Free Speech Rights Under Fire – Harassment and Death Threats Against Prop 8 Supporters

Source: Mapping Political Persecution by Chuck Colson

Posted 2/24/2009
http://www.breakpoint.org/

Dotting the streets on a certain online map are hundreds of red teardrops. Click on a teardrop at a particular address, and come up with the words, “Patricia Greenwood. Insurance agent. $100.”

Miss Greenwood had better watch her back. Angry supporters of same-sex “marriage” are using Google Maps to tell the world exactly where she lives, and that she donated money to support Proposition 8—the California initiative banning same-sex “marriage.” Now, I made up the name Patricia Greenwood, but the names and addresses on this map belong to real people.

The only point of identifying Proposition 8 supporters is to encourage people to harass them. And the tactic is working.

Opponents of traditional marriage have sent threatening emails and vandalized churches. They have forced supporters out of their jobs and boycotted their businesses. They’ve made abusive telephone calls and even threatened their neighbors with death. Hundreds of cases of harassment have been documented.

Ron Prentice, chairman of the pro-Proposition 8 group ProtectMarriage.com, says the message of the maps “is unmistakable: Support traditional marriage, and we will find you.”

This is unbelievable in a democracy. In fact, domestic terrorism is not too strong a word to use for what’s occurring in California—and it’s a reminder of what happened when citizens allowed similar tactics to go unchallenged in another time and place.

Seventy-odd years ago, Adolf Hitler turned loose his brown shirts on Germany. These vicious young thugs went street by street, seeking out Jews and communists and trade union leaders. They beat them up and destroyed their places of business. In this way, Germany, a strong country, was taken over by an evil man and regime.

How much easier the brown shirts’ job would have been with a Google map! If vigilante-type movements are allowed to bully their opponents, we’re not just talking about suppression of religious freedom. We’re talking about the undermining of the very character of democracy. Political zealots of every stripe will learn that if they cannot persuade their fellow citizens by reason, they can “persuade” us another way—with clubs, scorn, and social ostracism.

It could get to the point where people will be afraid to get involved in politics at all—and if that happens, it will sound the death knell of representative liberal democracy. This is precisely why laws were passed giving Americans the right to a secret ballot.

ProtectMarriage.com and the Alliance Defense Fund have gone to court to protect the privacy and free speech of those who contribute to future campaigns—and to protect them from harassment. They are challenging state campaign finance laws that force disclosure of personal information of those who donate even small amounts of money to political campaigns.

Campaign disclosure laws must balance the public’s right, of course, to know who is donating money to political campaigns with an individual’s right to privacy, freedom of expression, and the freedom not to be threatened for their beliefs.

And we need vigorous law enforcement. If we prosecute hate crimes, why shouldn’t federal and state prosecutors go after those thugs who are abusing innocent people for exercising their right to vote?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now a syndicated columnist, Charles Colson was once labeled a “hatchet man” during his tenure under former President Nixon and was feared in Washington and elsewhere by many in politics. Now as a repentant and devout Christian, Colson preaches a message of reconciliation to “the least of these” – prisoners and their families as well as crime victims and their families all over the world. PFM (formerly Prison Fellowship Ministries) was founded by Colson in 1976 and continues to minister to millions worldwide today.

(Video) Obama Blocked a BAIPA Bill in the Illinois State Senate – 4 times!!! How Will YOU Vote on Nov. 4th??

You Tube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suTvLe7kYDE

Senator Barack Obama voted to block a BAIPA bill – Born Alive Infant Protection Act – in the Illinois Senate… 4 times. Is this the kind of man we want sitting in the Oval Office? Or do we want someone sitting there who will affirm life? You decide this Nov. 4th… with your vote. Don’t stay home and essentially vote present… cast an early ballot, or go to the polling place on election day.

Please repost this video on your personal blogs, and send it to your friends and family via email. Be sure to go to the You Tube page and rate it and feel free to leave a comment…

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.” Prov 31:8 NIV

**********************************************

Related posts:
Massacre of Innocence

True Colors – The Blatant Arrogance of Eugenics

The Quick and the Dead

Was it Morally Wrong for Bush to Attend the Olympics?

The Olympics Logo.

