Weekly Issues Alert

June 9-15

Happy Father's Day!
from the Staff of the Christian Action League

Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers (Pr. 17:6).

Origin of Father's Day

North Carolina General Assembly

N.C. House Gives Final OK to $18.9 Billion Budget
The House gave its final approval Thursday to a proposed $18.9 billion budget plan that uses a healthy surplus to reward teachers and state employees with their largest raises in years and give Medicaid relief to counties. Read
Protect Private Property Rights in North Carolina Petition Sign
Senate Panel Approves General Assembly Smoking Ban
Continuing North Carolina's crackdown on smoking, a Senate health committee unanimously approved a bill Wednesday to ban cigarette use in General Assembly buildings. Read
Former N.C. Legislator Speed Dies at 91
James Speed, a longtime state legislator who former colleagues say championed the interest of farmers and transportation, has died at the age of 91. Speed, who served in the Senate for 19 years and another decade in the House, died Wednesday afternoon at his Louisburg home after an 8-year battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to his daughter, Claudia Speed. Read
Senate panel OKs Kure compromise
Raleigh | Following some last-minute negotiating, a Senate committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would ban tall buildings in Kure Beach. Read

North Carolina Politics

At Least Three Millionaires In NC Delegation
Congressional reports show that at least three members of the North Carolina delegation are millionaires. Read

Other North Carolina News

Cingular Wireless and the USO of North Carolina Provide Free Phone Calls to the Troops for Father's Day
Talking with our loved ones for Father's Day is something many of us take for granted, but not the thousands of active duty military personnel working hard for our country. So in honor of our military and Father's Day, Cingular Wireless and the USO of N.C. are offering free phone calls to those members of our Armed Forces who may have gone without contact with family for weeks or months. Read
Anti-IED Devices On Display In Fayetteville Trade Show
Ground-penetrating radar, signal jammers and aerial surveillance cameras are among the tools to combat improvised explosive devices on display in this military town at the IED 2006 Symposium and Expo. Sgt. 1st Class Bernard Arellano from nearby Fort Bragg said he liked bomb-resistant tires that won't go flat, but he preferred the ground-penetrating radar. Read
Duke Basketball Standout Redick Arrested, Charged With DWI
Former Duke University men's basketball guard J.J. Redick was arrested early Tuesday and charged with driving while impaired, a Durham police spokeswoman said. Read
3 Police Departments Share $78,000 grant
More than $78,000 will come to Robeson County as part of a federal grant to assist law enforcement and victims of crime. Read
Wake Deputies Find Truck Carrying More Than Ton Of Marijuana
Wake County sheriff's deputies found an abandoned tractor-trailer full of more than a ton of marijuana Wednesday morning. Read
Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner To Discuss Safety At Shearon Harris
Local watchdog groups have voiced their concern for years about safety issues at Shearon Harris. Recently, inspectors investigated their claims. Now, a commissioner with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is coming to talk to people on both sides of the issue. Read
Easley Offers Plan To Overhaul Low-Performing High Schools
Gov. Mike Easley announced a new plan Tuesday to overhaul some of the state's low-performing high schools. Read
Three Former Robeson Deputies Indicted On Racketeering Charges
Three former Robeson County sheriff's deputies are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Read
SBC's Crossover Event Hits North Carolina Cities' Streets This Weekend
Southern Baptist churches throughout central North Carolina are taking the gospel to the streets through a variety of activities and events this weekend. Nearly 90 churches and more than 2,000 volunteers will take part in the evangelistic effort known as Crossover Triad. Read
Seminary Student Faces Sex Charges
A Raleigh man may have used his involvement in a church to lure a teenage boy into a sexual encounter. Brian Goodrich, 25, is charged with two sex offenses involving a 13-year-old boy. WRAL has learned that Goodrich, a youth volunteer at Providence Baptist Church, met the boy at a Raleigh church. In court records, Goodrich is listed as a restaurant employee, but sources close to the case told WRAL that he is also a seminary student. Read
Toll Road Could Soon Be Headed To Western Wake County
Experts spent months studying whether a toll road in western Wake County made financial sense. Results of that study are due back to the North Carolina Turnpike Authority Board Tuesday. Read
North Carolina Shuts Down Two More Telemarketers
One telemarketing scam that pitched phony English lessons and auto mechanics training and another that promised credit cards and credit repair but failed to deliver have been permanently barred from doing business in North Carolina. Read
Southern Baptists Choose Frank Page as President
The Southern Baptist Convention elected Frank Page as its new president Tuesday, choosing an unlikely candidate who had said it would take a ''miracle'' for him to win, and marking a new direction for the 16-million-member church. Read
Small Businesses Stay Numerous in Forsyth County, U.S. Census Bureau Reports
Small businesses remained the predominant employer in Forsyth County during 2004, but the ranks of large employers increased slightly, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today. Read
North Carolina Ethanol Plant Creates New Market for Corn
What started out to be a large ethanol production plant in Aurora, N.C., recently became a huge ethanol producing plant with the announcement that the facility will be doubled in size from 54 million gallons per year to 108 million gallons per year. Read
Broyhill to Close a North Carolina Plant, Cut 700 Jobs
Broyhill Furniture Industries said Monday it will close a plant in Lenoir, shedding nearly 700 jobs in a region reeling from the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs in recent years. Read
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall Receives National Recognition for Leadership in Protecting Consumers and Industry
National Notary Association Awards Marshall the March Fong Eu Achievement Award During Its 28th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Read

