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AFA/ACTIVISM
AFA online activists top users of CapWiz
Promoting grassroots activism has long been a forte of AFA. In recent
months, however, the Internet has proven just how effective AFA
is at spurring people to action.
Through its AFA.net Web site, AFA
has become the biggest user of Capitol Advantage’s CapWiz program
in less than a year.
"CapWiz is an on-line advocacy and activism system that allows
organizations like AFA to put our constituency in contact with members
of Congress, the White House, and other decision-makers using E-mail,
Western Union, printed letters and such, regarding issues of importance
to us," said Paul Chaney, E-mail list administrator for AFA.net.
"According to the CapWiz staff, AFA is currently number one
[among all CapWiz clients] in terms of the number of transactions
through their system. To date, we have sent more than three million
messages through the CapWiz system."
That says a great deal about how active AFA supporters are in contacting
lawmakers in Washington. Capitol Advantage, established in 1986,
has more than 1,200 clients across the nation, including 18 of the
top 25 Fortune 500 companies. Other well-known clients of CapWiz
include Focus on the Family, the American Bankers Association, George
Mason University, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American
Association of Retired Persons.
Operation Daniel takes on adult business
When the Lion’s Den opened its adult toy and video store in
Abilene, Kansas, last September, little did they know the opposition
would be so relentless.
Within days, the newly formed Citizens For Strengthening Community
Virtues (CFSCV) officially began a sustained effort to drive the
business out of operation.
Organizer and Abilene citizen Phillip Cosby initially recruited
80 other men to join him in a 100-day campaign of picketing near
the Lion’s Den entrance just off Interstate 70. Today, the
group has swelled to over 140 local men and women committed to one-
and two-hour shifts near the store location.
Cosby says the goal is a simple one: Encourage potential customers
to reconsider pulling into the parking lot. CFSCV members hold large
signs proclaiming to motorists, "Think Again Or We Will Report."
The sign warns truckers and corporate travelers that their companies
and bosses will be contacted about employee activities at the porn
store.
Cosby says this strategy has greatly abridged the financial success
of the store. "About 30% of the people who would otherwise
go into the Lion’s Den either drive on by or turn around in
the parking lot and then drive away."
He said about 75% of truckers have turned away after seeing the
protesters.
Other CFSCV programs include "Operation Voice," a letter-to-the-editor
campaign to media outlets and "Operation Re-write," which
concentrates on the adoption of new county and city zoning ordinances
to combat these types of businesses.
But Cosby says the most effective program has been "Operation
Prayer," calling citizens to constant prayers for God’s
intervention in the matter.
AFA activists have impact on reckless companies
With an increasing number of corporations who, through their advertising
strategies, appear only too willing to risk offending customers,
AFA continues giving those customers a way to respond.
For example, two years ago AFA called for its supporters to boycott
clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) because of its
controversial quarterly catalog, with its nudity-filled pages and
sexually immoral lifestyle pitched directly to the nation’s
youth.
Members of OneMillionMoms.com
(OMM) and OneMillionDads.com
(OMD) also hammered A&F with thousands of E-mail complaints
every time the company released a new pornographic catalog.
No doubt as a result of the growing boycott of A&F’s 651
stores – by a multitude of people associated with different
pro-family groups – the company’s in-store sales plummeted
13% in November, and its stock dropped 16% in value, according to
the Wall Street Journal.
In December, A&F announced that it would no longer produce the
controversial quarterly. While the company claimed that it was simply
time for "new thinking," it seems clear that the boycott
helped clarify the company’s "thinking."
Where A&F offended customers by removing clothing, JCPenney
offended with some of the clothing products themselves. The company
drew criticism from OMM and OMD because of a line of T-shirts –
aimed at teenagers – with sexual messages.
"Had a great time last night, whoever he was," "McLay’s
Plumbing Service: Winki says, ‘No pipe too big or too small.
We clean your pipes 24/7,’" and "Mindy’s Messenger
Service: No one handles your package better," were among some
of the messages printed on the shirts.
AFA Director of Special Projects Randy Sharp said that thousands
of E-mails from OMM and OMD members got the attention of JCPenney
officials. The shirts were immediately pulled from stores, and the
company promised Sharp that the shelves would not be restocked with
the offensive products.
