La Laguna thoughts and digressives....

I could not find a direct link for the email I receive but I think that every Christian needs to read the following carefully (Please not pictures will probably disappear):

July 24, 2008

Dear Friend,

You may have heard the recent news: Two huge victories for homosexual activists—along with a collection of smaller triumphs—sent shockwaves through our nation.

First, Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado signed into law an outrageous bill that, in the name of providing “equality” for homosexuals and transgenders, actually allows men to use women’s restrooms—right alongside women and little girls. The new law does much more—I’ll get to that in a moment—but this frightening aspect alone makes one ask: If the privacy of innocent children isn’t enough to derail the homosexual activists’ agenda, what is?

This isn’t just a Colorado problem. Already, similar proposals are popping up in various states. And with Tim Gill and his cadre of mega-donors pumping millions into state legislative races (see last month’s Update), the same menacing threat may soon be coming to a bathroom near you.

Second, as you are no doubt aware, last month the state of California began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Yes, we’ve seen this before (Massachusetts), but what makes this threat so grave is that California—unlike Massachusetts—allows non-residents to get married, even if they are from one of the 48 states that still prohibit so-called same-sex “marriage.”

That means that very soon, the God-ordained structure of marriage will be on trial in state and federal courts around the nation, as homosexual couples return to their states and demand to have their “marriage” recognized. The scenario we began warning about in the mid-1990s is almost upon us.

But thankfully, this chapter in our nation’s history is not yet complete. But the question now is: “How will the people respond?” With your help and by God’s grace, Focus on the Family Action is laying it all on the line to ensure that this chapter ends well.

Rocky Mountain reflux: Open bathrooms . . . or face fines and prison
In Colorado, the loss of bathroom privacy is just the glaring tip of the iceberg. The new law starts with civil penalties of up to $5,000 for any business whose beliefs and practices run contrary to the promotion of homosexuals, bisexuals, transgenders . . . or anyone who is perceived as such. But then it goes a step further by threatening criminal penalties of up to a year in prison.

Focus Action left no stone unturned in seeking Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter’s veto. We met with his senior staff in a very respectful meeting in which all of the facts were laid out. We launched a full-scale advertising campaign on the top radio stations in the state. And the efforts of our media team produced scores of media opportunities, from TV and radio interviews to op-eds like one published by the Denver Post. (To see our SB 200-related ads, op ed and video feature, please click here.)

Informing the public:
Focus Action Judicial
Analyst Bruce Hausknecht, Esq., gives one of many interviews on the
impact of SB 200.

Above all, we made sure that the governor heard from thousands of Colorado citizens. Thanks especially to numerous e-mail blasts and a full national broadcast on the daily Focus radio program, Focus Action was able to shut down the governor’s phone lines with a massive outpouring of opposition to this bill (SB 200).

In the end, Gov. Ritter chose instead to listen to Tim Gill and the homosexual lobby. But that’s not the end of the story, as I’ll share with you in a moment.

Legal nightmare: California opens the “marriage” floodgates . . . for now
The 4-3 ruling by the California Supreme Court not only manufactured a novel interpretation of the state constitution, but it also overturned the will of 4.6 million Californians who had voted to protect marriage in 2000.

The ramifications of this ruling are two-fold. First, California is so large and so influential that, if the ruling survives a vote of the people in November, it will likely have a social and political impact that will allow same-sex “marriage” to spread to other states.

Second, as I mentioned earlier, California law allows non-residents to marry—even from states where same-sex “marriage” is illegal—which opens wide the door to legal challenges all over the country. State laws and constitutional amendments will be challenged. The federal Defense of Marriage Act will be challenged. Already, the governor of New York has declared that the Empire State will recognize all same-sex “marriages” performed in other states or foreign countries.

But the people of California hold the key to victory. Once again, this story isn’t over yet.

Threatening our first freedom: Religious liberty is at stake
But before I get to the good news, consider with me what’s at stake if the homosexual agenda continues to advance. In addition to the obvious ramifications for moral decency and the impact on children, what’s most at stake is our religious liberty.

