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Radical Pro-Abortion Bill in Washington D.C.

Last Friday, by a vote of 218 to 211, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a radical pro-abortion bill that would essentially codify Roe v. Wade. The so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021” (H.R. 3755) would create an absolute right to abortion in federal law, superseding all state laws. The vote fell along party lines, with only one Democrat—U.S. Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-TX)—voting against the bill.

The dangers of this extreme pro-abortion bill cannot be overstated. Contrary to its name, this bill endangers women in innumerable ways. It removes countless state restrictions and limits on abortion, allowing for abortion up to the point of birth so long as one “health care provider” determines that the “continuation of pregnancy would pose a risk” to the mother’s life or “health.” The definition of “health care provider” in the bill is extremely broad and includes certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Moreover, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Doe v. Bolton, a companion case to Roe, “health” in the context of abortion is extremely broad and can include physical, emotional, psychological, and familial conditions, including the woman’s age.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to U.S. Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to ask them to oppose H.R. 3755 should it come up for a vote.

Co-sponsors of H.R. 3755 from Illinois include: U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-Chicago), Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), Bobby Rush (D-Chicago), Sean Casten (D-Wheaton), Danny Davis (D-Chicago), Bill Foster (D-Joliet), Chuy Garcia (D-Chicago), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg), Marie Newman (D-Chicago), Brad Schneider (D-Lincolshire), Lauren Underwood (D-Crystal Lake), Mike Quigley (D-Oak Park) and Cheri Bustos (D-Moline).

Background

The Women’s Health Protection Act would strike down state level pro-life protections and prevent state legislatures from taking action regarding abortion. Such an example is Illinois’ Parental Notice of Abortion law.  The bill also targets funding for abortions by removing pro-life protections such as the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal taxpayer dollars from supporting abortion, and the Weldon Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to discriminate on the basis of a health care entity’s refusal to provide, pay for, or refer women for abortion.

Thankfully, as the National Review reported, the bill is unlikely to receive the necessary votes to pass the U.S. Senate. The Senate is currently made up of 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 2 Independents, and 60 votes are required to end a filibuster. Even some “pro-choice” Republican senators have expressed hesitation about the bill, such as U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who commented that “parts of the bill are too ‘extreme’ for her,” and that “the bill would ‘severely weaken’ conscience rights by denying protections afforded by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”

We think it’s important to make sure that not only our two U.S. Senators know what we think about this legislation, though they be pro-choice, but we also want to put on notice the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell.

Moreover, IFI urges you to pray for all of our federal lawmakers and then speak out to condemn the wickedness of abortion and those sponsoring the so-called “Woman’s Health Protection Act.”





Bad News for Our Sisters, Daughters and Granddaughters

On September 23rd, 135 weak-kneed Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives joined the ranks of progressive Democrats when they voted to put our young women in potentially serious harm’s way. The overall vote was 316 to 113 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

This bill includes language to require young women to register for Selective Service. Just like young men when they turn 18, and in a time of national emergency, women would be drafted into the military for the first time in our nation’s history. Of course, the National Defense Authorization Act is considered critical legislation which authorizes the funding of our military.

We are shocked and dismayed to report that Illinois Republicans Mike Bost (Murphysboro), Rodney Davis (Taylorville), Adam Kinzinger (Channahon), and Darren LaHood (Peoria) voted for this legislation with this liberal provision attached.

On September 27th, a U.S. Senate committee approved the measure and it’s now on its way to a vote in the U.S. Senate, which is split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. The deciding vote would be cast by Vice President Kamal Harris in the event of a tie.

The National Commission on Military, National, & Public Service was created in 2017 to study the moral, legal, and practical arguments of women in the draft. In 2020, they came out in favor of requiring women to register for Selective Service.

“The Commission concluded that the time is right to extend Selective Service System registration to include men and women, between the ages of 18 and 26. This is a necessary and fair step, making it possible to draw on the talent of a unified Nation in a time of national emergency,” the report stated.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is strongly opposed to the measure and tweeted,

“American women have heroically served in and alongside our fighting forces since our nation’s founding. It’s one thing to allow American women to choose this service, but it’s quite another to force it upon our daughters, sisters, and wives. Missourians feel strongly that compelling women to fight our wars is wrong and so do I.”

In a 2020 candidate forum put on by the Military Officers Association of American, then-candidate Joe Biden said,

“The United States does not need a larger military, and we don’t need a draft at this time…I would, however, ensure that women are also eligible to register for the Selective Service System so that men and women are treated equally in the event of future conflicts.”

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Senate Republican Leader. Urge him to filibuster or block the National Defense Authorization Act until they strip out this foolish social engineering provision. You may want to remind Leader McConnell that God has made male and female equal in value and worth, but very different in form and function. To ignore this fact is absurd. 

Women have the ability to enroll in the military already, yet is intolerable for our federal government to mandate that women be drafted in case of national emergency.

You can call Leader McConnell’s office to urge him to do the right thing too. His Washington D.C. number is (202) 224-2541 and his district phone number is (502) 582-6304.





