How can you get your community more involved in defending the sanctity of human life? Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on January 23, 2011 is your perfect opportunity.

Since 1983, Americans have observed Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS) as a day to celebrate the intrinsic value of all human life. This important day also provides an opportunity for pregnancy centers to share about the work they do to bring life-affirming resources to their communities and to empower women and men to choose life for their unborn children.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is held on the Sunday in January that falls closest to the day on which the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions were handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 1973. The next SOHLS will take place on January 23, 2011. How can you be involved?

A Recommended Resource: Care-Net.ORG

If you haven’t already voted by mail or at one of the early voting sites, it’s not too late. In Broward County, you can get information about early voting, voting locations and times, etc. from the Broward Supervisor of Elections. Of course, you can always vote the old school way, in person, on election day, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. If you haven’t voted yet, and are still struggling with some of the issues, here are my recommendations.

Regards,
Tom Truex

P.S. This is my personal opinion, provided at no cost to me or anyone else, and is not endorsed or promoted by any group, campaign or candidate.

BALLOT RECOMMENDATIONS November 2, 2010 by Tom Truex

Governor:
RICK SCOTT

United States Senate:
MARCO RUBIO

US House of Representatives:
District 20 – KAREN HARRINGTON
District 22 – ALLEN WEST

Attorney General:
PAM BONDI

Chief Financial Officer:
JEFF ATWATER

Commissioner of Agriculture:
ADAM PUTNAM

State House of Representatives:
District 100 – no recommendation
District 101 – Matt Hudsen

Retain Supreme Court Justices?
CHARLES CANADY — no recommendation
JORGE LABARGA — no recommendation
JAMES PERRY – VOTE NO, DO NOT RETAIN
RICKY POLSTON — no recommendation

Retain Judges, Fourth District Court of Appeal:
CORY CIKLIN — no recommendation
DORIAN DAMOORGIAN – VOTE YES, to retain
JONATHAN GERBER — no recommendation
ROBERT GROSS — no recommendation
SPENCER LEVIN — no recommendation
MELANIE MAY — no recommendation

Broward County Court, Group 1:
JOHN FRY

Broward County Court, Group 26:
F.J. McLAWRENCE

Broward County School Board, District 6:
MARDI COHEN or PHYLISS HOPE ** no recommendation

Broward Soil & Water Conservation District, Seat 2:
CYNTHIA THOMAS

State of Florida Constitutional Amendments:
#1 – Repeal of Public Campaign Financing – Recommend VOTE NO, so that tax dollars will not be used to finance political campaigns
#2 – Homestead Ad Valorem Tax Credit for Deployed Military Personnel — no recommendation
#4 – Referenda Required for Adoption and Amendment of Local Government Comprehensive Land Use Plans – Recommend VOTE NO
#5 – Standards to follow in Legislative Redistricting – Recommend VOTE NO. This is a politically motivated attempt to change historic voting districts.
#6 – Standards to follow in Congressional Redistricting – Recommend VOTE NO. This is a politically motivated attempt to change historic voting districts.
#8 – Revision of the Class Size Requirements for Public Schools– no recommendation

Non Binding Statewide Advisory Referendum:
Balancing the Federal Budget – Recommend VOTE YES

Broward County Charter Amendments:
#1 – Charter Review Commission and Management and Efficiency Study Committee shall meet every ten years – Recommend VOTE YES
#2 – County Code of Ethics Prevails Over Municipal Ordinance Regulating Conduct of Public Officials and Employees – Recommend VOTE NO. The County “Ethics” code is more about “political correctness” than ethics. Some of County Commissioners who approved it have extremely questionable knowledge and/or practice of ethical conduct. The current County “ethics” code should not be given this endorsement.
#3 – Broward County Constitutional Officers Subject to the Broward County Code of Ethics – Recommend VOTE NO. (same reason as previous recommendation).
#4 – Establish Charter Office of Inspector General to Investigate County and Municipal Misconduct and Gross Mismanagement. – Recommend VOTE NO.
#5 – Allow Counties to Show Taxpayers the Portion of Taxes Attributable to Constitutional Officers – Recommend VOTE YES

I know very little about Delaware’s Republican senatorial candidate, Christine O’Donnell. But a recent article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com [1. I’m including a link to the Sun-Sentinel article, which I assume will go dark at some point in the future] caught my attention. The article mocks Christine O’Donnell for not knowing that the First Amendment contains a requirement for the “separation of church and state.” Never mind, of course, that Ms. O’Donnell is correct.

O’Donnell became a favorite target for Democrats who see her as too shallow, too conservative and too inexperienced to be a senator. Video clips of her past statements have become the butt of cable and late night television talk shows and she was forced to begin one campaign ad with a denial that she was a witch.

The latest debate was before an audience at Widener University Law School in Wilmington, Del. In an exchange over whether creationism should be taught the same way that the theory of evolution is presented, Coons said that “religious doctrine doesn’t belong in our public schools.”

“Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?” O’Donnell asked Coons as the audience laughed.

He said it was in the 1st Amendment.

“Let me clarify,” O’Donnell continued. “You’re telling me that separation of church and state is in 1st Amendment?”

“Government shall make no establishment of religion,” came the reply.[2. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com, by By Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times, 1:28 PM EDT, October 19, 2010]

But it turns out that the so called doctrine of separation of church and state is NOT in the Constitution. In fact the First Amendment to the US Constitution says this about religion:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

History attributes the origin of the concept of “separation of church and state” to the famous letter of Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association. The Danbury Baptist Association was concerned about rumors that government would establish a state religion. Thomas Jefferson assured them this was not the case. Government ought not establish any religion. Unfortunately, many misinformed people think that our Federal Constitution provides a right to freedom FROM religion, rather than freedom OF religion. It is an interesting perversion of pop media[3. This false premise is also widely promoted by many politicians and members of the public education establishment], which holds that a doctrine intended to protect my right to worship how I see fit, is transformed into a theory that I can only worship God if my worship doesn’t offend society’s most easily offended members.

Please, whatever you do, don’t surrender your religious freedoms without a fight!

FOOTNOTES