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AFA JournalNEWS OF INTERESTAFA Journal, May, 2002 edition College freshmen becoming more liberal A recent survey reports that college freshmen are entering higher education with a more liberal world view on important social issues. The poll results, released in January by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, showed that since the early 1980s – despite a temporary dip at the beginning of the ’90s – more and more freshmen are identifying themselves as liberal. In 1981, 21% of first-year college students classified themselves in this category, growing gradually to 30% in 2001. Last year only 21% of freshmen considered themselves conservative. That liberal world view translates into a liberal position on critical social issues: on topics such as the death penalty, legalization of marijuana, and the homosexual agenda, college frosh are increasingly departing from traditional views. In fact, in 2001 58% of freshmen said they supported the legalization of same-sex marriage – the highest percentage ever recorded for that age group. Columbia University sociologist Angela Aidala said the liberal views of Baby Boomer parents, political events, and youth culture in general – specifically popular media – may all be responsible for the shifting views. USA Today, 1/28/02 Alcohol, drug use linked to sexual promiscuity It may not come as a shocker to many people, but teens who use alcohol or illegal drugs are more likely than their peers to have become sexually active and to have become active earlier in life; more likely to have had sex without using a condom; more likely to have had sex with more people; more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or get pregnant; and more likely to suffer sexual violence. That information comes from a new study released in February by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. According to the report, teens who use alcohol are seven times more likely to have sex than kids who refrain, while those who use illegal drugs are five times more likely than young people who do not take drugs. Teens who use alcohol are also twice as likely to have sex with four or more partners. AFA President Don Wildmon said the results of the study emphasize yet one more reason for the church to present a clear and strong stand against the use of alcohol and illegal drugs by young people. Wildmon also said the Kaiser report had implications for the battle between those advocating condom use and “safe sex” and those advocating abstinence. “How do you get young people to use condoms when they are under the influence of an illicit substance?” he said. “Not only do we need to teach kids to avoid alcohol and drugs, but also to wait until marriage to have sex.” www.kkf.org, 2/15/02; USA Today, 2/7/02 Lawmaker: ‘Safe-sex’ myth fueling near epidemic of cancer Increased rates of cervical cancer can be traced to the government’s promotion of using condoms for “safe sex,” said a congressman who is also a medical doctor, adding that something must be done do stop the trend. Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) said the government, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has failed to warn women of the risks of developing cervical cancer as a result of trusting condoms to protect them from all sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, while condoms are able to prevent the spread of some disease, Weldon said they are virtually worthless in stopping the spread of the human papilloma virus (HPV), a disease linked to cervical cancer. The CDC and its former leader, Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, have been major proponents of the safe-sex/condom philosophy. That safe-sex message may be giving a false sense of security to many American women. Dr. David Hager of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, believes there is already an epidemic of sexually transmitted infections, “with 12 million to 15 million new cases each year, and three million of those cases occurring in adolescents.” Hager said some studies suggest that 40 to 45% of college co-eds test positive for HPV. “Thousands and thousands of women have been sold a bill of goods that the condom provides them protection,” Weldon said. “For all these years to be out there promoting condoms as a way of protecting people is just morally, ethically wrong. It’s almost malpractice.” Family News in Focus, 3/20/02 R-rated movies negatively affect kids’ behavior Moms and dads who don’t monitor what types of movies their kids see – either on TV or at the theater – may be in for an unpleasant surprise. A recent study conducted by researchers at Dartmouth College focused on finding out if kids whose parents let them watch R-rated movies were affected by the behavior of characters in those movies – characters who typically drink and smoke more than those in other films. The results of the study, which involved more than 4,000 5th- through 8th-graders, were revealing. “Among those who had no restrictions on R-rated films, they were more likely to have tried both tobacco and alcohol,” said Jennifer Tickle, who worked on the study. Among kids who regularly watched R-rated films, nearly 50% had tried alcohol and more than 33% had tried smoking. However, of those kids whose parents banned such movies, only 4% had tried alcohol and 2% smoking. Indeed, the study found that parents restricting their kids’ movie-viewing had greater impact than any