Systemic Racism of “Progressives”

The dust that racist bullies tried to kick in the face of the honorable U.S. Senator Tim Scott for his crime of delivering a far superior speech in response to Biden’s lackluster recitation before a sparsely attended joint session of Congress has not quite settled.

In addition to delivering a poignant, inspiring speech, Sen. Scott committed the crime of rejecting the dogma spewed by leftists who detest tolerance, inclusivity, and free-thinking—especially from blacks whom they desperately need to keep chained to the Democrat Party.

In order to malign Sen. Scott, MSNBC’s oft-deceitful Joy Reid had to misrepresent what he said. In a scornful tone, she imitated Scott, saying, “This isn’t a racist country. There’s no racism here.”

The first problem is Sen. Scott never said, “There’s no racism here.” He said America is not a racist country—big difference that apparently escaped Reid.

America is constituted and defined centrally by the principles delineated in our founding documents—documents which assume the existence of God–and Americans can be justifiably evaluated in terms of how they align with those principles. The Left is now moving America at a precipitous pace away from the Constitution and God and toward racism and other forms of oppression.

Since there are racists in every country in the world, and racist acts—including speech acts—are committed in every country in the world, does Reid believe every country in the world is racist?

There are liars in this country (including at MSNBC and CNN) and every other country. Does that, in Reid’s view, make America and every other country lying countries? In Reid’s view, are MSNBC and CNN lying companies?

There are lazy people in this and every other country. Does that make America and every other country lazy countries?

There are egregiously selfish people in this and every other country. Does that make America and every other country egregiously selfish countries?

There are lawless anarchists who loot and burn private businesses in America. Is America, therefore, a lawless, anarchical country?

Joe Biden said America is not a racist country, and Kamala Harris said Americans are not racists. In Reid’s view, are they racists?

“Progressives” have spewed virulently racist comments at Sen. Scott in the hours and days since his response. In Reid’s view, is “progressivism” racist?

Not to be outdone by Reid in the creepy racism department, MSNBC host Tiffany Cross described the “inside” of Sen. Scott’s head as “hollow,” asserting that he represents “no one but the sleepy, slow-witted sufferers of Stockholm syndrome who get elevated to prominence for repeating a false narrative about this country that makes conservative white people feel comfortable.” Cross called him Mitch McConnell’s “tap dancer,” and a “token” who is “thirsty for white approval.”

That’s rhetoric that would make a KKK grand wizard smile.

Cross claimed that when blacks speak “an uncomfortable truth, like Nikole Hannah-Jones [author of the 1619 Project], the party that Scott claims is not racist gets big mad and tries to silence you.” Her evidence for the outlandish claim that Republicans try to silence black “progressives” was that “Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to scrap teaching of the 1619 Project.” Perfect encapsulation of the “progressive” belief that their freedom to do (or have) anything requires government subsidization.

Not using tax dollars or providing federal support for a particular curriculum does not constitute silencing it. And Republicans don’t object to the 1619 Project being taught in government schools because it articulates “uncomfortable” truths. They object to it because it’s a biased load of propaganda that many historians—including historians of color—find historically inaccurate.

While we digest the unsavory tripe that racist “progressives” are force-feeding us, trying to gaslight Americans into believing the freest, least racist country in the history of the world is “systemically racist,” let’s ruminate on a few questions.

Which political party supports the sale and purchase of humans (or genetic material to create humans)?

Which party separates children from mothers or fathers?

Which party declares some humans to be non-persons?

Which party denies children the freedom to go to good schools?

Which party tries to command persons of color what to think and say?

Which party is obsessed with skin color, averring that skin color matters more than character?

Are “progressives” like Reid and Cross concerned about the disproportionate number of black babies being slaughtered in their mothers’ wombs every year? Black Arizona State Representative Walt Blackman sure is:

Abortion impacts African Americans at a higher rate than any other population group. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an Abortion Surveillance Report. According to that report, black women make up 14 percent of the childbearing population. Yet, 36 percent of all abortions were obtained by black women. At a ratio of 474 abortions per 1,000 live births, black women have the highest ratio of any group in the country. …

A study by Protecting Black Lives, in 2012, found that 79 percent of Planned Parenthood’s surgical abortion facilities are located within walking distance of minority communities.

In the past, we criticized the tobacco industry for targeting young people with their advertising. Recently, the nicotine vape industry has been criticized for similar practices. The prevalence of abortion providers in African American and Hispanic neighborhoods indicates the abortion industry is targeting too. It smacks of the eugenics-linked past of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and her views of contraception and abortion as ways of diminishing the black population.

What do Reid and Cross call “progressive” support for the killing of black babies? What do they call “progressive” support for Planned Parenthood, which plants most of its abattoirs in the heart of black communities? What do they call “progressive” endorsement of fatherless families and the policies that incentivize them when studies show one of the chief predictors of success is being raised in a home with a father? What do they call “progressive” refusal to offer school choice to disadvantaged families of color? What do they call it when “progressives” teach children of one skin color that children of another skin color are “lesser than”? What do they call it when “progressives” hurl the epithet “Uncle Tim” at a black man for thinking freely?

