senate Bill 1728 is a laudable effort to curb sexual exploitation of children. Republican Senator Coburn, however, has objected to the Bill because it spends too much money. Senate Majority Leader Reid is now also attempting to make political mileage from the Bill by attaching it to package of unrelated bills. Oprah Winfrey's motives have also been questioned since the Bill's prime sponsor is Joe Biden and Barack Obama is a co-sponsor.
If S. 1728 comes up for a vote, it will pass easily because Congress can't do enough to curb sexual abuse of children. But if Congress is ready to spend hundreds of millions of additional dollars to curb sexual abuse of children, why doesn't it also spend several million to fight "adult" obscenity?
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The Book-Banners Hollywood Ignores
Have you ever heard Hollywood liberals talk about suspected Islamic jihadists the way they talk about suspected Republican "book-banners?" The September 11 terrorist attacks didn't turn celebrity leftists into hawks. But the minute they started reading false rumors about Sarah Palin restricting unfettered access to "Daddy's Roommate" and "Heather Has Two Mommies" in her hometown library, Tinseltown's docile doves became militant warmongers.
Actor Matt Damon, parroting left-wing Internet lies about Sarah Palin censoring novels while mayor of Wasilla, took a defiant stand against the "terrifying possibility" of a McCain-Palin victory. "We can't have" book-banning, he inveighed.
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Dominant Press Reluctant to Call Attacks in Christian Houses of Worship Hate Crimes: Media Bias in its Darkest Form
IFI Media Watch
On Sunday, July 27, 2008 a man named Jim David Adkisson walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, killed two worshipers, and wounded seven before being subdued by church-goers. At first, the story seemed like another case of a disturbed individual wanting to create mayhem for no particular rhyme or reason.
These types of occurrences have almost become commonplace in our society. From attacks in schools, churches, and the workplace, it is evident in today's culture that no place is safe from those who seek fame by killing their fellow man. However, the Knoxville, Tennessee shooting, from the beginning, was covered with a different twist by the mainstream media who quickly speculated whether the killings at the Universalist Church constituted a hate crime. You see, signage in front of the Knoxville church and information posted on its website addressed the issue of homosexuality. The Knoxville church's website, in part, states: "Since the 1950's, our congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women's rights and gay rights."
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 | Elaine Donnelly, President of Center
for Military Readiness |
A Lady Under Fire
7/29/2008 9:00:00 AM By Robert Knight, Culture and Media Institute
- Townhall.com
A Washington Post columnist claims a supporter of the ban on gays in the military exhibited "rage" in Congressional testimony -- but The Hill reveals that the rage was on the other side.
Elaine Donnelly reported for duty Wednesday. She went to a battlefield where most men who agree with her were AWOL.
Like her mentor, Phyllis Schlafly, she did not let others' cowardice or indifference interfere with what she needed to do. Mrs. Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness, told the truth at risk of ridicule or worse, keeping the faith that telling the truth matters no matter what.
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Media Ignores Press Conference Announcing McDonald's Boycott -- No Bias Here
IFI Media Watch
It's difficult to understand what selling hamburgers and chicken McNuggets has to do with the way people have sex, but McDonald's obviously believes the two issues are inexorably linked.
Recently, the McDonald's Corporation joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber (NGLCC) of Commerce, a radical homosexual activist organization working toward homosexual "marriage," contributing $20,000 to their group.
"We have a well-established and proud heritage of associating with individuals and organizations that share in the belief that every person has the right to live and work in their community free of discrimination," said Pat Harris, McDonald's Global Chief Diversity Officer.
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Sacrificing Truth
America's current confusion regarding truth and religion was well illustrated in a column by Eric Zorn in the June 26th Chicago Tribune newspaper. He exulted in polls that seem to show most Americans uncertain as to whether their religions are true or not, and he made it very clear that he believes religious freedom exists only when absolutists are marginalized. He is quite content to settle for ignorance as the norm: "The great riddles of life are, in fact, riddles." However, ignorance of Truth is not equivalent to "no Truth," and it is certainly not religious freedom! Religious freedom is a lie if one is not permitted to actually believe that his views are correct! It is, in fact, religious tyranny.
