June - AFA Journal

june 1999
american family association
Inside this issue
Stern blasted for comments about Colorado
■ Major sponsors drop program as fallout spreads
Radio shock jock Howard Stern outraged
people in Colorado and across the nation when
he joked about the massacre at Columbine High
School in Littleton, Colorado, a Denver suburb.
In that tragedy, 12 students and one teacher were
shot to death when two classmates went on a
violent rampage with guns and explosives. The
two killers then committed suicide.
On the air the day after the killings, Stern
jested about why the killers didn’t sexually assault
a few girls before committing suicide, and said
that if it had been him, he would have done so.
Stern’s daily radio show is carried in Denver on
KXPK-FM. (To listen to a recording of Stern’s
actual comments, go to www.afa.net.)
Stern was immediately condemned in Denver.
In the Denver Rocky Mountain News, editors
said, “Either we are serious about showing respect
for the dead and their families or we aren’t. Either
we care about the quality of our culture or we
don’t. Let Howard Stern make his millions in
other broadcast markets. He does not belong in
Denver.” The editorial called for KXPK to cancel
Stern’s show.
The Denver Post, in a similar editorial, also
called on KXPK to drop Stern, as did the Colorado legislature. Both houses in that state passed
a measure which formally censured Stern and
demanded that he publicly apologize to ColumSee Stern on page 3
Disney income plummets
■ Boycott squeezes
In what many see as further evidence of the
growing effectiveness of the boycott of The Walt
Disney Co., that company’s income dropped
sharply for the second fiscal quarter. It was the
fourth consecutive quarter in which Disney’s net
income dropped.
For the quarter ending March 31, net income
at the Mouse House fell 41%, driven by lagging sales of Disney merchandise and videos.
Although part of the decline was due to the
company’s purchase of the Internet search engine
Infoseek, even without that investment Disney’s
income dropped 30%.
“As this boycott of Walt Disney continues
to grow, the company’s going to find more and
more people abandoning the good ship Disney,
because families are discovering some of the rotten cargo on board,” said AFA president Donald
E. Wildmon. “People are shopping around for
other family entertainment choices.”
Disney ditches Dogma
Beyond the financial impact, part of the
boycott’s impact may be on the psyche of Mouse
shot-callers. In a recent move, Disney subsidiary
Miramax divested itself of Dogma, an upcoming
movie that was sure to offend Christians and
stoke the boycott fires.
The film is a blasphemous look at orthodox
Christian beliefs (hence the title). Some of the
offensive elements in Dogma: God is portrayed
as a woman who comes to earth as an old man
to play the carnival game skeeball; the heroine is
a descendant of Mary and Joseph and works in
an abortion clinic; a foul-mouthed 13th apostle
comes to earth complaining that he was martyred
for telling the truth about the sex lives of the
other apostles; beer-swilling angels; an updated
Christ who, according to the New York Post, “no
longer hangs from the cross but instead offers a
thumbs-up salute.”
The content of Dogma, combined with the
boycott, apparently made Disney execs nervous.
See disney on page 3
AFA Departments
❚ AFA Boycotts
❚ Christians &
Society Today
❚ Columns
Don Wildmon
Tim Wildmon
❚ AFA Foundation
❚ American Family
Radio
Courts
❚ Brick walls
in black robes
Culture
❚ Reflections
on Columbine
22
12
2
23
19
11
20
18
Homosexual
Rights Agenda
❚ McDonald’s caves in
❚ Homosexuality and
child molestation
News of Interest
❚ Shock rocker cancels
U. S. concerts
❚ Teen drinking swells
3
4
7
9
Television
❚ TV reviews
14
❚ Cable channel profile 16
❚ Violence in your town 24
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for all generations
By donald e. wildmon • AFA President
God and money
Littleton…it’s been
coming for 40 years
The Word
on wealth
years.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what has happened. The media and the
“experts” have spent 40 years trying to build this new society.
Hollywood, where pagans are in control, has served up a steady appetite of sexual
immorality, violence, profanity. Crying “censorship” against anyone who tried to raise a
reasonable voice, they have pushed their hedonistic values upon America’s youth. They
didn’t have any religion, and they didn’t want religion to have any influence. So they
simply refused to show religion as a part of life, or when it was shown it was an extreme
negative.
The liberal news media have been bed-fellows with their Hollywood cohorts. Religion,
at best, gets an article or two on Saturday. It was the unforgivable sin for a conservative
Christian to apply his faith to his politics. But when liberal Christians did it, it was OK.
Editorials and news articles were filled with “examples” of how conservative Christians
were a negative.
Liberal politicians, knowing what is best for us, have punished marriage and stay at
home moms. Government for them has become God, and they are His spokesmen. Government knows better how to raise a family, what values and ethics to teach the children.
Get those children when they are as young as possible, and program their minds was the
goal of those who were tired of Christian values being the norm.
The anti-Christian types like the ACLU have worked hard to get God out of society.
They have no god other than themselves and are offended if anyone has a god other than
their own. It is OK to be Christian only as long as you don’t let anyone know about it.
The National Education Association has spent hundreds of millions, not in trying to
teach Johnny to read, write and do math, but in seizing control of the schools and turning them into centers to promote their secular experiment.
Even many of our Christian leaders have given up on the personal God and joined
hands with the godless. They take the gifts of hardworking, Bible-believing local church
members and use them to promote everything from homosexuality to the government’s
liberal social agenda.
Now all these people are crying that we must do something. The truth is that we have
already done something, and because of what we have done for the past 40 years we have
Littleton. “We want to change this, stop this madness,” they cry. But when confronted
about changing any of their ways, they balk.
They remind me of the drunk who wanted to change, to become sober. But he didn’t
want it to interfere with his drinking. There was a time in this country when the leaders
had the same traditional Biblical values of the people. But that has changed.
Unless we join hands and restore those values, there will be more and more Littletons.
AFA Journal • Volume 23, No. 6
AFA Journal is a publication of the American
Family Association. Published monthly except
November/December. AFA is a Christian organization promoting the Biblical ethic of decency in
American society with primary emphasis on TV
and other media.
P.O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803
Main phone: 662-844-5036
FAX: 662-842-7798
AFA Law Center: 662-680-3886
WAFR Radio: 662-844-8888
Internet homepage: http://www.afa.net
American Family Online: 662-840-6464
Founding Editor: Don Wildmon
Editor: Randall Murphree
Associate Editor: Rusty Benson
Copy Editor: Jessica Huckaby
News Editor: Ed Vitagliano
Please, no unsolicited manuscripts.
by Neal Clement
EFP Financial Consultant
To God, money is
important. Not because He needs it, but
because our use of it
is one of the clearest indications of our
real priorities.
Over 1000 Scripture passages
speak to some aspect of the use of
money – buying, selling, borrowing, giving, paying taxes, investing
and more.
At EFP we believe the Bible
teaches that God is the real owner
of everything. We are simply His
managers or stewards. (“You actually possess everything you can see
when you close your eyes,” a wise
man once said.) Therefore, our
highest priorities for the use of
our God-given wealth must be the
advancement of God’s kingdom.
“Seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness; and all these things
shall be added to you,” Matthew
6:33-34 says.
At EFP we can help you honor your commitment to advance
God’s kingdom by directing your
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your investments are minimized
in companies that support or promote abortion, pornography, gambling, alcohol and tobacco; or that
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If you want to invest in EFP’s
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Securities offered through FSC Securities Corporation,
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$25,000 minimum investment required.
AFA Journal • june, 1999
ADVERTISEMENT
Littleton, Colorado. It wasn’t the first. It will not be the last. I could say
I told you so. In fact, I could say I told you so many times over many
Fast food giant caves in to homosexual ac■ Did somebody say McDonald’s?
Perhaps the nation’s best-known family
fast-food restaurant has avoided a showdown with pro-homosexual shareholders
and amended its employment policies to
include sexual orientation.
According to The Washington Blade,
a weekly paper targeting the homosexual
community, McDonald’s Corp. was faced
with a shareholder resolution which demanded that the home of the Big Mac
ban employment discrimination based on
sexual orientation.
The company’s policy now reads: “McDonald’s strongly believes that employees
and applicants for employment should be
treated fairly and without regard to race,
color, sex, religion, national origin, age,
disability, veteran status, sexual orientation
or any other prohibited basis.”
AFA Director of Public Relations Allen
Wildmon said the usual minority categories are different from sexual orientation.
“People can easily identify someone on the
basis of race or color or sex. Age is easily
validated. But how do you define or prove
sexual orientation?” he asked.
In fact, when Wildmon contacted company spokesman Bill Whitman and asked
for a definition, he was told, “It is not
McDonald’s position to determine what
sexual orientation is.”
When Wildmon asked how McDonald’s
could protect sexual orientation if the
company could not define it, Whitman was
evasive and refused to answer.
Wildmon then asked if, for example,
McDonald’s would now allow a transvestite
to work the cash register behind a counter
at one of its restaurants. Whitman merely
called the question “hypothetical” and
would not answer.
Homosexual activists see the decision by
McDonald’s to add sexual orientation to its
employment policy as having the potential
to cause a “domino effect” that will cause
others in the food industry to follow suit.
Kim Mills, education director for the
Human Rights Campaign, said, “Whenever
you see a large company that’s a real leader
in its industry taking a step like this, the
competitors watch. [McDonald’s action]
could have a domino effect. We’ve certainly
seen that in other industries.”
Wildmon asked that people call their
local McDonald’s and express their opinion
of the company’s policy change, and then
ask for their regional McDonald’s headquarter’s “800” number to call. To speak
with national headquarters: McDonald’s
Corp., Chrm. Michael R. Quinlan, 1 Kroc
Dr., Oak Brook, IL 60521 Phone: 630623-3000.
Stern…from page 1
beverage company Snapple. All pulled off
the show because of Stern’s comments.
Other national sponsors, however, appeared to be content to ride out the storm.
Mitsubishi, Priceline.com, Dial-A-Mattress, and Bumble Bee Tuna made no public
move to disassociate their products from
Howard Stern.
Meanwhile, the attention of some critics was focused on the company that bears
the most responsibility for Howard Stern
– the CBS Corporation. In a column for
the Boston Globe, for example, John Ellis
laid the blame at the company’s feet, calling
Stern “a de facto employee of CBS.”
That assessment is true for both television and radio versions of Stern’s show.
Eyemark Entertainment, the syndication
arm of CBS, brought Stern to Saturday
late-night television. And the shock jock’s
daily five-hour radio broadcast is produced
by Infinity Broadcasting, of which CBS
owns 82%; and Stern is syndicated by CBS
Radio.
Ellis complained that no one from CBS
seemed to have a public statement about
Stern’s comments – not CBS President and
CEO Mel Karmazin, not CBS Entertainment Group President Leslie Moonves,
not a single member of the CBS board
of directors. The answer for that silence,
in Ellis’ mind, was that Stern is “a money
machine for the network.”
bine High School.
Elsewhere KTWB-TV in Seattle, an affiliate of the WB network, pulled Stern’s TV
show off the air because of his comments.
Wade Brewer, vice president and general
manager of KTWB, said, “Personally, I was
shocked and offended by his remarks. Our
sensitivities lie with our viewers and the
families and friends of the victims.”
CBS mum about errant stepson
As the outrage against Stern spread,
some advertisers began to flee Stern’s sinking ship. Even some of the most stubborn
sponsors of Stern’s radio program seemed
to have reached their limit.
Geico Direct Insurance was the first major advertiser to abandon Stern, followed
by online bookseller Amazon.com and then
AFA Journal • june, 1999
Disney…from page 1
One industry source told Mr. Showbiz that
Disney CEO Michael Eisner was “not comfortable with this film. He’s responsible to
the stockholders, and this will be a thorn
in Disney’s side. He’d rather not see it go
out” to theaters.
To head off trouble, Miramax co-presidents Harvey and Bob Weinstein announced in April that they had personally
paid Miramax nearly $12 million for the
rights to Dogma. They plan to form their
own company and release the film through
another distributor.
The movie not only attracted the attention of AFA, but the Catholic League for
Religious and Civil Rights, which originally
called for a Disney boycott over the 1995
Miramax movie Priest. Catholic League
president William Donahue said his organization would “not hold back” in dealing
with whoever distributes Dogma.