Congress

Congress Battles Over Iraq
The House erupted in impassioned, election-year debate over the Iraq war on Thursday. Read
Lawmakers Say Pledge Protection Act Needed Now More than Ever
Sponsors pick Flag Day to unveil legislation to guard "under God" from activist courts. Members of Congress told the nation today that, if we are not careful, the right of Americans to go public with their religion is in danger of being lost to activist courts. At a Capitol Hill news conference, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., and Sens. John Kyl, R-Ariz., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said the country needs the Pledge Protection Act to safeguard our freedom. Read
House Lawmakers Accept $3,300 Pay Hike
Despite record low approval ratings, House lawmakers Tuesday embraced a $3,300 pay raise that will increase their salaries to $168,500. Read
Flag-Burning Amendment Heads to Senate Floor
A measure that would change the U.S. Constitution to let Congress ban burning the American flag was sent to the Senate floor on Thursday, setting up an election-year debate. Read
Senate Approves $94 Billion Spending Bill
The Senate today sent President Bush an emergency spending bill, meeting his funding requests for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid to Gulf Coast hurricane victims. Read
Taxpayer Money Going to Gay and Lesbian Center Averted
An effort to tack $300,000 onto an appropriations bill for a gay multipurpose facility was scuttled today in the U.S. House. Read
Lawmakers' Finances Come Under Scrutiny
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, under federal investigation for possible insider trading, will have a nice nest egg to fall back on when he retires from Congress in January, recording income last year of more than $5 million from his largest blind trust. Frist, R-Tenn., is hardly the richest member of the millionaires' club of Congress, but he and numerous other lawmakers whose financial dealings have been questioned were under scrutiny as House and Senate lawmakers disclosed their finances Wednesday. Read
Hastert Deals Blow to Immigration Bill
Hopes for a quick compromise on immigration were dealt a blow Tuesday after House Speaker Dennis Hastert said he wanted to take a "long look" at a Senate bill offering possible citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants. Read
Opposition to Marriage Amendment Based on Hypocrisy and Cynicism
The nation just witnessed the dreary spectacle of the most powerful deliberative body in the world weighing the most important social issue of our time — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defending traditional marriage — in a debate dominated by hypocrisy, cynicism, and a concerted effort at reality-avoidance. Read
FEMA Funds Spent on Divorce, Sex Change
Houston divorce lawyer Mark Lipkin says he can't recall anyone paying for his services with a FEMA debit card, but congressional investigators say one of his clients did just that. The $1,000 payment was just one example cited in an audit that concluded that up to $1.4 billion — perhaps as much as 16 percent of the billions of dollars in assistance expended after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — was spent for bogus reasons. Read
How Did Your Senators Vote Regarding the Marriage Amendment? Go to
House Approves Funds for Wars and Hurricane Aid
A bill that provides $94.5 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and Gulf Coast recovery is expected to pass the Senate. Read
Senate Republicans Foil Attempt to Establish 'Native Hawaiian' Gov't
A military analyst and former officials in the Reagan Defense Department says it's outrageous that the Senate even considered a bill that opponents contend would have allowed the island of Hawaii to create an autonomous, race-based government capable of pulling the state out of the union if it chose. Read
Congress Approves Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act
Maximum fines for violations will increase tenfold. Read
NIH Scientist Reportedly Gave Patient Samples to Pfizer, Got $600,000
A senior Alzheimer's disease researcher at the National Institutes of Health pocketed more than $600,000 in fees from Pfizer Inc. while providing the drug company with thousands of samples of spinal fluid drawn from patients who were studied for his government work, congressional investigators said. Read
Minuteman Founder Denies Support of Bill
Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist says he does not support a compromise immigration proposal by Rep Mike Pence, R-Ind., despite the congressman's claim to the contrary. Read
Tancredo Warns America 'In Mortal Danger'
Two years ago, he was as lonely as the Maytag repairman — an obscure congressman trying desperately to raise the visibility of an issue he believed threatened the very security of the U.S. Read
Sex-Ed Advocates Tell Congress to Abandon Abstinence Ed
Democrats introduce a bill to cut funding for purity. Comprehensive sex-education advocates were on Capitol Hill Tuesday to tell members of Congress their view of abstinence-until-marriage education. Read
Catholic Bishops Urge Congress on Immigration
Representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged Congress on Wednesday to create a far-reaching program to give the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. a path to citizenship. Read
House Panel Hears of Aging Coast Guard Cutters
The Coast Guard joke is that one must be 6 feet tall to join the service — in order to walk back to shore when the boat sinks. But it was no laughing matter on Capitol Hill yesterday, where lawmakers held an oversight hearing on an aging inventory of cutters that have suffered numerous hull breaches and routinely miss operation duties because of failing subsystems. Read

Courts

Federal Judge Upholds 'In God We Trust'
A federal judge in California ruled against an atheist on Monday (June 12) who argued that minting the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency violated constitutional prohibitions against the government promoting religious ideas. Read
White House Wins Web Phone Wiretap Appeal
A divided federal appeals court Friday sided with the Bush administration over rules that make it easier for police and the FBI to wiretap Internet phone calls. Read
Judicial Hold-Up Decried
Representatives from more than 20 pro-family groups have sent a letter to key members of the Senate asking them to make the confirmation of judges a top priority. Read
Justices: Cops with warrant don't have to knock
5-4 decision finds it doesn't undermine unreasonable search protections Read