other parenting characteristic they measured. Although other behaviors such as violence, cursing and habitual lying were not measured in the study, some pro-family leaders believe such movie content could have an equally pronounced impact on kids. “It just makes sense that a kid who is sympathetic to the cussing, lying, ‘blow-’em-away’ hero of their favorite movie will be influenced by that character’s actions,” said AFA president Don Wildmon. Family News in Focus, 3/6/02 More moms choosing family over careers New Census Bureau figures show more mothers are choosing to make raising their children the focus of their lives instead of focusing on careers. In 2000, the number of women who went back to work while they had children under one year of age decreased to 55% from almost 60% in 1998. It’s the first decrease since 1976. In addition, the percentage of women who worked during their first pregnancy has shown its first leveling off since 1961. The number of working, married women with children under age three has also stalled, going from an annual average of four million in 1999 to 3.9 million in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Any number of circumstances could have led to the declines, including economic factors, but some suggest mothers are beginning to place more importance on being with their children. “These are young women that were raised ... as ‘latch-key kids,’ who were coming home from school, [while] their parents were out working,” said Glenn Stanton, author of Why Marriage Matters. “These young girls were coming home to empty houses, and as they’re starting to form their own families, they’re saying, ‘You know what, we want to do things a little differently for our kids. We want to make sure that we’re there.’” One mom who has made the choice to stay home with her new baby said the sacrifice is worth it. “I’m happy,” said Gwynne Barnes, 29, of Paoli, Pennsylvania. “I’m not rushing home to squeeze in quality time with my daughter. … This is a priority in life.” Family News in Focus, 3/20/02; USA Today, 3/12/02 Too few workers to sustain future retirees Across the world, more people are living longer. And an article in the New York Times says that’s a reason for concern. Referencing a recent United Nations report, the article states that the growing numbers of older people in developed countries are putting added pressure on health care systems and health insurance plans. And as experts in the U.S. can vouch, there are also negative impacts on retirement systems such as Social Security and private pensions. Joseph Chamie, a U.N. demographer, says that aging is pervasive in undeveloped countries as well, causing far-reaching implications on economies worldwide. Chamie warns, “We will see this trend accelerating in the 21st century.” Twenty percent of the population in developed countries, and 8% in undeveloped nations, is currently made up of people over 60. But those numbers are projected to increase to 33% and 20%, respectively, by 2050. The more than two-fold increase in undeveloped countries is especially troublesome. People over age 80 comprise the fastest-growing age group in the world (3.8% annually), and U.N. demographers are concerned about the “potential support ratio” – the number of workers aged 15 to 64 who are available to sustain retirees. The ratio was 12-to-1 in 1950, 9-to-1 in 2000, and by 2050, predictions are that the ratio worldwide will only be 4-to-1. Although the Times article does not specifically mention the causes for this decrease, a 1999 report published by the Alan Guttmacher Institute offers one possible explanation. It points out that worldwide, more than 46 million women have abortions each year. About 26 million have legal abortions, while 20 million have abortions in countries where the practice is restricted or prohibited by law. More than a third of pregnancies worldwide do not end in the birth of a baby. As more people are aging, more women are aborting their babies, thus providing fewer future workers to sustain retirees. Liberalization of abortion laws has resulted in 55 countries permitting abortion on broad grounds, with many others relaxing their restrictions. As it becomes easier and more acceptable for women to have abortions, family sizes will continue to decrease. As a result, in a few short decades, elderly people may have very little means of retirement, healthcare and family support. New York Times, 3/01/02; www.agi-usa.org, 5/99 Daughters of divorce lukewarm, less trusting Although there are proponents on both sides of the coin with regard to whether or not children of divorced parents suffer long-term, negative effects, one recent study suggests that young women do, at least when it comes to commitment and trust in relationships with their boyfriends and husbands. These interesting findings were divulged in a study recently published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. Data obtained from 464 randomly selected partners by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Texas-Austin revealed that “compared with women from intact families, women from divorced families reported more ambivalence about becoming involved … and more conflict and negativity in their relationships ….” The study also found that women from broken homes were less likely to trust their partners. Stating that daughters of divorce may have a more realistic outlook on life, researchers nevertheless fear that the ambivalence, conflict and lack of trust they