Action numbers
• Mitsubishi 714-372-6000
• Priceline.com 203-595-0101
• Dial-A-Mattress 800-628-8737
• Bumble Bee Tuna 619-715-4000
Homosexual rights agenda
Homosexuality and child molestation:
the link, the likelihood, the lasting ef■ Some homosexuals want the next generation…in mind and body
BY Ed Vitagliano
Fifth in a series of articles examining issues related to the homosexual rights movement.
If there is one area of the debate
over homosexuality that seems to make profamily groups squeamish and homosexuals
indignant, it is the issue of molestation.
Do homosexuals pose a direct danger to
children?
It is probably safe to say that, for most of
this century most Americans intuitively saw
homosexuals as a threat to their children.
After all, homosexuality was by definition a
sexual perversion, and where there was one
perversion (homosexuality) there would
likely be another (molestation).
But by the mid-1990s homosexual activists had succeeded in hijacking the public
debate on sexual orientation issues, and a
new creed had replaced the old: homosexuals posed no danger to children.
Is this true? Are children safe in the presence of homosexuals, or are they in danger
of sexual abuse that may, in fact, lead them
into the homosexual lifestyle?
Homosexuality and pedophila
It should be said from the outset that a
homosexual orientation does not automatically lead to pedophilia, and most homosexuals do not abuse children. Moreover,
most homosexual activist groups publicly
denounce pedophilia.
But that is not the end of the story. Psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover says in his book
Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth
that there is a “substantial, influential, and
growing segment of the homosexual community that neither hides nor condemns
pedophilia.”
One reason for this may be that the hoEd Vitagliano is the news editor of AFA Journal.
mosexual movement is based on the rather
simple ethic of individual sexual freedom.
In the activist magazine Gayme, writer
Bill Andriette said, “The only standard for
moral sex…is that it be freely and equally
consented to by the persons involved.”
From that sexual ethic to one which
includes intergenerational sex is but a short
leap. Andriette said, “There is no question
that blacks, whites, women, men, children,
and adolescents can consent to sex …. If we
want really to respect the authenticity of
individuals we have to let people take risks,
explore different values, and recognize that
we will be challenged and threatened by
what they discover.” (Emphasis added.)
This homosexual perspective was in
full view nearly three decades ago, with the
release of the 1972 Gay Rights Platform.
Activists in Chicago, representing the fledgling homosexual movement, demanded
the “[r]epeal of all state laws prohibiting
private sexual acts involving consenting
persons,” and the “[r]epeal of all laws governing the age of sexual consent.”
Such homosexuals see society’s disapproval of adult-child sex as the transgression, rather than the adult-child sex itself.
In The Age Taboo: Gay Male Sexuality,
Power and Consent, lesbian author Pat
Califia said, “Boy lovers and the lesbians
who have young lovers…are not child
molesters. The child abusers are priests,
teachers, therapists, cops and parents who
force their staid morality onto the young
people in their custody.”
Moreover, for many homosexuals, this
same-sex attraction to minors may stem
from their own sexual experiences. Research shows that very often homosexuals
had their own initial same-sex encounter
with an adult while children. (See AFA
Journal, May 1999.)
Writing in The Advocate, a magazine
for homosexuals, Carl Maves agreed. “How
many gay men, I wonder, would have
missed out on a valuable, liberating experience – one that initiated them into
their sexuality – if it weren’t for so-called
molestation?” he said.
Perhaps the most notorious group
advocating adult-child sex is the North
American Man/Boy Love Association
(NAMBLA). An unashamedly pedophile
organization, NAMBLA wants society to
appreciate, rather than deplore, intergenerational sex, and to abolish laws banning
sex between adults and minors.
While most homosexual activist groups
publicly denounce NAMBLA and its agenda, the pedophile group is still allowed to
march in “gay” pride parades in New York,
San Francisco and Boston under its own
NAMBLA banner.
Furthermore, some suggest that public
disavowal of NAMBLA by homosexual
groups is a smokescreen. David Thorstad,
a founding member of NAMBLA and former president of New York’s Gay Activists
Alliance, says homosexual activists have
supressed pedophilia in order “to sanitize
the image of homosexuality to facilitate its
entrance into the social mainstream.”
Do homosexuals molest children?
Such talk of molestation enrages homosexual activists, eliciting charges that profamily groups paint the entire homosexual
community with too broad a brush. They
argue that such pro-pedophile views are
simply the perspective of fringe groups.
Homosexuals additionally charge that
most molestation cases involve heterosexuals. One frequently-cited study, Jenny,
Roesler and Poyer, 1994, published in Pediatrics, supposedly demonstrated that 98%
of men who abused children self-identified
as heterosexual.
But in a review of the Jenny study, Dr.
AFA Journal • june, 1999
Paul Cameron of Family Research Institute said the researchers merely examined
hospital charts: “[N]either the victims,
perpetrators, nor even those who prepared
the charts were interviewed” to discover
their sexual orientation.
In fact, said Cameron, in the only study
(Erickson, Walbek, and Seely, 1988) in
which perpetrators were asked to declare
their sexual orientation, almost the opposite was found to be true: 86%
of child molesters identified
themselves as homosexual or
bisexual.
If heterosexuals make up
the preponderance of child
molesters in raw numbers, it is
not surprising. Heterosexuals,
after all, make up more than
97% of the population.
A more accurate assessment, however, would compare ratios of population size
to incidences of involvement
in pedophilia. In this regard,
according to the National Association on Research and
Therapy of Homosexuality
(NARTH), in proportion to
their numbers, homosexual
men are more likely to engage
in sex with a minor.
Citing a study (Freund and
Watson, 1992) which was reported in the Journal of Sex
and Marital Therapy, NARTH
found that homosexual males
were “three times more likely
than straight men to engage in
adult-child sexual relations.”
Cameron’s own research shows even
higher rates of homosexual molestation.
In the Nebraska Medical Journal Cameron
said that when data from both genders are
combined, homosexuals are at least 8-12
times more likely to molest children than
are heterosexuals.
In the face of such overwhelming evidence, homosexual activists resort to a
circular argument: since true homosexuals
only desire sex with another adult, then pedophiles cannot be homosexual. In effect,
activists have simply defined homosexual
molestation of children out of existence.
But the words of homosexuals themselves betray them. Writing in the homosexual magazine Out, columnist Dan
Savage mentioned that he lives near a park
AFA Journal • june, 1999
where some local high school soccer teams
practice. “Some of the boys are really something else, and during practice they play
shirts and skins. Any gay man who tells you
he can walk by a boy’s soccer team without
looking is a liar…,” Savage said.
Homosexual access to children
Such evidence has chilling public policy
implications. The momentous changes in
Americans’ attitudes towards sexual orientation are giving homosexuals unprecedented access to the nation’s children.
Parents, for example, were mortified
when New York City’s WNBC-TV uncovered the existence of pedophiles within
the public school system. According to
an article by John Leo in U.S. News &
World Report, the City Board of Education
had known about at least one pedophile
– teacher Peter Melzer – since 1984, but
did nothing about it.
Melzer, as it turned out, is on the NAMBLA steering committee and the editorial
board of the organization’s periodical, the
NAMBLA Bulletin. In the past, the Bulletin
has recommended the best tactics to its
pedophile readers for seducing children
into sexual encounters.
Leo said, “Child molesters don’t just
hang around playgrounds. They apply for
jobs at schools, camps, the Boy Scouts, Big
Brothers, YMCAs. ‘Boy lovers’ love to work
where the boys are.”
When pedophiles strike, the results are
often disastrous. A recent review (Holmes
and Slap, 1998) of the research on the molestation of boys, published in the prestigious Journal of the American
Medical Association showed that
adolescent boys who were abused
by men were up to seven times
more likely to identify themselves
as homosexual or bisexual.
Furthermore, research also
shows a strong link between the
sexual abuse of a child and that
child’s later pedophilia as an
adult. At the Connecticut Correctional Institution, for example,
clinical psychologist A. Nicholas
Groth, director of the sex offender
program, said 85% of the pedophiles were themselves sexually
assaulted as youths.
This casts certain parts of the
homosexual agenda in a more
sinister light – such as the drive
to lower the legal age of sexual
consent and to expunge sodomy
laws from the books. It might
also cause parents to wonder why
homosexual activists are tireless
in their efforts to use the courts as
a crowbar to pry open the doors
of the Boy Scouts to homosexual
troop leaders.
Again, it would be unfair to imply that
all – or even most – homosexuals are a
threat to children. Nevertheless, there
are some elements of the homosexual
movement which openly endorse pedophilia. And opening the social “doors” to
all homosexual groups will allow pedophile
groups in as well.
Future shame
What will research show in ten years?
Twenty years? Will we discover that we have
handed over an entire generation, only to
discover that homosexuality in this nation
has doubled or tripled?
If it is true, as evidence suggests, that
children can be recruited into the homosexual lifestyle, what will history say about a
generation of adults that swallowed – hook,
Sources cited for News of Interest
indicate souce of basic information
only.
AFA/ACTIVISM
Viewer inaction left
objectionable show on the air
A concerned citizen who wrote a letter
to his local ABC affiliate to complain about
a television show got a surprising response:
the apathy of his fellow viewers was the
reason the show was on the air.
The letter criticized KUPK-TV of Garden City, Kansas, for running the ABC
show NYPD Blue. That program has been
controversial over its five seasons, often
containing graphic sexuality, language,
nudity and violence.
In defense of KUPK-TV, station manager Bryce Baker responded that his ABC
affiliate was one of seven ABC stations
(out of 235) that refused to air NYPD Blue
when it premiered, precisely because of its
adult content.
“We had hoped that our area would
support our stand in this decision,” he said.
“That was not the case. We didn’t receive
a single letter in support of our action.”
Instead, Baker added, KUPK-TV received
only letters critical of his station’s decision.
As a result, Baker said “we were forced to
put [the show] on the air.”
CULTURE
Florida looking for strippers
It’s just so hard to find good help nowadays – at least that’s what the state of
Florida seems to be saying. After having
trouble attracting strippers to its nightclubs, a Florida town has requested state
help in finding women who want to work
as “exotic dancers.”
A nightclub in the small town of Stuart,
near Miami, had so much difficulty finding women to dance that they asked state
officials for help in “importing” foreign
women to fill the bill. According to Reuters,
however, the law requires that the state first
ensure that there are no Americans available who want the job.
So the state of Florida has taken out a
help-wanted ad in the Palm Beach Post
that reads: “Exotic dancer 40 hrs per week,
7 p.m.-3 a.m. Four years experience in
the job….Perform modern and acrobatic
dances, coordinating body movements to
musical accompaniment. Choreographs
own dance movements. Send resume to
Dept. of Labor/Bureau of Workforce Program Support.”
Reuters, 4/15/99
Madonna seen as sex educator
Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times,
or a reflection of the type of people who
have fully absorbed the sexual revolution.
But in a recent survey by a sex education
organization, people chose controversial
pop star Madonna as one of the 10 most
positive and influential sexual voices of the
last part of this century.
The survey was hosted at the Website of
the Sexuality Information and Education
Council of the United States (SIECUS), a
group known for its belief that everyone
– including children in public schools
– should be allowed to know everything
there is to know about human sexuality.
In honor of its 35th anniversary, SIECUS
asked visitors to its Website to vote for the
top 10 people who made “a positive change
in the way America understands and affirms sexuality as a natural and healthy
part of life.” In survey results, Madonna
was joined by Ellen DeGeneres, Jocelyn
Elders, Hugh Hefner, Anita Hill, Magic
Johnson, Gloria Steinem, Judy Blume, Dr.
Ruth Westheimer, and SIECUS co-founder
Mary S. Calderone.
SIECUS executive director Debra Haffner said, “Many of the real changes in the
culture have had very little to do with professional organizations like ours. These are
people who maybe didn’t set out to change
the way Americans think about sexuality
but have made a profound difference.”
USA Today, 4/5/99
ENTERTAINMENT
WWF Raw content studied
Researchers at Indiana University examined World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Raw on the USA Network and found more
crudity than actual wrestling.