Christianity/Pro-Family/Religion/Ethics

Dr. Dobson Defends Marriage on Hannity & Colmes
Dr. James Dobson appeared on Fox News Hannity & Colmes on June 9 to share why he thinks marriage is in crisis and should be constitutionally protected. Read
A Difference Worth Embracing
Why Mother-Father Couples Are Superior to Same-Sex Couples When It Comes to Adoption Read
Volunteering Increasing, Churches Lead the Way
More than 65 million Americans gave of their time in 2005, an 8 percent increase in the last three years. Read
Volunteers Deliver More Hope to Storm-Ravaged Mississippi Coast
8 Days of Hope, a massive Christian-based relief effort organized by lay people who want to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, touched the lives of many of those victims during a second visit in early June. Read
South Dakota Churches Warned They Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status
Liberal groups threaten, but experts say there is no ban on weighing in on ballot questions such as the abortion ban. Read
Parents of Fallen Marine Ask Bush to Federalize Mt. Soledad Memorial Site
Request, If Granted, Could Save Historic Cross from Being Moved Read
Unexpected Victory for New Baptist Leader
The 16 million Southern Baptists in the United States have a new president, Frank S. Page, the pastor of a megachurch in Taylors, S.C. Read
A Wok With Jesus: Saving Souls in Chinese Kitchens
Thousands of Chinese kitchen workers live on the margins. A former restaurant owner tends to a subculture most Americans never see. Read
The War on Fathers
How the 'feminization of America' destroys boys, men — and women Read
Secret Service Claims Seized Gospel Tracts are "Counterfeit" Currency
Lawyers for the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (CLP), on Monday, asked a federal judge in Dallas to issue an injunction against the United States Secret Service to stop the agency from continuing to seize Million Dollar gospel tracts. Read
Catholic Bishops to Consider Mass Changes
Prayers ingrained in the memories of millions of U.S. Roman Catholics would change under a proposal American bishops were considering to tweak the Mass so that it adheres more closely to the Latin version. Read

Abortion/Pro-Life

States Continue Efforts to Ban Abortion
A roundup of activity across the nation. Read
South Dakota Churches Must be Careful on Abortion Vote, IRS Says
The Internal Revenue Service has done more to crack down on political activities by nonprofits in the last election and IRS officials are warning churches in South Dakota not to overstep their bounds when it comes to a November ballot initiative to overturn the abortion ban. Read
Breast-Cancer Groups Continue to Support Planned Parenthood
Pro-lifers object to the donations. Major women's health groups that focuses on breast-cancer research continue to contribute money to Planned Parenthood, in spite of scientific evidence that indicates a link between abortion and breast cancer. Read
New York Bill Threatens Families' Power to Make Medical Decisions
Health-care providers could trump end-of-life decisions. The New York Legislature is considering a bill that pro-life groups say contains serious end-of-life issues. The title of the bill, the Family Health Care Decisions Act, may sound good, but Chris Fitch, legislative director for New York State Right to Life Committee, said provisions in it would circumvent the right of families to make decisions for loved ones. Read