Dodge
flushes ‘Lingerie Bowl’
Also in December, car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler, the parent company
of Dodge, pulled its support from a special Dodge-sponsored pay-per-view
event called the Lingerie Bowl, which was set to run during halftime
of the next Super Bowl.
The event was scheduled to include a lingerie show as well as a
"football game" between scantily-clad female models. On
the Web site promoting the Lingerie Bowl, a model in bra and panties
was shown "tackling" a similarly-clad opponent –
by virtue of the one pulling down the other’s panties.
The company said it was attempting to reach the young men in the
viewing audience who are most prone to purchasing Dodge pickups,
but the strategy apparently didn’t sit well with other Dodge
consumers. OMM and OMD members contacted DaimlerChrysler through
E-mails and phone calls, in addition to expressing their displeasure
to local Dodge dealers.
The campaign was an unmitigated success. Dodge dealers across the
nation expressed their negative opinion of the show with the home
office in Auburn Hills, Michigan. One dealer, who asked to remain
anonymous, told Sharp, "Our customers contacted us and we agree
with them. Dodge shouldn’t be aligning with pornographic events."
Subsequently, Dodge spokesman George Murphy said, "Dodge brands
sponsorship of the Lingerie Bowl has become a distraction. The event
was diverting media and consumer attention from current products
and from the great new products we are preparing to launch next
year."
Another company spokesman, James Kenyon, told the Detroit Free Press
that the decision was made because of complaints from female customers
and employees, as well as from Dodge dealers.
Sharp said the company miscalculated with its strategy. "I’m
sure there are some young men who would be titillated by the Lingerie
Bowl and might buy a Dodge truck because of it. But the company
obviously forgot that there are a lot of decent men out there and
‘soccer moms’ who would be offended," he said. "In
the end, Dodge put two and two together and pulled out of the program."
7-Eleven enters porn business … again
People who have tried to escape their pornography addiction say
it is one of the most difficult things they’ve ever tried to
do. That seems to be the case with the 7-Eleven company.
In 1986, 7-Eleven ended the sale of pornographic magazines in the
company’s stores. The decision was the result of continual
pressure applied by AFA and its supporters.
In 2003, however, it appears that 7-Eleven has decided to reactivate
its porn shop status. The company is currently testing the waters
in stores by selling the Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s
Edition, but some in management indicate it may carry regular
monthly issues beginning in March 2004.
Sharp said, "If 7-Eleven is allowed to sell pornography unchallenged,
other retailers will take this as a sign of acceptance by other
chains in our communities. This could result in nearly every corner
convenience store in America displaying and selling Playboy
and other porn magazines."
There is just one thing for AFA supporters to do, he said. "That’s
to apply the kind of pressure they did in the early and mid-1980s.
Telling 7-Eleven you’ll vote with your wallet is the only thing
the company will understand. Again."
CONTACT:
Pres./CEO James W. Keyes
7-Eleven, Inc.
2711 North Haskell Drive
Dallas, Texas 75204
Phone: 214-828-7011
E-mail: jkeyes@7-11.com
CULTURE
Traditional moral views continue to
fade in U.S.
According to a recent poll, more than half of all Americans believe
having children outside wedlock is morally acceptable, demonstrating
that the moral shift under way for the last 40 years is still moving
away from traditional beliefs.
The Los Angeles Times reported that 51% of adults in the U.S. thought
it was OK to have a baby outside marriage, compared to 46% who thought
it was wrong.
Such poll results would not surprise George Barna, a researcher
who follows cultural trends related to religion and morality in
the U.S. In a study of Americans’ moral beliefs released in
November, Barna found that the majority of adults viewed once unacceptable
activities as now acceptable: gambling (61%), cohabitation (60%),
and sexual fantasies (59%).
While other activities did not find approval with a majority of
Americans, they were still approved by a disturbingly large minority:
having an abortion (45%), committing adultery (42%), using pornography
(38%), drunkenness (35%) and homosexual sex (30%).
In both studies there was a sharp distinction between the beliefs
of evangelicals, who overwhelming disapproved of such behavior,
and unbelievers, who increasingly see nothing wrong with what were
once viewed as sins. The results indicated that church leaders urgently
need to begin addressing the culture with the clear teachings of
Scripture.
"Until people recognize that there are moral absolutes and
attempt to live in harmony with them, we are likely to see a continued
decay of our moral foundations," Barna said.