According to USA Today, the study of
50 WWF Raw episodes discovered that
the average two-hour show contained only
36 minutes of actual wrestling. Instead,
researchers were forced to watch 1,658
instances in which a WWF competitor
grabbed or pointed to his own crotch
(slow-motion replays not included).
Equally as bad: the study also found 128
instances of simulated sex and 47 references
to satanic activity.
WWF also drew criticism for an ad aired
during this year’s Super Bowl. Presenting what was supposedly a typical “day
at the office” at WWF headquarters, the
ad was not only gratuitously violent but
also included a couple in a graphic sexual
embrace on an office desk.
The Federal Communications Commission received numerous complaints
about the ad, charging that it was indecent
and should not have run when so many
children would be exposed to its sexually
charged imagery.
USA Today, 2/23/99;
Los Angeles Times, 2/3/99
Study: G-rated films earn more
A comprehensive ten-year study of the
ratings and profitability of Hollywood
films revealed that movies rated G, PG and
PG-13 consistently earned more money
than those rated R, even though the movie
industry continues to produce more Rrated films.
The study was funded by The Dove
Foundation, and examined 2,380 widelyreleased films (appearing on 800 or more
screens) between January 1, 1988 and
December 31, 1997. A non-profit organization, The Dove Foundation says its mission
is “to encourage and promote the creation,
production and distribution of wholesome
family entertainment.”
Over that ten-year period, the study
said that while Hollywood produced 17
times as many R-rated films as those rated
G, the average G-rated movie earned eight
times more gross profit than its more
adult counterpart. Moreover, the average
G- rated film produced a 78% greater rate
of return on investment than the average
film rated R.
R-rated movies, which earned a 37%
AFA Journal • june, 1999
news of interest
rate of return, were also out-performed by
films rated PG and PG-13, which earned
a rate of return of 52% and 50%, respectively.
Dick Rolfe, CEO of The Dove Foundation, said in a press release, “Moviegoers
are not crying out for endless sequels of
Rugrats and Babe. What they want to see
are more action/adventure films, comedies, dramas and mysteries – but without
naked bodies, exploding heads and filthy
language.”
But the initial response to the study
from some Hollywood executives was
lukewarm. Tom Sherak, chairman of the
20th Century Fox Domestic Film Group,
said there were other considerations besides
how much money a movie makes.
“We are in a creative business, based
on content. The creative element has to
be allowed to make the movie they want
to make,” he said. “The one thing you
don’t want to do is hurt the integrity of
the movie.”
Sherak admitted that movies that receive
a G, PG, or PG-13 rating (from the Motion
Picture Association of America) do make
more money, but said a well-made R-rated
film could also be profitable.
“The rating turns out to be what it is,
and that’s what you live with,” he said.
“If people don’t want to see a movie, they
don’t go.”
Cartoons promote bad habits
A new study on G-rated animated films
reveals that cartoons may not be harmless
fun for the millions of kids who watch
them, since the majority of such entertainment shows drinking and smoking in a
positive light.
The research by Dr. Adam Goldstein,
assistant professor of family medicine at the
University of North Carolina, analyzed the
content of 50 animated films from 19371997. Included in the list was such popular
fare as All Dogs Go to Heaven, James and
the Giant Peach, and even Disney favorites
like Beauty and the Beast.
Goldstein found that smoking and/or
drinking was found in 68% of the cartoon
features. The use of alcohol and tobacco
was not limited to the “bad guys,” but was
behavior engaged in just as commonly by
the “good guys.” Moreover, Goldstein said
none of the movies presented an antiAFA Journal • june, 1999
Shock rocker Marilyn Manson cancels U.S. conTwo teenagers, clad in long black coats as part of a gang known as “The Trench
Coat Mafia,” unleash a short yet terrifying assault upon their classmates with guns
and homemade bombs. When it is all over, 12 kids, one teacher, and the two killers
all lay dead – the latter at their own hand.
What does all this have to do with shock rocker Marilyn Manson? That’s what a
lot of people are asking.
Classmates at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, a Denver suburb,
told investigators afterwards that the murderous pair, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris,
often spoke of violence, were fascinated with Hitler, and enjoyed heavy metal music
– especially the nihilistic variety of Marilyn Manson.
But Manson remained defiant about the implication that he – or other musicians
– could be held responsible for tragedies like Littleton, Colorado. “The media has
unfairly scapegoated the music industry and so-called ‘Goth kids’ and has speculated
– with no basis in truth – that artists like myself are in some way to blame” for the
shootings, Manson said.
The pressure seemed to mount, however. Two days after the carnage at Columbine, the radio station sponsoring Manson’s concert in Denver, scheduled for April
30, canceled the event.
At one concert stop after the Colorado tragedy, the shock rocker was playing
before his fans in Minneapolis, Minnesota, even while hundreds of people protested
his presence outside the concert.
In the city of Fresno, California, just a week before Manson’s tour was scheduled
for a concert stop there, the city council unanimously passed a resolution which
condemned “Marilyn Manson, and its lead singer as an offensive threat to the children of this community.”
Then, in a sudden move, Manson canceled the last five dates of his North American
“Rock Is Dead” concert tour (Reno, Nevada; Fresno, California; Las Vegas; Phoenix
and Universal City), which now moves to Europe for the summer. A press release
from Manson’s publicist said the cancellation was out of respect for those killed at
Columbine High School.
When the cancellation was announced, Fresno City Council President Ken Steitz
said simply, “It’s an answer to prayer.”
Manson himself appears to be the one to need prayer. His
anti-Christian outbursts seem to have roots that run deep, as
evidenced by comments he made to Rolling Stone about his
high school years:
“I started out in a private school and had to have my hair cut
a certain way and was forced to fit into this mold that I didn’t
want to fit into. Initially I rebelled and wanted to do everything
that I wasn’t supposed to do. I went to heavy metal, Satanism
and the occult. But then I grew from that to incorporate the
universal ideas from all religions and all philosophies into
something personal. I identified with the villain – the fallen
angel. I never wanted to be like Jesus; I wanted to be like Lucifer.
He was cooler, and nobody liked him….”
smoking or anti-drinking message for
children to absorb.
The pattern held true for the entire
60-year period studied, including recent
films, and was evident in animated features
produced by all five studios that specialize
in such family fare – The Walt Disney Co.,
MGM/United Artists, 20th Century Fox,
Universal Studios, and Warner Brothers.
The report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
in March.
news of interest
Fox Files: news mag or porn rag?
Fox Files bills itself as a television news magazine. Each installment includes
several features on a variety of subjects. After a distraught mother called the AFA
Journal with some serious allegations about the series, a staff reviewer watched four
weeks of Fox Files. Her complaint was not only about the prurient content, but the
fact that Fox used the most sex-laden clips to promote Fox Files during the lead-in
program. Our caller was right; for four straight weeks, Fox Files proved to be obsessed
with sexual topics more than with legitimate news.
On March 18, one of the five feature stories was “Hookin’ Up,” a celebration of
casual sex in its rawest form – the one-night stand. Fox Correspondent Kit Hoover
interviewed countless young men and women who talked freely about how they go
out for an evening looking for nothing other than casual sex with a new pick-up.
They also talk of how getting high (on alcohol) helps them have confidence.
The next week, “Burned Out Porn Stars” and “Spring Break South of the Border”
were among the four features. Of course, to tell the sad tale of aging porn stars, it was
necessary to include plenty of footage of their porn films. The latter story featured
college kids partying in Mexico, including lots of booze and skin shots.
In “Surfer Babe,” a scantily clad model was the subject of a feature on April 1. A
second story took Files cameras to a Bradenton, Florida, beach to measure bikinis
and thongs. The city council has recently enacted an ordinance that defines how
much breast and buttocks must be covered on public beaches there.
The April 8 headline story was “Rampage,” featuring video of Michigan State
University students rioting in the streets complete with numerous co-eds baring
their breasts (covered by black strips). The second story, “Escape from the Torture
Chamber,” was about a couple who held women as sex slaves. Another was titled
“Con Artist Rapist.” Still another, “Speed Demons” was ostensibly about illegal street
racing, but included the fact that sex is a big part of the scene. The weekly sleazefest
ended with a promo for an upcoming story on “Groupies and Sex.”
MCI was the only advertiser which sponsored all four weeks. MCI WorldCom,
Inc., Pres. Bernard J. Ebbers, 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201, Phone: 601360-8600, Fax: 601-974-8350, www.mciworldcom.com.
USA Today, 3/19/99; AP, 3/19/99
FAMILY
Former pageant winner
promotes abstinence
All across the nation, former Miss Black
California and a runner-up to Miss Black
America, Lakita Garth is using her talents
in a drive to encourage teenagers to remain
abstinent until they get married.
An inspirational recording artist, entertainer and author, Garth has been featured in many major publications including Vogue, Seventeen and Cosmopolitan
magazines. She has also appeared on such
television shows as Politically Incorrect;
Reebok, The Image Awards; The American Television Awards; and Nightline,
according to her Website (www.popu large.
com).
But beyond the impressive resume,
Garth is founder of Sex Education Character Support (SECS), an ongoing program
using the public school system to encourage
young people to wait until marriage before
having sex. “I teach abstinence. It’s not just
say no to sex, it’s a lifestyle,” she told the
Chicago Tribune.
Garth, in her early 30s, single, childless
and celibate, said she uses many of the
lessons she learned growing up under her
mother’s strict tutelage. She and her siblings were taught “the art of self-control,
self-discipline and the delay of self-gratification.
“We had curfews and boundaries. We
were the laughingstock of the community
– but, to date, we are the only family of kids
on the block to escape drugs, gangs and the
repercussions of early sex,” she said.
The SECS program keeps Garth busy,
speaking 15 times a week to more than
500,000 teens in junior high and high
school assemblies across the nation.
Chicago Tribune, 4/4/99
Divorce darkens kids’ view of
life
Yet another study has been added to the
growing body of research documenting the
devastating effects of divorce on children.
A team of psychologists from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, contrasted the
outlook on life of 160 teens from intact
families with 140 adolescents from broken
homes. The differences between the two
groups of young people were marked.
Compared to the adolescents from
intact families, teens from broken homes
“are more likely to show a higher level of
distrust of other people,” be more fearful
about getting married themselves someday,
and leave their homes with less confidence
and more fear and suspicion.
The Family in America,
New Research, April 1999
New government program
would “advise” on child care
A growing number of states are advocating government intrusion into the home
under the guise of preventing child abuse
– even in homes where no abuse has actually occurred.
According to Phyllis Schlafly of the
pro-family organization Eagle Forum, the
model for these programs is Healthy Family
America (HFA), developed by the National
Committee for the Prevention of Child
Abuse (NCPCA).
HFA programs are operating in some 40
states – although sometimes under various
names, and Schlafly said the programs are
growing. In Indiana, for example, funding
for the HFA program has increased from
$250,000 in 1994 to $40 million today, with
58 sites in 91 counties.
Schlafly said, “HFA claims to be voluntary, but the NCPCA’s stated goal is ‘to
provide home visiting services to all new
parents.’ Special attention is given to those
deemed to be ‘at risk.’”
What determines whether a family is
“at risk?” Schlafly said 15 risk factors are
considered, with “some of the terms so
nebulous that almost any parent could be
labeled ‘at risk.’”
Under HFA guidelines, once a family has
been determined to be “at risk,” that family
AFA Journal • june, 1999
news of interest
is to receive 50 or more visits to their home
by social workers, who monitor how children are being raised and educate parents
on “proper parenting practices.”
Concern about the HFA program was
raised by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) last
fall in a letter to House colleagues. Hyde
warned that the HFA program was “Big
Brother intervention as we have never seen
it before,” adding that “Americans have
never experienced such intrusion in their
family lives.”
Conservative Chronicle, 3/24/99
Study says attitudes about
divorce can be self-fulfilling
The commonly held belief is that divorces are the result of a bad marriage, and
liberalized divorce laws are necessary to
allow adults to escape their marital misery.
But a new study indicates that it may very
well be liberalized attitudes toward divorce
that cause marriages to falter.
Researchers Paul R. Amato and Stacy J.
