In case you missed it, last Thursday was National Polygamy Day, and the 10th annual celebration, too! This event is organized by a group, which has the slogan, “Polygamy the Next Civil Rights Battle.” They celebrate the gains made each year, mostly by homosexual demands groups, in the unraveling of marriage in the United States in hope of legalizing polygamy in the US.
On the fourth anniversary of the Lawrence v. Texas ruling, which legalized sodomy, Polygamy Day, Inc. filed for a federal trademark for their celebration day, which began not in Utah or Arizona, but in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

This year’s event included the group’s gathering to celebrate a Massachusetts Judge’s ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act, the overturning of the California Proposition 8 referendum, and the dismissal of charges against polygamist leader and likely statutory rapist Warren Jeffs.

Ideas still have consequences, even if many do not want to acknowledge those consequences. As my friend, radio talk show host Peter Heck, recently told me, “The battle over same-sex marriage is not really about the redefining of marriage. It is actually the un-defining of marriage. If the homosexual activists win, marriage will become meaningless because it swings the door wide open to anything and everything.” That’s exactly why American polygamists are eagerly waiting in the wings today. The scary question is who else is waiting in the shadows also cheering on the homosexual demands groups’ systematic dismantling of marriage?

A Question of Presidential Faith

Before President Obama weighed in on the wrong side of the victory mosque on the site of the 9/11 massacre, Americans were polled about the faith of the President. This poll from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has generated a lot of discussion and alleged angst inside the White House because an increasing number of Americans (1-in-5) believe that our President is a Muslim.

I actually think that this number is even higher than 24% in reality, but many people do not want to say so out of fear of being criticized. In fact, the poll found that this is not simply a measure of Obama’s critics. A significant number of the Presidents supporters even think that he is a Muslim.

What we do know as fact is that Barrack Obama was a Muslim according to Islamic tradition because his father and stepfather were Muslims. This is why the President spent part of his childhood raised in Islamic schools and why he seems to still have deep knowledge of Islamic teachings. His paternal father later became an Atheist and his stepfather apparently followed what the President described in his book as “a unique brand of Islam.” The President has described his mother as “a Christian-turned-secular.”

It is understandable why the White House or the President’s political consultants are concerned about these poll numbers in a post-9/11 world. While there are some elitists who immediately blamed Americans for their ignorance, there are no doubt others behind closed doors who have told the President that a lot of these poll numbers are his own making which he should work to undo through a series of religious steps. (The President has attended church only once since entering the Oval Office. That may now change and news stories will probably accompany the President’s acts of Christian faith.)

What I find far more interesting is not that we have a President whom some Americans see as a Muslim, but one whose profession of Christianity is losing credibility as quickly as his economic policies. Last year, roughly half of all Americans (48%) identified the President as a Christian. This year only34% say this. This sharp decline is accompanied by an increase in the number of Americans (43%) who now say that they have no idea what the President’s faith is. Again, this decline is seen among both his critics and his likely supporters.

Here again, however, these polling numbers are largely the fault of the President. Within days of his inauguration, he had implemented sweeping expansions of public funding for abortion and cancelled annual White House ceremonies for the National Day of Prayer. He also quickly showed hostility toward Israel that he seems unable to keep behind closed doors. That’s just the start of a very long list of questionable faith-connected missteps.

I guess such widespread confusion may have been a foregone conclusion after the nation elected a candidate who had told audiences in Ohio that the Sermon on the Mount justified his support for homosexual marriage. Nevertheless, it is a sad reflection upon our President surrounding an issue of such major importance to millions of Americans.

There is a very interesting article on this subject from an author who has written books on the faith of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton. He discusses this matter in a very fair and insightful manner at this link: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1134060

Big News on Hold . . . Watch This Congressional District

AFA of Indiana has some big and encouraging pro-family news occurring in September.  I can’t wait until I can finally announce it to you with all the details through this weekly e-mail and an official news release.

Until then, I mentioned that I might recap a few political races that I am often asked about when traveling around the state. One race that is getting very little attention is in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, which essentially encompasses most of Marion County and the City of Indianapolis. The district leans significantly toward the Democrat party. It contains all of Center Township, but the outer lines of the district do not include many of the Republican parts of Indianapolis, most notably the far north side near Hamilton County, which is drawn into Congressman Dan Burton’s district.

Democrat Andre Carson represents the 7th Congressional District. Rep. Carson was elected in a special election on March 11, 2008 with 53% of the vote, after his grandmother, Congresswoman Julia Carson, passed away. Prior to this, Rep. Carson had served on the Indianapolis City-County Council since 2007. He also won that office in a special election held by party caucus members after a council vacancy. Rep. Carson served as an investigator for the excise police for nine years. Interestingly, Rep. Carson attended Catholic schools for a time as a child and was raised as a Baptist. However, as a teenager, Andre converted to Islam. This is notable because he is one of only two Muslims currently serving in the US Congress. The other is Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota’s 5th district first elected in 2006. (This is not a smear. It is simply a unique fact about the Hoosier Congressman.)

Butler University Sociology Professor, Marvin Scott, is challenging Andre Carson for Congress, hoping to finally win this seat which Marvin narrowly lost to Andy Jacobs in 1994.

Conventional wisdom says that this district often hinges upon the African-American voter turnout, which represents 30% of the district’s population. In 2008 the district went for President Obama with71% of the vote. Even though both congressional candidates are black, this Obama number is largely why the state and county GOP have seemingly written off this district following a primary in which Dr. Scott defeated the party’s slated candidate.

However, the Scott campaign is making the argument that this is in no way a 60 or 70 percent Democrat district, particularly in this off year. They see this as only a 53% or 54% Democrat voting district based upon similar congressional elections involving even the formidable political machine of Julia Carson. They claim that this year is different.  They are sensing that they can win with their well-known candidate.

There may be some reason for optimism in the Scott campaign IF they can get a large number of volunteers and enough funding to run an effective get out the vote effort and final media push to Election Day.  Rep. Carson has irritated TEA Party groups with his accusation of racist remarks from these groups shouted at him during the health care vote. (Those charges have been disproven by several independent reviews of videotapes of the rallies at the US capitol that Rep. Carson walked through in March.) Will those groups now work to defeat one of their most vocal critics whom they believe smeared them with charges of racism? Can Dr. Scott raise money to compete with a freshman Congressman who may be more vulnerable in this unique year than in others to come? Will national issues and high unemployment produce a desire to change leadership in this urban district as may be happening in other areas? On the other hand, does Andre Carson have his grandmother’s coat strings and her remarkable ability to turn out the vote that we saw even when her numbers did not look good at the start of an election night?

No one seems to know the answers to these questions. There are also local races that play into voter turnout, too, for this countywide congressional district. These local races don’t come into play as much in other Congressional districts that may cover eight, ten or twelve counties. These races could cut both for and against Carson and Scott depending upon the strength or weakness of the candidates.   However, if on election night we start to see solid margins rolling in for Jackie Walorskiand Todd Young of more than 5% in those two Democrat leaning districts early in the night, Marvin Scott’s numbers could be part of a wave that results in a very bad night for Democrats all across the nation. The Scott people hope that such a wave is in the works for them and that they can create a victory that few people expect at this time. Unlike Representatives Donnelly and Hill, the Carson campaign does not seem too worried about a national wave at this time . . . but should they be?