An interesting discussion between Dan Proft (Chicago’s Morning Answer AM 560) and State Representative LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) about his parental bullying bill, HB 29. The bill’s synopsis states that a parent commits “parental bullying” “when he or she knowingly and with the intent to discipline, embarrass, or alter the behavior of the minor, transmits any verbal or visual message that the parent or legal guardian reasonably believes would coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to the minor.”

From the bill:

A parent or legal guardian of a minor commits parental bullying when he or she knowingly and with the intent to discipline, embarrass, or alter the behavior of the minor, transmits any verbal or visual message that the parent or legal guardian reasonably believes would coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to the minor.

It’s beyond understanding that lawmakers are now attempting to put an end to a parent’s role to attempt to change bad behavior in their child. If that’s not ridiculous enough, if found guilty, a fine could be imposed upon the parent that would be held in escrow and given to the minor when he/she turned 18.

Talk about an incentive for kids to take their parents to court for doing their job!

Watch this interview session as Chicago’s Morning Answer radio host Dan Proft interviews the sponsor of this terrible proposal and please share it on your social media platforms!

It is a common assumption that Leftist views are compassionate, while conservative, biblical views are not. The assumption is so ingrained in society that it rarely gets called into question. And yet, even a superficial examination of Leftist policies and programs reveals all sorts of lies, hypocrisy, and callousness.

One of the most well-known programs initiated and promoted by the Left is the welfare system. The national welfare system was established in 1935 in response to the devastating effects that the Great Depression had on families and communities. This system was established to provide a safety net in the event that another depression hit the country.

The original intent of the welfare system as a last-chance “safety net,” however, has been abused. Today it has become the source of permanent, long-term income for many. Philosopher, professor, and author Dr. Jay W. Richards notes in his book Money, Greed, and God, the following statistic about the overuse of the welfare system and its direct link to poverty:

An experiment comparing a control group with household recipients of welfare benefits revealed that welfare is a disincentive to work. Husbands reduced their hours worked by an average of 9%, and wives reduced hours worked by 20%. Young males reduced their hours worked by 33%; singles, by 43%.

As this study notes, the overuse of the welfare system is hurting poverty-stricken communities of America. What does Scripture have to say about those who refuse to work? The Apostle Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (ESV) says,

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

Paul again, in 1 Timothy 5:8, says,

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

These are just two instances when God shows his displeasure for those who refuse to work and provide for their families.

Policies on crime are another way in which the Left exacerbates poverty. The SAFE-T Act, which was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker on February 22, 2021, is a prime example. In this bill, the cash-bail system, which is a means by which criminals are detained until cash-bail is posted and a way to ensure that the defendant will return to court for trial, will be ending on January 1^st. Dan Proft, host of AM 560 Chicago’s Morning Answer, identified some of the dangers of the SAFE-T Act:

In point of fact, under the SAFE-T Act, non-detainable offenses would include – by non-detainable meaning you’re released – burglary, robbery, arson, kidnaping, second-degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated fleeing, eluding drug offenses, drug induced homicide and threatening a public official.

The Illinois General Assembly recently made some changes to this act to try to placate critics, but the changes were minor, only involving procedures and risk assessments.

As in Illinois, Leftists control government in California. They passed Proposition 47, which designates shoplifting items valued under $950 a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Not surprisingly, thefts have skyrocketed in the state.  Barnini Chakraborty, senior reporter at the Washington Examiner, wrote an article for Fox News exposing the effects of Proposition 47:

Since Proposition 47 was passed, there has been an increase in theft across the state. Cities like San Francisco have seen organized crime rings turn shoplifting into a well-organized racket involving desperate thieves and unscrupulous black-market resellers. Among the nation’s 20 largest cities, San Francisco now has the highest rate of property crime, which includes theft, shoplifting and vandalism.

God also has much to say about the sin of theft. The Eighth Commandment says, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). In Ephesians 4:28, the Apostle Paul declares,

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”

As for the thief’s punishment, God commands in Exodus 22:7 that

“If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.”

It’s not hard to see that the Left’s policies–the misuse of the welfare system, the SAFE-T Act, and Proposition 47–harm individuals and communities.

God is not impartial with regard to the poor or justice, and since God is not impartial, Christians shouldn’t be either. Christians have a duty to stand against policies that go against God’s Word and to replace the lies with the truth that comes from Scripture. In Zechariah 8:16, the Lord declares,

“These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace.”

“When I first saw that only 2 percent of third grade black kids educated in public schools could read at grade level, I didn’t think it was true. And so I quickly clicked over to the Illinois State Report Card to look at math results…amazing that only 1 percent could do math at grade level.” Ted Dabrowski, president of WirePoints.com, talks about how incredibly bad it is in Illinois, using Decatur as an example.

