Craig poll; Lambda; STDs; Luna; Divorce reform

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Word comes that Sen. Craig plans to launch an effort today to withdraw his guilty plea in his arrest for disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis airport restroom. His lawyer has indicated that he will argue that the senator was under too much pressure from an Idaho Statesman investigation to have

made an intelligent decision with regard to his plea.

Members of the Idaho Values Alliance have followed events surrounding the senator very closely, and I’m curious to see where you stand with regard to the senator’s circumstances.

Based on what you are aware of, as of today, do you believe the senator is innocent or guilty of the original charge of soliciting gay sex? And secondly, do you believe he should fight the charges, or resign?

Simply hit “Reply” to this Update, and write either “innocent” or “guilty,” and then either “fight” or “resign.” I’ll announce the results to tomorrow.

The leading legal organization for advancing gay rights and the homosexual agenda is Lambda Legal. Cruising for anonymous homosexual encounters in

public bathrooms is evidently such a common practice that Lambda has produced a “Little Black Book” with pertinent legal advice for those who look for liaisons in such places.

Secular fundamentalists believe that consensual sex outside of marriage is no one’s business because it is doesn’t hurt anybody and is a “victimless crime.”

Try telling that to the increasing number of Idahoans who are being diagnosed with gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease which can lead to

dangerous pregnancies and infertility among women and can cause infertility among men.

The Panhandle Health District in north Idaho is reporting that cases of gonorrhea in its region are up more than 300% over last year, mostly in the 18-24 age group, although one victim is just 16.

Sex outside marriage can have devastating, lifelong health consequences, and this is a reminder that compassion for the health of young people is reason alone to make sexual immorality contrary to public policy in Idaho.

Superintendent of public instruction Tom Luna indicated today that his department is working on three initiatives that are of interest to all Idaho families concerned about the quality of public education in Idaho.

First, his staff is working on a concurrent-enrollment program to give

advanced students the opportunity to take college courses while still in high school.

(Taking the long view, the IVA is intrigued with the possibility of restructuring our education system so that students graduate high school at age 16 rather than 18, similar to the European model. Idaho’s compulsory attendance law governs students only until age 16. Idaho students are already being given the ISAT exam, which they must pass in order to graduate, in the 10^th grade. If they have learned what they need for a high school diploma by their sophomore year, what are we accomplishing by strapping them in their seats for two additional years?)

Second, Luna’s staff is scheduling workshops to help patrons who are interested in starting charter schools, a key element in giving parents more choice in education. Increasing the number of charter schools in turn forces traditional public schools to improve their product to retain students, which in turn benefits everyone.

And third, he has a committee working on the Idaho Math Initiative, designed to improve the dismal math scores of Idaho’s public school students. He correctly observes that far too many Idaho students require remediation in basic math skills when they enter the work force or college. This, of course, forces employers or students to pay twice for essential math education.

STRENGTHENING THE IDAHO FAMILY: REFORMING “NO-FAULT” DIVORCE, GIVING STAY-AT-HOME MOMS CHILD CARE TAX CREDIT

An important new book, “The Natural Family,” argues for two public policy changes that can make

America

a more “family-centered” culture.

Re-introducing “fault” into divorce proceedings is the first. This ensures that families with minor children are not broken up for trivial reasons. Idaho’s divorce rate is almost 40% higher than the national average, and reforming

the “no-fault” divorce plank, which was added to Idaho code in 1970, is surely part of the solution to bringing that rate down. The IVA recommends either abolishing “no-fault” divorce altogether, or replacing it with a “mutual consent” provision when underage children are still in the home.

The second is to extend the child-care tax credit to a parent who stays home to care for the family’s children. A policy that makes this credit available only to working parents actually draws more mothers out of the home and into the workforce, at a time when we should be seeking ways to draw moms out of the workforce and back into full-time motherhood. This change would reward families who make the financial sacrifices necessary to keep one parent at home.

Please keep the family of Rep. Mike Simpson in your prayers. Rep. Simpson’s brother was killed over the weekend in a motorcycle accident, and leaves behind his wife and twin adult daughters.

If you appreciate the work of the IVA, would you please support us with a gift? Thank you for your kindness and generosity! All gifts are fully tax deductible under the IVA’s 501(c)3 status.

Ø According to a recent poll, pro-family conservatives prefer

Fred Thompson over Mitt Romney by about a two to one margin, a margin which would be higher except for the uncertain sound Thompson is sending about marriage policy. While most pro-family organizations, including the IVA, believe we need a federal marriage amendment defining marriage exclusively as the union of one man and one woman, Thompson is opposed to such an amendment. Sources who are in a position to know tell me that national pro-family leaders would overwhelmingly support Thompson as their candidate of choice were it not for this issue. (Evangelicals Hesitant About Thompson; Thompson Tops Conservatives' Poll)

Ø While policy makers in D.C. do everything in their power to limit alternatives to public education, these same lawmakers send their own kids to private schools at a rate nearly four times that of the general population. More than 37 percent of House members and 45 percent of senators have sent their children to private school, and 52 percent of the Congressional Black Caucus and 38 percent of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have done the same. Universal school choice – in which education dollars would follow the child to the school of the parents’ choice – would give the same option to ordinary families that elites currently deny them while exercising it themselves. (How Members of Congress Practice Private School Choice)

Ø While universities are spending taxpayer dollars without a peep from the ACLU to install ritual footbaths for Muslims, an evangelical group has been kicked off a

Georgia

university campus for its off-campus practice of footwashing, a practice urged on followers by Christ himself. The school absurdly said the practice amounted to “harassment” and “hazing” and was contrary to school policy. (SunHerald.com : Evangelical group sues college over foot-washing)