Rogers of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducted the eight-year study, examining the marriages of more than 2,000
men and women. They found that “people
who adopted more favorable attitudes toward divorce tended to experience declines
in relationship quality.” The researchers
said a more lax view of the marital bond
“may lead some people to invest less time
in their marriages,” resulting in an erosion
of “marital quality.”
The opposite was also true, according
to the study: those who looked less favorably on divorce at the outset “tended to
experience improvements in relationship
quality or at least a slowdown in the gradual
decline in [their] marital happiness.”
Amato and Rogers said, “Ironically, by
adopting attitudes that provide greater
freedom to leave unsatisfying marriages,
people may be increasing the likelihood
that their marriages will be unsatisfying.”
The Family in America,
New Research, April 1999
GOVERNMENT
Crackdown on DUI controversial
Lawmakers in New York City and Georgia have brewed up a fracas over their
unique attempts to decrease the incidence
of driving under the influence (DUI).
Drunk drivers under age 21 in the Peach
AFA Journal • june, 1999
Teen drinking problem swells
The statistics of teen drinking are frightening, but so is the impact of alcohol
abuse on their young lives: kids stumbling drunk, attempting to drive, well on their
way to alcohol dependency.
About 16% of teenagers have actually had “blackout” induced by heavy drinking,
preventing them from remembering what they did the night before. And while traffic
accidents are the leading cause of death among teens, the largest factor behind those
accidents is the use of alcohol.
If teens survive their earlier drinking years unscathed, their alcohol habits will
prove troublesome in the future. Teens who begin their drinking habits before they
turn 15 (as opposed to waiting until age 21, when drinking is legal) will quadruple
their chances of becoming an alcoholic.
Tree State now face zero tolerance from
law enforcement officials, a stand that has
received a go-ahead from Georgia’s high
court.
Those under age 21 with a blood-alcohol level of .02 are considered driving
impaired in Georgia; at age 21 and older the
blood-alcohol level for DUI is .08. Besides
any potential jail time and fines, anyone
who is underage and convicted of DUI
receives an automatic suspension of their
driver’s license for six months.
But the dual standards for determining a DUI led some to challenge the law
as an unconstitutional violation of equal
protection rights. The Georgia Supreme
Court, however, disagreed: “Driving a vehicle under the influence of any amount
of alcohol is not a fundamental right,” the
justices said.
In New York City even those who are
merely arrested for drunk driving will
have their automobiles confiscated by law
enforcement officials. Opponents of the
new law say property should not be confiscated until a person is found guilty, since a
family could be deprived of their only car
for a month – the time it normally takes
New York City to get the DUI ball rolling
in court.
Even more controversial in the Big Apple, however, is that a vehicle could be kept
by the city even if it did not belong to the
person arrested. And even if the driver were
found not guilty in criminal court, New
York could keep the car. That’s because the
city could press ahead in a civil trial, which
would not require that a person be proven
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/12/99;
USA Today, 2/23/99, 2/26/99
news of interest
Statutory rape laws enforced
With teen pregnancies hitting their
high-water mark this decade, states have
found themselves paying for many of the
costs associated with illegitimacy. Now,
against the older men who seduce minors, many states are fighting back with
two words that once carried some weight
– statutory rape.
Statutory rape laws are on the books in
most states, and define an adult having sex
with a minor as a crime. While individual
states have their own age of consent, all
view a minor below that particular age
as being unable – by virtue of their immaturity – to consent to sex with an adult.
Hence, the criminal charge is one of rape.
Such laws often have been ignored as the
sexual revolution loosened attitudes about
sex. But according to World magazine, that
may be changing, as states like California,
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Massachusetts are treating statutory rape as a
serious crime.
The change in attitude is the result of
a sobering truth: two-thirds of the babies
born to teenage mothers had fathers who
were men age 20 or older.
“That’s a crime, and we must treat it as
such,” said Matt Daniels, head of the Massachusetts Family Institute. “Statutory rape
is just another name for child abuse.”
World, 1/30/99
HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA
Study says no “gay gene”
New research from scientists in Canada
is casting further doubt on the theory that
homosexuality is rooted in a person’s genetic makeup.
Dr. Dean Hamer created enormous controversy in 1993 when he and colleagues at
the U.S. National Cancer Institute claimed
they had discovered evidence of a so-called
“gay gene” in homosexual men.
Hamer studied 40 pairs of homosexual
brothers and said the research found that
33 of those pairs shared a common genetic
code on their X chromosomes.
But researchers at the University of
Western Ontario in London, Canada,
headed by Dr. George Rice, said they examined an even larger sampling of data than
Hamer and found no evidence of a genetic
component for homosexuality. Attempting
10
to replicate another study is an important
way for scientists to validate a theory.
“It is unclear why our results are so
discrepant from Hamer’s original study,”
researchers said.
Many of those in pro-family groups,
however, have long been suspicious of
Hamer’s work. Because Hamer is himself
a homosexual, conservative columnist Cal
Thomas wrote that that “might indicate
to some readers that Hamer has a bias in
favor of discovering a biological cause for
homosexual behavior.”
Reuters, 4/22/99
New Hampshire approves
adoption by homosexuals
One of the only two states in the nation
prohibiting homosexuals from adopting
children has now changed its mind, as the
New Hampshire legislature passed a bill
repealing the ban. Gov. Jeanne Shaheen has
since signed the measure.
The ban on homosexual adoptions was
passed in 1987, based on the fear of AIDS
and the belief that homosexuals are more
predisposed to molesting children. Sen.
Katie Wheeler called such reasoning “ignorance, discrimination and prejudice.”
The decision by the New Hampshire
legislature leaves only Florida with a law
on the books prohibiting homosexual
adoption.
AP, 4/22/99
PORNOGRAPHY
Touchy-feely cybersex coming?
Up to now sexual activity on the Internet
has been limited to the eyes and ears (for
looking at and listening to pornography)
and the mouth (for talking in chat rooms).
But brace yourself for the 21st Century
version of full-contact cybersex.
Vivid Interactive, a company which
produces Internet porn, is working the
kinky kinks out of a full-body suit complete
with sensors which would allow cyberspace
“couples” to “touch” one another in 36
places on the body. According to USA Today, for about $100 someone can purchase
the body suit, hook it up to a PC or laptop
computer, and exchange heat and massage
sensations with another Internet user.
USA Today, 3/1/99
Cybersex attracts big
part of Internet users
Most people are probably aware by now
that being on the Internet is a sometimes
risky proposition, with numerous sites being devoted to online pornography in all its
deviant forms.
But what many may not know is that the
crowd of those fascinated with sex online
is growing. A new study says that of the 57
million people who use the Internet on a
daily basis, 15-30% of them go to sexually oriented Websites – and 4.7 million
people are in danger of becoming hooked
on cybersex.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Alvin Cooper, is director of the San Jose Marital and
Sexuality Centre. He said, “The Internet
has evolved as a really powerful force in
sexuality because it offers … affordability,
accessibility and anonymity.”
The study, which appeared in April’s
issue of Professional Psychology: Research
and Practice, found that 8.5% of those
participating in the study had spent 11
hours a week searching the Internet for
sexually-oriented material. Cooper said
their Internet habits demonstrated signs
of “sexual compulsivity.”
Although Cooper was more ambivalent
about the dangers of a fascination with
cybersex, psychologist Pauline Holmes
of Christian Psychotherapy and Family
Counseling was blunt: “I would look at it
as a form of adultery even though it doesn’t
necessarily involve physical contact,” she
said.
San Francisco Examiner, 4/4/99;
USA Today, 3/31/99
PRO-LIFE
Public uneasy with euthanasia
A recent survey of Americans’ opinion
regarding physician-assisted suicide still
shows a great deal of resistance to the concept on the part of the general public.
By more than a 2-1 ratio, poll respondents said public policy should focus on
easing pain for those who are dying rather
than on helping doctors euthanize their
patients, according to USA Today.
The survey of 1,000 Americans was
commissioned by Last Acts, a coalition of
some 315 religious, health and consumer
groups working to improve the care given
to dying patients.
A spokesperson
the coalition
said
AFAfor
Journal
• june, 1999
that, with proper pain medication and
ALABAMA
Enterprise
Carrollton (WALN)
Ozark (WAQG)
Selma (WAQU)
Sheffield (WAKD)
Troy
90.5
89.3
91.7
91.1
89.9
91.1
ARIZONA
Fredonia
Holbrook
Mesa
Winslow
89.1
90.3
89.1
91.3
ARKANSAS
Arkadelphia
Bentonville
Blytheville
Clarksville
Crossett
El Dorado
Fayetteville
Forrest City
Fort Smith (KAOW)
Jonesboro (KAOG)
Piggott
Pocahontas
Prescott
Sheridan (KANX)
Warren
91.9
88.1
91.5
89.9
91.7
91.9
90.1
91.5
88.9
90.5
88.1
91.1
88.9
91.1
91.3
CALIFORNIA
*Quincy (KNLF)
COLORADO
Trinidad
95.9
91.7
FLORIDA
*Florida City (WMFL) 88.5
*Key Largo (WMKL) 91.7
GEORGIA
Americus
Cordele
Cuthbert
Dublin
*Griffin (WMVV)
Waycross (WASW) ILLINOIS
DeKalb (WWGN)
Effingham
Flora
Kankakee
Mt.Vernon (WAPO)
Ottawa (WWGN)
Pana
Salem
INDIANA
*Greensburg (WAUZ)
Michigan City
Plymouth
Vincennes
Terre Haute (WAPC)
90.3
90.3
89.3
91.9
90.7
91.9
93.3
91.3
88.5
88.1
90.5
88.9
88.5
91.3
89.1
88.5
91.3
89.9
91.9
AmeriFamRadio
KANSAS
Arkansas City
Beloit
Enterprise
89.7
91.3
88.7
Great Bend
89.7
Hays
89.7
Independence (KARF)91.9
Marysville
91.7
Norton
91.5
Ottawa (KRBW)
90.5
Salina (KAKA)
88.5
Topeka (KBUZ)
90.3
Wichita (KCFN)
91.1
KENTUCKY
Ashland
91.1
Campbellsville (WAPD)
91.7
*Central City (WMTA)
1380AM
Mt. Sterling (WAXG) 88.1
LOUISIANA
Alexandria (KAPM) 91.7
Jonesboro
89.7
Jonesville
91.9
Lafayette (KSJY)
90.9
Many (KAVK)
89.7
Monroe
94.9
*Russell Springs (WIDS) 570AM
Ruston (KAPI)
88.3
St. Joseph
89.9
MINNESOTA
Montevideo
Windom
Worthington
89.7
90.9
88.1
MISSISSIPPI
Ackerman
Brookhaven
Cleveland (WDFX)
Columbia
Duck Hill (WAUM)
Forest (WQST)
Gulfport (WAOY)
Hattiesburg (WAII)
Laurel (WATP)
McComb (WAQL)
96.9
90.5
98.3
90.9
91.9
92.5
91.7
89.3
90.7
90.5
IOWA
Creston
90.9
Fairfield
88.7
Ottumwa
88.1
Sioux City (KAYA)
91.3
*Affiliate Station – may not carry all AFR programming.
All stations listed are FM unless otherwise indicated.