I call the whole stinking mess systemic racism.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/systemicRacismProgressives_mixdown.mp3


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February 2020 Prayer Alert

The 2020 session of the Illinois General Assembly is now underway in Springfield. Our state lawmakers are introducing new proposals, adding to the 6,000+ bills that were introduced in the first half of the session (2019). IFI’s top concern is stopping the effort to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act. In a recent email, the anti-life Personal PAC told their supporters that their

key goals in 2020 will be repealing dangerous anti-choice legislation and safeguarding reproductive rights for future generations. With that in mind, in the next few months, Personal PAC will be focused on:

  • Repealing the Parental Notice Act of Abortion (PNA) and
  • Expanding the Illinois General Assembly’s pro-choice majority

Opposing this horrific agenda must be a prayer priority for all pro-life Christians in the state. It must also become a tier one call-to-action for us all. Our local state representatives, state senators and Governor J.B. Pritzker must hear from us loud and clear. They must come to understand that we will not remain silent as they work to usurp our God-given parental rights so they can pursue an agenda of death.

In addition to that, ethics reform is once again making headlines in the wake of multiple FBI corruption investigations and numerous indictments. Chicago’s ABC7 I-Team recently aired a report identifying Illinois “as the most corrupt state in America.” Political pundits speculate that there will be more indictments coming in the weeks and months ahead. As if that weren’t enough, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is at the center of a rape cover-up scandal that may have far reaching consequences.

We also have critically important primary campaigns going on now through election day, March 17th.

To say we have much to pray about is an understatement. Our state government is immersed in chaos and corruption. This is a reflection of the character of the men and women serving in Springfield over the past several decades. We are to pray for  all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness, (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Please Pray:

  • That God will open the eyes of policy-makers and candidates for office to the sanctity of life. Pray that they will become defenders of innocent human life and not enablers of sexual immorality and death.
  • That state lawmakers will uphold parental rights and reject attempts to repeal the basic protection young women have in the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.
  • That federal and state investigators will root out all corruption at the Capitol and among our legislators and that self-serving lawmakers will be replaced by honest and wise public servants.
  • That in the 2020 election season, pro-life candidates will have the time, energy and funding needed to saturate their districts with their campaign messages and materials.
  • That God will give wisdom and discernment to the honest public servants in Springfield who must work in the swamp of corruption and that they have courage to serve the Lord with fear and trembling and not shrink back from calling out every form of wickedness. (Psalms 2:10-11)
  • That many godly counselors and advisers will surround our elected officials and that local pastors and Christian leaders will intentionally seek opportunities to visit and minister to these men and women. (Proverbs 11:14)
  • That God will work in the hearts and minds of our state lawmakers and governor and that He will draw them to Him and His truth. (Proverbs 21:1-8)
  • That God will work in the hearts of key federal officials, including President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
  • That efforts to indoctrinate children in government schools–especially the new law that mandates teaching about homosexuality and the “trans” ideology positively in government schools–will fail and that local school boards will reject this agenda for their students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Personal Prayer Request:

Last week, my wife and I were blessed with the birth of our son, Owen. He was born with Down Syndrome and has significant medical challenges. We learned that Owen had an imperforate anus and an AV canal defect in his heart. Owen had surgery on his second day of life and spent the next six days in the PICU. He is facing three additional surgeries in the next several months.

Owen has also been diagnosed with transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM). We were told that twenty percent of Downs Syndrome kids develop Leukemia but 80 percent outgrow it. Further blood tests will indicate more.

We would greatly appreciate if you would keep baby Owen in your prayers over the next several months. We praise God for the technology and science and the amazing medical team that has worked to save Owen’s life and help him overcome these health hurdles.

God is stretching the Smith family in new and exciting ways. We are walking in faith, trusting in God’s plan for Owen while trying not to rely not on our own (finite) understanding. I can honestly say that we cannot wait to see how God is going to use this boy in our family and beyond.


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Pride Really is Nothing to Boast About

The rise of the LGBTQ movement has turned the tables in American culture. Say anything even mildly critical of LGBTQs and it can cost you your livelihood. But while it’s powerful, the LGBTQ movement is also the most sensitive social movement in the country.

Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.

~Proverbs 16:18 (NASB)

Somewhere along the way, the month of June was designated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride month. Friends, we must beware the perversion that boasts in this kind of pride.

Still, it is celebrated all over the country by governments, businesses, etc. The colors of the rainbow are used to signify the LGBTQ movement. Parades commemorating it go on in many places. There is no question that the LGBTQ movement is mainstream America now.

In fact, this group has power that exceeds its numbers. It has been generally accepted for decades that the LGBTQ group represents 2.7% of the population. If you mix in Millennials, that percentage goes to 4.5%, according to Gallup.

Whatever the percentage is, this group has banded together to become one of the most powerful political forces in our time. They control the entertainment industry as well, allowing for only positive portrayals on television and movies. And despite being only 4.5% of the population, on prime-time television nearly 9% of all characters are LGBTQ. No other group can command such treatment.

