THE SESSION HAS
BEGUN!
From the 2nd Wednesday in
January and for the next 90 days we will be in not only a political battle
between the right and the left, conservative and liberal but n a spiritual
battle as well.
We know that prayer will be the
power that breaks through and will give us spiritual victories, not necessarily
political victories. Please join us in prayer for our legislators through our
Legislative Prayer Schedule, the Prayer House prayer times on Fridays and
special prayers throughout the session as particular bills are heard in
committee and voted on by the Delegates and
Senators.
During the opening day activities I
sensed a reserve and quietness among many legislators. Perhaps it was because
of the just recently ended Special Session that many elected officials on both
sides of the isle were not happy with. Many felt it was not needed at all while
others felt the process was not handled properly. Even the Judge that ruled on
the lawsuit to overturn the Special Session described the legislature’s actions
as ‘reprehensible’ and ‘egregious.” Regardless of your feelings about taxes
and slots, we must be concerned about the abuse of power by the House and Senate
leaders to violate the Constitution and perhaps other
laws.
Usually there are a few days of no
or minimal hearings as committees hear briefings from departments and staff on
broad topics of concern listing facts and figures without specific proposals
that will follow. However, because of a clever maneuver on the last day of the
2007 Session, there was an administrative definition that had to be brought
before the AELR Committee. That committee met yesterday to discuss the
definition of domestic partners. There were many reasons presented by several
legislators, the Maryland Catholic Conference and by the Family Protection Lobby
(us), which pointed out the lack of need for the hearing and for the devastating
effect it will have on the definition of marriage and the further deterioration
of the family structure in Maryland. But the lopsided make up of the
committee, which reflects the lopsided make up of the General Assembly, produced
the expected outcome; Maryland now has defined domestic partnerships and in the
process has “legalized” cohabitation harmed marriage and
families.
There have already been 61 bills
introduced in the Senate and 81 in the House. Shortly you will be able to see
the bills that we follow in our Bill Status Chart at http://www.fplmd.org/bills.asp
TAXPAYERS LOSE IN
SPECIAL SESSION
Using words like
“fair”, long term solution”, “path to progress” and “have to “sacrifice more” to
“invest more”, Governor O’Malley smiled as he signed the $1.4 billion tax
hike on Maryland residents. Listed below are the most
of the tax increases passed by 2:00 AM Monday morning. (Some we still don’t know
about)
120% increase in
motor vehicle title registration fee
100% increase in
cigarette tax
20% increase in
sales tax (5 cents to 6 cents)
Expansion of
sales tax to computer services (estimated to raise $200 million per
year)
20% increase in
car titling tax (limited relief granted by trade-in
allowance)
20% tax on net
proceeds for electronic bingo and tip jar amusements (an entirely new
tax)
18% increase in
corporate income tax rate
Increases in
personal income tax rates for wage earners under graduated tax brackets (highest
wage earners face 16% increase)
New transfer tax
on real estate transfers of “controlling interests”
Knowing the
Purpose of the Special Session was to raise taxes to cover a supposed deficit of
$1.7 Billion the Governor and the Democrat party leader, without a budget,
convinced legislators to authorize over $1.7 billion in NEW SPENDING over the
next four years!
Your guess is
probably as close as you are going to get as to what other “promises” were made
to lawmakers to get their vote for ... read full article
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SPECIAL SESSION
OPENS WITH A RALLY...
For me the 2007 Special Session of
the Maryland Legislature began early. After a few quick hours in the office I
was off to Annapolis to attend and speak at the noon Press
Conference hosted by smartgov.net along
with the Maryland Taxpayers Association (MTA).
That press conference was well attended by no-tax organizations, business
interests and pro-family and religious leaders. At 4:00 PM the Citizens Rally
began. Quickly many, if not most, Republican legislators arrived and took their
place behind MDGOP Party Chairman Jim Pelura who served as M/C for the
rally.
One after another of the delegates
and Senators from across the state shared their opposition to the still sketchy
or unknown proposals put forth by the Governor.
We know for sure the proposals
contain tax increases into nearly every facet of our lives. But the exact
details have been very hard to mine out of the Legislative Services or the
various websites that usually have the information available.
After, and sometimes during, each
speech the crown would respond to the chant of “NO NEW TAXES!” At one point
Senate President Mike Miller arrived by car to enter the State House and was
promptly greeted by the... [read full article]
Court Upholds
State's Gay Marriage Ban
Tuesday, September 18,
2007
WBAL Radio as reported by Steve Fermier and
Anne Kramer and The Associated Press
Maryland's highest court
Tuesday upheld a state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a
woman, ending a lawsuit filed by same-sex couples who claimed they were being
denied equal protection under the law.
A divided Court of
Appeals ruled that Maryland's 1973 ban on gay marriage does not
discriminate on the basis of gender and does not deny any fundamental rights,
and that the state has a legitimate interest in promoting opposite-sex
marriage.
The decision
essentially sent the gay-marriage issue back to the
legislature.