As the gay agenda has advanced around the world, it has trampled on religious freedom in country after country:

• In Sweden, Pastor Ake Green was sentenced to prison (though later acquitted) after preaching a sermon challenging homosexuality.
• In England, an employment tribunal fined a church bishop more than $100,000 for refusing to hire a youth worker because of his homosexual identity.
• In Ontario, Canada, the provincial Human Rights Commission fined a Christian ministry $23,000 for insisting that its employees be practicing Christians who uphold a biblical view of homosexuality. In addition to the fine, staffers must undergo a state re-education program regarding their views on sexuality.

Fired by the state: Crystal Dixon lost
her job for stating
her opinion
on homosexuality

Some respond that this may happen in other countries, but not in America where we have First Amendment protections. Not so fast. Consider what’s happening right here in the U.S.:

• In New Mexico, a husband and wife who are photographers were fined more than $6,000 by the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. Their “crime”? Refusing to photograph a lesbian “commitment ceremony” because it violated their religious beliefs.
• In New Jersey, a church-run Christian camp lost part of its tax-exempt status for refusing to host a lesbian “commitment ceremony.”
• In Ohio, Crystal Dixon, an associate vice president at the state-run University of Toledo, was fired for writing a column in which she, as a black woman, objected to the homosexual movement being compared to the civil rights movement.

Each of these examples have happened recently, and more are sure to come as a result of the strategic work of the gay rights movement:

• As I reported last month, Tim Gill and his well-heeled cohorts continue to exert their influence in the political arena through huge cash gifts in strategically selected state races.
• Non-discrimination bills and local ordinances—similar to the new Colorado law—are popping up all over the country. Gainesville, Florida, is the latest target.
• And the biggest legal advocate of the homosexual agenda, the ACLU, has announced that it has raised nearly 80 percent of a $335 million expansion into conservative and battleground states. “Gay rights” is one of four causes that they’ll pursue in these states.

Help Focus Action write a better ending to this chapter
Now the good news—we don’t have to take all of this lying down! In our system of government, no victory or defeat is ever permanent. We can—and must—stand up for truth and righteousness in a prayerful, loving and energetic manner. And, indeed, that is happening as I write.

In California, our associated state organization—which Focus helped launch five years ago—providentially began the effort last year to put a state marriage amendment on the ballot. With help from Focus and many others, they succeeded in gathering more than a million signatures and placing it on this November’s ballot. If it passes, this constitutional amendment will overturn the court’s ruling and shut down the same-sex “marriage” spigot. To that end, Focus has now contributed additional financial and resource support to the ProtectMarriage.com ballot committee.

The only way that Focus is able to support this effort to such an extent is because Focus Action is able to shoulder the load for all of the issue advocacy that would otherwise push Focus up against IRS limitations on lobbying. The bottom line: Your support for Focus Action has helped make all of this possible.

In Colorado, Focus Action is not about to let the people of Colorado forget about what their elected officials have done. We've recently run a major ad in Colorado newspapers to expose what has happened and turn up constituent heat on Gov. Ritter and the liberal legislators. The politicians must be held accountable!

Finally, in just a couple of months, we’ll begin rolling out letters, postcards, e-mails, and advertisements in select House and Senate races to let values-minded Americans know exactly where their candidates stand on key issues. This may be the most important project that we do every two years, but it is by far the most expensive, and we will need a major infusion of support to be able to do all that we have planned. Your gift right now will help us plan accordingly and reach more voters with a very clear message. Please do what you can as the Lord directs.

Above all, I hope you’re encouraged from this to pray for our nation and to take a stand for truth in your circle of influence. To borrow words from Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.... Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you” (Joshua 1:9, NIV). Take heart... and take action!

Sincerely,

Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President
Focus on the Family Action

P.S. Another way Focus Action will equip pro-family voters this fall is through the Values Voter Summit, which we're cosponsoring with FRC Action. I hope you'll consider joining us in Washington, D.C., in September for this outstanding event.