While it is theoretically possible for all religions to be wrong, it is not possible for all religions to be right. Therefore, it may be safely concluded that some or many religions are wrong! But, woe to the person who points this out! What Zorn is saying is that many Americans either do not know what they believe, or do not believe what their religions actually teach. But, in his view it is better to be wrong about your own religion than to believe that another religion is wrong. As long as you don't really believe in what you believe, you are welcome in Mr. Zorn's America! However, from this we understand that Zorn either believes with CERTITUDE that all people are eternally safe, regardless of their beliefs, or else he really doesn't care whether people are eternally safe or not, just so they don't bother him!
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Journalism: Tribune Columnist Eric Zorn More Of An Activist Than Anything Else
IFI Media Watch
Recently, Illinois Family Institute's Executive Director Dave Smith pointed out how Chicago Tribune "columnist" Eric Zorn apparently claimed the state of California was divinely rewarded for its high court ruling that the ban on same-sex "marriage" was unconstitutional. Smith had referred to a recent piece by Zorn where the Tribune writer asserted California was experiencing nice weather because of the court's ruling on homosexual "marriage".
In a June 19th column, Zorn wrote: "Divine opinion: It's been warm and clear in San Francisco these last several days, no doubt flummoxing those who declared that Hurricane Katrina was God's way of expressing displeasure at a scheduled gay-pride festival in New Orleans. Is it therefore fair to assume that God is happy that couples have found love and formalized their commitments? Or, as I believe, is it foolish and often cruel and opportunistic to attribute meaning to natural occurrences?"
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The Fairness Doctrine: Censorship at its Worst
IFI Media Watch
The Plan to Silence Certain Americans
It's a cold dark day. A group of stern-looking men and women sit in a conference room and decide what their countrymen should hear and what they shouldn't. "This isn't reflective of the people's wishes," says one member of the panel. "Yes, we'll have to make room for what our leader thinks," says another without batting an eye.
Now you might be thinking I'm describing an event in Iran or the former Soviet Union. Perhaps it's an historical description of a meeting of the Communist Bloc in Mao Tse Tung's China. Sadly, it is none of the above. One day this gathering may take place in Chicago, Springfield or Spokane, Washington. A meeting like this would unfold if those on the left pass something called the Fairness Doctrine. No, the so-called "Fairness" Doctrine is not a new plot to silence religious and conservative radio.
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Media Bias: It's the Worldview, Silly
Most Americans tend to believe two things about broadcast news: Fox News is biased toward Republicans and the rest of the "news media" is full of liberals. This is a hard claim to counter because in his 1997 article for the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Everette Dennis writes, "To some, the evidence of liberal bias seems incontrovertible as study after study finds reporters and editors more likely to identify with liberal politics and the Democratic Party by margins ranging from 55 or 60 percent to as high as 85 percent."
Even after that admission, Mr. Dennis says that if there is bias, it's slanted towards conservatives, "To many critics, these studies offer definitive evidence of a pervasive liberal bias among the nation's journalists. But this is far too simplistic. Among other things, these critics ignore the political predilections of publishers and media owners, which are and have always been overwhelmingly conservative."
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Take Action: Dr. Dobson Calls on Family Advocates to Protect the Airwaves
'There is such a danger lurking out there with regard to all of conservative talk radio.'
The time to act is now.
That's the message Dr. James Dobson shared on today's Focus on the Family Action radio broadcast.
"There is such a danger lurking out there with regard to all of conservative talk radio, including Focus on the Family," Dr. Dobson said. "We have reason to believe that if the Democrats continue to hold a majority in the House and the Senate ... one of the first things (they) are going to want to do is to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine."
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Zorn's Question...
IFI Media Watch
 Writing about gay "marriage" in California, Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn sarcastically asks -- "[d]oes your marriage feel a little less special today, straight couples?" -- a version of the oft repeated liberal talking point of "how does my gay marriage affect your marriage?" Predictably, Zorn declares that jettisoning the concept of natural marriage doesn't hurt his marriage and that he and his wife "simply feel inspired." (His entire column can be read here.)
We shouldn't be surprised that Zorn appeals to emotions on such an important topic -- it is fairly typical of the Left. But the truth is, one's "feelings" and emotions should have very little to do with how we make public policy in our country -- especially policies as critical to the fundamental societal institutions of marriage and family.
While my marriage may not "feel" a little less special to my wife and me as a result of any other particular marriages, the reality is that the institution of marriage and the cultural messages that will be taught to future generations about marriage are being negatively affected by radical public policies. My particular marriage would not "feel" different or in reality be different if polygamous or incestuous unions were mandated by some other rouge court tomorrow, but the long-term impact on the institution of marriage would be significant.