currently experience in their relationships may lead to later difficulties. They believe this may explain why the marriages of adult children of divorce are more likely to end in divorce than marriages between partners from intact families. The Family in America, 12/01 Most online gamblers have serious addictions Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., looking for a reason to pass legislation banning Internet gambling, need only consider the results of a new study by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA study found that 74% of people who gamble online are “problematic” or “pathological” gamblers. And, according to David Robertson, with the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, teens are most at risk to fall into the habit of gambling on the Internet. “Gambling is the fastest growing addiction among youth today,” Robertson said. “They spend more money on gambling than they do on drugs, and the American public doesn’t know that or doesn’t recognize it or doesn’t want to see it.” What makes Internet gambling even worse is the anonymity of it, said Dr. Bill Maier, a child and family psychologist in residence at Focus on the Family. “In the old days, a person had to go to Las Vegas to gamble and he could be seen there sitting at the slot machines for 36 hours and people are raising an eyebrow. Now, you can go into your office or your bedroom for 36 hours and blow your entire life savings on Internet gambling and no one knows.” A government commission has recommended a moratorium on all Internet gambling until more is known about the damage it causes, and Congress is considering legislation that bans Internet gambling and prevents gambling companies from accepting credit card payments and checks online. Family News in Focus, 3/20/02 AIDS research wasting government money A taxpayer watchdog group has released a new report detailing the massive waste of federal dollars for AIDS research. The report from Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is called AIDS Programs: An Epidemic of Waste. The analysis of taxpayer-supported prevention and treatment programs said money was being used for trips to Disney World; season tickets to professional sporting events; calls to psychic hotlines; and workshops on intimacy, flirting, and many other activities. CAGW President Tom Schatz of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said CDC prevention guidelines do not allow the promotion of sexual activity and state clearly that all programs must meet obscenity standards. He noted that one program, the “Stop AIDS Project of San Francisco,” did not even meet the standards of decency of the CDC . “The Stop AIDS project gets about 40% of its money from CDC grants,” Schatz said, “and one particular project that talked about love between gay men [and between lesbians] was paid for by a grant from the CDC. [It] also had an article on how to throw a ‘house party,’ which … usually involved alcohol which leads to increased risk for contracting HIV. “I think that’s the worst form of waste, fraud, and abuse that you could have,” he told Family News in Focus, “and in particular, when it may literally mean a matter of life and death when people are infected with AIDS.” More than $13 billion per year goes for AIDS research and prevention. That is more money than the amount allotted for research on heart disease – yet heart disease has killed 28 times more Americans than AIDS. Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said the government needs to demand accountability to ensure guidelines are being followed – and that money is being spent in those areas for which it has been earmarked. AgapePress, 2/26/02 CBS show edits out Christian testimony A former homosexual who was invited to speak on a nationally televised talk show said producers on the show did not want the real truth to be told. Stephen Bennett was invited to share how Christ delivered him from the sin of homosexuality. In February Bennett and his wife Irene were flown to the CBS television studios in New York City to appear on The Ananda Lewis Show. The show focused on a young couple from Canada who have three children and one on the way, and who are confused and bewildered as the husband recently told his wife he is struggling with same-sex attractions. The Bennetts were encouraged to tell their story of how the Lord delivered Stephen from homosexuality – but Stephen said once the show aired, his Christian testimony was all but edited out. “My story was shared in three parts: part A, what I was – a homosexual; part C, what I am today – happily married nine years with two little children; and part B, which was the whole embodiment of it – how I got to part C, which was through the salvation of Jesus Christ,” he said. “They deliberately cut the entire section of part B.” Bennett said his experience proves that the media wants to silence the truth when it comes to true deliverance from homosexuality through Christ. “It was clearly a setup,” he said. “They were well aware of the circumstances why we were coming there – we were going to share our deliverance through Jesus Christ – and they obviously had other plans and just zapped the whole thing from it.” According to Bennett, viewers of the show were supposed to hear a balanced panel of guests from all sides of the homosexual issue. But he said what viewers heard was more of a “celebration of homosexuality.”He also said he and his wife were coached by the show’s producer