With thousands of your tax dollars being spent per student every year, government schools are academically failing the students who attend them. And what’s also troublesome is that the vast majority of teachers are rated proficient or excellent.

How is that even possible?!

Please watch and listen to this 12 minute segment of Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson as they discuss the disturbing data:

Parents, do what ever you can to spare your children from the rampant indoctrination and lack of real education in government schools. Get. Them. Out.

The good news is that we live in a state and nation with amazing freedoms. There are many good educational choices that would enable parents/grandparents, and church leaders to find or create alternative education plans for their children.

Video Presentations:

Alex Newman: Reasons Why to Exit Public Schools

Rev. Ceasar LeFlore: Resources To Get Our Children Out

More information:

Reasons to Exit Illinois Government Schools

Illinois School Proficiency FAILURE

Did You Know?

How to Rescue Our Children

“Comprehensive” Sex Education

For Parents, Grandparents and Church Leaders

Overcoming Objections

Parents with children in school today should listen to Dan Proft’s recent radio program that further illuminates the degradation of schools and the increasing violence that are making urban communities unsafe and unlivable.

Proft and his co-host Amy Jacobson began the show by reporting on the gunfire that rang out during a baseball game between St. Rita High School and Marmion Academy. At about 7:00 p.m., on April 28, twenty—three shots were fired from a McDonald’s next to St. Rita, leading the baseball players to duck or run for cover. Tragically, as Proft pointed out, such lawlessness and violence are common on the South and West sides of Chicago.

Each year that Democrats control Chicago, the city becomes more violent, more dysfunctional, and more unfit for families.

The second story was about a racist attack at Lyons Township High School by a black girl, Heavyn Washington, on a white girl, which Washington’s friend cheered on using obscene language while recording the outrageous attack.

According to West Cook News, Washington told her friends that “she attacked her classmate because ‘she was being racist.’” Where did Washington get the idea that the proper response to (alleged) racism was pummeling people in the face and head and dragging people by their hair? Maybe she watched too many BLM riots.

According to news reports, Washington was the victim of racist taunts via Snapchat in February. No worries. Just last August, District 204, which includes Lyons Township High School, hired a new and expensive Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DIE) director “Dr.” Jennifer Rowe. In response to the Snapchat ugliness, the school held “healing circles.”

Yeah, that’s the ticket. Healing circles will make everything better #eyeroll. Sometimes I wonder if leftist high school administrators have ever met teens.

Rowe was hired last August, starting salary $155,000, to be the “director of equity and belonging.” For Rowe, a former English teacher (of course),

Equity is not something added to the plate. … It is the plate. It’s the lens through which we look at all things.

If that’s not a troubling enough claim, Rowe also made this racist and oxymoronic statement:

We always want to racialize equity work.

But do we?

A father of a Lyons Township student called in to Proft’s show to share information about the racial division in both Lyons Township high schools, suggesting that what goes on in the classrooms—particularly English classes—foments racism. I wonder how many English teachers are devotees of critical race theory.

This photo of Rowe celebrating the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s Day of Silence provides yet more evidence that she’s just another overpaid leftist activist.

Get your kids out of public schools, and look very carefully at any private religious institution you’re considering.

Read more:

“Furries” Trend is a Result of the Slippery Slope

WARNING: Contains graphic sexual material which is taught to students!
Yes, students at New Trier HS and other government schools
are teaching sexual deviancy, compliments of your high property taxes.

During their morning radio program on Thursday, hosts Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson aired a segment in which they exposed how government school officials are corrupting the minds, bodies and souls of impressionable young people. In this 18-minute segment, they give several examples of just how depraved the educational institutions–where you place your children to be “educated” 30+ hours a week–have become. What they share is shocking but not at all unusual.

Dan and Amy read directly from books found in New Trier High School classes, one of which is required reading for an Honors English class. The next time you look at your property tax bill, know that it is helping to pay for pornography in your local government schools

CAUTION: Viewer Discretion Advised

Children who attend government schools are methodically being sexualized and taught to embrace false leftist ideas about sexuality. There is a battle raging for the hearts and minds of children. Parents and grandparents, please consider alternative education options over government schools. Click HERE, HERE or HERE to learn more.

Benet Academy, a prestigious and expensive private high school that identifies as Catholic, has just capitulated to the cacophonous voices of apostates and heretics in its midst.

The drama began several days ago when the school located in the affluent Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois rescinded an offer to Amanda Kammes to be the head coach of the girls’ lacrosse team. They rescinded the offer after learning that Kammes, who is a 2001 graduate of Benet, is legally married to a woman, which means she flouts the beliefs of the Catholic Church.

