Dispel the Illusion

So it doesn't matter if Christians are exposed to hate -- they're not vulnerable. So says Comrade Andreachuk. By definition, she writes, a Christian cannot be the victim of hate speech ... Comrade Andreachuk's rationale is a smokescreen, of course. It's made up -- just like the rest of the crap that HRCs publish as "rulings". It's not jurisprudence; it's not coherent; it pretends to adhere to precedent, but it clearly doesn't. It's legal mumbo-jumbo to cover up the bald political fact here: Comrade Andreachuk thinks it's fine to call for the murder of Christians.

A nationwide telephone survey conducted in February by the Elliot Institute reveals a full 85 percent of American adults believe negative emotional problems are common after an abortion. Even 60 percent of those who identified themselves as very pro-choice said they think emotional pain is common. While the American Psychological Association claims abortion is psychologically safe, 84 percent of 626 respondents who disagree believe negative emotional reactions are moderate to very severe.

George Tiller and his Wichita, Kan., late-term abortion clinic transported a woman away from his facility in an ambulance today – for a third time in only five weeks. Witness Dale Weldy of Kansas Coalition for Life observed a patient with an IV being taken to a Sedgewick County ambulance and transported away from the clinic at 8:05 a.m. to Wesley Medical Center, Operation Rescue reported. Cheryl Sullenger of OR arrived at the hospital and noticed the ambulance and Tiller's personal Jeep in the emergency room parking lot.

Tony Blair has become the most expensive public speaker in the world, with his earnings since leaving Downing Street thought to have topped £12 million. The former Prime Minister travels around the world on speaking engagements, and can command up to $250,000 (£157,000) for a 90 minute speech. He works exclusively through the blue-chip Washington Speakers Bureau.

there appears to be an undercurrent of worry among some polling professionals and academics. One reason is the wide variation in Obama leads: Just yesterday, an array of polls showed the Democrat leading by as little as two points and as much as 15 points. The latest Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll showed the race holding steady, with Obama enjoying a lead of 52 percent to 45 percent among likely voters.

A new authentically Jewish history of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust needs to be written in order to help bring some long-overdue recognition to this "righteous gentile," a man whose legacy is as one of the century's great friends of the Jewish people. In recent years, Eugenio Pacelli, who became Pope Pius XII in 1939, has been the subject of considerable public criticism, and even vilification, for his alleged failure to speak out against Hitler during the Holocaust.

The industry often criticized for its role in funneling sex, violence, and profanity into American society and overseas is stepping up its efforts to defeat the ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California. After weeks of criticism from opponents of Proposition 8, more Hollywood insiders are making declarations of support – financial and otherwise – against the effort to overturn the contested state Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage earlier this year.

A media analyst says because the mainstream news media fears that Sarah Palin is not in her last national political race, they have been on a mission to attack and discredit the Republican vice-presidential nominee. A recent study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism shows Governor Palin has drawn three times as much coverage as Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden since the political conventions. It also concludes that 39 percent of the print and broadcast stories about Palin were negative, while 28 percent were positive and 33 percent were neutral.

Infidelity appears to be on the rise, particularly among older men and young couples. Notably, women appear to be closing the adultery gap: younger women appear to be cheating on their spouses nearly as often as men. “If you just ask whether infidelity is going up, you don’t see really impressive changes,” said David C. Atkins, research associate professor at the University of Washington Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors. “But if you magnify the picture and you start looking at specific gender and age cohorts, we do start to see some pretty significant changes.”

Of the estimated 13,000 Christians to flee Mosul this month, some have since returned but the majority remain refugees in monasteries and convents to the north and east of the city as well as in spare rooms in the towns and villages that dot the Nineveh Plains. In the churchyard dwelling, the only furniture is a smattering of beds, mattresses and plastic chairs. There is also a battered, old stove.

Here is a sampling of Franken’s virulent anti-Catholicism: He has mocked the Eucharist; He has ridiculed the crucifixion of Jesus; He has slandered all priests as molesters; He has belittled practicing Catholics (e.g., Knights of Columbus); He has disparaged the Church’s teaching on embryonic stem cell research; He made crude jokes about a dying woman, Terri Schiavo, and then misrepresented her condition by passing her off as already dead.

For many years I’ve encountered the rather blithe notion, spread in many circles including the media, that organized, mainstream Christianity has been reduced to a musty, dimly lit backwater of contemporary life, a fading force. From what I’ve seen from my “ring-side seat” as a reporter at events over several decades, nothing is further from the truth. I’ve found there is no movement or force closer to the raw truth of war, famines, crises and the vast human predicament than organized Christianity in action. There is no alliance more determined and dogged in action than church workers, ordained and lay members, when mobilized for a common good.

When many people think of Christian persecution, the Roman Colosseum and catacombs come to mind. But according to a new report, the worldwide persecution of Christians is on the rise even today. The charity group Aid to the Church in Need released an analysis of Christian persecution, called "Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith 2007/8." The research shows that in the past two years, violence against Christians has intensified in 17 out of the 30 countries investigated.

Yet another study backs up the contention that the mainstream news media's coverage of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is more favorable than its coverage of Republican John McCain. An analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism finds that 57 percent of the print and broadcast stories about John McCain since the political conventions were decidedly negative, while only 14 percent were positive. The study concludes that 29 percent of the mainstream media's coverage of Barack Obama was negative.

Circulation at the nation's daily newspapers is falling faster than anticipated this year as readers continue their migration to the Internet and papers narrow their distribution to cut costs. The development, which compounds the fiscal challenge of plummeting advertising revenue, was revealed Monday when the Audit Bureau of Circulations released sales totals reported by newspapers for April through September.