Source: www.barna.org, 11/3/03; L.A. Times, 7/19/03
Teens seek more sex advice from parents
Teens want their parents to give them advice and talk to them more
when it comes to the topic of sex, a study has found. The study
also found teenagers "express more cautious attitudes and values
toward sex than is perhaps generally believed."
The study, by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, shows
that parents are the biggest influence on teenagers’ decisions
about whether to have sex, but many parents don’t realize it.
Among teenagers, 45% said their parents are the biggest influence,
while 31% said their friends are.
Also in the study: Adults are far more likely than their children
to think it is embarrassing for teens to admit they are virgins.
Forty-eight percent of adults said it is embarrassing for teens,
while only 26% of teens felt the same way. Eighty-five percent of
teenagers said sex should occur only in a long-term committed relationship,
up from 82% last year.
"The parents are in a 15-20-years-ago thing of having sex was
the way to be cool," said Sarah Brown, director of the campaign.
"They didn’t come of age in the full-blown understanding
of AIDS and with quite as much attention to teen pregnancy and how
it derails young lives."
The survey polled 1,008 adults (79% were parents) and 1,000 teenagers.
Source: The New York Times, 12/16/03
ENTERTAINMENT
Gambling channel on tap for cable
By late 2004, a new cable and satellite TV channel dedicated to
gambling will likely be airing across the United States.
The Casino and Gaming Television network is in the development stages,
with plans calling for it to offer everything from tips on playing
poker to tours of casinos around the world. It is likely, however,
the channel will not focus on a very real and tragic side of gambling
– the lives, homes and careers destroyed by gambling.
"The gambling addict, if he’s honest, will tell you that
gambling is a 24-hour-a-day activity, whether he’s at the casino
or the racetrack or not," said Ron Reno, a special assistant
to the chairman of Focus on the Family. He added that it’s
becoming increasingly difficult for those wanting to quit gambling
to escape the activity, as gambling has invaded the home through
the Internet and is available even in the corner grocery in the
way of lottery tickets.
"I would encourage people to call their local cable company
and say, ‘We do not want – and don’t think it would
be a good idea to have – this particular channel as part of
the [cable] package," said Tim Wildmon, AFA president. "It’s
much easier to keep those kinds of channels off your cable system
than it is, once they’re on, to get them off."
Focus on the Family, 10/30/03
GOVERNMENT
‘F-word’ decision backfires on
FCC
After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave a thumbs
up in October to the use of the ‘f-word’ on network television,
AFA predicted that the networks would begin allowing more frequent
use of the word. Just over two months later, those predictions came
true.
During the December 10 broadcast of the Billboard Music Awards,
a profane comment was uttered live by one of the stars of the TV
show The Simple Life – uncensored by Fox, which aired
the show.
About an hour into the broadcast, Nicole Richie appeared on the
award show with her Simple Life co-star, socialite Paris
Hilton. Richie used the word "cows--t," which Fox bleeped.
Moments later, Richie asked, "Have you ever tried to get cows--t
out of a Prada purse? It’s not so f---ing simple!" Neither
word was bleeped.
Fox claimed it was unable to bleep out the profanities, even though
they bleeped the one cowsh--t a few seconds earlier.
"How does a network have the ability to bleep out one word
but not the next two?" asked AFA President Tim Wildmon.
Wildmon noted that the entire f-word controversy began with a different
live broadcast last January, the Golden Globe Awards, when
U2 lead singer Bono used the obscenity. That incident prompted numerous
complaints, and resulted in the FCC decision in October.
"I would have thought all networks would have their finger
on the ‘bleep button’ after that show," he said.
AFA supporters sent thousands of angry E-mails to the FCC after
its October decision, and the regulatory agency has agreed to meet
with Wildmon in February.
According to Fox News, the FCC has also decided to review its ruling,
especially after members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce,
which oversees the agency, met with FCC officials to ask for an
explanation.
In addition, Rep. Doug Ose (R-CA) has introduced a bill that would
establish a list of eight obscenities that cannot be spoken on network
television or radio.
Source: Fox News, 12/15/03; AgapePress, 12/5/03, 12/12/03
Safe sex research faked
Three University of Maryland researchers have admitted they fabricated
interviews for the Focus on Teens HIV risk-prevention program. More
than $1 million in federal funds was paid for the study, and at
least one lawmaker in Washington wants answers.