Natchez
Oxford
Starkville
Tupelo (WAFR)
Vicksburg
West Point
91.1
101.3
88.9
88.3
93.3
96.9
MISSOURI
*Birch Tree (KBMV) 1310AM
Brookfield
91.5
Cabool
89.9
Kennett (KAUF)
89.9
Memphis
91.5
*Mountain Grove (KELE) 1360AM
Park Hills
91.1
*Piedmont (KPWB)
1140AM
Springfield (KAKU) 90.1
NEBRASKA
Chadron
Hastings
Hubbard (KAYA)
Valentine
89.3
91.7
91.3
89.3
NEW HAMPSHIRE
*Manchester (WLMW)
90.7
Ahoskie
Beaufort
Mt. Airy
New Bern (WAAE)
Sanford
91.9
91.5
90.3
91.9
88.7
NORTH DAKOTA
Devils Lake
Harvey
Jamestown
Watford City
89.9
91.1
90.7
89.1
Williston
91.7
OHIO
Martin’s Ferry
Steubenville
Shelby (WAUI)
91.1
88.9
88.3
OKLAHOMA
Ada
Ardmore
Atoka
Durant
Elk City
88.7
91.9
91.7
89.3
91.9
Aberdeen
Spearfish
90.1
90.1
TENNESSEE
*Alcoa (WBCR) 1470AM
Bristol
90.5
*Columbia (WMRB)
910AM
Dyersburg
89.7
Hohenwald (WAUO) 90.7
Jackson (WAMP)
88.1
Lawrenceberg
Milan
Savannah
Shelbyville
Spencer
Tullahoma (WAUT)
Waynesboro
89.9
99.1
88.1
91.3
90.1
88.5
89.9
TEXAS
Abilene (KAQD)
Alpine
Amarillo (KAVW)
Big Spring
Bonham
Borger (KAVO)
91.3
90.9
90.7
91.5
91.1
91.5
Breckenridge
Brownfield
Crockett
Dalhart
Del Rio
Dumas
Hereford
Huntsville (KAXF)
Kermit
Lamesa
Levelland
Lockhart
Midland
Morton
Pampa (KAXH)
Pecos
Plainview
Stephenville
Van Horn
Victoria
90.7
90.7
91.9
91.7
89.9
91.7
90.7
88.3
91.5
91.3
91.9
88.5
89.5
91.1
90.9
91.3
90.7
90.5
89.9
88.5
UTAH
St. George
88.7
VIRGINIA
Bristol
Culpeper (WARN)
Elkins (WBHZ)
90.5
91.5
91.9
WASHINGTON
Sunnyside (KAYB)
88.1
WEST VIRGINIA
Elkins (WBHZ)
91.9
WYOMING
Gillette (KAXG)
89.7
Alberta, CANADA
Three Hills (PBC)
89.9
from sea to shining
NEW MEXICO
*Carlsbad (KAMQ)
1240AM
Clayton
91.3
Clovis (KAQF)
91.1
*Farmington (KPCL) 95.7
Hobbs
91.5
Las Vegas
90.3
Raton
90.1
NEW YORK
Batavia
NORTH CAROLINA
89.5
Idabel
91.9
Norman
89.3
*Okmulgee (KOKL)
1240AM
Poteau (KARG)
91.7
Stillwater
89.7
Weatherford
90.5
OREGON
Baker City
Grants Pass (KAPK)
90.7
91.1
PENNSYLVANIA
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SOUTH DAKOTA
A supplement for local bulletins & newsletters from the American Family Association
Concerns grow
about campus
alcohol abuse
A number of organizations have joined
efforts to combat the growing problem of
alcohol abuse on college campuses.
In April more than 500 colleges participated in the first National Alcohol Screening Day, which focused on alerting college
kids about the risks of abusing alcohol.
Anonymous and free of charge, the screenings allowed concerned young people to
speak with a health professional.
The screening was co-sponsored by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association,
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the American Medical Association and others.
“Alcohol abuse kills and injures more
of our young people and costs our society
more than all the illegal drugs put together,”
said U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher.
“More than half of all college students drink
primarily to get drunk. Two out of five
college students are binge drinkers – that
means they have at least four to five drinks
in each sitting.”
According to recent statistics, alcohol is
involved in 95% of the violent and property
crimes on college and university campuses.
But the problem is not just crime: 40% of
the academic problems students have is also
related to alcohol abuse.
USA Today, 4/5/99;
AFA on the Internet
American Family Association
www.afa.net
American Family Radio
www.afr.net
American Family Online
www.afo.net
JUNE, 1999
ABC fires staffer for
anti-Christian comments
One person can make a difference, as an Arkansas resident discovered when he complained to ABC Television about the increasing number of homosexual characters and
pro-homosexual storylines that have been appearing on ABC’s prime-time lineup.
Jim Neugent sent an E-mail to the ABC Website to complain, mentioning what the
Bible says about homosexuality. He was provoked to complain by the April 4 episode of
the legal drama The Practice, which dealt with a lesbian couple that wanted to marry.
Neugent received a reply from the ABC online Webmaster which said, “How about
getting your nose out of the Bible,” and “try thinking for yourself and stop using an
archaic book of stories as your crutch for your existence.”
Susan Sewell, Director of Media Relations for ABC, told American Family Radio
News that when ABC network executives heard about the E-mail, they tracked down the
individual responsible for the comments and fired him.
In addition, an E-mail response to Neugent said that “the response that you received
does not in any way reflect the views of ABC Television.”
JC Penney drops South Park merchanThe merchandise from the vulgar animated show South Park, which airs on cable’s
Comedy Central, has been jettisoned by JC Penney and will no longer be carried in its
stores, following a protracted campaign by a pro-family group.
Melinda Pampolina, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an April 15 letter to an
AFA supporter, “We wanted you to know that, effective immediately, we are ceasing to
order any additional South Park goods for our JC Penney department stores.”
For months the Christian Family Network (CFN) has been urging JC Penney to
reconsider its policy of selling the South Park merchandise. The April issue of the AFA
Journal, which reaches its readers in mid-March, also ran an article about JC Penney’s
policy, and asked its readers to contact the company.
“We want to applaud the efforts of CFN, which has done a yeoman’s job in communicating their concerns with JC Penney,” said AFA president Donald E. Wildmon.
CONTACT: Mr. James E. Oesterreicher, JC Penney Company, Inc., P. O. Box 10001,
Dallas, TX 75301; 972-431-8792
American Family Association • P.O. Drawer 2440 • Tupelo, MS 38803 • 601-844-5036
Advertisers launch
family TV awards
R eports from A F A affiliates
Soon after American Family Association was formed, founder Don Wildmon saw
the need for grassroots activists to stand for Biblical values in their own communities.
While AFA can shine the light of Scripture on social, moral and public policy issues
on a national level, the moral climate in local communities will change only as local
Christians get involved. To find out if there is an AFA affiliate in your community
or to find out how to start one, call 601-844-5036, ext. 214.
AFA of Colorado (Colorado Springs) – In the wake of the school shooting in
Littleton, AFA State Director Tom Pedigo has done several radio interviews discussing
AFA’s position on what could have caused this tragedy and what cultural influences
should be curbed to keep it from happening again. (719-532-9719)
AFA of Missouri (Joplin) – State Director R. L. Beasley is on the war path and
pornographers better watch out! After months of calls by concerned citizens to the
Jasper County prosecutor’s office about a sexually oriented business, and after a
nine month investigation of the store by county officials, on March 25 the sheriff ’s
department backed a truck up to the store and hauled off some 6,200 porn videos and
magazines. R. L. is now asking concerned individuals in each county to follow suit
by reporting suspected stores to their local prosecutors. He’s also asking complaints
be reported to him so he can assist in follow up. (417-781-5762)
Spokane AFA (Spokane, Washington) – Director Wayne Lawson has published
their Spring 1999 Family Friendly Shopping Guide identifying those stores who have
made the commitment not to sell pornographic magazines. The shopping guide
gives pertinent facts about the devastating effects of pornography on our country.
Spokane AFA is also helping distribute initiative petitions to repeal laws granting
special rights to homosexuals. (509-483-1232)
AFA of Michigan (Fremont) – State Director Bill Johnson continues to lead AFA’s
national campaign against radio shock jock Howard Stern. His office monitors Stern
radio in 24 markets and 14 TV markets. They mail over 1,000 letters a month to
advertisers of Stern’s programs and have seen about 87% stop their ads after receiving a letter from AFA. Driven by a sense of concern for America, Bill’s looking for
more monitors to help get rid of Stern. (616-924-4050)
AFA of Arkansas (Jonesboro) – Through a very effective and systematic approach,
State Director Bob Hester has cleared porn videos from nearly every county in Arkansas. Fayetteville in Washington County is next on his list. He recently organized
a meeting of 25 pastors with the prosecuting attorney to express concern about the
availability of possibly illegal videos. An investigation is now under way. If you know
of a store in your community carrying porn videos, call AFA of Arkansas to help
run them out of town. (870-932-5065)
Monroe County AFA (Amory, Mississippi) – Director Ken Thorn is determined to
be the salt and light his community needs. Monroe County AFA is sponsoring crisis
pregnancy outreach, advertising help lines for pornography addicts, and distributing
information to churches about how homosexuals can be free from this sexual sin to
live for Christ. (662-256-5997)
Tired of hearing from viewers who complain that prime-time television is insipid,
violent, profane and downright dirty, some
of the companies which sponsor network
television have decided to reward quality
family-friendly shows.
In September advertisers like Proctor &
Gamble (P&G), Johnson & Johnson, Coca
Cola, Wendy’s and Sears – among others
– will hand out the first annual Family Programming Awards. The tribute is intended
to “celebrate, recognize and call attention
to great family programs.”
The announcement was made at the
Association of National Advertisers in
April by P&G Senior Vice President Robert
L. Wehling and Johnson & Johnson Vice
President of Advertising Andrea Alstrup.
Wehling said advertisers like P&G were
not trying to decrease the number of choices available for viewers. “Some networks
are going after teens and urban audiences
that want edgier programming. All we want
is an expansion of the number of choices
available to us. Just give us more of what
we’re looking for.”
Ultimate TV News, 4/7/99; USA Today, 4/7/99
High court allows teen curfew
A curfew for teenagers in Charlottesville, Virginia, was allowed to stand by the
U.S. Supreme Court, following an appeal
by parents. A lower court had already
ruled that the law was “constitutionally
justified.”
The ordinance in Charlottesville prohibited minors under age 17 from being out in
public during the week between midnight
and 5 a.m. On Saturday and Sunday nights,
teens were allowed out until 1 a.m. There
are few exceptions permitted.
According to the U.S. Conference of
Mayors, at least 276 cities with a population
in excess of 30,000 had approved similar
laws. Such ordinances are usually meant
to keep teens safe and out of trouble with
the law.
Some parents in Charlottesville, however, said the curfew infringed on their
authority as parents, and also unconstitutionally curtailed their teens’ freedoms.
USA Today, 3/23/99
television – prime-time network reviews
action inUse this information to write
or call advertisers cited in this
issue’s television reviews.
General Motors Corp.
Chrm. John F. Smith
3044 W. Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48202
Phone: 313-556-5000
Fax: 313-556-5108
www.gm.com
Products: Buick, Chevrolet,
Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn
automobiles, DirecTV direct
satellite broadcasting
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Chrm. Donald J. Hall
P. O. Box 419580
Kansas City, MO 64141
Phone: 816-274-5111
Fax: 816-274-7276
www.hallmark.com
Products: Crayola crayons, Hallmark cards, Shoebox cards
PepsiCo, Inc.
Chrm. Roger Enrico
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: 914-253-2000
Fax: 914-253-2070
www.pepsico.com
Products: Doritos, Lay’s and
Ruffles chips, Mountain Dew,
Rold Gold pretzels, Tropicana
PM/Kraft
Chrm. Geoffrey C. Bible
120 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 917-663-5000
Fax: 917-663-2167
Toll Free: 1-800-343-0975
pmfct@em.fcnbd.com
Products: Cool Whip, Kool-Aid
soft drink, Kraft food products,
Minute Rice, Post cereals, Shake
‘n Bake meat coating mix
The Procter & Gamble Co.
Chrm. John E. Pepper
P. O. Box 599
Cincinnati, OH 45201
Phone: 513-983-1100
Fax: 513-983-4381
Toll Free: 1-800-435-9254
www.pg.com
Products: Cheer, Head & Shoulders, NyQuil, Pringle’s , Scope
mouth wash,Sunny Delight,
Sure antiperspirant
Tricon Global Restaurants
14
P&G, General Motors
keep sitcom sleaze rolling
■ Becker P4 S TVPG-DL
CBS, 4/26 – Sexual fantasy, sex dreams and
self-stimulation are included in this episode’s
30+ sex jokes. Many are blatant and explicit.
Every story line dealt with sex. Even TV Guide
wrote, “Becker is plagued by sex talk everywhere....”