beforehand to “stay away from the religion stuff” because it would get cut anyway. But after praying together, the Bennetts decided to tell the truth about Stephen’s deliverance, regardless if it was cut by the producers. Bennett said he has been contacted by the show’s producers about the possibility of taping a future show and allowing his testimony to be told – and kept in the final cut. AgapePress, 2/27/02 NBC stops liquor ads Bowing to a tidal wave of pressure from Congress and public-interest groups, NBC network announced in March it will no longer broadcast advertising for hard liquor. The network’s decision to stop the ads followed a firestorm of criticism. In the three months NBC carried the advertising, it was pummeled with criticism from groups such as AFA, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the American Medical Association. In addition, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and 12 other lawmakers sent a letter to NBC threatening stricter regulation of network advertising if it didn’t reconsider its stance and stop carrying the ads. “We have agreed to do that. We’ve said from the beginning that we want to be responsible on this issue,” NBC said in a short statement. “The responsible thing to do would have been to not even carry that type of advertising in the first place,” said AFA president Don Wildmon. “Clearly, the only thing NBC was concerned about in the beginning was increasing revenue. Hopefully, this will serve as a warning to any of the other networks who decide to put the almighty dollar ahead of what’s best for families.” MADD National President Millie Webb echoed Wildmon’s sentiments. “NBC and every other network airing alcohol advertising is overlooking the larger issue of how to minimize the amount and irresponsible content of alcohol advertising to which our children are exposed,” Webb said. “NBC and the other networks have blinked on this issue rather than taking a hard look at addressing the serious need for stricter responsibility standards for all alcohol advertising – including ads for beer, wine and malt-based beverage advertising.” NBC announced in December it planned to break a self-imposed ban on hard liquor advertising. The ads were the first shown on TV since 1948. FoxNews.com, 3/21/02; Electronic Media, 3/20/02; CitizenLink, 3/20/02 Viacom, MTV set to launch ‘gay’ network? There are book stores, magazines and even special days at Disney that are designated for homosexuals – so why not a television network for “gays”? That appears to be on the horizon, thanks to the efforts of broadcast giant Viacom and two of its cable divisions, Showtime and that old bugaboo of pro-family groups, MTV. While still in the early planning stages, the future seems bright for the first national network in U.S. history totally dedicated to programming of the lavender variety. The as-yet unnamed channel might launch later this year. According to Daily Variety, the proposed network would be a hybrid of sorts – somewhere between a commercial-free premium pay channel like Showtime and a basic-cable commercial-supported channel like MTV. For about $5 per month, cable subscribers could order the all-homosexual channel. What would air on such a network? There are plenty of independent films that have been made for the homosexual community over the last several decades, as well as television programs with a strong “gay” presence that could be acquired. Reports about the planned network also say original series, talk shows and travel programs will likely be on the homosexual channel’s TV guide, and Showtime’s own dramatic series “Queer as Folk” is probably a cinch to be included. Daily Variety, 1/11/02; Advertising Age, 1/14/02 FBI breaks up Internet child pornography ring The U.S. Justice Department busted an international child porn ring that operated on the Internet, and while pro-family groups applauded the action, AFA said even more stringent steps need to be taken. “The Justice Department caught the guy sneaking in the window, but so far has neglected the fact that the garage door is wide open with a sign that says ‘Child porn welcome here,’” said AFA President Don Wildmon. “Child pornography is an abomination, but one of the biggest avenues for it are Web sites like Yahoo! that are allowing it to flow almost unchecked.” Yahoo! is one of the world’s largest and best-known Internet portals. A portal is a Web site that serves as an avenue for Internet surfers to access other sites, and offers services such as E-mail accounts, a search engine, chat rooms, discussion groups and clubs. Yahoo! allows people to form discussion groups and clubs on its Web site for virtually any reason, but does not monitor what people do on them. AFA has consistently found groups on Yahoo! that traffic in child pornography as well as porn involving rape, incest, and torture. The FBI announced in March that it had broken up a child porn ring which operated through Yahoo! The FBI found 7,000 E-mail addresses worldwide that were linked to three such groups that trafficked in child porn, with 1,400 located in the U.S. Criminal charges were filed by federal authorities against 86 people, with more upcoming. For close to a year AFA has been pressuring Yahoo! to close the clubs that traffic in child porn and other obscenity, and has also been asking the Justice Department to prosecute Yahoo! if the popular portal continues to allow obscenity. “Yahoo! has refused to do the right thing, and in fact indirectly makes