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Part 2 -- Interview with Morality in Media's President, Robert Peters on Pornography Addiction
IFI Media Watch
Part 1 of my series on pornography detailed the rapid growth of the medium which has literally become a billion dollar business in America: "Pornography: It once Affected Thousands, It Now Addicts Millions".
The growth of pornography has brought about many societal ills. I decided to conduct an interview with Robert Peters, the President of Morality in Media, an organization "which was established in 1962 to combat pornography."
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NBC's 'deceptive' editing draws Bush ire
Media analyst Tim Graham says the White House is justified in its strong criticism of NBC News. White House counselor Ed Gillespie sent a terse letter to NBC News earlier this week, accusing the network of "deceptively" editing an interview with President Bush.
During the interview, correspondent Richard Engel asked Bush whether his comments before the Israeli Knesset -- about appeasing terrorists -- were directed at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. According to Gillespie, the editing was "clearly intended to give viewers the impression that [President Bush] agreed with [Engel's] characterization of his remarks when he explicitly challenged it."
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Intolerant State Journal-Register Publishes Anti-Family (Anti-Natural Marriage) Cartoon Again
IFI Media Watch
With the recent Oligarchic decision in California to overturn their state's ban on homosexual marriage, the State Journal-Register again revealed their radical bias, hypocrisy, and outright intolerance toward people of faith.
The Springfield State Journal-Register (SJ-R) owes an apology to the hundreds of thousands of Illinois citizens whose consciences, tenets of faith, and common sense compels them to stand for natural marriage.
Once again, editorial cartoonist Chris Britt and the SJ-R published a false and malicious depiction of IFI and anyone who would stand in defense of the historic definition of marriage.
TAKE ACTION: Click HERE to send a fax or an email letter to SJ-R Executive Editor Jon Broadbooks and cartoonist Chris Britt. Tell them that it is not hateful to defend marriage and believe that mothers and fathers matter to a strong society.
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Pornography: It Once Affected Thousands, It Now Addicts Millions
IFI Media Watch
5/14/2008 5:34:00 PM
By Daniel T. Zanoza
I just turned 54 years of age and my memories of pornography are very vague. The simple fact is when I was in my rambunctious years--which I would say lasted from late adolescence until my late 20's--pornography was not a big deal. To tell the truth, porn was more myth than substance to many. Sure, there were the obligatory bachelor parties where someone brought in a grainy 8MM film of some forlorn creature of God who was talked into participating in a demeaning process. These certainly weren't the "girls next door." At least most of us thought so.
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 | Do we really want the government to be deciding what is liberal or conservative? |
Fairness Doctrine Unfairly Promoted
A recent conference at American University on Red Lion Broadcasting Corp. v. Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) legacy provided strong representation for last summer's anti-conservative talk radio study. In the "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio," the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Free Press authors conclude that talk radio has an unfairly high conservative bias, with conservative ideas monopolizing 91 percent of radio programming aired by the nation's top five broadcasters.
"Our conclusion is that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system, particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee concept of broadcast, the elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting, and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation in management," write the authors (emphasis added). They call for greater FCC and Congressional scrutiny of minority ownership levels, media consolidation, and local responsiveness. The authors also suggest leveling fines upon broadcasters who fail to comply with these requirements.
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Parents Should Think Twice -- Before 'Taking Two'
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games referring to itself as 'the purveyors of video gaming pleasure', has done it again, releasing another video game that contains extreme sexual and violent content.
Take-Two is anticipating $400 million in sales in just one week with its anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto IV tomorrow, April 29th. The Entertainment Software Rating Board ("ESRB") rates this game an "M" for "Mature", appropriate for ages 17 and up. Retailers are not required to enforce these ratings when making sales.
Beyond the intense violence, blood and mayhem, during the game the character can have sex with prostitutes, visit adult clubs, request a private lap dance and drive drunk.
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The High Priestess of the New Age Movement
When most Americans hear the term "New Age" they might think of a little boutique that sells cotton caftans, CDs of sitar music, and multicolored assortments of crystals. It all seems to point to dubious fashion sense and outdated home decor, but nothing ominous, nothing harmful. Yet, in reality, the New Age movement has had a serious negative impact on many unsuspecting people.