I am not watching the Olympics this year. The reason I am not watching the games is not because of any protest or boycott or any other really noble cause, although I wholeheartedly support these types of things when circumstances warrant. When a good friend told me their family was boycotting them, I said, “Good! Me too… just like I do every 4 years.” I am not watching the olympics because I think they are boring. It just seemed a little silly to claim I wasn’t watching THIS year because I was boycotting them.

I’m not much a of a sports fan. Never really have been. I think watching sports is about as stimulating as getting my body checked for suspicious moles or (no offense to stargazers out there) waiting an hour to catch a glimpse of one shooting star only to recover from a sneeze just as everyone says, “OOoooh, There goes one! Did you see it?”.

Not boycotting the Olympics this year yourself? That’s okay, I suppose. President Bush went to the Olympics this year much to the chagrin of many human rights activists who thought he should have used it as an opportunity to shame China for their many documented human rights abuses.

But as Chuck Colson observed, going to the Olympics turned out for Bush to be a very good opportunity to speak out indeed… loud enough for many of the Chinese people (and it’s government) to hear loud and clear…

See what I mean by reading the August 15th Break Point Chuck Colson commentary

Abortionist Indicted in 2007 Abortion Death of 22 Year Old Woman

A Barnstable County, Massachusetts grand jury has indicted former Massachusetts abortionist Rapin Osathanondh in the abortion related death of 22 year old Laura Hope Smith. The grand jury investigation discovered attempts by Osathanondh, who was a Harvard Fellow, to cover up his neglect of safety procedures that resulted in the death of Miss Smith on September 13th, 2007.

Eileen Smith, Laura’s mother, spoke with CWA Policy Analyst Martha Kleder about this latest development.

Abortion Doctor Indicted in \"Legal\" Abortion Death. Evidence Shows Cover-up.

It’s time for the church to wake up on this issue. It’s not just the babies lives that are at stake.

Death By Legal Abortion

You might have thought when you read the title of this post that I was referring to the babies involved in the abortion procedure. Everyone knows that an abortion ends the life of a human being (and I am using scientific terminology when I call a “fetus” a human being. Check your biology textbooks…), but I was actually referring to deaths involving the patient… women seeking legal abortions dying along with their “fetus” (baby).

A great majority of the public has a very limited understanding about abortion and everything it entails. Many consider it the “right” of a woman to determine what she does with her own body, and unless you are thinking truly in biblical terms, I suppose that it is the right of a woman to do what she wants to with her own body… but what about someone else’s body? But I’m not even going to get into that here. I’m talking about women who have died at the hands of abortionists… as a direct result of seeking out a legal abortion.

These women were not seeking out a back-alley abortionist. They went to storefront abortion clinics and licensed hospitals. They went in thinking they were making their lives easier and ending unwanted pregnancies. They exited either in ambulances or body bags. These are REAL WOMEN, making a choice they believed in enough to walk into a clinic, thinking that abortion is always safe.

They were wrong.

THE TOMBSTONE PROJECT is a list of women who have died from an abortion procedure. Life Dynamics sells a poster of this list with these tragic occurrences up to the year 1998. This is not a complete list, and the list has been lengthened since the poster was designed and printed.

So, if you think that no one gets hurt by legal abortion, think again. The life you save may be your own…

“Health” Abortion Kills Two Instead of One – A Look Into One Tiller Abortion and How It Effected A Woman’s Life… Forever.

It is said by many pro-lifers that when a woman gets an abortion, two walk into the clinic, but only one comes out alive.

In January of 2005, an ambulance was called to one of George Tiller’s clinics. The body of a 19 year old down syndrome woman was taken by that ambulance to a local hospital, but it was too late. She was dead before she ever left Tiller’s clinic. (Please! No Sirens! was the plea of the clinic worker calling for an ambulance… those kinds of things draw too much attention, don’t they?)

The clinic apparently showed considerable negligence when contacting EMS, claiming the patient was not in any serious, life-threatening danger, when in fact she had already gone into septic shock and was well on her way to death’s door… she was in cardiac arrest and the person trying to revive her was performing CPR on a clinically dead patient.

Christin Gilbert is just one example of a women who went into an abortion clinic for an “elective” abortion who was irreversibly harmed by the abortion she “chose”. One must note that Miss Gilbert, although 19 years old and considered an adult, had down syndrome and was considered incompetent and so her parents made the decision to abort her child. Unfortunately for the child, it was the product of a sexual assault. I’m sure the parents reasoned that the child’s birth would have been too traumatic for their daughter.

