# 1280 (7/7) "Oregon Flexes Its Muzzle with Gag Order"

"OREGON FLEXES ITS MUZZLE WITH GAG ORDER" - by Tony Perkins, Washington Update, July 6, 2015; http://www.frc.org/washingtonupdate/20150706/oregon-flexes [AS I SEE IT: Yesterday's post (#1279) spoke of how Christians and vast numbers who still believe in traditional values need to find the courage to stand up and be heard, especially in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on homosexual marriage. Too many hesitate to even be considered politically incorrect for fear of a hostile response. Others don't believe such things and even persecution for unaccepted views can happen here in the U.S. Well, here in this article is a clear example (and there have been a growing number recently) of Christians whose rights are being penalized and taken away for standing up for their faith. The question is not WILL such persecution happen, or whether it will affect only certain ones of us, but will  each of us prepared WHEN we are called on to stand up for the God's truth. May we gain courage from this couple! AND do contact your representative about supporting the First Amendment Defense Act! - Stan]

No wonder people like Cokie Roberts don't think same-sex "marriage" has "tangible, identifiable victims." The victims are being ordered not to talk about it! That's the latest twist in the long and bitter suit against Aaron and Melissa Klein, the young Christian bakers who turned down a lesbian wedding cake order in Oregon -- and have been paying for it ever since.

As prepared as the Kleins were to hear their $135,000 fine had been finalized, nothing could have prepared them for the Bureau of Labor's second punishment: forced silence. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian decided to put his own stamp on the punishment by ordering the parents of five "to cease and desist from publishing, circulating, issuing or displaying, or causing to be published... any communication to the effect that any of the accommodations... will be refused, withheld, or denied to..."

His order made the Kleins speechless all right -- but not for long. Once the shock wore off, Aaron and Melissa made it quite clear that they wouldn't stop speaking out about their case, no matter what the government threatened. "We will not give up this fight," Aaron wrote on their Facebook page, "and we will not be silenced."

As FRC has warned, if our freedom of religion can be trampled, the freedom of speech won't be far behind. Aaron and Melissa's attorney, Alliance Defending Freedom's Anna Harmon was stunned. "Now he has ruled that the Kleins' simple statement of personal resolve to be true to their faith is unlawful. This is a brazen attack on every American's right to freely speak and imposes government orthodoxy on those who do not agree with government-sanctioned ideas."

Although Avakian's gay activism is no secret, his final ruling is profoundly vicious -- accusing the Kleins, among other things, of devaluing "humanity for all of us." When Aaron and Melissa explained that they couldn't participate in a same-sex ceremony, "their act was much more than the denial of a product," the commissioner claimed. "It was, and is, a denial of [the couple's] freedom to participate equally. It is the epitome of being told there are places you cannot go, things you cannot do... or be. [The Kleins'] conduct was a clear and direct statement that [this couple] lacked an identity worth being recognized."

Keep in mind that the state of Oregon didn't allow same-sex "marriage" when the Kleins declined to make the cake. Avakian blamed the Kleins for inflicting more than 100 emotional and physical problems on the couple, including everything from "weight gain" and "distrust of men" to "feeling mentally raped." As Fox News's Todd Starnes said, that must have been quite a cake! If anyone has suffered personally, it's the Kleins -- who not only lost their business, but their sense of personal safety. While the plaintiffs said they "fear being harassed," Aaron and Melissa actually were -- with death threats, property damage, and now, a government gag order. "We were just running our business the best we could -- following the Lord's example," Melissa told Todd. "I'm just blown away by the ruling." So are most legal experts. An order of this magnitude is not only unprecedented, but unconstitutional.

As the smoke starts to clear from the Supreme Court's marriage ruling, this story makes an important point: the Left's goal is not, nor has it ever been, marriage. What every American should have seen at the Supreme Court was not a finish line, but the beginning of a fierce struggle for our basic freedoms. That's why legislation like Senator Mike Lee's First Amendment Defense Act is so urgent. We need to stop the federal government from doing what some states already are: punishing the rights of Christians in the name of "tolerance."

Fortunately, this young, God-fearing couple have no intentions of going quietly. "This man has no power over me," Aaron said. "He seems to think he can tell me to be quiet... Unfortunately, he's doing this with the wrong Christian, because I fight back." You can fight back too. Contact your congressman and senators and ask them to support FADA and people like Aaron and Melissa, whose only crime is exercising the freedoms America just celebrated.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