The rise of the LGBTQ movement has turned the tables in American culture. Before the 1990s, homosexuality was generally considered abnormal. Certainly not something to be proud of. It was seen as shameful. My, how the times have changed. Today the only ones shamed are those who dare speak out in favor of traditional moral roles of men and women. Say anything even mildly critical of LGBTQs and it can cost you your livelihood.

Remember back in 2014 when a man named Michael Sam was selected in the NFL draft? Because he was the first openly gay player drafted, the media made a big deal out of it. When he was drafted, the mouth-to-mouth kiss with his boyfriend was shown on ESPN live.

A day after this happened, I read the following on a website:

“Miami Dolphins defensive back Don Jones tweeted ‘omg’ and ‘horrible’ in reaction to the ESPN video and then was swiftly fined an undisclosed amount and suspended from team activities until he completed ‘sensitivity training.’ Jones subsequently deleted the tweets, made his Twitter account private, and issued a public apology to Sam, calling his biased comments about the gay player ‘inappropriate.'”

This is what I mean by costing a person his or her livelihood if you say anything critical about homosexuality. A Miami Dolphins player said what millions of Americans were thinking and he was fined, suspended, and sent to educational “training.”

The LGBTQ movement, while powerful, is also the most sensitive social movement in the country. Make any indication of disapproval and you get labeled a “bigot” or a “hater” and publicly shamed. It’s really scary for a lot of Americans who are forced to attend corporate “diversity training,” which is code for force-feeding the LGBTQ agenda on them.

The truth is the LGBTQ activists have basically conquered the Western world. The only thing they lack is shutting down the Christian church, which still believes that homosexuality is a sin because the Bible teaches as much. Read Romans, Chapter 1.

The Scripture says this behavior is unnatural, immoral, and unhealthy. Christian or not, everyone pretty much knows this, even if they are afraid to say so publicly. God made male for female sexually. As for the transgendered, they have serious issues that cause them profound confusion. It’s really tragic.

While Bruce Jenner may think he is a woman, the rest of us should not be told we must pretend Bruce Jenner is a woman or else we hate Bruce Jenner.

Related to this entire issue, I urge you to be aware of the “Equality Act” legislation now pending in the U.S. Congress. I don’t have space for all the details here, but if passed by Congress it would force the LGBTQ agenda on all Americans using the full power of federal government.

It’s an extremely dangerous piece of legislation. Democrats have already passed it in the House; but at least for now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to block it in that body. And President Donald Trump has vowed to veto it should it ever make it to his desk.

But be watchful, friends. Call your two senators and insist that they vote “no” on the so-called “Equality Act.” The pride that produced it is really nothing to boast about.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to our U.S. Senators to urge him/her to oppose the federal Equality Act (H.R. 5) which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for an individual’s perceived sex, “sexual orientation,” or “gender identity.” If you know the name of your local official, you can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask the operator to connect you with his/her office to leave a message.


This article was originally published by OneNewsNow.com.




New Year Call to Prayer

As we begin 2019–with new federal lawmakers being sworn in to office last week in Washington D.C. and new state lawmakers being sworn into office this week–it is vital that we are intentional about praying for those in authority. Although we may disagree with the political philosophy of many of our elected officials, we must not neglect God’s instruction to pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1-3) or ignore the power of prayer to change hearts and minds (Proverbs 21:1; James 5:16).

It is important to regularly appeal to God for the well-being of our state and nation. It is essential to ask Him to work in the hearts and minds of each one of our local, state and national our leaders. Let’s ask the Lord to help our officials understand what is good and true. Ask Him to give them wisdom and to open their eyes to those who are trying to mislead or deceive them. Let’s pray that God would bring into their lives a Daniel or a Paul to be trusted godly influences who will not shrink back from telling them about God’s standards of right and wrong.

Additionally, here are some other ways to pray this week and throughout the year:

  • Thank God for this new year in which we can serve Him. Thank God for what He has done in our lives during the last year, and what He will be doing this year in not only our lives but also in the lives of our family members and in His church worldwide. Throughout history we can see how His hand has been upon the nations.
  • Thank God that He is making all things new (Isaiah 43:18–19; Revelation 21:5; Isaiah 65:17).
  • Pray that He would prompt us to stay in His Word, reading it daily so that we are fully equipped for what He is calling us to do.
  • Pray that He would train us in righteousness and give us wisdom to know how to respond to the growing immorality and unfaithfulness in our culture.
  • Pray for a successful and peaceful March for Life Chicago next Sunday. Pray that our culture would come to understand the preeminence of the sanctity of life.
  • Pray for key federal officials–including President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
  • Pray that federal officials would be serious about military readiness, national security, border protection and the importance of defunding Planned Parenthood.
  • Pray for key state officials–including Governor-elect JB Pritzker, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, Illinois Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin.
  • Pray that the effort to legalize recreational marijuana fails. Pray that state lawmakers would understand the alarming consequences and high costs of approving this legislation and not be swayed by the potential of a new tax revenue source.
  • Pray against efforts to indoctrinate children in government schools–especially the legislation to mandate the teaching about homosexuality and the “trans” ideology positively in government schools (SB 3249) from kindergarten through 12th grade.
  • Pray that God would increase our reverence and love for Him and His Word and that we would be effective servants.