One must also make a note (and highlight it in very florescent yellow ink) that in order to do a late-term abortion as Tiller was once able to legally perform until the Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on them, the parents (or husband, friend, or other caretaker) are charged with the care of the individual (NOT a medical professional) in a hotel room for the entire three day abortion process, with the exception of the short period of time the patient is actually undergoing the direct “medical” procedures, such as the injection of a lethal substance into the heart of the pre-born “fetus”, premature dilation of the cervix, and labor induction.

The facts in Christin’s case show the flimsy logic of many pro-abortion proponents who argue that abortion should be allowed at any stage for the “health of the mother”, claiming that if a woman’s health is at stake, she should be able to get an abortion, even if the fetus is at a viable stage. This abortion was stamped big as day with an okay for health reasons. Perhaps Christin’s loss is an acceptable one for them, but I doubt her poor parents felt the same way once it was all over.

Christin was healthy and had no other disorders or health issues other than being a down syndrome person. She was not in any immediate danger because of her pregnancy. The child’s DNA was not tested to determine whether it would also have Down Syndrome… but even if it were tested, is a person’s value based on whether or not they have Down Syndrome? Was Christin less valuable because of her condition? And WHY was this not NATIONAL NEWS considering the charges that have been leveled at Tiller and his clinics?

Read more about the details of this case at REAL CHOICE.

This incident gives new meaning to the term assigned to George Tiller by many pro-life workers… Tiller the Killer, and for this case especially, that unsavory moniker rings so very true.

Steven Curtis Chapman to Perform In Euless, Texas After Family Tragedy

Steven Curtis Chapman, to perform in Euless, Texas just weeks after the tragic accident that took the life of his 5 year old daughter, Maria, on May 21st. According to the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth, the concert will be an intimate musical presentation hosted by the Mid Cities Crisis Pregnancy Center on Friday, July 18th at 7 pm. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you can get more info HERE.

ALERT: Barnes and Nobel Allows Porn to be Accessible To Minors in Violation of State Law

Recently a local (TN) minister took his 11 year old son to Barnes and Nobel to pick up some DVDs that he had ordered, and while he was there they both encountered a full color, opened coffee table book that contained something that NO 11 year old boy (or anyone else for that matter) should be allowed to display in a store that is frequented by minors.

We MUST speak out against this idiocy and protect our children from the slow indoctrination in sexual perversion. Let us join with others who care about maintaining a family friendly environment for ourselves and our children in holding Barnes and Nobel (and other businesses) accountable for their actions.

I will no longer shop at Barnes and Nobel until their policies change (and perhaps until they quit allowing their buyers to purchase these types of products for their company.)

Please go here to find out more and please be advised that this information is NOT SUITABLE for children:

Article:
Eleven Year Old Exposed To Gay Porn At Barnes and Noble and They Knew This Sort of Thing Was Happening

Here’s the radio show archive:
Worldview Matters with Brannon Howse: June 9, 2008

Here is the TN state law:

39-17-911. Sale, loan or exhibition of material to minors. —

(a) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly sell or loan for monetary consideration or otherwise exhibit or make available to a minor:

(1) Any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film, video game, computer software game, or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the human body, that depicts nudity, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sado-masochistic abuse, and that is harmful to minors; or

(2) Any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter, however reproduced, or sound recording, which contains any matter enumerated in subdivision (a)(1), or that contains explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative accounts of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sado-masochistic abuse, and that is harmful to minors.

(b) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly exhibit to a minor for monetary consideration, or to knowingly sell to a minor an admission ticket or pass or otherwise admit a minor to premises whereon there is exhibited a motion picture, show or other presentation which, in whole or in part, depicts nudity, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sado-masochistic abuse, and which is harmful to minors.

(c) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(d) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the minor to whom the material or show was made available or exhibited was, at the time, accompanied by the person’s parent or legal guardian, or by an adult with the written permission of the parent or legal guardian.

[Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1; 2000, ch. 763, § 1.]

So – If, after seeing the issue at hand regarding this incident, you wish to stand in the gap over this very critical issue, please go here to sign the petition and stop shopping there until they change their tune.

PETITION BARNES AND NOBEL LINK.
Thank you for your consideration in this vital matter. Please share this with your friends and church family.

