Going into the Democratic National Convention next week, the scuttlebutt is that the President will emphasize the abortion issue and will try to paint his opponent as extreme on abortion rights. I’m wondering if this is really the conversation that President Obama wants to have. I’m no shill for Governor Romney. As I’ve said many times before, Romney’s record on this issue is not inspiring in my view. His conversion to the pro-life cause has appeared to many as a political expedient. Even now, Romney holds a less than pure pro-life position—one that is to the left of his own party’s platform. He’s hardly an extremist.
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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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Illegitimate Responses to Illegitimate Rape Remarks
I have been out of pocket this week and until now unable to comment on the controversy surrounding Rep. Todd Akin’s remarks about rape. As a result, much of what needs to be said in response to this enormous gaffe has already been said by others. Nevertheless, I would add one observation to the discussion that has been bugging me all week. I have been disappointed by Republican responses to Akin that are driven more by politics than by pro-life principles. Over and over, I have seen politicos trying to dissociate the Republican presidential nominee from Akin’s “illegitimate rape” remarks by emphasizing that Mitt Romney supports abortion rights for women…
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Do Same-Sex Partners Have Parental Rights?
Rev. Kenneth Miller is a Mennonite minister from Virginia, and he is facing prison. Why? Because he helped a woman named Lisa Miller flee the country with her biological daughter. Why was that a crime? Here’s the story from the Burlington Free Press:
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The Presidential Race Is Upon Us
Chuck Todd gives us the “countdown” on the significant moments coming up in the campaigns for U. S. President. Here they are: Countdown to GOP convention: 10 daysCountdown to Dem convention: 17 daysCountdown to 1st presidential debate: 47 daysCountdown to VP debate: 55 daysCountdown to 2nd presidential debate: 60 daysCountdown to 3rd presidential debate: 66 daysCountdown to Election Day: 81 days
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On the FRC Shooting and “Hate” Groups
I confess that I have been watching with some disgust the lack of coverage in the national media about the shooting this week at the Family Research Council. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you are a walking illustration of my point. If a deranged conservative had shot a security guard at the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, I guarantee that the news would have been as big as the Aurora shootings last month in Colorado. But this has not been the case with the FRC shooting. Case in point: The New York Times had the story on page A11.
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Should Mormonism Be a Factor in Evaluating Romney?
Christianity Today is hosting a discussion on whether or not Mitt Romney’s Mormonism should be a factor in our evaluation of his candidacy for President. Judd Birdsall says “yes,”and Owen Strachan says “not so much.” Strachan argues that a candidate’s faith is not necessarily by itself a deal-breaker. He writes:
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President Obama and the Rhetoric of the Gay Marriage Debate
One of the main rhetorical strategies of gay marriage supporters has been to frame the issue as the next phase in the struggle for civil rights in America. As a consequence, they brand traditional marriage supporters as “bigots” who support “discrimination” equivalent to that of Jim Crow. For the most part, that rhetorical strategy seems to be working. This means that if you are a Christian who believes the Bible, there are many who simply believe you to be a morally retrograde bigot.
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Paul Ryan on Marriage and Abortion
NBC News is reporting that Rep. Paul Ryan will be announced as Mitt Romney’s VP pick tomorrow. I suppose this could be a head-fake, but NBC says that it has confirmed it. For now, I’m going with NBC’s report. Most people who know Paul Ryan for his wonkish mastery of economic policy. He put forth a serious and controversial plan to balance the federal budget and rein-in entitlement spending. It eventually passed in the house but died in the Senate. Although the plan was controversial, many conservatives loved it and admired him for his boldness. He looks like a boy, but he’s the man with the plan when it comes…