Rich Foreign Couples Travel To U.S. To Pick Baby's Sex
Many couples with enough money are coming to the United States to choose the sex of their babies. Read
Ala. Abortion Clinic Surrenders License After Baby's Death
A Birmingham abortion clinic has surrendered its license amid allegations that a woman delivered a nearly full-term stillborn baby after a clinic staff member gave her an abortion-inducing drug. Read

Alcohol/Drugs/Health

Christian MD: Legal System Has Turned Malpractice Suits Into Patient 'Lottery'
The executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations says the malpractice system is broken and needs to be fixed. Read

Education/Sex Ed/Teens/Children

Southern Baptist Leaders Refuse To Back Public School Pullout
There will be no Southern Baptist exodus from the nation's public schools _ at least for now. Read
Graduate's Diploma Held After She Speaks About Her Faith
Legal experts say the action was a violation of her constitutional rights. Read
News Media Wrongly Say Conservatives Are Opposed to Cervical-Cancer Vaccine
Family groups say parents should make the decision whether to inoculate children. The Food and Drug Administration approved Gardisil late last week, a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus — a sexually transmitted infection. While family advocates applauded the medical breakthrough, the mainstream media are using it as an opportunity to paint conservatives in a bad light. Read
School Apologizes for Censoring Christian Teen's 'Day of Truth' T-Shirt Message
A high school in Oregon has apologized to a student for censoring her Christian view on homosexuality. Last April, an official at Springfield High School ordered several Christian students on campus to remove the T-shirts they were wearing on the "National Day of Truth," an event designed to counter the promotion of homosexuality in schools. The T-shirts contained the message "I am a Christian, and I am against homosexuality, abortion, pre-marital sex, and drugs." Read
Hitler Quotes in Yearbook Prompt Apology
Two high school seniors picked quotations from Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" to appear under their high school yearbook pictures, prompting school officials to apologize. The quotes were picked by Christopher Koulermos and Philip Compton, both 18. Koulermos' read "Strength lies not in defense, but in attack." Compton chose "The great masses of people ... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one." Read
Bilingualism Issue Rises Again
Massachusetts is one of three states — along with California and Arizona — that did away with bilingual education several years ago. Read
Summer Reading — A Passport to Anywhere
From tee-ball games to church camp to family vacation, the summer months can easily become just as busy as the rest of the year. Reading, especially during the summer, can be great entertainment as well as a spiritual and emotional support system. Read
Teacher Wins $100,000 Award for Excellence
In Linda Alston's classroom, math, science and reading aren't the only things the kindergartners are expected to learn. Read