Can Sharing the Gospel Land You In Jail? In Some States… Yes.

As shocking as it may seem in a country where free speech is so highly exalted and revered, the passage of “hate crimes” legislation is effectively beginning to dismantle your right to be able to speak freely about whatever your conscience dictates.

Don’t believe me? Can’t imagine ever loosing the right to free speech in the public forum, or even in private conversation? Then get ready. And be careful what you say in the meantime…

Janet Folger Discusses The Real Impact of the Hate Crimes Laws.

You can purchase this whole speech HERE.

Related Articles on The Reformed Faith Weblog:

Speechless – Silencing the Christians

Do You Have to Leave Your Constitutional Rights Outside the Door of Your School?

Social Activist Star Parker on the State of Society Today (Or: Stuff Most White People Think About But Don’t Really Understand)

(by The Administrator)

When Roosevelt’s administration instituted the “New Deal” in the 1930’s, the government brought much needed relief to a multitude of Americans in poverty. Many of the New Deal’s programs were abolished in the late 1940’s, save for a few of what would become some of our largest government programs, including Social Security. When LBJ’s administration expanded on Roosevelt’s ideals and created “The Great Society” they thought that by providing for people in need through the government they would be helping to lift people out of poverty and give them hope.

They were wrong. All they succeeded in doing was to become a competitor with the church and socially active charitable institutions, but of course being the government and not wanting to establish a state sponsored religion, they took God and his standards completely out of the picture.

Now with such a large portion of our tax dollars going to welfare, and the decline in morals due to such a large portion of the population relying on the government instead of trusting in God to supply their needs, we see the inevitable moral decay of all of society… not just in “the ghetto”…

Star Parker (CURE: Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education) suggests (and I agree) that the welfare state has promoted (however unintentionally) the moral decay in society and points out that at the time the government was beginning to build “The Great Society”, one out of every four African-American babies was born out of wedlock. Today it is three out of four. But when you look into “white society”, the trend is beginning to mimic those statistics… now one out of four white babies are born out of wedlock… and other statistics indicate that the number may be growing. And taking into consideration the statistic that approximately half of all marriages now end in divorce, those households of divorce with children in them adds to the amount of already existing single-parent households. “70% of the kids in our justice system come from single-headed households,” Parker states, “it has nothing to do with their economic state, and/or their… their ethnicity. It’s their moral framework…”

In this recent interview with James Robison of Life Today, Parker discusses these and related issues in her book “White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner-City Decay”. The interview is done over a two-day period, and each episode is about 30 minutes long. I encourage you to watch them here:

Star Parker on Life Today: Episode 1
Star Parker on Life Today: Episode 2
Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education

I feel that though “The Great Society” philosophy may have had some real positive impact on society, such as with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and The Voting Right Act of 1965 and other programs like them designed to bring equity to people of all ethnic and social backgrounds, a great number of the social programs have succeeded in enslaving the populace into supplying the nanny state with ever-increasing funding to promote its secular/socialist agenda.

I would contend that if government, which funds “charities” that actively promote immoral ideals and push for the passage of laws that contribute to the decline of society and it’s moral foundations (such as Planned Parenthood, NEA, and the ACLU), would give back the freedom of speech to the religious charities they also fund so that they can openly share the love of Christ without fear of not just persecution, but prosecution, we may be able to see a decline in the decay of society in our lifetime.

A few links that fall within the scope of these issues that may be worthy of study:

The New Deal

The Great Society

Graham Wallas, Author of “The Great Society” (1914)

The Fabian Society – A British Socialist Movement (See Graham Wallas, Author of “The Great Society” (1914))

As you will read in the above article, “The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary means.” This society is still in existence today, and has influenced the careers of such people as former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and current U.K.P.M. Gordon Brown. Tony Blair concluded (while dealing with changes to the Clause IV of the party’s constitution, which was formally adopted in 1995) that the Labour Party, of which he is a member, is classified as a socialist party, not a social democratic party. He still prefers to refer to himself as a “social democrat” in public… I guess it just sounds better.

Socialism Defined

Speechless: Silencing the Christians
(May require a sign up to this series of view videos – but they are well worth it.)

Related Articles on Reformed Faith:
State of California Forces Educational Indoctrination.

Atheism’s Aggressive Political Agenda
NEA and California Law.