"Our opinion should
by no means be read to imply that the General Assembly may not grant and
recognize for homosexual persons civil unions or the right to marry a person of
the same sex," Judge Glenn T. Harrell Jr. wrote for the four-judge majority,
which also included Judges Dale R. Cathell, Clayton Greene Jr. and Alan M.
Wilner.
Chief Judge Robert
M. Bell and Judge Lynne A. Battaglia dissented. Judge Irma S. Raker wrote a
separate dissent but also concurred ... [read full article]
+ SAME SEX MARRIAGE ARGUMENTS BEGIN
Same-sex couples
in Maryland are denied equal protection under the law because they are not permitted to
marry, an attorney for plaintiffs in a gay-marriage lawsuit told the state's
highest court today. An attorney for the state argued that Maryland's 1973 ban on
same-sex marriage did not constitute gender discrimination and read full article+
+ ELECTION RESULTS AMF will be providing the Electon Results as we get them in. A complete list of the results may be found at the elections boards website.
VALUE VOTER
REGISTRATION SUNDAY-This Sunday, October 1
and October 8 are designated as Maryland Value Voter Sundays. Over 280 churches
have agreed to provide opportunities for their members to register to vote for
the November General Election on November 7. If your church has not
joined yet, it’s not too late. Call us at 410.836.2413 and we will help you with the
project.
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+ AMF LAUNCHES STATEWIDE VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE- Working with Focus
on the Family, the Association of Maryland Families will be conducting Voter
Registration, Voter Education and Voter Turnout drives in churches throughout Maryland. As of June 8, 2006, we are beginning the
process of setting up the following organizational structure. To help, call the office@ 410.760.9166.
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+ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT OUR FUTURE GROWTH - The
following email from Lee Merrell, former Director of Christian Coalition of
Maryland, will
be of exciting interest to all E-news For The Family members.
We
are delighted about Lee’s announcement and hope you will want to join us in this
exciting growth opportunity for pro-family/pro-life supporters in Maryland. This
is something I have been praying over for several years. The wider our network
the more influential we can be in State and local government actions. We will
have more ability to turn the tide of family and cultural destruction in
Maryland
Please
read the announcement by Lee below click here for full article +
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+ 2006 GENERAL ASSEMBLY ENDS SESSION OF PUNISHMENT POLITICS Down to the last minute bills were
passed, defeated or ignored all too frequently with the intent of
inflicting "punishment” on the
Governor and conservatives. Generally this means Republicans,
but some Democrats felt the pain as good bills and needed bills went down in
flame because of the “get even” mentality. The promise of a contentious session
began ... click here for full article +
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+ LEGISLATIVE UPDATE- In today’s session (March 28) the
Maryland Senate voted to not allow a petition to bring SB 690- Valid
Marriage bill to the Senate Floor. The Senate Judicial Proceedings
Committee chairman, Sen. Brian Frosh, Dist 16 refused to allow the committee to
vote on the bill. Several Republican Senators used a little know rule to
try to bring the bill to the Senate floor without a committee vote on the
bill. This procedure was refused by a vote of 26-21.
So that
means the right of Maryland Voters to put the
definition of Marriage into our Constitution has been denied. If the Appeals Court agrees with Judge Murdock, same-sex marriages could be legal in Maryland this summer.
On the
good side, SB 297-
Dispensing of Emergency Contraceptive pill by Pharmacists was defeated 22-24
after several very well articulated amendments by pro-life Senators were
defeated. Evidently the arguments were persuasive, because the final vote
defeated the bill.
In the
House, SB 144-
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Act was passed on to Third Reader after several
attempts to amend it to be a more baby friendly bill failed.
The final
vote could come as soon as tonight, if they meet, or probably tomorrow.
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+ RESOLUTION TO IMPEACH JUDGE DEFEATED IN COMMITTEE Del. Don Dwyer has long promised to impeach any judge that would overturn the state's marriage law. Such a ruling, by definition, would be "judicial activism, abuse of power, and a violation of the public trust," according to Dwyer. However, near midnight last night, the Judiciary Committee voted to cease impeachment procedures... more
IS MARRIAGE WORTH OUR TIME?
LAST Monday
over 400
homosexuals rallied outside then went from office to office to
convince our Senators and Delegates that two men or two women should be able to
get ”married.” The Court of Appeals (Maryland’s Supreme Court) could rule in their
favor any day now.
IF those of us
that believe that marriage is God’s design for one man and one woman don’t tell
those same legislators to allow us to vote to
put God’s definition into our Constitution we will soon have gay “marriage” in
Maryland.
On Thursday, March 1 the
first of two Marriage Amendment
bills, SB
564, will be heard in the Senate Judicial
Proceedings Committee in the Miller Senate Office Building at 1:00 PM.
The second bill, HB
919,
will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on March 15 at 1:00 PM.
More information on this bill will be following. Just save the
date.
JOIN US ON SUNDAY
FOR PRAYER
This Sunday, January 7 from 3-4 PM,
at the State House in Annapolis. Please invite your friends,
congregations and family members. For directions or information call
410-760-9166
BIBLE STUDY
OPPORTUNITY
As a part of the Querencia Prayer
House Ministry the Bible study for Legislators and their assistants, as well as
the community will be held at Eastport United Methodist Church, 926 Bay Ridge Avenue, Annapolis. The study will begin Thursday,
January 25 at 7:00 p.m until 9:00 p.m. It will be a Beth Moore study entitled
"Living Beyond
Yourself". It is a study of the fruit of the Spirit.