U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) questioned the general accuracy of
the report, and any information that group of researchers plans
to present to Congress. He also said it has made him question the
viability of condoms.
"They were willing to doctor condom research to try to get
the results they wanted, to try to juice it up so that it would
look more effective and yet they have criticized conservatives for
trying to put the light of day on this? It’s a little bit backwards,"
Souder said.
The study, which focused on black inner-city youth, was funded by
the National Institutes of Health. The research purportedly relied
on data gathered from 800 black youth in Baltimore housing developments.
The researchers said youth whose families participated in the Focus
on Kids program showed "significantly lower rates" for
several risk behaviors, including sex without condoms. The program
emphasized safe sex and promoted condom use.
Source: Family News in Focus, 12/8/03; 365Gay.com, 12/5/03; AgapePress,
12/12/03
HOMOSEXUALITY
Judge rebukes school for ‘one-way diversity’
Christian students won a major First Amendment victory in Michigan,
after a federal judge chastised school officials for their one-sided
support for the "gay" agenda.
Federal Judge Gerald Rosen ruled that Pioneer High School violated
the constitutional rights of student Betsy Hansen by censoring her
Christian views concerning homosexuality. Last year, during a so-called
"Diversity Week" forum at the Ann Arbor school, officials
permitted only pro-homosexual viewpoints to be expressed.
Hansen, a Roman Catholic, had been asked to give a speech on the
topic, "What Diversity Means to Me," and to present it
during a "Homosexuality and Religion" panel discussion.
But the school censored her speech, claiming her religious views
toward the topic were negative and would "water-down"
the positive message the school wanted to convey.
Ironically, the school did allow an approved religious viewpoint
to be presented to students when it permitted six handpicked religious
leaders to sit on the panel and quote Scripture – which they
claimed was in favor of homosexuality.
In his 70-page opinion, Judge Rosen stated the case "presents
the ironic, and unfortunate, paradox of a public high school celebrating
‘diversity’ by refusing to permit the presentation to
students of an ‘unwelcome’ viewpoint on the topic of homosexuality
and religion, while actively promoting the competing view."
He said the practice of such "one-way diversity" is both
unsettling and troubling, and that the exclusion of one viewpoint
in favor of another "hardly seems to further the school’s
purported objective of ‘celebrating diversity.’"
Source: AgapePress, 12/9/03
Study: ‘gays’ have more emotional
problems
The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Britain has released a study
demonstrating that "gays" and lesbians suffer from higher
rates of emotional and mental health problems, and are also more
likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
"Gay men and lesbians reported more psychological distress
than heterosexual men and women, despite similar levels of social
support and quality of physical health," said a press release
from the College. "They were also more likely to have used
recreational drugs, and lesbian women were more likely than heterosexual
women to drink excessively."
The study’s authors put forth the usual, politically correct
explanation for these differences, claiming that "[i]t may
be that prejudice in society against gay men and lesbians leads
to greater psychological distress."
Surprisingly, however, the authors suggested: "On the other
hand, gay men and lesbians may have lifestyles that make them vulnerable
to psychological disorder."
The researchers also found that, of the self-identified homosexuals
who "had considered seeking help to change their sexual orientation,"
15 out of 63 men (24%) and 2 out of 14 women (14%) succeeded. Homosexual
activists insist that "gays" and lesbians cannot change.
The study was published in the December issue of the British
Journal of Psychiatry.
Source: www.rcpsych.acuk, 12/1/03; traditionalvalues.org, 12/12/03
PORNOGRAPHY
Two charged under anti-spam law
Two North Carolina men are the first to be indicted under Virginia’s
anti-spam law. Jeremy Jaynes, of Raleigh, and Richard Rutowski,
of Cary, each face four felony counts of using fraudulent means
to transmit unsolicited bulk E-mail.
According to Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, the two
men allegedly sent hundreds of thousands of E-mails promoting investment
schemes, computer software and other products, including porn.
Jaynes and Rutowski face up to five years in prison and fines of
up to $2,500 on each count if convicted.
The indictments are the first for the Virginia Attorney General’s
computer crimes unit, but Kilgore said he expects the unit will
be busy for a long time to come.