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It’s the Courts, Stupid

When Bill Clinton was running for president in 1992, his campaign strategist James Carville gave him the formula for success: Focus on the economy. In Carville’s famous words, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Today, President Donald Trump could easily campaign with a similar mantra, since many Americans are pleased with the economic uptick under his leadership.

But, in terms of a lasting legacy, in terms of societal impact, the real mantra should be, “It’s the courts, stupid.” You can be assured that Trump and his Republican colleagues have a good grasp on this already.

And now, with a strengthened majority in the U.S. Senate, the sky is the limit with the good they can do.

As noted (with great concern) by Jennifer Bendery in the Huffington Post, “With a newly strengthened Senate majority, Mitch McConnell can plow ahead with reshaping the nation’s courts.”

Yes, “McConnell has said all along that judicial confirmations are his No. 1 priority as Senate leader. That won’t change going forward.”

And this, in fact, is a major reason many of us voted for Donald Trump: U.S. Supreme Court appointees and, more broadly, federal court appointees at all levels. Transforming the courts was our No. 1 concern.

How much has been done already?

Bendery writes, “To date, the Republican leader has confirmed two U.S. Supreme Court justices, 29 circuit judges and 53 district judges. He’s confirmed so many circuit judgesmany of whom are strongly anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ rights and anti-voting rights, and nearly all of whom are ideologues handpicked by the conservative Federalist Society, that 1 in 7 seats on the U.S. circuit courts are now filled by judges nominated by Trump.”

Some might say, “But this is not healthy. The courts will now become distinctly conservative. They’re supposed to be neutral and impartial.”

To the contrary, the goal is to get the courts back to where they’re supposed to be, namely, rightly interpreting our Constitution rather than creating new laws. Yet for decades, many of the courts have swung dangerously left, leading to rampant (and dangerous) judicial activism.

Judicial activism, in turn, has become a direct threat to our freedoms. (For Mark Levin’s now classic exposé, see here.)

A lengthy, 2013 article published by the Heritage Foundation gave three glaring examples of judicial activism whereby the courts were guilty of “Contorting the Text” (meaning the First Amendment), “Playing Legislator,” and “Abusing Precedent.” (For the liberal argument that it is conservatives who are the judicial activists, see here. For an effective rebuttal to this position, see here.)

Since 2013, we have seen the courts redefine the very nature of marriage (in 1,000 lifetimes, the Founders would have never envisioned this) as well as rule against fundamental freedoms of conscience and speech. And it was judicial activism that made abortion legal in 1973.

Sixty-million slaughtered babies later – far more than the population of Canada (about 38 million), even more than the population of England (about 55 million), and roughly equal to the population of Italy – our nation is still reeling from this unjust and unconstitutional ruling.

It’s about time we had a reformation in our courts.

More recently, what if the U.S. Supreme Court had ultimately ruled against Hobby Lobby? Against the Little Sisters of the Poor? Against Jack Phillips?

Back in 1962, without any legal precedent, the U.S. Supreme Court removed organized public prayer from our schools.

Fifty years later, on June 16, 2012, the Saturday Evening Post ran this story: “Atheists v. Evangelists: The School Prayer Decision of 1962.”

“50 years ago, school prayer was declared unconstitutional, causing Billy Graham to wonder if we were becoming a spiritually-bankrupt nation.”

The article begins with these simple but striking lines: “How much has America changed in the past 50 years? Imagine kids in American public schools now starting each day with a prayer.” (For my answer to the question of how much America has changed since the early 1960s, see here.)

Earlier in the year, Graham had warned Post readers that “if the Court decrees negatively, another victory will be gained by those forces which conspire to remove faith in God from the public conscience.

“American democracy rests on the belief in the reality of God and His respect for the individual. Ours is a freedom under law. But it is also a freedom that will evaporate if the religious foundations upon which it has been built are taken away.”

Of course, he was right, although he had no idea of just how radically the society would be transformed in the decades that followed.

As for prayer in the schools, from the founding of our nation until 1962, it never occurred to the courts that this was a violation of separation of church and state. It was judicial activism that made this landmark decision.

And even though the prayer itself was quite generic and any student could opt out of praying, it was the symbolism that mattered. Prayer no longer belonged in our schools.

All of which leads us back to where we started: It’s the courts, stupid.

Thank God President Trump is keeping his promise to nominate conservative justices – meaning, Constitutionalists – to the courts. Keeping this up for two more years (or, better still, 6 more years) could well be his greatest legacy, not to mention the greatest legal bulwark against the loss of our fundamental freedoms.

As for those who protest, “Trump and the Republicans have no right to do this!”, to the contrary, the American people elected them to office.

They are doing what we the people have empowered them to do.


This article was originally published at AskDrBrown.com.




Call-to-Prayer: SCOTUS Nomination

Written by Pastor Myles Holmes

Tonight’s expected announcement of Trump’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court and the upcoming confirmation process to fill Justice Kennedy’s seat marks a historic moment for the nation. Let us cover it in prayer.