"The Supreme Court of the Divided States" - by Tony Perkins, Washington Update, July 6, 2015, http://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20150706/supreme-court-divided
     "... Unfortunately for liberals, Americans of all backgrounds oppose same-sex 'marriage' -- and, more importantly, they're starting to understand the threat it poses to the First Amendment. USA Today paid particular attention to that shift in this morning's edition. By huge margins, Americans are beginning to see what the media refuses to -- that the real victims of the Court's decision are people like Aaron and Melissa Klein."
     " 'For years,'Aaron said over the weekend, 'we've heard same-sex marriage will not affect anybody. I'm here firsthand to tell everyone in America that it has already impacted people.' The country must believe him, because in just two years, the number of people who think Christian wedding vendors should be forced to take same-sex "wedding" jobs has plummeted 14 points -- from 52% to 38%. Obviously, Americans aren't buying the Left's line that the First Amendment doesn't apply to men and women of faith.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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"Sorry, Slate: Oregon Did Put a ‘Gag Order’ on Those Christian Bakers" - Hans von Spakovsky / @HvonSpakovsky / Katrina Trinko/ @KatrinaTrinko / July 06, 2015;http://dailysignal.com/2015/07/06/sorry-slate-oregon-did-put-a-gag-order-on-those-christian-bakers/ 
"State Silences Bakers Who Refused to Make Cake for Lesbian Couple, Fines Them $135K" - Kelsey Harkness / @kelseyjharkness / July 02, 2015;http://dailysignal.com/2015/07/02/state-silences-bakers-who-refused-to-make-cake-for-lesbian-couple-fines-them-135k/

# 1279 (7/6) "Don't Give Up On America"

"DON'T GIVE UP ON AMERICA" - David Limbaugh | Jul 03, 2015;
http://townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/2015/07/03/dont-give-up-on-america-n2020775/page/full

As I've said, I was very alarmed, though not particularly surprised, by the two Supreme Court decisions last week in which the court's majority blithely bastardized the English language, the Constitution, the rule of law and the very idea of truth in order to further advance the progressive agenda in this nation. But what troubles me more than the court's betrayal of its duty to safeguard the Constitution and the rule of law is the apparent complacency among the public about these decisions and the radical shifts we are witnessing in our culture.

Why do some seem resigned to the transformation of our society? Why have they surrendered? Do they strongly believe in anything anymore? Do they not understand the implications for the future of this nation -- if not for themselves, for their children?

We all seem to agree that to a great extent politics flows downstream from culture. The problem for conservatives is that the left understands this better than we do. They long ago took over our major cultural institutions, indoctrinating society through the schools, universities, media and Hollywood to their anti-tradition and radically secular ideas.

It has been a brilliant, grand deception because the left's ideas are anything other than the salt and light they present them to be. They offer themselves as tolerant, inclusive, compassionate and morally superior decriers of "hate." Yet they are the intolerant and often bitterly hateful ones who are trying to suppress opposing voices and who demonize everyone who dares disagree with their positions.

Leftists have been denigrating America's history, culture and values and denying it. But don't you dare suggest they don't love the country they have spent so much energy trashing and trying to fundamentally change.They have insisted they just want the freedom to live and let live; they just want equal rights. In no way do they mean to encroach on other people's rights. They are harmless, seeking only an equal seat at the table.Yet across the board their actions contradict their words, and their subsequent positions flagrantly breach their promises and assurances.

In economic policy, the founding American ideal of equal opportunity is no longer enough for them. By itself, it is inherently unfair, because some people have more talent, better connections or a privileged race or gender status. So they demand equal or more equitable outcomes. They use the tax code, administrative regulations and unconstitutional legislation to even the score. But isn't something screamingly wrong and unsustainable about a society whose lower half of income earners pay zero income taxes?

On same-sex marriage, gay activists said they only wanted equal recognition and an equal right to marry. They wouldn't dream of encroaching on the religious liberties of Christians. How quickly their true intentions emerged once they scored their Supreme Court victory. They were never going to be satisfied merely with a lawless Supreme Court decision forcing states to accept their redefinition of marriage. They are determined to use the power of the state and economic coercion to neuter and punish dissenters.

Leftists are not about live and let live. They are about wholesale control. Their movers and shakers see society as their project, and they can change everything and everyone through government and their domination of the culture. There is no live and let live in their bones.

In view of all this, it is amazing that so many conservatives, traditionalists and Christians are blind to the hostile, aggressive and unquenchable appetite of the leftist movement. It is chilling to me that they don't realize this trend is going to continue until there is either a cultural or legal confrontation or the left stamps out all dissent. The left is never satisfied even with winning; they must stomp out the opposition. Just look at what they've done to the Christian businesses with which they gratuitously picked a fight over same-sex marriage. Look at the concentrated assault on Donald Trump, even if you don't agree with some of his statements. Look at what they do to anyone who doesn't comply with their 1984-ishness.

I repeat: Is our side asleep? Have they given up? Are they numb? Do they care? Are they cowards? Would they rather be thought of as wonderful and tolerant by these intolerant people than stand up for what they believe in? Or do they believe in much of anything anymore?

I find it inconceivable that in the past five years Americans' opinions concerning same-sex marriage have changed as drastically as certain polls and commentators suggest. It's as if because President Obama came out and admitted he favors same-sex marriage, everyone else is compelled to agree. Even if the polls show this, I don't believe a majority yet accepts, in its heart of hearts, that same-sex marriage is the way to go. My suspicion is that it's more a reflection of the bullying and propaganda than a societal change of heart.

