By Thomas Hampson
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05.31.23
The problem of child sexual abuse in the United States is far greater than most people realize. Sixty million American adults are sexual abuse survivors. Twenty percent of us. Thirty-nine million of the victims were abused before turning twelve years old. Because most of them will never tell anyone about their experiences, the scope of the problem remains largely a hidden evil.
By Thomas Hampson
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05.22.23
Librarians and teachers, coast to coast, once again have been sounding the alarm over a new wave of book bannings rolling across the land. A recent call to arms involved a middle school teacher in central Illinois who was forced to resign her position in March because she showed a controversial book to members of her class.
By Thomas Hampson
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05.12.23
What motivates someone to become a teacher? If you love history or math or biology, for example, I can understand why you might be motivated to pass that love onto the next generation. Is this the reason? What about those who teach sex education? What motivates them?
By Thomas Hampson
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05.05.23
In 2002, the British Broadcasting Corporation polled its viewers for the names of those they believed were the greatest Britons of all time. The BBC compiled the feedback and came up with a list of the top 100 greatest men and women in all British history. One of the names on that list, at number 73, was Aleister Crowley.
By Thomas Hampson
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05.01.23
Several decades ago, a very prominent liberal in Illinois once told me that “there are facts and there are principles. I believe in principles. If the facts contradict the principles, then the facts must be ignored.” This seems to be the thinking of large swaths of our current population. Forget the facts. All that is important is what we believe.
By Thomas Hampson
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04.18.23
The world’s richest man has it right. Last Friday Elon Musk tweeted, “[a]ny parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life.” Twenty years ago this would not have been a controversial statement. The general response would have been, “of course.” But today it is a position at the very edge of a massive chasm that exists between the left and the right. How did this happen, and why?
By Thomas Hampson
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04.15.23
Schools throughout Illinois have implemented rules that require students to be allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity, but it is not clear exactly how many schools. So a trans boy, who is really a girl, is allowed to use the boys’ restroom and locker room.
By Thomas Hampson
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04.05.23
Our sexualized culture not only is making children more vulnerable to sexual exploitation, it also is producing more child sexual predators. This should be no surprise to anyone.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.29.23
Is it possible that our legislators are trying their best to make Illinois the California of the Midwest, without the mountains or beautiful weather? Our Governors, most certainly, are competing. Both have wildly inflated egos, both ignored their own directives during the height of the pandemic, and both have designs on the White House.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.22.23
The controversy over transgenderism arose a few years ago seemingly out of nowhere. But when it did arise, it erupted like a cultural Mount St. Helens. The transgender cause has not been part of the LGB agenda until recently. When Kirk and Madsen wrote their book, published in 1990, “After the Ball," I don't recall they made any mention of the transgender issue. At that time, there were transvestites—men that dressed as women who were a recognized part of the community.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.15.23
Why are so many public schools in Illinois keeping so many secrets from the public? Last August, Christopher Rufo disclosed that Lurie’s Children’s Hospital, unbeknownst to parents or the general public, was collaborating with Chicago area schools to promote “radical gender theory, trans activism, and sexually explicit materials in at least four Chicago-area public school systems: District 75, District 120, District 181, and District 204.” Three of these school districts are elementary districts and one is a high school district.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.08.23
The U.S. Center for Disease Control is sending out an LGBTQ inclusive self-assessment guide to all schools in the country. The agency wants to find out how committed schools are to providing a safe and inclusive environment for these students. The CDC’s school health division believes that when schools provide such an environment for gay and transgender students, it will improve the health and success of all students.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.02.23
According to Plato the two most important questions for society is who will teach the children and what is taught to them. That was true 2,500 years ago and it is still true today. Sadly, today there simply is no agreement on who teaches the children and nothing but confusion and wildly different positions on what should be taught. Therein lies the greatest threat to children in our modern age.
By Thomas Hampson
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02.22.23
If one State Senator has his way, Illinois will become a center for gender affirmation care for children—which is just a euphemism for chemical castration and surgical mutilation of children. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) district, recently introduced SB 1283 which is to be known as the “Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act.” He introduced the bill as a response to several states outlawing puberty blockers, hormone therapy and cosmetic surgery that makes the child appear to be the opposite of the child’s birth sex.
By Thomas Hampson
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02.15.23
Is it in the best interest of the child to be raised by a mother who ingested so much alcohol or drugs that it affected the child’s fetal development? Illinois State Representative LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) does not think so. A bill he introduced for consideration this session of the General Assembly, HB 1468, would remove this provision in Illinois law.