Source: The Associated Press, 12/11/03
PRO-LIFE
Sixth Circuit Court upholds abortion ban
In a 2-1 decision that encourages pro-lifers throughout the nation,
the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld Ohio’s law banning
partial-birth abortion
The case, Women’s Medical Professional Corp. v. Taft, included
as a plaintiff Dr. Martin Haskell, the developer of the partial-birth
abortion technique.
"It is high time the federal courts afforded state legislatures
the deference they are due in matters such as this where they are
trying to protect innocent unborn children against one of the most
gruesome and painful deaths imaginable," commented Stephen
Crampton, chief counsel for the AFA Center for Law & Policy
(CLP). "Until now, the courts treated these laws as automatically
unconstitutional."
The CLP has been involved in both the defense of partial-birth abortion
laws as well as the drafting of similar legislation.
RELIGION
Parents get God back in patriotic song
Directors of a California high school musical program changed Lee
Greenwood’s patriotic anthem, "God Bless the USA,"
to say, "I Love the USA." Parents, however, would have
none of it.
Kaila Kaden took issue after learning God was removed from the song
her daughter will sing later this spring at a show benefiting Pleasant
Valley schools. The April show at Pacifica High School, part of
the Oxnard (California) Union High School District, follows a mishandled
suitcase across America and ends with 200 students singing "God
Bless the USA."
The show’s directors, thinking the use of God’s name would
be a violation of state laws, took the name out.
After parents protested, school board president Ron Speakman admitted
that there was a misinterpretation of state law and district policy.
"It was a misguided attempt to be politically correct, and
it has been rectified," Speakman said.
Source: Fox News, 12/8/03
Ministry to children critical, researcher
says
A prominent Christian researcher said the most important segment
of the population toward which churches should focus their energies
and resources is children.
Before they reach their teenage years, children have pretty much
developed their lifelong behaviors and views, said social researcher
George Barna. He said a person’s moral foundations are generally
in place by age nine; that the majority of people come to a lasting
determination of the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection
by age 12; that in most cases, people’s spiritual beliefs are
"irrevocably formed" when in the preteen years; and that
80% of adult church leaders today had "serious involvement"
in church life and training before they turned 13.
"In essence, what you believe by the time you are 13 is what
you will die believing," Barna said.
While he added that he did not discount life-changing experiences
beyond that age, he said research indicated that "most people’s
minds are made up and they believe they know what they need to know
spiritually" by the time they reach their teen years.
Source: www.barna.org, 11/17/03; AgapePress, 11/18/03
Recovered addict helps men trapped in
sexual sin
Steve Gallagher’s victory over sexual sin and pornography addiction
provides the perfect foundation for a pioneering ministry that helps
other men trapped in sexual addictions.
Gallagher is founder and president of Pure Life Ministries (www.purelifeministries.org).
He said Pure Life was the world’s first such ministry to help
men find freedom from sexual addiction.
Out of the Depths of Sexual Sin, Gallagher’s new autobiography,
chronicles his history, struggles, and eventual victory over sexual
sin before he founded Pure Life in 1986. AFA founder Don Wildmon
first met Gallagher in early 1987. Even then, AFA had recognized
that pornography was a growing curse on our culture.
"We’ve been sending people to Pure Life ever since,"
said Wildmon.
While serving time in a juvenile work project after his arrest for
cultivation of marijuana, Gallagher went to a revival and gave his
heart to Christ. Immediately, he began witnessing to old friends,
but after several months, his faith faltered. He reverted to his
old ways, then returned to the Lord – a pattern that would
continue for several years.
As he entered his twenties and his interest in drugs subsided, another
vice gained momentum in his life: pornography and illicit sex. By
the time he joined the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department he
was a full-fledged sex addict. Finally, a return to Christ set him
on the path to victory.
Through Pure Life, Steve and his wife, Kathy, offer a wealth of
informational and teaching materials for addicts and spouses. The
ministry is headquartered in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, and operates a
live-in facility for 50 recovering sex addicts. Out of the Depths
details the thrilling account of how God’s mercy has preserved
Gallagher’s life, restored his rocky marriage and empowered
his ministry.
He says he can only bring another as far as he himself has come.
"If I had a superficial walk with the Lord, that was all I
could hope to give others," he said in Out of the Depths.
Out of the Depths is available in bookstores and from Pure
Life at 888-293-8714.
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