Could I be wrong on this? Could society be that fickle -- so apathetic about serious issues that they can turn on a dime? I'm not buying it. But I do believe people increasingly lack the courage to voice dissenting opinions against the politically correct position.

But I haven't given up hope. We can't give up on America. I don't believe American conservatism and traditional values are dead, but they are very, very sick. They need a doctor -- in the form of a fearless proponent of our ideas, which spawned the greatest nation in history and can help to bring it back. During this chaotic GOP primary process, hopefully a leader will emerge who believes in America and can inspire like-minded people toward a political revival. In the meantime, a spiritual revival in our culture is long overdue.

May God not give up on but once again bless America.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

David Limbaugh, brother of radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, is an expert on law and politics. He recently authored the New York Times best-selling book: "Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel."
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"Conservative churches confront new reality on gay marriage" - AP News | Jun 28, 2015; http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2015/06/28/conservative-churches-confront-new-reality-on-gay-marriage-n2018563

# 1278 (7/5) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "Exiles, Yes - But Engaged Exiles..."

"EXILES, YES - BUT ENGAGED EXILES, - REFLECTIONS FOR JULY 4, 2015" - By: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: July 3, 2015;http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/27722?spMailingID=11787165&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=580147907&spReportId=NTgwMTQ3OTA3S0

As if we needed any reminder that things aren’t looking up here in the good old US of A, the Supreme Court has just discovered a constitutional “right” to “same-sex marriage.” Conservative and liberal pundits alike agree that the consequences for religious liberty in this country could be severe.

It’s no wonder that Rod Dreher, writing in Time Magazine, says that we Christians must consider ourselves exiles in our own land. “Christians must understand that things are going to get much more difficult for us,” Dreher writes. “We are going to have to learn how to live with at least a mild form of persecution. And we are going to have to change the way we practice our faith and teach it to our children, to build resilient communities.”

It’s times like this when I especially miss my friend and mentor Chuck Colson. While he believed that “our first citizenship is in heaven,” Chuck always called on Christians to be the “best of citizens” of our earthly countries as well.

How do we do that? What would Chuck tell us in these troubled times? My colleagues at BreakPoint found a commentary Chuck delivered back in 1999. The House impeachment hearings had just failed to oust a president who had lied under oath about his disgraceful conduct with a young woman in the White House.

Chuck observed that evangelicals were as down as he’d ever seen them. There seemed to be no sense of morality in public life. Sound familiar?  “To turn the tide,” Chuck said, “we need to understand that this painful deflation of hopes is a sign that our earlier hopes were OVER-inflated.”

Chuck pointed out that many believers got involved in politics because of Roe v. Wade and expected to usher in the kingdom. We were wrong, but we didn’t withdraw. Instead, we reengaged. We built pregnancy care centers to help mothers and their babies. We deployed ultrasounds to display the humanity of the unborn. We softened our rhetoric. Today, abortion rates are falling, and a solid majority of Americans now considers itself pro-life rather than ‘pro-choice.’”

Folks, now is not the time to head for the hills, to withdraw from public life. As John Stonestreet said on BreakPoint last week, “just as Roe marked a new phase in the struggle for the sanctity of life . . . Friday’s decision [on marriage] marks a new phase in the fight for the God-ordained gift of family.”

And how do we prepare for that fight? Again, let me quote Chuck. “We ought to learn from our mistakes and become better equipped--and that means developing a biblically based political philosophy, guided by the classic elements of a Christian worldview: creation, fall, and redemption.”

So what did Chuck mean? First, he said, “The doctrine of creation tells us the state is ordained by God; it is not a necessary evil but a good part of God's creation. Therefore, participation in political life is a moral obligation.”

Then there’s the Fall: We have to come to grips with the fact that, as Chuck reminded us, “This side of heaven our accomplishments will always be partial, temporary, and painfully inadequate.” As for Redemption, Chuck said “creation itself shares in Christ’s redemption. Salvation is not only about personal renewal, but also about social and political renewal.”

Yes, we are exiles in our own land. But as Chuck reminded us, as exiles, we are to heed the words of the prophet Jeremiah: We are to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’”

Amen. And happy Fourth of July.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION - Living the Christian life in a fallen world requires a commitment to God's truth and a desire to see that truth modeled in our government, our communities and individual lives. Be proactive in walking out your faith, whether that's in politics, business, education or wherever God has called you.  Even as exiles, we are never without the hope and peace that Christ gives.
RESOURCES
"The State of the Nation: Why Christians Should Be in Politics" - Chuck Colson | BreakPoint.org | September 20, 1999; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/13172
"Christian Patriotism: When is Civil Disobedience Justified?" - Chuck Colson | BreakPoint.org | June 5, 2007;http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/10709
"The American Creed" - Chuck Colson | BreakPoint.org | July 3, 2009;http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/13738
"Orthodox Christians Must Now Learn To Live as Exiles in Our Own Country" - Rod Dreher | Time.com | June 26, 2015;http://time.com/3938050/orthodox-christians-must-now-learn-to-live-as-exiles-in-our-own-country/
"Gay Marriage, Abortion, and the Bigger Picture" - Karen Swallow Prior | Christianity Today | June 2015;http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2015/june/gay-marriage-abortion-and-bigger-picture.html
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"'Is It the Fourth?'" - By FRC Senior Fellow Bob Morrison - July 03, 2015;
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU15G03&f=WU15G03