Heavenly Father, Creator of all there is, Lord and Master of time and history, we praise You today for the blessings You have bestowed upon this great nation.

Our freedoms and liberties, our prosperity and bounty, are not the work of the hands of man, but they are Your mercies and grace upon us.

We acknowledge that we have failed you over and over again, we have mocked Your Word and spat upon Your law.

We have called good evil, we have celebrated evil, and truth lies fallen in the streets.

But You have always had a people in these United States who have cried out to You and Your mercies.

We your people cry out to You again.

You are a Miracle Worker of signs and wonders. You open doors that no one can shut. You make rivers in the desert, and You make a way through the sea and a path through the waters. You restore the years that the locusts have eaten.

We praise and thank You today that there are so many signs in this nation of our prayers being answered.

We pray for a continued spirit of repentance and conviction.

We pray this spirit of repentance and conviction will emanate from the church and affect every sphere of society … from our streets and businesses and  schools and local city halls, to the halls of the U.S. Congress and the White House.

We thank You for those you have placed in servant leadership over this nation.

We pray your protection and blessing and grace upon our President Donald Trump, Vice president Mike Pence, the cabinet members, and their families.

May they humbly seek you daily for direction, instruction, and Godliness. Grant to them insight to lead and foresight to anticipate what must be done to turn this nation back to You.

Now Father, You have granted us another opportunity to appoint a new U.S. Supreme Court justice to interpret the laws of the U.S. Constitution of this great land.

Heavenly Father, we cry out for mercy and Your leadership.

We pray that President Trump, Mike Pence and their advisors will be led by your wisdom, discernment, discretion and courage to appoint a man or woman who will serve on the U.S. Supreme Court with character and competence.

We pray in the Mighty and Matchless Name of Jesus Christ against all obstruction and hindering forces; we bind every evil, demonic power that would resist a man or woman of righteousness being appointed to this Court.

We know that righteousness exalts a nation.

We know that our laws and legislation must reflect an honoring of the God Who has blessed this nation.

We pray that this U.S. Supreme Court Justice appointment will be one who honors this great Constitution that you have blessed this nation with, respects the original intent of its authors, and believes in the individual freedoms that are enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

We pray that unjust and immoral laws will be overturned.

We pray that justice will run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Amos 5:24

We pray that all distortion and deception of laws will cease.

We pray that all perversions of justice will come to an end.

We pray that morality and decency will return to the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court.

We pray that our justices will be blessed with moral courage, supernatural strength, and the backbone to speak against evil and to support the good, the right and the true.

We pray that our U.S. Supreme Court justices will continue to uphold freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and thought, to enable Your church to boldly rebuke evil, courageously defend the Truth and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We, your people, pray for Your blessing on the United States of America, we ask you for another great revival, another great move of your Spirit sweeping millions into the Kingdom, and pushing back the darkness. May Your Kingdom come and may Your Will be done.

May Your people remain faithful and humble, but bold as a lion to speak for righteousness and truth.

Protect our President and Vice President and their families from every evil spoken against them and every plan and plot of destruction, and draw each of them closer to You as they lead this great nation.

Send your Spirit,

Send revival,

Build your church that the gates of hell cannot prevail against,

let no flesh glory in Your Presence,

May the Name of Christ be high and lifted up above every other name,

the Name of Jesus,

It’s in His Name we pray,

Amen and Amen.


Pastor Myles Holmes (holy terror to mediocrity) is Lead Pastor REVIVE Church in Collinsville, Illinois and an IFI board member.  You can find him on Facebook and on Twitter @PastorMHolmes      




U.S. Senate Approves Defense Bill to Require Selective Service for Women

According to an Associated Press report, the U.S. Senate voted to approve a $602 billion defense bill which also mandates that our daughters register for Selective Service and a possible future draft.  This gender blind, biologically indifferent proposal was sponsored by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who also happens to chair the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

Both Illinois U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, voted in favor of this irresponsible legislation.  The over all vote was 85 in favor, just 13 opposed.  U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also voted for this atrocity.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke out in opposition to the measure, saying in an official statement that this political correct bill “is being used as a vehicle to further agendas that have nothing to do with actually defending America. Despite the many laudable objectives in this bill, I could not in good conscience vote to draft our daughters into the military, sending them off to war and forcing them into combat.”

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (S. 2943), if passed by the U.S. House and signed into law by President Barack Obama, would require:

(1)  The duty to register imposed on male citizens and persons residing in the United States by subsection (a) shall apply to female citizens of the United States and female persons residing in the United States who attain the age of 18 years on or after January 1, 2018.

(2)  The responsibilities and rights of female registrants under this Act shall be the responsibilities and rights of male registrants under this Act, and shall be subject to such terms, conditions, and limitations as are applicable under the provisions of this Act to similarly situated male registrants.

(3)  Any reference in this Act to a registrant or other person subject to the duties, responsibilities, and rights of a registrant under this Act shall be deemed to refer to female citizens of the United States and female persons residing in the United States registering pursuant to this subsection.