Britain

’s new left-leaning prime minister, concerned about the lack of cultural assimilation by immigrants, is prepared to require immigrants

to learn English before they are allowed in the country. The Home Secretary said, “Those who we welcome into the UK to work and settle here need to understand our traditions and feel that they are part of our shared national culture. They need to integrate into our country, learn English and use our language.” If even liberal politicians in the UK have seen the light on the critical importance of assimilation, conservative politicians in the US might want to take note. (Britain halts immigration - - The Washington Times)

Ø The 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals is so far gone on the issue of the free exercise of religion it has now banned court requirements that offenders attend AA meetings as a condition of parole, even though AA talks only about an amorphous “higher power.” Since the First Amendment forbids only the establishment of one Christian denomination as the official church of the United States, the 9^th Circuit has no constitutional foundation for this prohibition. In fact, by meddling in the religious affairs of the state of California, the Court itself is violating the Constitution, which forbids the federal government from interfering in any way with the exercise of religion in the individual states. (Appeals court says requirement to attend AA unconstitutional)

Ø As a warning about what will happen in the U.S. if homosexuals are granted special rights, the Church of England is now correctly asserting

that England’s new “Equality” bill will deprive Christians of the right of free speech since they will no longer be free to express criticism of homosexual behavior, even from the pulpit. Gays could sue if they are “offended” by hearing a sermon that declares that homosexual sex is immoral. The law is likely to force vicars to conduct same-sex weddings, require church schools to promote the gay lifestyle in their classrooms, and ban church charities from displaying crucifixes or saying grace before meals. The new law “amounts to an enforced secularism that fails to respect religious belief at all,” according to a document prepared by the Church of England. Churches can already be sued for refusing to rent church halls to homosexual organizations. (the Mail online: Church of England: Labour's equality law denies Christians right to oppose homosexuality; Church fears lawsuits over gay rights - Telegraph)

Ø Baylor University, a self-described Christian institution, has shut down the personal website of a distinguished professor because of anonymous complaints that the site supported the theory of Intelligent Design. So much for the university as a marketplace of ideas. This professor now has some idea of what Galileo faced from the opponents of academic freedom in his day. Said William Dembski, one of the leaders of the ID movement, “This is perhaps the biggest story yet of academic suppression relating to ID.” All this naturally raises the question, what are evolutionists afraid of? Why do they suppress ID supporters instead of debating them? Dembski added, “I’ve been at MIT, Princeton University, Notre Dame, Cornell, Northwestern and the University of Chicago, and at none of these schools have I ever witnessed the shameful treatment that Baylor has accorded” this professor. (Baptist Press - I.D. rift hits Baylor again)

Ø As a sign of the growing power of the homosexual movement, at least 30 public and private colleges – including Yale and Cornell - now offer full-fledged minors in gay studies, most of them started in the last three years. Another 16 schools let undergrads earn certificates or pursue concentrated studies in homosexual topics. Said one supportive observer, “There is no debate (in these programs) about whether homosexuality is normal.” (More schools offer gay studies classes - Yahoo! News)

Ø In a win for the family, the Board of Education of Burlington Township

decided by a 7-1 vote to remove from its third-grade(!) curriculum a video that featured families headed by same-sex couples. An ACLU representative, predictably enough, has threatened a lawsuit, indicating that in its view school districts are obligated to brainwash impressionable young students into accepting homosexual behavior as normal. (Decision on video riles some in Evesham | Burlington County Times)

Ø In an indication that society is going to need to find a more permanent solution to the issue of sex crimes, whether it takes the form of capital punishment, surgical castration, or life imprisonment, sex offenders in California are now living in places like riverbeds because a new state law establishes restrictions about how close convicted sex offenders can live to places where children congregate. The state is sending out a letter to over 2,700 recently paroled sex offenders who are living too near schools and parks, ordering them to move within 45 days. This is likely to leave many offenders homeless, or push them into rural areas, where many families have moved precisely to protect their children from such influences. (Sex offender is free -- and reduced to a riverbed - Los Angeles Times; FOXNews.com - California Orders 2,700 Sex Offenders to Move Within 45 Days)

Ø Homosexual adoptions in England have become so politically correct that officials there turned a blind eye to evidence that two homosexual foster parents were sexually abusing the young boys entrusted to their care. The pair, who looked after 18 children altogether, eventually went to jail for 11 years after being convicted of a dozen offenses relating to four of the boys in their care. The couple apparently lived off the money the child care agency sent to them for foster care services, and specifically requested only to look after boys in the 5-12 age bracket. Child care officials refused to intervene earlier, even though they had seen offensive photographs taken by the homosexuals of the boys, because they feared discrimination lawsuits if a formal investigation was launched. In fact, even after being shown the photographs, the agency sent the couple more youngsters, and provided them with extra bunk beds and a vehicle to assist with transportation. (Abuse of sanity: The truth about how a council allowed a paedophile gay couple to adopt | the Daily Mail)

Ø Contrary to the hype from environmentalists that man-caused global warming would be responsible for a horrifying increase in destructive hurricanes, the last two years of hurricane activity have been so quiet that insurance premiums have dropped by a dramatic 30 percent,

which has actually created a bit of a crisis in the insurance industry and limited the amount of business Lloyd’s of London can underwrite. (Premiums fall off with second quiet US hurricane season - Telegraph)

Ø PETA is now questioning the environmental bona fides of Al Gore, because he eats meat. PETA contends that “meat is the number one cause of global warming,” because, according to the UN, animal agriculture generates 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than the 13.5 percent produced by all forms of transportation combined. (Activists take Al Gore to task on his diet - Telegraph)