Following a protest and petition signed by over 3,000 woke Benet “parents, students, alumni, and friends” who oppose the Catholic school’s effort to uphold Catholic teaching, the spineless, principle-free board of directors offered lesbian Kammes the job and she accepted. With Catholic friends like that, Benet doesn’t need atheist enemies.

True Catholics should pull their kids out of school immediately. Anyone who affirms beliefs that the Catholic Church views as false and disordered and anyone who engages in and affirms acts that God abhors should not be a staff member in a Catholic school. Same goes for Protestant private schools. Adults who affirm homoerotic acts or who believe that the union of two people of the same sex can be a marriage cannot train up children in the way they should go. At Benet, tuition and fees per student are about $14,000 per year. Parents are paying $14,000 per year per student to send their children to a Catholic school that has no respect for Catholic doctrine.

What are Christians today willing to sacrifice for Christ and his kingdom? Will they sacrifice sports or arts opportunities for their kids by sending them to Christian schools that adhere to Scripture but don’t have the means to offer those opportunities? Will they sacrifice the prestige of having “Benet” on their child’s college application? Will they sacrifice anything?

Assistant coach Colleen Savell was “horrified” when she learned that Benet had rescinded the offer to Kammes in order to uphold Catholic beliefs. Savell had been looking forward to a winning season under the leadership of Kammes, who just left her position at another Catholic high school–Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Illinois–after less than a year.

Nothing more aptly demonstrates the priorities of the current Benet leadership than subordinating the clear teaching of the Bible and the Catholic Church to success on the lacrosse field.

At least as offensive and ignorant was this statement by Savell about the appearance of a rainbow during the protest:

If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.

God’s sign that he would not again destroy all mankind for our wickedness is a sign to Savell that a Catholic school should affirm wickedness. Savell should be given the boot along with Kammes.

Homosexual Benet alumnus Tim Jacklich, who announced his homosexual identity during his senior year at Benet five years ago and has been an active participant in the protest against Benet’s fleeting attempt to uphold Catholic orthodoxy, said this about his late grandmother Sheila Jacklich who worked as a teacher and dean at Benet for thirty years:

A number of Benet administrators have a phrase they use to guide them, where they ask, “what would Sheila do?” And we have an answer for them. She would not do this.

Jacklich doesn’t even pretend that the word of God matters.

Jacklich also said,

One of our chief concerns is for the LGBT students who currently study at Benet, who, through this action by their administration, get the message that they are not valuable and not respected by their school.

Jacklich wrongly presumes that valuing and respecting humans as humans requires Christians to value, respect, and affirm all that fallen humans believe, desire, do, and identify as. Such a presumption has no basis in Catholic doctrine or Scripture. God loves us despite hating much of what we fallen humans desire, think, and do.

All humans sin and, inconveniently for Jacklich, Kammes, Savell and all their fellow non-Catholics, Jesus calls all who want to follow him to repent. To be clear, there is a distinction between sinning and affirming sin as non-sin. Kammes and Jacklich affirm that homoerotic acts are not sinful, and, therefore, they are not Catholic.

Jacklich responded to the school’s initial statement explaining why Kammes’ job offer was initially rescinded:

The institution released a statement that they aim to employ people who reflect their Catholic values. We were shocked that love and acceptance and inclusion were not some of those values.

Jacklich was shocked, shocked to find there was Catholicism going on there at Benet.

Inclusivity is not some sort of absolute virtue. Whether a person should be welcomed into a community or not depends on the nature of the community and the nature of the beliefs and volitional acts affirmed by the person seeking inclusion in a community.

And biblical love does not entail affirmation of sin. Quite the contrary. Biblical love requires first knowing what is true, and that is revealed in God’s word—not on the Human Rights Campaign’s website.

St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth about the sin being tolerated in the church at that time:

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Cor. 5:11)

Doesn’t sound very inclusive, accepting, or loving by man’s contemporary standards, now does it?

Radio host Dan Proft shared on his Facebook page this excerpt from an exceptional letter written by a Benet parent to its board of directors:

The crisis surrounding Benet’s decision not to hire Amanda Kammes as the school’s girls’ lacrosse coach is an existential one for Benet Academy. There is no pain-free way through this crisis. If the school stands firm by its decision, there will be parents who will not send their children to Benet and donors who will not give to the school. And if Benet reverses itself there will be parents who do not send their children to Benet and donors who will not give to the school. There are costs either way.

But the crisis is more than financial. It is an existential crisis concerning Benet’s identity as a Catholic and Benedictine institution. If Benet caves into the demands of those seeking to hire Ms. Kammes, Benet will have lost its Catholic identity. It will no longer be able to claim that it is authentically Catholic, that it seeks to share the truth of the faith and the joy of the Gospel in everything it does. A person who publicly lives outside the moral teaching of the Church on matters of human sexuality and marriage cannot model for students the truth and virtues that Benet seeks to instill in its students.

