Supporters of traditional marriage have always been quick to point out that same-sex marriage has never survived a popular vote at the state level. Even in the very blue state of California, Proposition 8 passed with a simple majority. That track record of success for traditional marriage may be about to change. NBC News reports:
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Justin Bieber’s Pro-life Story
Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, has just published a book about her lifestory. In it she reveals some painful details about her past. As a young girl, she endured sexual abuse and subsequently turned to substance abuse. She underwent some sort of religious conversion but nevertheless became pregnant out of wedlock at age 17. In a recent interview with Kathy Lee Gifford (see above), Mallette shares that she was encouraged to abort her unborn child, but she refused. Watch the excerpt above. The rest of the interview is here.
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The 9/11 Surfer
Do you remember the 9/11 story of the man who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center by “surfing” down from the upper floors on top of the rubble? I first heard that tale reported in the immediate aftermath of the attack. I remember thinking then that the story was far-fetched. Since then, the story has been written-off as an urban legend—an extraordinary fabrication stemming from extraordinary events.
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Close Up Video of a Live Volcano
Tim Challies posted a video today that is simply astonishing (see above). Filmmaker Geoff Mackley produced the film that shows a close-up view of a live volcano. Here’s his explanation of how he got the footage. AFTER A HAIR RAISING 400 METRE DESCENT MYSELF AND BRADLEY AMBROSE BECOME THE FIRST PEOPLE EVER TO GET THIS CLOSE, climbing down to within 30 metres of the lava it was so hot (1150 degrees) that without protection we could stand the heat for 6 seconds before retreating, with heat suit and BA I was able to stand it for 40 minutes.
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I love this story
Here’s a story worth telling: “When Illinois third-grader Wyatt Erber learned he had won an extensive, summer-long scavenger hunt that came with a cool cash prize, he asked, ‘How much chemotherapy will this buy Cara?’ The toddler, who lives on his street, was diagnosed with cancer in May.” Read the rest here.
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Atheism, the NY Times, and My Hometown
I have to say that I was agog when I saw that the nation’s paper of record—The New York Times, the old gray lady herself!—contained a feature-length story about my hometown of DeRidder, Louisiana. I would never have imagined such a thing to be possible, but there it was. My hometown is a dot on the map. It’s a place that means the world to me. But like many other small towns across the South, it’s just not the kind of place that has much of interest for coastal elites. We have local celebrities, but very few national ones. The big events in DeRidder are high school football games and…
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Mark Regnerus Vindicated by University of Texas
The University of Texas has completed its inquiry into Mark Regnerus’ controversial study about the children of gay parents (see here, here, and here). In short, the University finds no scientific or professional misconduct in Regnerus’ research. Here’s a snippet from the University’s report: The University of Texas at Austin has determined that no formal investigation is warranted into the allegations of scientific misconduct lodged against associate professor Mark Regnerus regarding his July article in the journal Social Science Research.
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Fact-checking and Egregious Media Bias
It is a universal maxim that one is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts—unless of course you are a “fact-checker” in the mainstream media! I know, I know. It’s sort of hackneyed to complain about media bias, but the spectacle that began last night deserves some comment.
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Forcing Religious Groups Off Campus at Vanderbilt
The Foundation of Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has produced a video explaining what Vanderbilt University has done to drive religious groups off campus. You can watch it above. Here’s the description:
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What’s the deal with Lance Armstrong?
The news broke late last night that one of the most celebrated athletes of our time would be stripped of his championships. Lance Armstrong has said he would no longer defend himself from the United States Anti-doping Agency’s (USADA) claims that he used performance enhancing drugs to win his seven Tour de France titles. As a result, the USADA is vacating all of his wins.