# 1277 (7/4) "4th of July Means Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness for All, Except Unborn Babies"/FL. 24-Hour Law

ATTENTION: Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE BRIGHT BLUE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)

S.C. Decision on Homosexual Marriage NOTE: From this past Monday through Friday, I have been posting articles addressing the very tragic decision by the Supreme Court last Friday. I cannot stress enough how we all need to be praying that the Church – ie, the individual believer and the institution itself - will respond appropriately and effectively. Despite what the mainstream media is reporting, the debate is NOT over! (42 years after the SC legalized abortion, that debate is also FAR from over!) The Court ruled wrongly BUT they do NOT speak the FINAL word; God’s Word (and GOD) does – and always will. Isaiah 40:8; Phil. 4:5-6)

PRAYER MATTERS:"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and asking Him to accomplish His perfect and loving will." - Stan

PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Short of that, we should not be saying "God Bless America"but instead "God be merciful towards America!" (Feb. 24th - Rev. Franklin Graham delivered this insight to his Facebook friends yesterday, "I do know that the president defends Islam and chastises Christians, rebukes our allies and befriends our enemies, and fully supports gay marriages and abortion but denies the religious freedoms of those who don't agree. Our nation is ridiculed abroad and morally crumbling within. We are in trouble. We have turned our back on God.")

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS:  Let's be praying that the Congress and the the President will find a way to pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit America today and future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

"'We Can't Forget' Pastor Saeed's 1,000 Days in Prison" - By Abigail Robertson, June 24, 2015, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/June/We-Cant-Forget-Pastor-Saeeds-1000-Days-in-Prison/ 
     "Pastor Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith for 1,000 days, June 23... 'We cannot move forward with an Iranian nuclear deal while Pastor Saeed sits in prison as well as three other Americans,' he said. Mahoney also called upon Christians around the world to come together in prayer.
     'Pray for Saeed and his family, pray for safety for our brothers and sisters around the world, and also pray for our elected officials and President Obama that they would not be silent, ' Mahoney urged. 'We believe that as Christians pray around the world, we can see Pastor Saeed's release.' "
"DON'T LEAVE AMERICAN PASTOR SAEED BEHIND " - (5/2) - The Obama administration has stated that they would veto any Congressional action to tie the proposed nuclear deal with Pastor Saeed's release! (4/1/) - A nuclear deal with Iran could come at any time, any hour, any day. But will American Pastor Saeed be freed? His health is worsening. He continues to suffer grave threats in an Iranian prison where torture and executions are commonplace. President Obama assured Pastor Saeed’s wife that freedom for this wrongfully imprisoned U.S. citizen would be a “top priority.” Now is a critical time to continue to pressure the Obama Administration to not leave Pastor Saeed behind and urge Iran to show goodwill. Pastor Saeed is imprisoned merely because he is a Christian. He deserves to be home with his family. We continue fighting for his freedom – working in Congress, with the State Department, and with leaders across the globe. We must not forget Pastor Saeed. Sign the Petition: "Don’t Leave American Pastor Saeed Behind".; http://aclj.org/persecuted-church/dont-leave-am 

4/18/2015"Recant or Else: Saeed Faces New Psychological Torture" - By George Thomas, April 18, 2015; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/April/Iranian-Prison-Guards-Torment-American-Pastor/ "Naghmeh [his wife] says recent prisoner executions have also taken their toll on her husband. Despite the hardships, she writes that he continues to remain strong in the faith.'He wants you all to know that the Lord continues to move in that prison and lives are being transformed!' his wife wrote on Facebook. 'That they had a great Easter in prison,' she continued. 'Saeed desperately 'missed being with our family on Easter, but new Easter traditions were created in prison!' 'Over the years this journey has truly become more difficult and painful for Saeed and for the kids and I,' she wrote. 'Our family appreciates your continued prayers.'We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States.

Urgent Petition: Defend Christians - Defeat ISIS. -  Go to http://aclj.org/jihad/say-no-to-a-third-term-of-president-obamas-failed-foreign-policy?view=donFrmB&utm_expid=7567081-8.vdNbXkfzQUyJhpww3WXtYQ.1&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign= "..An estimated 76 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious freedom is restricted...

4/17/2015 "US Missionary Injured in Apparent Terrorist Shooting" - By Abigail Robertson, April 17, 2015; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/April/Christian-Missionary-Wounded-in-Apparent-Terrorist-Shooting/ "A Christian missionary is fighting for her life after being shot in the head in Karachi, Pakistan, in an apparent terrorist attack. Fifity-five-year-old Debra Lobo was hit twice when four men fired shots from motorbikes as she was leaving work...The gunmen, who escaped, left a leaflet in her car with her name on it saying they had targeted her because she was American." Let's keep Debra in our prayers.