People who have never set foot inside a New Age store, people who would laugh at the thought of pretty rocks containing healing powers -- these same people are enthusiastically and blindly embracing dangerous New Age philosophies, all because of their admiration and devotion to the powerful and popular woman who is advancing these beliefs.
Who has become the High Priestess of the New Age Movement? Who is this woman who commands the respect of millions, whose stamp of approval can make or break a book, movie, or political candidate?
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Climate Change Bible
While some global warming skeptics may have accused climate change believers of placing undue "faith" in murky science, some professors have already elevated the cause to a Christian edict. In his recent column "The Ultimate Ethical Issue?," Professor David P. Gushee casts combating climate change as Christianity's ultimate moral test- and dismisses family values and constitutionality in the process.
"The data is in: Human beings are indeed culpable [for climate change]," comments the Mercer University Theology Professor. His article appears in PRISM, a publication of the progressive Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA). He points to the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report as proof that we face violent hurricanes, drought and famine, coastal sea rise, and other existential threats that will soon wipe humans off the earth.
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YouTube: Purveyor of trash and... Truth?
IFI Media Watch
For years, when talking about the media, what came to mind was television, radio, and movies. Average Americans had few personal opportunities at media exposure through these venues, and the 'lucky few' who received their so-called 15 minutes of fame often did so via a local news camera seeking their comment on a terrible accident or a horrific crime. Possibly, a friend knew a friend who was on a game show where fabulous gifts and prizes could be won by simply giving the correct answer to an unimportant trivia question. But America is a very different place today, I'm sure, to the consternation of media personalities from every genre.
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New Documentary Tackles Darwinism's Stranglehold on Science Education
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Opens in Theaters on April 18
Are we still free to disagree about the meaning of life?
Or has the whole issue already been decided...
while most of us weren't looking?
In a controversial new satirical documentary, author, former presidential speechwriter, economist, lawyer and actor Ben Stein travels the world, looking to some of the best scientific minds of our generation for the answer to the biggest question facing all Americans today:
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Darwin's Kool-Aid
A review of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (opening in theaters April 18)
April 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com/CWA) - There's a shakeup in the cult of neo-Darwinist pseudo-science, and that endearing, monotone high school teacher of "Ferris Bueller" fame is doing the shaking.
With his new feature documentary, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (opening in theaters April 18), Ben Stein - actor, economist, presidential speechwriter, and all around really smart guy - squares off with some of the world's most prominent anti-theist elites as he gets to the heart of the question, "Who are we, and how did we get here?"
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ABC Follows 'Born Gay' Script to a T
Good Morning America promotes the latest gay gene study, and marginalizes the opposing scientific voice by labeling him as religious.
ABC's Good Morning America hit a grand slam recently for the homosexual activist movement by airing a profoundly misleading segment that asks, "Can a Baby Be Gay?"
Convincing the public that some people are "born gay" is a central strategy of homosexual activists, who are being aided by a compliant media that routinely fails to examine such claims. If sexual behavior is hard-wired like race, then moral considerations can be swept aside, homosexuality declared a "civil right" and governments can move against people who believe homosexuality is wrong.
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Movies with Very Strong Christian Worldviews are Preferred
A new five-year study of the Top 250 movies at the box office shows that movies with very strong Christian worldviews earn the most money. They even outperform movies with lots of foul language, sex and nudity, according to MovieGuide.org.
"Sex, nudity, obscenity, and profanity don't really sell that well, especially in extreme forms," stated Dr. Ted Baehr, founder of MovieGuide.org, "But movies with very strong Christian worldviews do three to 11 times better than movies with sex, nudity and foul language. They also perform much better than movies with very strong non-Christian, immoral, false, or even anti- Christian worldviews.
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Pouch-schoolers be prepared: Horton's writers don't like you
Beware, home school moms: be notified beforehand that you've been typecast into the role of villainess in this weekend's children's smash hit "Horton Hears a Who?"
Settled down with our three and five year old grandsons Saturday afternoon, I was eager and prepared to point out the importance of a precious little speck floating throughout the movie's opening frames. It would be a perfect teaching moment to share with them Dr. Seuss' immortal, pro-life theme: "A person's a person, no matter how small."
But just minutes into the movie I gasped as one of the story's key characters was introduced to the story line. An arrogant, snooty, evil, uncaring, and yes, unbelieving female antagonist named Kangaroo is introduced, and her little one pokes his head out of his mommy's pouch. Kangaroo (with Carol Burnett's voice)sniffs and says, "He's pouch-schooled." Pouch-schooled...home-schooled.