■ The Norm Show H P11 V TVPG-DL
ABC, 4/7 – Danny’s father, a homosexual, puts
the moves on Norm in very crude terms. There
is also a grotesque scene where a man cuts off
a fake hand with a cleaver – allowing blood to
spurt everywhere.
Advertiser: Procter & Gamble
Advertisers: Pepsi, Procter & Gamble
■ Drew Carey H P3 S TVPG-D
ABC, 4/7 – A TVPG rating was completely
insufficient to warn parents about the sexual
dialogue in this episode. There was no storyline
other than the sex lives of the characters. Sharon,
for example, doesn’t want a relationship with
Drew, just meaningless sex.
■ The Simpsons
AC H P4 PC S TVPG-L
Fox, 4/20 – Ned Flanders, the Simpsons’ nerdy
do-gooder Christian neighbor, asks Homer
Simpson for help in overcoming his resistance to
temptation. Homer takes him to Las Vegas, where
they gamble, get drunk and marry two women
they pick up at the casino. The Christian faith is
ridiculed beginning to end.
Advertisers: Tricon Global (Taco Bell), Pepsi
■ Family Guy P18 TVPG-DL
Fox, 4/6 – This repeat episode boasted a theme
mocking “good old-fashioned values,” and an
infant (less than a year old) who curses and
tries to shoot his mother to death. A stag party
porn film, a pedophile joke, the hero’s attempt at
welfare fraud, and more fill out the story.
Advertisers: General Motors, Tricon Global (Taco Bell)
■ It’s Like, You Know S P4 TVPG-D
ABC, 4/14 – Arthur, who’s been given a gift
certificate for a massage by Lauren is afraid that if
his relationship with her becomes “professional,”
he won’t be able to pursue her for sex. In one
conversation, Lauren expresses the opinion that
marriages should be contracted for only seven
years. Jennifer, a series star, has sex with a man
on the first date, then discusses it openly with
her four co-stars.
Advertiser: PM/Kraft
■ Spin City H P4 S TV14-D
ABC, 3/30 – This sitcom is basically all sex,
all the time. Stuart is by far the show’s biggest
pervert, but in this episode his girlfriend Diedre
gives him a run for his money: she exposes herself
to Carter, the series’ homosexual, pursues sex
unceasingly, and enjoys sexual bondage.
Advertisers: General Motors, Procter & Gamble
■ Will & Grace H P4 S TVPG
NBC, 4/22 – This episode has lots of jokes
about the homosexual lifestyle: Will and Jack
trying to pick up guys at the gym; transvestites;
Jack’s habit of watching homosexual porn. Later,
heterosexuals Grace and Karen reminisce about
their first sexual experiences in graphic terms.
Advertiser: PM/Kraft
Advertiser: Procter & Gamble
Lenscrafters, KFC ads on dramas
■ Chicago Hope AC P10 TVPG-L
CBS, 3/31 – In one story line, Dr. Grad wants
to help a couple clone their young son, but other
doctors overrule her. One doctor opined, “It’s
playing God.”
Dr. Grad responded, “Is anybody in this room
struck by what a wonderful job God is doing here
– that He should sit back and let a little child die?
We fight death. It is our job. ...What’s obscene is
that any parent has to look in the face of their
dead child and know that they will never see him
again. If that is the best God has to offer, I’m sorry,
it’s not good enough!”
Advertisers: U. S. Shoe (Lenscrafters), PM/Kraft
■ Homicide: Life on the Street
H P7 TV14
NBC, 3/26 – A major plot line focuses on a cop
who has recently publicly admitted his homosexuality. He dates Roger, another cop, a couple
of times, but Roger is afraid to come out.
Advertisers: Tricon Global (KFC), U. S. Shoe (Lenscraft-
AFA Journal • june, 1999
television – prime-time network reviews
ers)
■ NYPD Blue H P8 S TV14-LS
ABC, 3/30 – Det. Sorenson suffers from acute
foul-mouth disease. In addition, he is featured in
one of prime-time’s longest nude scenes. After
sex, he and his date lie on the bed agreeing that
sex is simply a thing to enjoy, no commitment or
meaning. John, the homosexual character, also
appears in this episode.
Advertiser: General Motors
■ The Practice H P2 TV14
ABC, 4/4 – Jimmy’s mother tells him that she’s
a lesbian and asks him to help arrange for her to
marry her lesbian lover. Initially, Jimmy (one of
the series regulars) doesn’t accept his mother’s
coming out, but in the end he comes to have great
pride in her lesbianism.
Advertiser: Tricon Global (KFC)
April 18 P7 PC S TV14-S
A woman appears nude in video clips recorded without her knowledge. (A hidden
camera was installed in her bathroom by the
voyeuristic building superintendent.) When he
is tried for his crime, the man is ordered by a
female judge to drop his pants and turn for those
in the courtroom to see his genitals; the camera
focuses on his naked derriere as he waddles out
of the courtroom.
Advertisers: General Motors, Tricon Global (Taco Bell)
■ Turks H P14 PC S SA TVPG-DLV
CBS, 4/23 – Cliff is a cop who is in the process
of coming out of the closet as a homosexual, and
two men are shown kissing in a homosexual bar.
All the common politically correct pro-homosexual arguments are used throughout the episode.
Abortion is also a storyline, and women who have
abortions are portrayed as noble. Of course, the
show ends on a predictable note: a presumably
pro-life individual tosses a bomb into the local
abortion clinic.
Advertiser: U. S. Shoe (Lenscrafters)
■ Species P16 S TV14-DLSV
CBS, 3/30 – A woman who is a cross between
human and alien has an innate alien-inspired
drive to breed. She escapes from a lab where she
was to be executed, and blazes a trail of terror
across the city. She has sex with numerous men
along the way, and whenever she feels threatened,
she goes on a killing spree.
Advertiser: General Motors
■ Banned in America: World’s
Sexiest Commercials H S TV14-DS
Fox, 4/7 – Viewer discretion was advised for
“sexually graphic images and situations,” which
was the least Fox could do. The best thing would
have been never to show this sordid collection of
filthy ads from outside the U.S.
Among the uplifting subject matter: inflatable sex dolls, sadomasochism, homosexuality,
transvestites, size of male genitals, bestiality, dogs
copulating, and some things so vile as to defy even
Durango + TVG
CBS, 4/25 – This delightful Hallmark Hall of Fame story is about a young man courting the
woman he loves while fighting for fair prices for his cattle. A minister is portrayed favorably as
a man who speaks boldly against injustice and dispenses wise counsel.
Chrm. Andrall E. Pearson
600 Steamboat Place
Greenwich, CT 06830
Phone: 502-874-8300
Fax: 502-874-2690
Toll Free: 1-888-874-4986
www.triconglobal.com
Products: Kentucky Fried
Chicken, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell
U. S. Shoe Corporation
Chrm. Charles J. Mechem, Jr.
One Eastwood Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45227
Phone: 513-527-7000
Fax: 513-527-7585
Products: Lenscrafters, Easy
Spirit and Pappagallo shoes
AFA TV Codes
AC Anti-Christian
H Promotes homosexual agenda
Profanity; the number followP ing the “P” is the number of
times profanity is used in the
program.
Politically correct in dealing
PC with an issue identified in the
review
Objectionable sexual content
S (may include partial nudity)
Substance abuse (drugs or
SA alcohol)
Violence (graphic or gratuV itous)
Positive theme with no
+ objectionable elements (A
good story told with profane
language earns no commendation.)
TV network ratings are indiTV cated in black.
Sole Sponsor: Hallmark
Having Our Say + TVPG
CBS, 4/18 – This movie is subtitled “The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years,” and tells the remarkable story of the sisters at ages 101 and 103. It is based on their book of the same title.
Sole Sponsor: PM/Kraft
Promised Land + TVPG
CBS, 4/8 – Claire Greene grows increasingly exasperated at 17- year-old Josh’s relationship
with Bobbie, an unwed mother. Mom Claire thinks Josh is missing a “normal” teenage life.
When Claire addresses her concerns with Bobbie, the girl breaks up with Josh, which results in
more family conflicts.
Advertiser: PM/Kraft
AFA Journal • june, 1999
15
television – cable channel profile
Bud ’n’ Jeff: unlikely combo
creates clean TV
BY randall murphree • AFA Journal Editor
Lowell “bud” Paxson may have
been as surprised as everyone else was when
his Home Shopping Network became one
of the television sensations of the 1980s.
Now he has every intention of creating
another sensation with his PAX network,
which went on the air last August with
nightly reruns of Touched by an Angel as
its flagship series.
In an April interview with The American
Enterprise (TAE) magazine, PAX president
Jeff Sagansky, explained the wisdom of
paying $1 million per episode for shows
already aired on CBS: “It has all the values
that we’re looking for…Inspiration. Hope.
Faith.”
Selling kitchen knives, painted glass,
jewelry and gadgets made Paxson a wealthy
man. However, he recently told TAE that
he became so consumed with business
that he lost sight of the most important
things in life. After his marriage failed, he
hit rock bottom; then in 1986, he became
a Christian.
He sold the shopping network in 1990
and resolved to add a family-friendly
network – not just a series or two, but a
complete network, an alternative to the
moral wasteland of the major networks.
16
He began accumulating television stations, and now has full
or partial ownership in 71, in
addition to 45 affiliates. The PAX
net is available to about 80% of the
nation’s TV audience.
It was a good day’s work when
Paxson hired TV and film veteran Jeff
Sagansky as president of the network.
Sagansky’s credentials include stints at
NBC, Sony Pictures and TriStar Pictures. He is also former president of
CBS Entertainment where he developed
Christy, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman,
and Touched by an Angel.
PAX net is already producing several
original programs, including Animals are
People Too, Little Men, and It’s a Miracle.
On the April 24 installment of Animals
are People Too (one-hour), host Alan
Thicke introduced
ten segments, each recounting an intriguing
tale of some remarkable animal(s). Stories
covered a broad spectrum, e.g.: Henry the
lizard-lover, who owns 30 of the reptiles
as pets; Powder and Lily, avalanche search
and rescue dogs in Squaw Valley; University of California at Davis Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, where surgeons adapt
hi-tech methods of human surgery to save
animals’ lives; and Teresa and Carl Conrad,
prosthetic technologists who fit animal
amputees with artificial limbs.
The same night’s episode of Little Men
was a captivating drama of human relationships. The series, inspired by the writings
of Louisa May Alcott, follows the life of Jo
Baher, young widow and mother, as she
rears her sons.
On Sunday, April 25, host Richard
Thomas (of The Waltons fame) introduced
human interest stories and experiences on
It’s a Miracle. The show recreates events in
people’s lives that suggest divine intervention. Six stories told of persons who have
had such incredible experiences – things
that defy human explanation, or physical
recoveries that doctors said were impossible.
On week nights, PAX adds Dr. Quinn,
Diagnosis Murder and Highway to Heaven to the mix. Seventh Heaven and other
family-friendly, morally-based series are to
be added in the future.
When TAE asked Sagansky about a
Hollywood agenda, the veteran replied,
“Making money and getting ratings. Unfortunately, they feel that it’s easier to do that
with many tasteless programs….good programs may not start off strong, but when
given time, they all find an audience.”
Sagansky said that in Hollywood creative people are validated by their peers “for
doing programs that have an edge and an
attitude.” Subsequently, they steer clear of
things considered “soft” or “sentimental.”
PAX is also breaking with tradition
in areas other than programming. The
network’s advertising policy says no to
AFA Journal • JUNE, 1999
AFO filter available for $3 month
AFO’s powerful filter is now available to Internet
users everywhere. Even if you don’t have a local
dial-up number, you can download AFO’s filter at
www.afo.net. The cost is only $3 per month – less
than a dime a day. It’s your family’s best protection
against Internet porn!
http://www.afo.net
Cities with local AFO dial-up numbers
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On the Internet you’ll find
the best – and worst – of the
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Family
culture
Columbine reveals a layer of religious
BY cal thomas
what has happened to us and
how did we get here?” asked Pastor Bruce
Porter of the Trinity Christian Center in
Littleton, Colorado. He was eulogizing
Rachel Scott, 17, who was the first of the
murdered from Columbine High School to
be buried. “We’ve removed prayer from our
schools and we’ve replaced it with violence,
hatred and murder.”