The bill now heads over to the U.S. House.

Take ACTION:  Please, for the sake of our daughters and granddaughters, click HERE to send an email or fax to your local U.S. Representative.  Politely insist that they STOP the federal government from drafting our daughters for military service.




U.S. House Votes to Ban Late Term Abortions

How did Illinois’ Congressional Delegation Vote?

As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 242-184 yesterday to pass a bill to to extend federal protections for preborn children who are 20 weeks fetal age or more, and who are capable of experiencing excruciating pain.  (Read more about this HERE.)  This legislation would also protect babies who are born alive during late abortions.

The bill is called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36), and it’s chief sponsor is U.S. Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ).  This legislation was developed from model legislation developed by National Right to Life and enacted thus far in eleven states, and lays further groundwork for the ongoing legal battle that pro-lifers hope will eventually result in forcing the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that  legalized abortion.

In a nationwide poll of 1,623 registered voters in November 2014, The Quinnipiac University Poll found that 60 percent would support a law such as the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks, while only 33 percent opposed such legislation. Women voters split 59-35 percent in support of such a law, while independent voters supported it by 56-36 percent.

Of Illinois’ 18 U.S. Representatives, seven voted to end painful late-term abortion on innocent helpless children while 10 voted to continue. Chicago Democrat Daniel Lipinski joined the majority of Republicans who supported this bill, while Lincolnshire Republican Bob Dold joined the majority of Democrats who voted against this bill. We’ve also indicated in the list below, the Congressmen who co-sponsored this bill.

IFI greatly appreciates the 7 Illinois members of the U.S. House who voted in favor of H.R. 36.

It is unknown if U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will call the bill for a vote in the U.S. Senate.  Moreover, the White House is on record saying that President Barack Obama would veto it if it ever reached his desk, saying it is “an assault on a woman’s right to choose” and “a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.”  You may remember that as an Illinois State Senator, Mr. Obama repeatedly voted to allow infanticide to continue unabated in Illinois hospitals.

Voting Results for The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act:

Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D)–No
1st Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-4372
District Phone:             773-224-6500
Webform

Rep. Robin Kelly (D)–No
2nd Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-0773
District Phone:             773-568-2623
Webform

Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D)–YEA
H.R. 36 Co-Sponsor
3rd Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-5701
District Phone:             312-886-0481
Webform

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D)–No
4th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-8203
District Phone:             773-342-0774
Webform

Rep. Mike Quigley (D)–No
5th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-4061
District Phone:             773-267-5926
Webform

Rep. Peter Roskam (R)–YEA
H.R. 36 Co-Sponsor
6th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-4561
District Phone:             630-232-0006
Webform

Rep. Danny K. Davis (D)–No
7th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-5006
District Phone:             773-533-7520
Webform

Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D)–No
8th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-3711
District Phone:             847-413-1959
Webform

Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky (D)–No
9th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-2111
District Phone:             773-506-7100
Webform

Rep. Bob Dold (R)–No
10th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-4835
District Phone:             847-793-8400
Webform

Rep. Bill Foster (D)–No
11th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-3515
District Phone:             630-585-7672
Webform

Rep. Mike Bost (R)–YEA
H.R. 36 Co-Sponsor

12th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-5661
District Phone:             618-233-8026
Webform

Rep. Rodney Davis (R)–YEA
13th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-2371
District Phone:             217-403-4690
Webform

Rep. Randy Hultgren (R)–YEA
H.R. 36 Co-Sponsor
14th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-2976
District Phone:             630-232-7104
Webform

Rep. John Shimkus (R)–YEA
H.R. 36 Co-Sponsor

15th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-5271
District Phone:             217-446-0664
Webform

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R)–YEA
16th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-3635
District Phone:             815-431-9383
Webform

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D)–No
17th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-5905
District Phone:             309-966-1813
Webform

VACANT SEAT
18th Congressional Dist.
Washington Phone:             202-225-6201
District Phone:             309-671-7027


Click HERE TO SUPPORT Illinois Family Institute.




Republican Party Elites Abandon Traditional Marriage

Only six of 54 Republican members of the U.S. Senate signed a pro-traditional marriage legal brief to the U.S. Supreme Court that was submitted on Friday. USA Today noted, “By contrast, 44 Democratic senators and 167 Democratic House members filed a brief last month urging the court to approve same-sex marriage. The brief included the full House and Senate [Democratic] leadership teams.”

These developments strongly suggest that while the homosexual movement remains solidly in control of the Democratic Party, the tactics of harassment and intimidation that we saw wielded against the religious freedom bill in Indiana last week are taking their toll on the Republican Party as a whole.

In the Indiana case, a conservative Republican governor, Mike Pence, abandoned the fight for religious freedom in the face of homosexual and corporate pressure.

It appears that more and more elite or establishment Republicans are simply deciding to give up on the fight for traditional values and marriage.

While this may seem politically expedient, this dramatic move to the left by the GOP could result in millions of pro-family conservatives deciding to abandon the Republican Party in 2016, a critical election year.

USA Today also noted that “…while some members of the 2012 Republican National Convention platform committee filed a brief against gay marriage Friday, it notably did not include GOP Chairman Reince Priebus.”