Feb. 25 -  "US Missionary Held for $300K Ransom in Nigeria" - CBNNews.com, February 25, 2015;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/February/US-Missionary-Held-for-Ransom-in-Nigeria----/ "Phyllis Sortor, an American missionary in Nigeria, has been abducted from the Hope Academy compound in Emiworo, Kogi State. Nigerian police say her captors are asking for $300,000 in ransom. The Free Methodist Church, Sortor's sponsoring denomination, reports that the U.S. State Department and FBI are working with Nigerian authorities to find and rescue her. Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria and most victims are returned unharmed. It's also possible that the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram is involved, although it operates mainly in the northeastern corner of Nigeria and Sotor was kidnapped in the central part of the country..."

 Save Christian Mom Asia Bibi from Execution - A Christian mom has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for her faith. Asia Bibi was falsely accused of “blasphemy” – speaking against the prophet Muhammad. Now this wife and mother of five will hang for her Christian faith.She would be the first woman executed under Pakistan’s Shariah blasphemy law.This is the ultimate human rights violation. We’re mobilizing our international affiliate – the European Centre for Law and Justice – and its partner in Pakistan to stop this atrocity. Add your name to our letter to the government of Pakistan demanding Asia Bibi’s freedom.Go to http://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-mom-asia-bibi-from-execution; please add your signature to mine and over 35,000 others AND pray for Asia Bibi.

Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.

PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907) Pray that allied forces will be able to drive the group ISIS back (see post #964)

/PRAYER ALERT- UKRAINE: As the Lord leads, please pray: 

*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.

*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church']  as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.

*That President Obama would use wisdom in crafting our  foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.

Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.

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"4th OF JULY MEANS LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS FOR ALL, EXCEPT UNBORN BABIES" -
 CAROL TOBIAS   JUL 3, 2015   |  http://www.lifenews.com/2015/07/03/4th-of-july-means-life-liberty-and-pursuit-of-happiness-for-everyone-except-unborn-babies/

Our nation, formed in such idealism in 1776, today is under assault. Some people might think that word “assault” is just a metaphor. Our values under “assault.” Our religious rights of conscience being “attacked.” All that is true, of course. But I’m talking about real, literal assault.

Unborn babies in today’s America are literally – not figuratively – assaulted. They are physically attacked in the womb, dismembered, often in the most painful ways imaginable. They, even more than our nation itself, are truly “under assault.”

Through the work of National Right to Life, our state affiliates, local chapters and others, we can be thankful that over 500,000 fewer unborn babies are assaulted and killed than were decades ago. Our nation is becoming more pro-life, more respectful once again of the meaning of the promise of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. But tragically, about a million still die annually.

America will not be whole until we extend the promise of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness to every member of the human family. To the unborn. To the elderly and ill threatened by denial of care or so-called “assisted suicide.” To persons with disabilities, young and old, who society deems unworthy of the level of necessary medical care the rest of us are afforded.

Millions of good Americans have helped the Right to Life movement fight for that promise over the years through their volunteer efforts and donations. And that has saved millions and millions of lives. As we commemorate this 4th of July, please help us give hope for the promise of Life to every human being with your continued financial support and earnest prayers for our nation.

Because we want every American to be welcomed in life and protected in law. That is truly the promise of the Fourth of July.

[bold and itlalics emphasis mine]

LifeNews Note: Carol Tobias is the president of the National Right to Life Committee
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"Florida’s 24-Hour Waiting Period Before Abortion Goes Into Effect, Will Save Babies From Abortions" -  KATE SCANLON   JUL 3, 2015   | http://www.lifenews.com/2015/07/03/floridas-24-hour-waiting-period-before-abortion-goes-into-effect-will-save-babies-from-abortions/

     "After being temporarily delayed by a judge, a Florida law that institutes a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before undergoing an abortion went into effect on Wednesday."
     "House Bill 633 was signed into law last month. The legislation requires an abortion provider to meet with a woman seeking an abortion for a consultation appointment at least 24 hours prior to her procedure."
     "Lynda Bell, the president of Florida Right to Life, told The Daily Signal that “a 24-hour waiting period makes sense.” She said that a waiting period “not only protects women and young girls from making a rash decision at a very difficult time, it could protect them from being pressured into abortion from much older boyfriends, or others who are trying to coerce a young woman into a procedure that may affect them for the rest of their lives.” ...