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The Media and Environmental Elitism: Can The Rest Of Us Afford It?
You may or may not have seen the television ad. It goes something like this. A middle-aged father is driving his daughter to school. I'd say the girl is about ten years old or so. Without warning, the stylish little pixie, in the cutest voice you've ever heard, puts an amazing request to her dad. The little darling tells her father, it probably would be better for her, if she could be dropped off a couple of blocks from the movie theater.
Now, in the real world, alarm bells would go off like the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve combined, in the mind of any parent who received such a request. But the little girl quickly diffuses any growing angst in her mildly stunned father when she explains why the early departure would be in her best interest. "All the other parents are driving hybrids," the little darling exclaims. "It just wouldn't look like right if we showed up in this big gas-guzzler you are driving me to school in." Well, she didn't put it in those exact words, but that's what was on her mind.
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Even fewer Americans trust media than just five years ago
IFI Media Watch
I have been studying media bias for 15 years and one of the favorite statistics I used to quote was that 70 percent of Americans did not trust the dominant media. When I would quote this figure, it had quite an impact, and it proved to me that Americans were not as naive as those in Los Angeles and New York might think.
However, a recent poll conducted by Sacred Heart University (SHU) indicates the trust factor regarding the dominant press is worse than it was a mere five years ago. Since 2003, the level of trust has dropped 10 percent regarding Americans belief in the truth of information they are receiving from television and radio. According to the SHU poll, over 80 percent do not trust what they see or hear from the news.
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Watch out Netflix and Blockbuster
If you don't rent soft-core pornography, why support a company who offers it?
Faith and Family Flix (FFF), a company out of Peotone, Illinois, has started a family friendly alternative to Netflix and Blockbuster. FFF will offer online DVD rental with a twist. The bulk of titles are made up of family friendly, and faith based titles. CEO, Steve Thomas believes that people are ready for this type of approach to DVD rental.
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Jersey Boys -- Who Wants it or Needs it?
We've all felt that familiar tug on the heartstrings when we hear those old tunes from younger days. Whether they're playing on the radio or in a "special TV offer" infomercial, those songs have the power to awaken the emotions of a simpler, easier time.
So when the play, Jersey Boys-- with it's catchy, nostalgia-inducing melodies-- gets rave reviews, it's no surprise that bus load after bus load of seniors line up at the LaSalle Theater to once again hear hits like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and "My Eyes Adore You."
But as the lights dim and the show begins, it's not the great music that catches one's attention; rather, it's the script teeming with the "F" word , a**, and a couple of phases using God's name in vain.
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Sexually Explicit Video Game Capitalizes on 'Sleaze Factor'
Mature rating is unlikely to keep kids from the filth.
The sexually charged video game Mass Effect is rated "M" for Mature, but that doesn't mean kids aren't playing it. It has sold nearly 2 million copies.
Characters battle extraterrestrials but also become sexually involved, resulting in graphic scenes and nudity. Dr. Don Shifrin, spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he worries kids will be exposed to the game.
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Pollsters and Pundits Looked Foolish After New Hampshire Vote
Media Watch
Yes, I know, Christians should not find joy in the suffering of others. However, I must admit I was pleased to see just how wrong the pollsters, pundits, and, in general, the mainstream media were after last week's presidential primary results came back in New Hampshire. OK, I have to admit it. My reaction was more close to gleeful.
For those who don't follow politics as close as some of us do, the dominant press had virtually given the election to one particular candidate--who need not be named here. "It's all over," said one political pundit. "We see a victory by more than double digits," said another. If there were nothing else on that evening, I probably wouldn't have turned on election coverage myself--and I live by this stuff. Sad, isn't it?
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New Veggie Tales Pirates movie opens nationwide today
The second full-length movie featuring talking vegetables hits theaters today. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything was written by Phil Vischer and directed by Mike Nawrocki, who are co-creators of Veggie Tales.
Nawrocki says the story focuses on three characters who want to do great things, but are not confident in their abilities. "We follow our pirate friends, the 'Pirates Who Don't Do Anything,' in their jobs working at a pirate-themed dinner theatre," he explains. "They aspire to more, but they just can't get there. They're called into adventure when a princess in the 17th century has her brother kidnapped."