Bill Bennett made a similarly painful
observation on “Meet the Press” last Sunday. He said that if the Colorado killers
had been walking the school halls quoting
the Bible, instead of quoting Nazi dogma,
they would likely have been hauled in for
counseling.
But discrimination against serious
Christians isn’t new, and while that discrimination rarely rises to the level of
murder, the cultural hostility that began
with the banning of organized prayer and
Bible reading in public schools expresses
itself in many other ways.
Students are regularly discriminated
against in school when they are given assignments to write about their “favorite” or
“most influential” person and they choose
Jesus, only to be told He is the one person
about whom they may not write. Valedictorians are often told they can’t give God the
credit for their academic success.
Tax dollars have gone to subsidize “art”
that is blasphemous to Christians, but
Christians are told that not a dime can go
to anything “religious.”
Examples of discrimination against
Christians are legion.
A Winter Haven, Florida, middle school
student was told he violated a school policy
against wearing messages on T-shirts when
he wore one with a religious message.
But the school allows T-shirts supporting
sports teams or bearing brand names. Still,
the student’s father was told to bring in a
new T-shirt or take him home. His father
came and got him and contacted a lawyer.
In Michigan, the case of Christian landlords who refused to rent an apartment
to an unmarried couple because of the
landlord’s religious beliefs is being recon18
sidered by the state supreme court. The
court had earlier upheld a ruling by a lower
court that the landlords had discriminated
against the unmarried couple.
In Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
a third-grader, told she could perform a
favorite song for the school’s talent show,
wanted to sing a gospel tune. She was
denied the opportunity by the principal
because her song was religious. The parents contacted The Rutherford Institute,
which defends religious rights cases, and
the school relented.
In New Orleans, the ACLU threatened
Glimpses of Littleton
What happened in Littleton was proof, if we needed any, that there is such a thing
as raw, unadulterated evil. And our kids are especially vulnerable to it. In fact, the
darker parts of youth subcultures, the music and the sick films actively encourage
kids to embrace evil.
Columnist and Author Charles Colson
What is the source of the sort of hate that so occupies those who possess it that they
cannot think of anything or anybody else? Will those sifting through the rubble in
Littleton be able to figure that out? Or maybe it isn’t hate at all, but emptiness of a
sort most of us have never experienced and cannot understand. Maybe the apparently
pointless uglification and the ostensibly senseless human slaughter are attempts at
mattering by people who have concluded they don’t.
Columnist William Raspberry
Who’s next? Who’s ready to die?
One of the taunts used by the two killers as they stalked their classmates.
There is a God, and you need to follow along God’s path.
An unidentified girl, answering one of the gunmen when he asked her if she believed in
God. Following her answer, he said to her, “There is no God,” and shot her in the head.
I will rig up explosives all over town. I don’t care if I live or die.
Words of Eric Harris on his personal website.
If I ever get out, I’m going to be nice to my little brother.
The vow made by an unidentified boy as he hid inside the school from the shooters.
I was terrified on the outside. But on the inside, God gave me peace. I felt like many
others outside the school were praying for us.
Columbine junior Craig Nason, describing his emotions while the shooting was going on.
Is it possible for parents to miss homicidal rage? I can’t help asking: Where were the
Harrises and Klebolds when their sons were watching Natural Born Killers over
and over?
Columnist Amy Dickinson
AFA Journal • june, 1999
legal action against the Tangipahoa Parish School System for inviting a religious
speaker to its lunch club. The school allows
many diverse, non-curricular student clubs,
and attorneys for the school district have so
far managed to hold off legal action.
In Bothell, Washington, a pregnant
woman was allegedly forced off a bus during a storm for talking about her faith with
another passenger, who expressed similar
sentiments. The bus driver was said to have
been offended by the religious nature of
their conversation.
President Clinton alluded to a “hunting
culture” that contributes to such shootings
in schools. But there’s not necessarily a
direct connection between hunting and
gunning down fellow students. However,
there is a very real threat to Christians.
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Bernall could tell
you that if she was still with us. She was the
Columbine student who was asked by one
of the killers if she believed in God. When
she said she did, she was dispatched into
His care, a martyr to her faith.
Cal Thomas is a columnist for the Los
Angeles Times Syndicate. The address is 218
Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
A FIRM FOUNDATION
Stewardship… not
just for the wealthy
By glen fradenburg • AFA Foundation Director
The will of a famous French philosopher read: “I have little,
I owe lots. The rest I give to the poor.”
Many of us feel that way. I often hear people say, “I really
don’t have enough assets to be concerned with estate planning.”
Others fear that in old age, expenses like hospital bills,
nursing homes and inflation will eat up what little they have
saved.
While we Christians are encouraged by Scripture to make responsible provisions,
anxiety about the future can rob us of the blessing of knowing that when we go to
be with God, we will be found faithful, even in the final testimony of stewardship,
our will.
In Luke 12 Jesus offers two powerful portraits of stewardship – one bad and one
good. The parable of the rich fool warns those who only trust in their wealth. In
contrast, Jesus praises the sacrificial gift of the poor widow.
Godly stewardship is more a matter of equal sacrifice than equal gifts.
Measure your worth
An inventory of your finances will likely reveal more assets than you realize. A
home, life insurance, household goods, savings accounts, stocks or bonds…it all adds
up. But regardless of the size of your estate, it is important to make a plan.
For many, a will plus a durable power of attorney to manage property in case of
disability prior to death, is sufficient.
Others need to create a trust. If your estate is large enough to involve estate tax
implications, or if you have minor children, a trust is likely needed.
A gentle nudge
You already know it, but let us encourage you to finalize your estate planning
now. As the old saying goes, “Duties delayed are the devil’s delight.”
May I help you?
Proper planning may not be as costly or as complicated as you think. We at AFA
Foundation would be honored to be your guide. We are also qualified to review your
existing plans in light of current probate and tax laws.
In fact, we’d be glad to send you without charge or obligation, our Will and Trust
❑ Please send me a free copy of Will and Trust Planning Guide.
❑ Please send me information about estate tax and business planning.
❍ My estate is over $650,000. ❍ I own my own business.
Name _____________________________ Address________________________________
City/State/Zip ______________________________________________________________
Phone h ______ _______ _______
Date of Birth ___/___/___
w ______ _______ _______
Spouse’s date of birth ___/___/___
Mail to: AFA Foundation • P. O. Box 3933 • Tupelo, MS 38803
AFA Journal • june, 1999
courts
Brick walls in black robes
…And How To Overcome Them
BY virginia c. armstrong • President, Blackstone Institute
while sexual
immorality chokes the
moral atmosphere, our
children murder one
another in the nation’s
schoolrooms, and malignant dishonesty parades
through the highest office of American government, Christian
beliefs and values in America today are
imprisoned behind brick walls. These brick
walls wear the black robes of federal judges
and occupy the highest judicial posts in
the land.
What issues concern you most?
Whatever issue is of greatest concern
to you, your efforts to advance your cause
will eventually crash into one of these brick
walls in black robes. For example:
➤ Is your concern the conquest of so much
of America’s public life by humanism
and the simultaneous expulsion of
Christian values from the public square?
Then you must combat judges such as
U. S. District Judge Dan Polster. Judge
Polster ruled recently that the city seal
of Stow, Ohio, which includes a cross,
violates the constitutional “separation
of church and state.” Judge Polster was
nominated to his post last year by Bill
Clinton and unanimously approved by
the Republican-controlled Senate.
➤ Are you most concerned about the life
issues? If so, you must contend with
judges such as U. S. District Judge William Traxler, who recently invalidated
abortion clinic regulations in South
Carolina. Judge Traxler was also nominated to his post last year by Bill Clinton and approved unanimously by the
Republican-controlled Senate.
➤ Is your focus the viciously anti-Christian
gay rights movement? Then you will
collide with the U. S. Supreme Court.
This Court voted 6-3 in 1996 to deny
the people of Colorado the self-governing power to simply place homosexual
20
conduct on the same legal ground as
other conduct. Four members of the
six-person majority were appointed by
Republican presidents.
The list of judicial barriers to the preservation and perpetuation of America’s
original Christian value system is almost
endless. And the walls are growing. By the
beginning of 1999, the Clinton Admin-
istration, with the cooperation of Senate
Republicans, had named 301 liberal/activist
judges to the federal bench (almost 40% of
the judiciary). Not a single Clinton nominee
has been rejected by the Senate. Moreover, by
early March of this year, 19 more Clinton
nominees had been sent to Capitol Hill.
Twelve of these disturbing candidates were
nominated by the Administration but were
not acted upon by the Senate last year. The
foundation upon which these judicial brick
walls are built is a vicious and virulent form
of the humanistic worldview applied to the
field of law. And the mortar which cements
together the bricks representing individual
decisions and judges is a set of theories
known as “judicial activism/noninterpretivism.” (This position is also commonly
referred to as “judicial imperialism.” The
opposite position, which we advocate, is
known as “judicial restraint/interpretivism.”)
The mortar in the walls
“Judicial activism” is a theory of judicial power which places the courts in the
vanguard of policy-making, elevating the
courts above all other agents in America
–including the people and the Constitution. “Noninterpretivism” is a theory of
constitutional interpretation which asserts that the text of the Constitution and
the intent of its Framers are of little or no
relevance to today’s world. Perhaps the
most cogent summary of these theories
has been articulated by Arthur S. Miller, a
very prominent, influential law professor
and member of the legal elite. Writing in
his book, Toward Increased Judicial Activism, Miller asserts that the U. S. Supreme
Court Justices are “a de facto Council of
Elders [who] may be likened to the oracles
of ancient Greece.” “The Constitution is a
theological document…; and the Justices
are the High Priests who keep it current
with each generation of Americans.”
Has ever there been in history such an
arrogant assumption of power with such
deadly consequences for God’s people? The
answer, of course, is “Yes.” In one such cataclysmic period 2500 years ago we find both
inspiration and instruction for us today.
The Esther model: our day in court
The time was the Fifth Century B.C.,
and the place was the glorious Persian
Empire. A problem had been created in
the kingdom. Thanks to the malevolent
anti-Semitic government minister Haman,
King Ahaseurus had been incited to sign
the death warrant of all the Jews in Persia.
However, Ahaseurus did not know that his
beautiful and beloved new wife, Esther, was
a Jewess, and a most godly one.
The parallels between the dilemma of
Esther and of American Christians today
are striking and frightening. Esther, too,
AFA Journal • june, 1999
faced a brick wall clothed in the robes of
despotic and capricious power. But her
response was a godly and effective one and
provides a model for us to follow today.
In Chapter 4 of the Book of Esther we
find this three-stage blueprint outlined.
Surely it is past time for us to have our
day in court, and Queen Esther shows us
how.
Education
When Esther received the news of the
King’s edict, her first act was to seek all
the information possible to become educated (4:5-9). In America today our level
of knowledge about constitutional and
judicial issues is abysmally low. A variety
of factors accounts for this dismal condition; but intellectual incapacity among
Christians is not a factor – intimidation,
frustration, etc., perhaps, but not the intellectual inability to understand. What have
been at work are forces such as the willful
wall-building of the legal elites in America.
These self-proclaimed legal aristocrats
believe that the public cannot and/or
should not understand the workings of
the constitutional/judicial system, and they
have diligently promoted for many decades
the “cult of the robe.” This myth, exemplified in the above-cited quote from Arthur
Miller, strongly discourages Americans
from participating in constitutional and
judicial affairs.
But we can understand. Accurate and
understandable educational materials are
available, and we urge you to contact the
resources listed at the end of this article.
Supplication
Esther’s second step was to fast (4:1516). After reaching an intelligent understanding of the problems she faced, Esther
summoned her people to join her in fasting.
At that point in Biblical history, fasting was
an expression of mourning for sin and
was a form of entreaty to God to ward off
present or impending calamity. The Jews
led by Esther thus engaged in supplication
to God on behalf of their people. Surely
American Christians have never so urgently
AFA Journal • june, 1999
as now faced the need to obey the injunctions of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and to pray with
intensity and personal identification for
our nation.