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

# 1276 (7/3) "What Do We Do Now?"

"WHAT DO WE DO NOW?"- Jim DeMint / @JimDeMint / Ryan T. Anderson / @ryantand / July 01, 2015 / http://dailysignal.com/2015/07/01/what-do-we-do-now/ [AS I SEE IT: This article is a great summation of how WE THE PEOPLE need to respond the tragedy of the Supreme Court decisions last week. It's a great way to lead into the celebration tomorrow of our country's Independence Day. Just as our Founders didn't surrender in the face of great opposition, so we who believe the Court decided wrongly need to stand firm for what is right. - Stan]

The White House. (Photo: INFphoto/Newscom) [Sadly, the "people's house" is occupied this 4th, by one who does not represent the views of many if not most of THE People. - Stan]

Conservatives are reeling after two outrageous decisions last week by the Supreme Court. In one case they reinterpreted Obamacare so that “established by the state” magically meant “or the federal government.” In another, they redefined marriage—even though nothing in our Constitution gives the court the authority to do that.

What do we do now? - 
     The Obamacare case is the simpler of the two when it comes to next steps. While the court refused to enforce the plain meaning of the text, Congress can still vote to repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-focused, market-based healthcare reforms that will truly serve all Americans. Obamacare remains unworkable, unaffordable and unpopular. Congress must act to repeal it.

Responding to the marriage decision will be more complicated. It will require a commitment to the long haul. This bad decision cannot be remedied in any single bill, or vote or election cycle—though all of those can certainly soften the blow.

The problem is that right when American citizens were in the middle of crucially important deliberations about marriage policy, five unelected judges shut down that democratic process and declared the conversation closed.

In many ways, we are in a similar situation as the pro-life movement was after Roe v. Wade. Roe didn’t change the truth about unborn children or about our Constitution. And for 42 years the pro-life movement has been reminding us of that—and working to build a culture of life.

We must do the same. We can’t allow the judicial usurpation of politics to go uncontested. We have to commit now to bearing witness to the truth about marriage—a permanent and exclusive union of man and woman, husband and wife, father and mother—and work to restore our constitutional authority as citizens to make marriage policy that serves the common good by reflecting this truth.

How do we do that? Here are five steps.
     First, elections have consequences. The marriage ruling was 5-4. Two of the justices voting to redefine marriage were appointed by President Obama. The next president is expected to have the opportunity to appoint as many as four Supreme Court justices.

If you care about the rule of law and our Constitution, you can’t afford to sit out this next election. It is very likely that the court will soon take a religious liberty case deciding whether citizens who do not believe in same-sex marriage will have their constitutional rights protected. Better justices, better outcome.

The next president will also determine which legislation is signed and which is vetoed—and how to exercise leadership in the executive branch in a way that either continues to undermine, or begins to rebuild, the meaning of marriage in law and culture.

Second, policy matters. We The People, and our elected representatives in Congress and state legislatures, can make policy that prohibits the government from violating our rights. This is why the First Amendment Defense Act is so vitally important. If passed and signed into law, this act would prohibit the federal government from ever discriminating against any citizen, charity, school or business because they embrace and act on the belief that marriage is the union of a man and woman.

Just as the pro-life movement ensured that no pro-life citizen would ever have to pay for an abortion or perform an abortion, so too must we work to ensure no one is coerced to act against their conscience on the matter of marriage. Rather than go to court suing for religious liberty exemptions, this bill would prevent the government from ever acting unjustly in the first place.

Third, the states matter. If you are concerned about faith-based adoption agencies shutting down, or bakers and florists and photographers being fined thousands of dollars simply for declining to celebrate a same-sex wedding, then you need to also be concerned about state and local policy. In each of these cases, it wasn’t the federal government acting on federal law that brought the burden; it was state and local government. We need good policy at all levels of government.

Governors have an opportunity right now to issue executive orders preventing state agencies from discriminating against or otherwise penalizing citizens and organizations that continue to believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman. State legislatures can pass laws doing the same.

Fourth, ideas matter. The judicial redefinition of marriage has no basis in our Constitution, but it didn’t come out of thin air. For the last 50 years, we have not done enough to combat the faulty liberal ideology that has wreaked havoc on America’s families. Redefining marriage is only possible in a culture that has accepted the results of the Sexual Revolution, like non-marital childbearing and no-fault divorce, and so many other bad ideas about human sexuality and the family.

Already some “progressives” are using the court’s redefinition of marriage to go further. On Friday, the same day that the court redefined marriage, Politico ran an essay titled, “It’s Time to Legalize Polygamy: Why group marriage is the next horizon of social liberalism.”

With few notable exceptions, far too many leaders have been silent on these issues. Far too few scholars have been willing to tell the truth. We need to speak up if we are to win these arguments.

Fifth, our lives matter. Ideas go only so far, but the beauty of lived witness is what moves people the most. It’s not just that for 50 years we’ve bought into a lie about marriage; it’s that we haven’t lived out the truth.

Even if government policy tells a lie about marriage for a time, we must refuse to believe the lie when it comes to how we live our lives and what we teach our children. Raising children and grandchildren to believe the truth—and, more importantly, live out the truth—must be done with all diligence, and we must form communities of virtue to help one another do that.

Of course, communities of virtue will not be allowed to exist in the United States if some activists on the left get their way. These ideologues want to use the force of government to treat ordinary Americans who believe marriage is the union of man and woman as if they are racists. We must not allow them to succeed. We must work on policy and culture, ideas and actions, to ensure our rights are protected and we have the long-term ability to rebuild a strong marriage culture.