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Peters: Personal responsibility needs to mitigate media violence
Whether shootings among family members or in shopping malls committed against strangers, the "epidemic of violence" is growing, says the president of a group dedicated to promoting responsibility and decency in media. Robert Peters is warning that it may take government intervention if influences in popular culture can't self-police to stem the tide.
Utilizing research and reports from contemporary sources, Morality in Media's Robert Peters wrote his essay on the subject, "Mass Murder by Individuals and the Role of Guns, Religion and Popular Culture," which is available on his group's website. Fleshed out with plenty of examples, Peters' article argues it is clear the previous lower murder rate in a population which once had much more access to guns shows that the standard claim of insufficient gun control is not the root cause of the epidemic.
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Parents Television Council blasts organization that honored ABC's Ugly Betty
The Parents Television Council is blasting the Family Friendly Programming Forum for honoring ABC's Ugly Betty television series with its Family Television Award for outstanding comedy.
The Family Friendly Programming Forum (FFPF) was formed nearly a decade ago and consists of a consortium of advertisers charged with developing family friendly television shows. But Melissa Henson of the Parents Television Council (PTC) accuses the FFPF of making a major mistake by awarding this year's honor to the ABC sitcom.
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Will The Golden Compass Keep Going South?
The heavily promoted 'blockbuster' failed to produce box-office gold during its first weekend.
Opening in 3,528 theaters, the lavishly promoted The Golden Compass pulled in $26.1 million, according to Boxofficemojo.com, far short of what studio New Line Cinema expected, which was between $30 and $40 million.
Compass drew the ire of many Christians because the movie is based on the first book in a trilogy called His Dark Materials by avowed atheist Philip Pullman, who has said publicly that his books are about killing God. In USA Today, Rolf Mittweg of New Line Cinema conceded that the "religion controversy might have had an effect."
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List of Top 10 Games to Avoid
The National Institute on Media and the Family, a media watchdog group, has released its 12th Annual "Video Game Report Card." The group has found "growing complacency" among game retailers, parents and the game industry on the current video game ratings. An accompanying MediaWise-Harris Interactive poll also found that nearly half of kids between 8 and 12 have played M-rated games intended for those 17 and over.
The website also includes a list of "Top 10 Games to Avoid" (all rated "M") and a list of recommended games for teens and kids. Parents may find this information especially useful when considering Christmas gifts for their children this year.
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 | The book The Golden Compass (1995) has been made into a movie and will be released December 7, 2007. It is being marketed as a children's movie. Concerned parents should read the following facts about the book, (first book in the trilogy "His Dark Materials") and its author. |
Parents Beware of Golden Compass
Trilogy promotes atheist message and sexual mutilation.
In just a few weeks, a movie titled "The Golden Compass" will debut in theaters across the country and young people will be begging their parents to take them to see it. Unfortunately, this fantasy movie, and the books that preceded it, have a very dangerous and anti-Christian message.
"The Golden Compass" hits theaters on December 7 and creates a parallel world where human souls take the form of animal companions. Based on the "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman, "The Golden Compass" is the first of the series; a series which has already outsold the Harry Potter books and is being used as required reading in many schools. In his writings, Pullman casts a vision of a world where there is no transcendent God and thinking there is one leads to all sorts of horrible things.
According Anthony Horvath, a Christian apologist and creator of www.sntjohnny.com, there are several reasons why Christians should be concerned about the series:It is written from a distinctly atheistic worldview in an effort to promote that worldview to elementary age school children.
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Hollywood Writers Strike is a Golden Opportunity
When I first heard the Hollywood writers were going on strike, my first thought was a prayer: Please God, let it be true.
The roughly 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America are loudly picketing across America in their attempt to go for America's entertainment jugular. The last writers' strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks, and the network ratings have never recovered. Many viewers just switched to cable channels and never went back. Boo hoo.
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New movie tackles Darwinian theory
A new documentary questioning evolution will hit theaters early next year.
Coming to a theater near you -- the "Intelligent Design vs. Darwin" debate. The new movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, starring Ben Stein, investigates the scientific and educational communities and how they deal with those who suggest that there might be some sort of intelligent design in nature. Through interviews and investigative reports, producers of the documentary expose how those who dare question evolution risk losing their jobs and their reputations.
