NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER – MAY 6, 1999Celebrate the 48th Annual “NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER” on May 6, 1999 . . . The theme for the “National Day of Prayer” is “LIGHT THE NATION … WITH PRAYER, ” and is based on Matthew 5:14-15 -- “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. (KJV) Shirley Dobson, NDP chairperson says, “We are the Lord’s representatives to a world engulfed in darkness, and our prayers have the power to affect the world for better.” Over 20,000 “National Day of Prayer events, coordinated by the National Day of Prayer Task Force and over 40,000 volunteers, are expected to take place across the nation. In addition, the eighth annual Meet At City Hall, a project of the American Family Association, will involve many pastors, churches and individuals who will meet at their local city hall from 12:20 pm to 12:40 pm, to pray for moral rebirth in our nation. On Thursday, May 6th, make a personal commitment to pray throughout the
day on May 6th and encourage friends, family and coworkers to join you
in praying. Local Kansas City Prayer Events: Call Ministries of New
Life (913/383-3222) or KC-St. Joseph Diocesan Division
(816/942-0333). PRAYER does make a difference!
“WINDOW TO THE WOMB” WEB SITE . . .The Minnesota Human Life Alliance’s current newsletter highlights a new web site at www.w-cpc.org/fetal.html which provides color pictures of developing babies in the womb. It is called “Your Unborn Child,” and has pictures and written text, corresponding to the various stages of an infant’s development, beginning as early as 36 hours after conception.[News & Notes, Eagle Forum 4/99] HOMOSEXUAL BATTLES AT THE STATE LEVEL . . . .Homosexual activists are not only pushing their aggressive agenda at the federal level, but they are also targeting all 50 states. Rallies have been held at state capitols across the nation in the past few weeks where activists have presented their legislative goals. Twenty-one states already have “hate crimes” laws that include “sexual orientation.” And, many other states have pro-homosexual legislation working its way through both chambers. The Missouri State Senate just passed a “hate crime” bill (SB 328) on 4/20/99. The bill now moves to the Missouri House for debate. Missouri citizens should contact their Missouri State Representative at 573-751-2000 with their concerns about the “hate crimes” bill, SB 328.If you live in another state, call your State Senator or Representative
about possible "hate crimes" legislation in your state.
HOMOSEXUAL “TOLERANCE EDUCATION” IS PROMOTED . . .The Clinton Administration recently announced a “tolerance education” crusade, called “Dealing with our Differences,” which will be implemented at public middle schools and college campuses. A public-private partnership will develop a middle-school curriculum to teach children as young as eleven about the moral imperative to be “tolerant” of and to “accept” alternative lifestyles, such as homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) will begin collecting data on “hate crimes” on college campuses. The public-private partnership will include AT & T, Court TV, the National Middle School Association, the Anti-Defamation League, Cable in the Classrooms, the U.S. DOE, and the U.S. Justice Departments. On April 6, 1999, at a Press Conference, President Clinton stated that he intends to change “the mind, the heart and the habits” of people who “hate” homosexuals and he compared that “hatred” to the violence in Kosovo and Rwanda.President Clinton is using the murder of homosexual student Matthew Shepard as justification for his new “tolerance education” program for students. This “tolerance” program is part of a larger package of legislation, called the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), which was recently introduced by Sens. Kennedy, Wyden, Shumer, Specter and Smith, as well as Reps. Forbes, Conyers, Gephardt and Morella. HCPA will amend current federal law so that all acts of violence, which are motivated by “hate” toward a person because of his/her “real or perceived” membership in a specific group, would be a federal offense. In addition, HCPA adds “sexual orientation” to the list of protected groups, thus giving homosexual “special protections” by creating a special class of victims. [Traditional Values Coalition,3/17/99] TO THINK ABOUT:1) Approximately 20,000 Americans are murdered every year. Of those, only eight were found to be hate crimes, three of them anti-gay. [Culture Facts, 4/8/99; 2) One of the two men convicted of killing Matthew Shepard has already been sentenced to two life sentences with no possibility of parole – Mathew Shepard’s killers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of the sexual lifestyle of their victim. 3) The sponsors of HCPA cite a rise in “crimes” against homosexuals as a reason to pass the HCPA. However, according to recent FBI statistics, there were 1,102 incidents of “sexual orientation”-related incidents in 1997, but most of these (827) were name-calling and/or alleged threats. 4) Every “crime” covered under the “Hate Crimes” legislation (HCPA) is already illegal under existing state/local laws. Instead of passing additional laws, prosecutors and judges need to make sure that current laws against ALL criminal activity are aggressively enforced, regardless of “orientation.” 5) “Hate Crime” laws are unjust. “Hate-crime legislation creates a
hierarchy of victims, so it’s saying that if [a crime] happens to one
person it’s more important than if it happens to someone else,” says
Yvette Cantu, former lesbian. A basic principle of American justice is
that every citizen should be treated identically before the law.
[Citizen Issues Alert, 3/17/99 – Yvette Cantu]
6) A mother was brutally killed and burned by her son in Arlington,
Virginia. Although this murder was as brutal and heinous as was Matthew
Shepards, it did not receive any media coverage. “Is that mother’s life
less important because Matthew Shepard was a homosexual? Of course
not. Both crimes should be punished by enforcing the laws we have.”
[CIA, 3/17/99]
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