America is in a time of transition. The court has redefined marriage, and beliefs about human sexuality are changing. Will the right to dissent be protected? Will the right of Americans to speak and act in accord with what the United States had always believed about marriage—that it’s a union of husband and wife—be tolerated?

Most Americans say yes, they want to be a tolerant, pluralistic nation. They want peaceful coexistence. We agree with them. But far too many ideologues and activists want to sow the seeds of disharmony by having the government coerce those with whom they disagree. We must work together to protect these cherished American values.

While Americans are free to live as they choose, no one should demand that government coerce others into celebrating their relationship. All Americans should remain free to believe and act in the public square based on their beliefs about marriage without fear of government penalty. After all, protecting religious liberty and the rights of conscience does not infringe on anyone’s sexual freedoms.

The First Amendment Defense Act is one way of achieving civil peace even amid disagreement. To protect pluralism and the rights of all Americans, of whatever faith they may practice, this act is good policy. Liberals committed to tolerance should embrace it.

[bold, italics, colored, and underlined emphasis mine]

Jim DeMint@JimDeMint - Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint rose from modest South Carolina roots and a career in marketing to build and lead a resurgent conservative movement.
Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., researches and writes about marriage and religious liberty as the William E. Simon senior research fellow in American Principles and Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation. He also focuses on justice and moral principles in economic thought, health care and education, and has expertise in bioethics and natural law theory. He's the author of the forthcoming book, "The Future of Marriage and Religious Liberty." Read his research.
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"Judicial Activism From Supreme Court on Marriage. Here’s How to Respond." - Ryan T. Anderson/ @ryantand / June 26, 2015 / http://dailysignal.com/2015/06/26/judicial-activism-from-supreme-court-on-marriage-heres-how-to-respond/
"Next Stop: Polygamy!"- Tony Perkins, Washington Update, June 30, 2015; http://www.frc.org/washingtonupdate/20150630/tolerance-not-liberal

# 1275 (7/2) "Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Starts New Religious Freedom War"

"SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RULING STARTS NEW RELIGIOUS FREEDOM WAR" - By KELLY SHACKELFORD AND KEN BLACKWELL, June 26, 2015; http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=MTk3NjU3ODk= 

Observant Christians — and adherents of other faiths — are reeling from the Supreme Court's declaration of a constitutional right to same-sex marriage and preparing for an unprecedented struggle for their right to express their beliefs and live their lives accordingly, as new battles will now be waged unless and until a future Supreme Court reverses course.

The Constitution says nothing about marriage or abortion. Yet in 1973 the Supreme Court declared a constitutional right to abortion, resulting in decades of relentless political and legal conflicts.

Now the Court has held that the Constitution likewise forbids the 50 states from defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. But many people of faith disagree, and the First Amendment promises that they have the right to do so. Devout Christians are already enmeshed in legal battles over this issue.

Navy chaplain Wes Modder, sportscaster Craig James and others have lost jobs or are losing their jobs because they hold Christian beliefs on sex and marriage.

Business owners face more than losing their businesses, as Washington florist Barronelle Stutzman could lose her home and life's savings, and Colorado baker Jack Phillips risks jail time if he continues refusing to bake cakes celebrating gay marriage. There are others, and the list grows monthly.

A Right We All Have - Their legal rights are no different from Hobby Lobby's to refuse to cover abortion under ObamaCare. Whether from a state or federal RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) or the Constitution's First Amendment, all Americans have the right to believe what their faith teaches and live according to those beliefs. This freedom is for Christians, Jews and peaceful adherents of all faiths.

Gay-rights advocates are escalating the fight. With Executive Order 13672, President Obama is taking administrative action whereby organizations that do not embrace his beliefs on marriage can be denied contracts with, or grants from, the federal government.

Additional regulatory moves are advancing from the Departments of Labor, Education and Housing and Urban Development, and other federal agencies. And many on the political left are pushing for new federal legislation that would go even further.

The most recent trend, SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) laws and ordinances, is a solution in search of a problem. We do not know of a single Christian denomination (out of more than 400) with a doctrinal belief that if you own a restaurant and know a customer is homosexual, it is immoral for you to sell that person a cheeseburger.

All SOGIs do is provide yet another route for suing Christians — or observant members of various other faiths — for expressing and living their beliefs. Ultimately, one of these cases will make its way to the Supreme Court, where the justices will decide the First Amendment rights of Americans who sincerely believe that marriage is between one man and one woman.

While marriage appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution, there are no fewer than three fundamental rights enshrined in the text of the First Amendment to safeguard religious liberty. This includes the quintessentially American right to dissent, to hold views different from the government and current popular thought.

Our National DNA - Many see the Supreme Court's decision as the end. Instead, it's the beginning — of a new war over religious freedom.

America was founded by settlers who yearned to be able to live according to their religious beliefs, crossing an ocean searching for a home where they could experience the blessing we call liberty. They called America a shining city upon a hill, where people would live free with a clear conscience, even if they disagreed with the majority or those in power.