There is a workbook and a video that is part of the study. The cost will be
$22.00 which includes the materials plus the rental of the video. It is a 10
week study and will end on March 29. Please invite whomever you want. To
register or for any questions call Barb Stiegler 443-695-4006 or
email innlady@comcast.net
CONTINUING
PRAYERS NEEDED
Rev. D. James Kennedy remains
hospitalized at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after suffering a severe heart
attack. Associates say the 75-year-old founder of Coral Ridge Ministries
collapsed at his home last Thursday, was rushed to the hospital and had to be
placed on a ventilator. Coral Ridge spokesman John Aman credits prayer with
helping Kennedy make significant progress since then. The evangelical leader was
taken off the ventilator and has been able to sit up and speak with his family,
but remains in intensive care. Aman requests continuing prayer for Kennedy's
full recovery. [AP]
FRIGHTENING
SURVEY
By AFA Journal // January 2,
2007
(AgapePress) -
According to a recent study from The Barna Group, major Christian leaders are
widely unknown -- even among fellow Christians.
The findings are from
a national survey conducted in October 2006 in which 1,003 random adults were
interviewed about their feelings toward 16 public figures, including
politicians, entertainers and ministers. Of the figures assessed, actor Denzel
Washington received the most positive feelings while pop singer Britney Spears
was tagged as the least favorable image.
The study also reports
that 72 percent of adults and 63 percent of born-again Christians have never
heard of Rick Warren, megachurch pastor and author of the bestselling book
The Purpose Driven
Life.
Approximately 57
percent adults had never heard of Dr. James Dobson, Christian founder and
chairman of Focus on the Family, and nearly half of all born-again Christians
did not know who he was.
There were similar
findings for T.D. Jakes, African-American clergyman; Tim LaHaye, author of the
Left Behind book series; and Joel
Osteen, featured television speaker and pastor of one of the largest churches in
the nation.
Despite being widely
unknown, all five Christian leaders received a favorable impression from those
who actually knew of them. However, George Barna, director of the study, said
the low visibility of Christian leaders coincides with other studies that
indicate Christianity is losing its hold on American
culture.
"The survey statistics
suggest that perhaps Christian individuals are more attuned to matters of
culture and entertainment than to matters of faith," Barna
said.
"People pay attention
to what they deem important," the researcher continued. "These figures may be
another indicator that millions of Christians invest more of their mental energy
in cultural literacy than in biblical literacy."
He also suggests that
one reason individual faith struggles to remain prominent in a person's life is
because even Christian leaders who have high public profiles have a "limited
resonance" with the population.
Mass.
Legislature Votes to Let People Decide Marriage!
People's Will
Triumphed in Bay State Marriage-Amendment Vote
A last-minute
move by the Massachusetts Legislature that may allow
voters to decide the definition of marriage is proof that your voice
matters.
Family advocates determined to
defend traditional marriage ultimately proved too strong for Massachusetts
legislators to cross, pro-family analysts said today -- one day after Bay State
lawmakers surprised just about everybody by voting to advance a
marriage-protection toward the ballot.
The vote -- which
brings the state one step closer to defining marriage as the union of one man
and one woman in its constitution -- came after three years of division,
obstruction and strife. The Legislature must now approve the amendment -- again
with at least 50 votes -- in the 2007 legislative session before it will go to
the 2008 ballot.
Mona Passignano, state
issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the victory in the
Legislature was in large part due to those who tirelessly sought to defend the
family.
"After a 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
Court decision made the state the first to allow
same-sex couples to marry," she said, "citizens immediately began the process of
reversing what has been called one of the worst cases of judicial tyranny and
legislating from the bench in United States history." read more +
RELIGION ON
TV
The Parents
Television Council has released "Faith in a Box 2005-2006," how broadcast
television deals with religious subjects. The organization found that prime-time
television portrayals of religion were significantly less frequent last year
than during the 2003-2004 season (1,425 vs. 2,344, respectively). But the
percentage of negative portrayals of religious themes rose slightly (35% vs.
34%). Surprisingly, reality TV was the genre most friendly to religion: 57.8% of
all positive religious references appeared on reality TV shows. In contrast,
95.5% of negative references to religion happened in scripted drama and comedy
shows. Fox was deemed most hostile to religious issues, as almost half of all
references to spiritual subjects on that network's shows were negative (49.3%).
Following Fox in percentages of negative religious scenes were NBC (39.3%), UPN
(35.4%), ABC (30.4%), CBS (29%) and WB (21%). Parents Television Council
president Brent Bozell said of the survey's findings, "The results of this study
clearly show that the entertainment industry is not reflecting the strong
religious beliefs of Americans in its television programming. The industry is in
fact hostile to people of faith—no matter if the person is Christian, Jewish or
Muslim."
Source:
parentstv.com, 12-13-06