The Republican senators signing the brief included:

  • U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas
  • U.S. Senator Steve Daines of Montana
  • U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma
  • U.S. Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma
  • U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
  • U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina

Fifty-one members of the House of Representatives signed the brief. But U.S. House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) name was not on it.

Taking the lead for traditional marriage in the House was U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), who not only signed the pro-marriage brief but has also introduced U.S. House Joint Resolution 32, the Marriage Protection Amendment, to amend the United States Constitution to protect marriage, family and children by defining marriage as the union between one man and one woman. The resolution has 33 co-sponsors and has been referred for action to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary.

Huelskamp is the only Member of Congress who has authored one of the 30 state constitutional amendments that prohibits homosexual marriage and polygamous marriage. In 2005, when he was a state senator, 71 percent of Kansans voted for the state constitutional amendment that he authored.

In reintroducing the federal marriage amendment, Huelskamp said, “In June 2013 the Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, but upheld the right and responsibility of states to define marriage. Since then, though, numerous unelected lower court judges have construed the U.S. Constitution as suddenly demanding recognition of same sex ‘marriages,’ and they struck down state Marriage Amendments—including the Kansas Marriage Amendment—approved by tens of millions of voters and their elected representatives.”

However, on April 28 the U.S. Supreme Court will review the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which upholds marriage laws in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. A ruling is expected in June.

USA Today noted that scores of prominent Republicans last month joined a brief on the homosexual side filed by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, a former lieutenant to Karl Rove who came out of the closet and announced in August of 2010 that he was a homosexual. He has since launched a “Project Right Side” to make the “conservative” case for gay marriage.

Big money Republican donors such as Paul Singer, David Koch, and Peter Thiel have either endorsed homosexual rights and same-sex marriage or funded the homosexual movement. Thiel is an open homosexual.

A libertarian group funded by the Koch brothers, the Cato Institute has been in the gay rights camp for many years and its chairman, Robert A. Levywrote a “moral and constitutional case for a right to gay marriage.”

Other signatories to the Mehlman brief included Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, U.S. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois, and former presidential candidates Rudolph Giuliani and Jon Huntsman.

The signers of this brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage were described as “300 veteran Republican lawmakers, operatives and consultants.” Some two dozen or so had worked for Mitt Romney for president.

One of the signatories, Mason Fink, who was the finance director of the Mitt Romney for president campaign, has signed on with a super PAC promoting former Florida Republican governor Jeb Bush for president. In another move signaling his alignment with the homosexual movement, Bush has reportedly picked Tim Miller, “one of the most prominent gay Republicans in Washington politics,” as his communications director.

A far-left media outlet known as Buzzfeed has described Bush as “2016’s Gay-Friendly Republican,” and says he has “stocked his inner circle with advisers who are vocal proponents of gay rights.”

But some conservative Christians are fighting back against the homosexual movement.

A brief to the court filed by Liberty Counsel notes that, in the past, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld marriage as “a foundational social institution that is necessarily defined as the union of one man and one woman.” It cites the case of Skinner v. Oklahoma, in which marriage was declared to be “fundamental to the very existence and survival of the race,” and Maynard v. Hill, in which marriage was declared “the foundation of the family and of society, without which there would be neither civilization nor progress.”

Liberty Counsel said the court is being asked to affirm a false notion of marriage based upon fraudulent data about homosexual activity in society. It said, “For the past 67 years, scholars, lawyers and judges have undertaken fundamental societal transformation by embracing Alfred Kinsey’s statistically and scientifically fraudulent ‘data’ derived from serial child rapists, sex offenders, prisoners, prostitutes, pedophiles and pederasts. Now these same change agents, still covering up the fraudulent nature of the Kinsey ‘data,’ want this Court to utilize it to demolish the cornerstone of society, natural marriage.”

The homosexual movement has long maintained that Kinsey validated changes in sexual behavior that were already taking place in society. In fact, however, the evidence uncovered by Dr. Judith Reisman shows that Kinsey deliberately exaggerated those changes in a fraudulent manner by using data from pedophiles and prisoners.

Commenting on the impact of the acceptance of the fraudulent Kinsey data, Accuracy in Media founder Reed Irvine noted, “Gradually over the years, acceptance of the Kinsey morality has grown to the point where premarital and extramarital sex raise no eyebrows, where, in some communities, out-of-wedlock births are in the majority, homosexuality is glorified and aggressively promoted in our schools and the last taboo—adults having sex with young children—is now under attack in some of our institutions of higher learning.”

The Mattachine Society, a gay rights organization started by communist Harry Hay in 1950, cited the flawed Kinsey data in an effort to convince the public that homosexual behavior was widespread in American society.

The book, Take Back! The Gay Person’s Guide to Media Action, said the Kinsey Report on male sexuality “paved the way for the first truly positive discussion of homosexuality in the mainstream media.”

Today, this same Kinsey data is being used to convince the Supreme Court to approve homosexual “marriage” as a constitutional right.


This article was originally posted at the Accuracy in Media website.