Moreover, if it hires Ms. Kammes there will be no limiting principle to this going forward. The school will have no basis for refusing to hire anyone in the future who dissents from the Church on grave matters of moral teaching. There will be no principled way it can refuse to hire a qualified teacher or coach who works weekends as a clinic escort for women seeking abortions at Planned Parenthood.

In addition, in the near future, Benet will hear calls for the school to instruct its students in ways of thinking about profound moral questions involving sexuality and other matters that contradict what the Church holds and has always held to be true. The same arguments now heard—about a lack of compassion, about a failure to respect the consciences of others—will be heard again, only now in demanding curricular changes. And when that happens the example of hiring Ms. Kammes will be put forward as normative— “See, we can make changes and still remain Catholic.” But then the “Catholicism” that Benet portrays will be an empty shell. Benet will still have the decorative ornamentation of Catholicism, but not the substance of the faith.

Benet Academy should probably now revise this part of its mission statement:

The mission of Benet Academy, as a Catholic, Benedictine, college preparatory high school, is to provide a disciplined educational environment that fosters the on-going religious, intellectual and social development of its students.

Benet Academy will have achieved its mission if graduating seniors leave the Academy having nurtured their Catholic faith through religious instruction and opportunities for prayer and reflection [and] having learned to incorporate the principles of Christian morality into all aspects of their daily lives.

Catholic parents should remove their children pronto, and Catholic donors should fund only truly Catholic schools.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Benet-Academy-Losing-Christian-Identity.mp3

A recent broadcast on Chicago’s Morning Answer (AM 560 The Answer) featured Latasha Fields, well-known to IFI and IFA supporters as an ardent proponent of home education and parental rights. At the outset, Ms. Fields responds to Bryant Gumbel’s statement about the “Black Tax” and she calls out the hypocrisy of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ms. Fields also addresses the absolute importance of strong nuclear families, the possibility of a Blacks-only political party, liberal policies that encourage government dependency (modern enslavement), and the need for parents and churches to reclaim their rights and responsibility to properly educate their children.

Latasha Fields is Co-Founder and Overseer of Our Report Ministries & Publications, Director of Christian Home Educators Support System (C.H.E.S.S.), and State Coordinator of Illinois for Parental Rights.

Recently, a Colorado expert on the consequences of legalizing recreational marijuana spoke to groups in Bloomington, Pontiac, and Naperville, in addition to doing media interviews with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson on WIND radio, Ken and Deb in the Morning on WDLM radio, a somewhat acrimonious interview with Sam Wood on WJBC radio and a newspaper interview with Derek Beigh of The Pantagraph.

What Jo McGuire reports from Colorado is truly shocking. Illinois residents must understand the consequences of legalization and contact their lawmakers to oppose it.

Recreational marijuana has affected every part of Colorado’s culture: schools and increased youth use, poisonings, car fatalities, hospital admissions – all of which we have reported on. But what’s little known, and Big Marijuana wants to keep it that way, is the effect it’s having on neighborhoods, the environment, and homelessness.

In Colorado, in order to accomplish their goals, Big Marijuana lied, claiming it would do away with the Black Market and solve Colorado’s budget crisis. Sound familiar?  But the Black Market is doing better than ever.  In fact, they’re doing so well, cartels now purchase million dollar homes for cash in beautiful gated communities, gut them and start growing pot. Incredibly large amounts of marijuana are shipped elsewhere, including Mexico. And none of it is taxed, which was also their promise.

Like Colorado, Illinois’ bill allows for 5 plants per adult. Home grows, she said, are impossible to monitor plus it created another large non-taxable market referred to as the “grey market.” Home growers have discovered they too can make money selling it cheaper than the taxed and regulated pot dispensaries (which outnumber Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Walmart by double). Furthermore, explosions from butane extraction labs set up in these homes to produce concentrates are common.

Watch Jo McGuire’s full presentation here — and please share this information widely:

Worldview Conference May 5th

Worldview has never been so important than it is today!  The contemporary culture is shaping the next generation’s understanding of faith far more than their faith is shaping their understanding of culture. The annual IFI Worldview Conference is a phenomenal opportunity to reverse that trend. This year we are featuring well-know apologist John Stonestreet on Saturday, May 5th at Medinah Baptist Church. Mr. Stonestreet is s a dynamic speaker and the award-winning author of “Making Sense of Your World” and his newest offer: “A Practical Guide to Culture.”

Click HERE to learn more or to register!