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Zorn's Silence
Media Watch
Every once in a while you come across a column which takes absurdity to a whole new level. Such is the case regarding an October 11th Chicago Tribune column by Eric Zorn titled, "Why no noise over school silence bill?" Zorn, who is a far left liberal if there ever was one, really outdid himself with this piece when he criticizes a new state law that will require teachers to call for a "brief period of silence" at the start of each school day. Zorn tries to be clever when he chides different groups for not speaking up against the law.
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Tequila Serves Up Sick Sex Act
Like all reality shows, this one suffers from noticeable scripting, which must have been done by drooling old men in raincoats.
One of the guys starring in MTV's new sexploitation "reality" show, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, gazes at the mansion where it all takes place.
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Sicko Studies
Look for the latest documentary from self-described gadfly Michael Moore to make the rounds of American college campuses in the not-so-distant future. From Roger & Me to Fahrenheit 9-11, college administrators and professors have routinely made Moore's cinematic output available to students, either for their extracurricular edification or, not infrequently, as required viewing.
Over that same time period, a cottage industry has emerged with web sites exclusively devoted to fact-checking the rotund one. Moore's latest film promises plenty of grist for both the academic and the blogging mill.
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ABC 7 Chicago quotes minister who supports Planned Parenthood clinic for Aurora, but leaves out fact he works for PP
Imagine you are sitting down to a formal dinner at your boss's house. I mean the big-big boss from out east. Tonight will make or break the company. He has spared no expense to impress eight of his biggest clients and their wives; everyone is all decked out to the nines. A string quartet is playing on the veranda. There are more diamonds in the room than at a Vegas poker tournament. The conversation is flowing as smoothly as the expensive wine, when you notice something amiss in the kitchen.
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Behind the Media Veil
The media response to the September 2006 Diyala date festival may serve as a microcosm of this tension between sensationalism, political bias, and facts.
It seems that the professional media guidelines currently require coverage of Iraq to focus on ongoing insurgency, death counts, and sectarian violence, and that the media characterize the newly formed democratic Iraqi government as largely ineffectual. September 4th's major headlines covering "Iraq parliament returns, but still no benchmark law" (Reuters), "Iraq parliament back; weighs no key laws" (Associated Press), and "Iraqi Parliament Ends Recess, Faces US Pressure to pass Laws" (Bloomberg). In anticipation of possible news of progress in Iraq, the media has already framed General Petraeus' testimony as a front for Bush's pro-war political stance. With the media repeating its endless mantra of 'Bush misled us into the war,' 'Iraq is a quagmire,' and 'Democracy cannot survive in the Middle East,' it sometimes appears that political motivations are primarily driving the Iraq war discussion. However institutional considerations may partially account for the uniform negative coverage.
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FCC Chairman: Minorities Would Benefit From Cable Choice
Plan also would benefit families that don't want objectionable channels in the house.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has written a letter to several minority groups saying that it would benefit their communities if cable subscribers got to choose channels a la carte.
In the letter, Martin pointed to a Nielsen study that shows the average American household gets 85 channels but only watches about 16, an experience that's particularly true for the Hispanic community and other minorities.
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Evangelicals Cool to Global Warming Hype
8/27/2007 2:27:00 PM -Family Research Council
Barna survey ranks environment last among priorities of evangelicals
Washington D.C. - The latest survey released by the George Barna Group asked evangelicals "to indicate which of eleven changes were 'absolutely necessary' for the U.S. to address within the next ten years." The environment ranked last among the priorities of evangelicals. Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins made the following comments in his daily radio commentary which will air tomorrow on hundreds of radio stations across the country:
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FCC Chairman Supports a la Carte Cable TV
A Nielsen Media Research study reveals that an average cable subscriber pays for 85 channels, but only watches 16. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that needs to change.
In a letter sent to minority groups Wednesday, Martin expressed his support for a la carte cable programming, which would allow families to only pay for the channels they want and not be forced to support channels that run counter to their values.
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CNN Defames Christianity, Again
8/24/2007 7:14:00 AM -Christian Anti-Defamation Commission
Rev. Gary Cass, Chairman and CEO of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, expressed his disappointment with CNN in its continuing attack on conservative Christianity.
"CNN has done a great disservice by associating Christians, who believe in the power of prayer, the Bible and lawfully influencing the political process with those who blow up innocent people," said Cass. "There is no moral equivalency between sincere Christians who peacefully work to bring change and terrorists who are violent. By lumping Christian religious conservatives into a series that began with a focus on terrorism it creates an impression of guilt by association.
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