God and Country/National Security/Politics/Economy

American Troops in Shackles
Did you know there are seven young Marines and a Navy corpsman sitting in a military brig right now in leg and wrist shackles — despite the fact that they've not been charged with any crime? Read
Supporting the Troops
The yearly cost of unemployment benefits for disabled military personnel has ballooned to $3 billion. Is the U.S. prepared for the oncoming wave of Iraq war vets? Read
US Bans Four Chinese Companies for Aiding Iran — Jerusalem Post
The United States on Tuesday prohibited all transactions with four Chinese companies and one US company for allegedly helping Iran acquire weapons of mass destruction and missiles capable of delivering them. Read
Documents: Al-Qaida sought U.S.-Iran war
A blueprint for trying to start a war between the United States and Iran was among a "huge treasure" of documents found in the hideout of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Read
Sweep Nets Nearly 2,100 Illegal Immigrants
A blitz by federal agents during the last three weeks captured nearly 2,100 illegal immigrants across the country in raids targeting child molesters, violent gang members and past deportees who re-entered the country. Read
Coalition, Afghan Forces Kill 26 Militants
Coalition and Afghan forces killed 26 suspected militants Wednesday in fighting in eastern mountains, while in southern Afghanistan, more than 11,000 troops prepared for their biggest offensive since the fall of the Taliban five years ago. Read
Bush Assures Iraqis in Surprise Visit
President Bush assured Iraqis in a surprise visit to Baghdad on Tuesday that the United States stands with them and their new government. "It's in our interest that Iraq succeed," he said, seated alongside newly named Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Read
Because Congress Won't Pass Marriage Protection, California's Only Hope is VoteYesMarriage.com
It's up to Californians to protect the special institution of marriage in their state constitution, now that a federal marriage amendment has stalled for the second time in three years. "Because Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer oppose protecting marriage for a man and a woman, the federal marriage amendment has failed," said former Assemblyman Larry Bowler, a leader of the statewide VoteYesMarriage.com coalition. "But because of California's overwhelming support for preserving marriage for a man and a woman, the VoteYesMarriage.com initiative will succeed." Read
Global Image of the U.S. Is Worsening, Survey Finds
Favorable views of the U.S. dropped sharply over the past year, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. Read
Study Finds Huge Fraud in the Wake of Hurricanes
As much as $1.4 billion in government disaster aid to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita went to bogus or undeserving victims, an investigation found. Read
Top Bush Aide Rove Won't Be Charged
Karl Rove, one of President Bush's most trusted aides, will not be charged in a federal investigation into potential misconduct in the White House, a decision that ends a nearly three-year probe of the political strategist. Read
Ex-California governor says GOP timid on immigration
Wilson claims lawmakers fear being called racist Read
Webb Wins Democratic Nomination In Virginia — Ex-Republican to Face Allen for U.S. Senate
Virginia Democrats yesterday chose Vietnam War hero James Webb to challenge Sen. George Allen (R), siding with their party's national leadership, which had declared the former Republican to be the only candidate with a chance to beat Allen in November. Read
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Reach 2,500
Pentagon confirmed Thursday that 2,500 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq war since it began more than three years ago. Read