Our nation's founders would be astounded to see religious liberty come full circle and now come under attack, but they would not be surprised to see this generation rise up like the first Americans, demanding freedom to believe, and pass this latest test of who we are as a people. Two hundred years of law and American history are on the side of those committed to be true to their religious beliefs, a commitment embedded in our national DNA.

Moreover, 2,000 years of church history shows that those to call Jesus Christ their lord will never compromise their beliefs, no matter the cost. For centuries, faithful Christians have endured the loss of their freedoms, livelihoods, homes and even lives. Secularists who confidently believe that Christians will eventually give up couldn't be more wrong.

If politicians and the courts do not reverse course, we will see civil disobedience, on a massive scale, by devout Christians peacefully following their churches' biblical teachings on marriage. The Supreme Court and the American people at the polls in 2016 need to decide whether this country will respect their First Amendment rights, including their fundamental right to dissent.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

• Shackelford is CEO and chief counsel of Liberty Institute.• Blackwell is former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

# 1274 (7/1) ...CHRONOLOGICAL SNOBBERY"

"The Supremes' Ruling on Marriage - CHRONOLOGICAL SNOBBERY" - By: John Stonestreet| Breakpoint.org: June 29, 2015;
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/27695?spMailingID=11753245&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=562073733&spReportId=NTYyMDczNzMzS0

Friday’s Supreme Court ruling on marriage was not surprising. But the arrogance and chronological snobbery evident in the ruling was. What’s it all mean?

As many expected, the Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, ruled that under the Constitution, “same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry.” Brushing aside arguments about history and the purpose of marriage, Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority, wrote “No longer may this liberty be denied to them.”

This ruling is no surprise. All along, court-watchers knew that it would all come down to what Justice Kennedy thought about the issue. The votes of the other eight justices were never really in doubt. And it was obvious that Justice Kennedy, as the author of Planned Parenthood’s infamous “mystery passage,” would have trouble excluding same-sex marriage from “the right to define one’s own concept of existence.”

Justice Kennedy’s opinion, along with the four dissenting opinions, will be dissected and analyzed for some time. For now, though, I’d like to take a more macro view of what transpired on Friday. And I’d like to start by stating what should be obvious to the Christian: Five justices of the Supreme Court cannot redefine marriage itself, not any more than Roe v. Wade could redefine the sanctity of human life.

And just as Roe marked a new phase in the struggle for the sanctity of life and the dignity of new persons, Friday’s decision marks a new phase in the fight for the God-ordained gift of family.

Of course, that’s not what the majority of the Court would have us believe. That’s why Justice Kennedy framed his opinion as the next logical step in the history of our evolving ideas about freedom and equality.

The key word there is “evolving.” In Kennedy’s take, our forebears who had moral objections to same-sex relations, never mind same-sex marriage, were unenlightened and cruel.

This chronological snobbery was too much for Chief Justice Roberts who, in dissent, wrote, “The Court today not only overlooks our country’s entire history and tradition but actively repudiates it, referring to live only in the heady days of the here and now. To blind yourself to history is both prideful and unwise.”

It’s also arrogant in the extreme. As Allan Carlson recently wrote in Touchstone, “same-sex marriage is merely the current enthusiasm of a relatively small number of deracinated, secularized, mostly childless, and largely white elites” in ten percent of the world’s countries.
He continues, “Despite intense forms of bribery and extortion now practiced by the United States and the European Union, few other [nations] are likely to join ‘the West’ in this latest surrender to the sexual revolution.” Unfortunately as of Friday, we now live among the ten percent. While Carlson is correct when he writes that in the long run, as viewed from a Christian perspective, Friday’s decision will “mean little,” in the short-to-medium run it poses challenges for believers.

Now more than ever, we need to emphasize instructing our kids in the fullness of the Christian faith. They have to learn what marriage really is, not what the Court and the culture would have us believe it is.

And we need to be prepared for the inevitable impact this decision will have on how we practice our faith.

And like the pro-life movement learned to do in the wake of Roe v. Wade, we’ll need to find ways to help those victimized by this chapter of the sexual revolution. Every other chapter has had its victims. This one will too.

Most of all though, we need to pray that God would equip us for and sustain us through these challenges. As Carlson put it, “The twenty-first Christian century should actually be an exciting time to be alive for believers called to witness to the Truth. Despair is useless. Hope is certain.” Amen.

We’ve invited leading Christian thinkers to reflect on the Supreme Court’s decision, and have collected their responses at BreakPoint.org. Please visit us there to read more.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES
"Christian Leaders Respond to Obergfell v. Hodges: A BreakPoint Symposium" -  BreakPoint.org | June 26, 2015;http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/articles/entry/12/27686
Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God's Design for Marriage - Sean McDowell, John Stonestreet | Baker Books | July 2014
What is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense - Sherif Girgis, Ryan Anderson, Robert P. George | Encounter Books | December 2012