money off these child porn addicts,” Wildmon said. “What the Justice Department has done is a good first step, but Yahoo! should be investigated and prosecuted if found guilty.” AFA has made an online petition available for people wanting to send a message to Yahoo! and the Department of Justice. The petition’s web page is www.afa.net/yahoo/petition.asp or write: Chrm. Terry Semel, Yahoo! Inc., 3420 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, CA 95051. USA Today, 3/19/02; www.fbi.gov, 3/18/02 Circle K removes porn After Phillips 66 purchased 2,300 Circle K convenience stores several months ago, David Caton with the Florida Family Association urged Phillips to enforce its own policy by pulling and no longer selling the “sophisticate” magazines that Circle K was stocking on its shelves. An article on Family News in Focus indicated that after waiting six months with no action by the stores, Caton notified Phillips 66 that he was planning to send area residents a mass mailing critical of the fact that the magazines were still being sold. Caton said he feared that other oil companies might view a lack of response on the part of the public as an open door to start offering the pornographic publications to their customers. Caton soon received a letter from Phillips 66 stating that the magazines were being dropped, although Circle K spokesperson Julie Igo said it was just a matter of the stores getting around to implementing the policy. “[T]heir brand name and their image [are] very important, … and pornography is not something they want to be associated with for that reason,” Caton explained. Circle K says the last of the magazines will be removed shortly. Pro-family experts suggest that if you frequent a store carrying adult magazines, you should politely express your disappointment to the manager and write a letter to the company owning the store. Florida Family Association News Release, 2/27/02; www.family.org, 3/5/02 In Oregon ‘right’ to die becomes ‘duty’ to die In just five years, the mind set of Oregonians contemplating physician-assisted suicide has apparently changed significantly. When this method for inflicting death upon oneself was first legalized, only about 12% of those taking part did so because they feared being a burden on their families. However, in a recent survey, a full 63% of those planning this form of euthanasia revealed their reason for doing so was to avoid saddling their families with caring for them through a lingering illness. Burke Balch, director of medical ethics for the National Right to Life Committee, writes, “What we’re seeing is that over time this ‘right’ of assisted suicide, which was sold as a matter of personal choice, becomes more and more a matter of vulnerable people thinking they have a ‘duty to die’ and get out of the way.” www.family.org, 1/25/02 ACLU’s threat rallies Christians in small town Residents of a small Louisiana town are banding together in the wake of a threatened lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over signs which proclaimed that Jesus is Lord over the area. A threat led to the removal of signs at the entrances to Franklinton, Louisiana, which read “Jesus is Lord Over Franklinton.” A local official said churches in the area paid for the signs, and that he had public road crews erect them as a matter of safety. The ACLU said public money was used to put up the signs on state roads, violating the separation of church and state. So the signs were taken down. Now, thousands of blue yard signs reading “Jesus is Lord of All” are appearing throughout the small town located about 50 miles north of New Orleans. One citizen said: “You pull into the Sonic, there’s ‘Jesus is Lord of All.’ You go to the barber shop, there’s ‘Jesus is Lord of All.’ … [A]nd down the highway and out into the county, and every corner you turn, there’s a blue sign now.” AgapePress, 2/26/02 Local AFA affiliates picket Movie Gallery Two AFA affiliate grass-roots organizations are determined to get their message to the corporate offices of Movie Gallery and video store chain chairman Joe Malugen: “If you sell porn, you’re not welcome here.” Movie Gallery, the nation’s largest video rental chain that sells and rents hard-core pornographic videos, is the regular target of protests by citizens in Amory, Mississippi, and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Ken Thorn, president of Monroe County AFA in Amory, has led community pickets at his local Movie Gallery regularly since early last year. “Our goal is to educate the community about this video store’s attempt to lower the standard of decency in Amory,” he said. “We hope Movie Gallery will respect our town and remove pornography from its shelves in Amory.” Thorn says his group has distributed brochures calling for a boycott of Movie Gallery, along with post cards pre-addressed to Chairman Malugen. Ste. Genevieve AFA President Kenny Williams knew of Movie Gallery stores in nearby towns, but when plans to open one in his neighborhood were announced, he was ready to take action. “We’re a small town which frowns on companies who want to influence our community standards with filth,” he said. “We organized and carried out the first of many planned pickets of the store and will continue to alert our neighbors to the fact that Movie Gallery doesn’t deserve their business.” For more information about the boycott of Movie Gallery, visit www.afa.net/moviegallery/default.asp. |
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