Pornography/Homosexuality/Obscenity/Immorality/Sexual Abuse

Bush Signs Law Increasing Indecency Fines
FCC can now fine broadcasters up to $325,000 per incident Read
Australia Strikes Down Law Recognizing Same-Sex Unions
The Australian government has followed through on its pledge to quash a law recognizing same-sex unions in the Australian Capital Territory. Read
CBS Affiliates Claim Indecency Complaints Are Invalid
CBS affiliates on Monday asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to drop a record-setting $3.3 million indecency fine, because they claim hardly any of the people who filed complaints about the teen-orgy scene that prompted the fines watched the program as it aired. Read
Episcopal Church USA Considers Moratorium on Gay Bishops
The first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church USA said at the denomination's national conference this week that he thinks it's unlikely the church's top policymaking body will stop electing gay leaders. Read

Other News

Why Strike Canada?
One of the 17 arrested, Qayyum Abdul Jamal, was an imam at a small storefront mosque in suburban Toronto. Those who listened to his sermons have told reporters that they didn't promote violent jihad or advocate killing non-Muslims. In a post-9/11 environment less hospitable to such rhetoric, these denials actually could be true. But the arrested imam didn't need to preach violence in order to prime the terror pump. A local Muslim community center director explained to the Associated Press that Mr. Jamal had told his congregants "that the Canadian Forces were going to Afghanistan to rape women." And this slander almost certainly was not uttered in isolation. Read
Islamists Jailed over Plot to Attack Paris — London Times
Twenty-five Islamist radicals were jailed by a Paris court today for their roles in a plot to bomb French landmarks including the Eiffel Tower. Read
Al-Zarqawi Successor Vows to Avenge Death — ABC News
The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq vowed to avenge the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and threatened horrific attacks "in the coming days," according to a Web statement Tuesday the first from the new terrorist leader. Read
China and Russia Reject Joint Statement on Iran Nuclear Program — AFP
China and Russia have rejected joining the West in a joint statement urging Iran to halt uranium enrichment, in diplomatic maneuvering ahead of a debate at the UN nuclear watchdog. Read
Israel: Palestinian Explosives Caused Beach Deaths
The explosion on a Gaza beach that killed seven people last Friday was caused by explosives planted there by Palestinian militants, not artillery fire from an Israeli navy gunboat, Israeli military sources said Tuesday. Read
First Contract to Build Floating Nuclear Power Plant Signed in Russia — MosNews
The state-owned nuclear power generating monopoly Rosenergoatom and Sevmash shipyard have signed a contract to built the world's first floating nuclear power plant (NPP), the Russian nuclear agency said Wednesday, RIA Novosti reports. Read
Canada Conservative Gets Aggressive With Big Oil
By taking on Big Oil, which has developed other offshore fields in Newfoundland and Labrador, premier Danny Williams is taking quite a gamble. Read
Al Aqsa Official: Jewish Temples Existed
Says proof passed down over the centuries by mosque custodians Read
Palestinian Carries Millions in Suitcase
Hours after cash-starved civil servants stormed parliament, the Palestinian foreign minister returned Wednesday from a trip to Muslim nations with $20 million in a suitcase, a sign of Hamas' desperation for money in the face of a Western boycott. Read
Rescuers Search for Two Trapped on Deadly Volcano
Rescuers dug through volcanic debris Thursday to reach two people trapped when Indonesia's most volatile volcano erupted, nearly enveloping a village with a searing gas cloud and forcing thousands of residents to flee. Read
Castro's Brother: Cuba Will Stay Communist
Fidel Castro's brother said the Communist Party will remain in control of Cuba if there is a leadership change, according to comments published Thursday. Read

Disclaimer: The Christian Action League of North Carolina does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site.

Index of Weekly Issues Alerts

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2006