To mobilize prayer for America’s federal
judges, a new movement is under way. This
effort, sponsored by the Blackstone Institute and known as the “Blackstone Brigade,”
seeks to recruit groups of Christians committed to pray daily for a particular federal
court. This prayer network includes all 113
federal courts, so 113 groups of Christians
have an unprecedented opportunity to
cover our federal judges with prayer. For
further information, contact the Blackstone
Institute listed below.
Participation
Thus armed with prayer and information, Esther’s last step was to actually
become personally involved in influencing
her husband, the king. Her actions and
their results are recorded in Chapters 7-10
of the Book of Esther. More than was true
of Esther, Americans today still have the
power and opportunity to influence the
courts of our land.
It is an almost universally unknown fact
that our federal courts can be extensively
controlled by the Congress and by constitutional amendment. Congress, in turn, is
obligated to be responsive to the will of the
people (regarding the courts as well as any
other policy matter). And the people are
also essential participants in the constitutional amendment process. Our popular
power over the federal judiciary may well
be the greatest sleeping giant in American
government and law. But it is long past time
for the giant to awake and act!
Two organizations already actively
mobilizing Americans to become involved
in fighting judicial imperialism are the
Eagle Forum’s Court Watch Project and the
Judicial Selection Monitoring Project of the
Free Congress Foundation. These groups
earnestly solicit your participation and may
be contacted at the addresses listed below.
As we awake and act, we should be
guided by three goals. The most urgent
immediate goal is to oppose the flood of
Clinton judicial nominations and stem the
resulting hemorrhaging of justice from our
body politic. Our intermediate-range goal
is to design a package of court-curbing
measures which should become a major
issue in the elections of 2000. These elections will probably be the most critical in
American history in determining the future
of the judiciary and the Constitution, and
the forces of reason and restraint must
prevail. Otherwise, the judiciary will be
lost for the foreseeable future, and perhaps
forever.
Our long-range goal must be to take
every action possible after the elections
of 2000 to implement the court-curbing
package and to fashion additional proactive and effective measures as needed. The
challenge may seem overwhelming, but
we Christians today can surely rely on the
assurance which God gave His people centuries ago in 2 Chronicles 20:15: “the battle
is not ours, but His.”
A Person was called
In Esther’s day, a problem had been created, but a person was called to cooperate
with God in the solution. Because Esther
heeded God’s call to her through Mordecai, God’s enemies were destroyed, God’s
people were delivered, and God’s leaders
were distinguished.
Will history be able to record as much
about us? Who knows but that we – man,
woman, younger American, older American, Republican, Democrat, independent
– who knows but that we, too, are come to
the kingdom for such a time as this?
For more information:
The Blackstone Institute
4102 Buffalo Gap Rd., Ste. F-190
Abilene, TX 79605
Ph. (915) 698-9221 • Fax (915) 695-2154
www.blackstoneinstitute.org
The Free Congress Foundation
Judicial Selection Monitoring Project
712 Second Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
Ph. (202) 546-3000 • Fax (202)543-5605
21
Choosing a long
distance company
is a matter of asking
the right questions.
Question #1: What long distance phone company recently offered
company benefits to the homosexual live-in partners of its
employees?
a. AT&T
b. Sprint
c. MCI d. LifeLine
Question #2: What long distance phone company is the largest
provider of dial-a-porn numbers?
a. AT&T
b. Sprint
c. MCI d. LifeLine
Question #3: What long distance phone company is the carrier for
Working Assets, an affinity phone company that donates part of
its profits to groups like Planned Parenthood, the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force and others?
a. AT&T
b. Sprint
c. MCI d. LifeLine
Question #4: What long distance phone company returns over
$2 million monthly to Christian ministries including American
Family Association; never advertises on objectionable TV
programs; takes a strong pro-life stand and has donated over
$100,000 yearly to elect God-fearing men and women
to political office?
a. AT&T
b. Sprint
c. MCI d. LifeLine
Any other questions?
Switch now to LifeLine. Call
1-800-684-3991
22
AFA boycotts
The only full-fledged boycott now
pursued by AFA is that of The Walt
Disney Company.
Calls and letters to other companies
are encouraged in order to address
objectionable policies, products, or
practices, but fall short of an official
AFA boycott.
believe…from page 24
rican figures in the Journal of the American
Medical Association, Centerwall had given
up on any efforts to get the entertainment
industry to reform itself.
“Industry spokespersons have made
innumerable protestations of good intent,” Centerwall said, “but nothing has
happened. In over 20 years of monitoring
television levels of violence, there has been
no downward movement.”
A national study sponsored by the cable
television industry last year documented
and updated the same finding: no progress.
Industry leaders, who sincerely had believed there had been progress, had hoped
the study would document it.
As in the case of the tobacco industry,
some victims are turning to the judicial
branch for relief. Several cases are pending
in which expert witnesses for victims are
showing the link between television and
criminal behavior.
Meanwhile, concerned physicians such
as Centerwall would like to see voluntary
rejection of violent television, just as consumers have begun to reject smoking. We
should be as careful about controlling our
children’s TV viewing as we are about their
seat belts, bicycle helmets, vaccines and
nutrition, he argues.
For that to happen, the public would
have to become aware of the TV-violence
connection in a gut-level way that has not
happened yet. Most people are aware that
there is some connection. What they don’t
know is the magnitude: TV may account
for half the homicide rate.
That story still cries out to be told.
For television news to do what CNN did
Tuesday night – acknowledge the problem
openly – is a pretty good start.
Philip Meyer holds the Knight Chair in
Journalism at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is also a consultant for
AFA Journal • june, 1999
twildmon@afa.net
No new worlds left to sail
BY TIM WILDMON • American Family Association Vice President
By the time you read this, the shock from the Littleton, Colorado, high school killings will be fading.
In the past few years we have witnessed a series of similar events
from the South, East, North and West. This is not a regional problem as some social scientists have suggested by citing the “southern
gun culture.” This is a national phenomenon. Violence among our
youth. What causes it? What to do about it? How to prevent it?
These are questions Americans are asking.
The worst thing I ever remember seeing on the campus of
Tupelo High in 1980 was outside on the patio
during lunch. We were all sitting around talking
when just a few yards away one guy came up
behind another guy and bashed him over the
head with a board. Everyone was stunned, girls
started screaming and someone rushed to the
office to get help.
The guy had to leave school for the hospital
and have his head stitched back together but
he survived. The one who did the bashing
ran away, but later got expelled from school.
Someone told me that the boy who committed the violence was constantly being teased
and taunted by his victim for different things.
Mostly it was because he was an oddball.
Ours was a big high school with some 1,300
students, but we didn’t have metal detectors
and, other than a few fistfights during the year,
there was no talk of knives, guns or violence.
My, how things have changed in 20 years. The day after the
Columbine High School murders I told my two school-aged kids
that if they ever heard that one of their fellow students had a
gun, knife or any kind of weapon, they need to tell their teachers
immediately. I couldn’t believe I was telling my third and fourth
graders such things. But even that would not have helped in
Littleton. These teens had plotted and planned this killing spree,
and even to bomb their own school.
What causes violence and other forms of anti-social behavior
among our youth? There are many and varied reasons I believe.
I’ll list just a few.
1. The breakdown of the family, including divorce. By and large
today’s American adults don’t care about the vows they make at the
church altar. They are just words of tradition without meaning.
2. The power of the mass media – especially the entertainment
media, such as violent and dark television shows, movies, music,
magazines, video and Internet games. What we think about is
what we become.
3. Parents don’t spend enough time with their children. To
mold and shape a child or teenager’s character, you absolutely
AFA Journal • june, 1999
must spend a lot of time together.
4. Some people are mentally unstable and insecure and looking
for something to make them feel powerful or to gain attention,
something that gives them identity – like gangs.
5. America – as a people – no longer fears or reveres God.
I could add several more reasons. And these are just my observations and opinions, not those of any university study or network
polling agency. But I think they make sense. And to some extent
we are always going to see evil things happening in our world. Always have and always will.
However, we’ve never seen this level of violence
among so many young people in America.
When I was a kid my mom and dad were
the two people I admired the most. That’s the
way it is with most children. Why? Because I
knew they loved and cared for me. When my
parents talked I listened. They taught me right
from wrong and the Golden Rule. They spent
time with me. They took me to church. They
prayed with me. They didn’t divorce or abandon me. All of these things in turn made me
want to please them.
I know I am oversimplifying matters here
somewhat but I strongly believe these parental
ingredients lead to healthy children. As good a
home environment as some children have in
the country, they still have to live in the greater society. We all do.
This is one of the reasons why the “if you don’t like it just turn it
off ” philosophy doesn’t work. This is what we at AFA have been
told by critics for years about almost every issue we’ve addressed.
“If you don’t like pornography don’t look at it.” Never mind that
most rapists and sex criminals are addicted to pornography. Or,
“If you don’t like the violence on television don’t watch it.” What
we’ve said to the television networks, advertising community and
our critics is, “You may have a right to broadcast sex, violence and
crudity but you also have a responsibility for how your programming impacts people.” In the case of Columbine, using this same
logic, we could reason, “If you don’t like being shot at, don’t go
to school.”
That’s not good enough.
We Americans are all in this together. We must try harder as
parents. And it should start with the household of God, to borrow
a phrase from the Bible. There are no new worlds left to sail to and
start a new country. This is it. We must take action now to overcome the evils that lead kids to pick up guns and kill other kids.
23
MEDIA
AFA Journal • JUNE, 1999
Believe it: TV violence stalks streets
of Littleton – and your town
By philip meyer
As part of its coverage Tuesday
evening of the mass murders in Littleton,
Colorado, CNN Headline News had a
well-prepared segment on the possibility
that television and movie violence create
a social atmosphere that makes such horrors possible.
It was a breakthrough. The story was
backed up with clips from violent entertainment and expert testimony based on
academic studies of the issue.
Usually, news media prefer to ignore
this old story. How old? How long has there
been scientific evidence that TV violence
breeds real life violence?
More than a generation
As in the case of tobacco, the health
hazards of violent television were recognized by experts and even by government
agencies long before public awareness
began to build.
In 1968, the National Commission on
the Causes and Prevention of Violence
was created.
In 1972, there was a report by a surgeon general’s committee: “Television
and Growing Up: The Impact of Televised
Violence.”
By 1976, the case was so obvious that the
American Medical Association’s House of
Delegates passed this resolution:
“The House declares TV violence threatens the health and welfare of young Americans, commits itself to remedial actions
with interested parties, and encourages
opposition to TV programs containing
violence and to their sponsors.”
Part of the reason that so little of this
information has filtered into public awareness is that the media gatekeepers don’t
like to think about it. It is a problem whose
only obvious solution, censorship, seems
unthinkable. Denial is easier.
One of the most dramatic and convincing demonstrations of the truth of
the TV-violence connection came in this
24
decade when a prediction made by Brandon Centerwall, then of the University of
Washington, came true.
Centerwall was aware that different
parts of the world got television at different times. Therefore, he reasoned, TV’s
effects should show up at correspondingly
different times.
The United States was ahead of other
countries. Our TV broadcasting got off
the ground in the late 1940s. Our neighbor,
Canada, was on approximately the same
schedule.
Ten years later, just as the first U.S.
generation raised on television reached the
vulnerable crime-committing years, the
homicide rate began a steep climb. After
15 years, it had doubled. Canada had the
same experience.
To nail down the cause-effect relationship, Centerwall needed a nation where
television had arrived late. He found it in
South Africa, where the repressive government had banned TV until 1975. Better
yet for his purposes, the low rate of white
homicide deaths in South Africa held constant in the same period that it doubled in
the United States and Canada.
When he discovered that, Centerwall
made his prediction. In 1989, looking at the
most recent data available to him – which
was five years old – he predicted that South
Africa’s white homicide rate would show
a doubling in the period 1985 to 1990,
which would be 10 to 15 years after the
introduction of television in 1975. It did
– and more.
Looking at 1983 data, Centerwall could
see that the rate had already increased by
56% from 2.5 homicides per 100,000 in
the final year before TV. When 1987 data
became available, it showed the rate had
reached 5.8 per 100,000. The doubling took
place on schedule.
The same differences were found in
U.S. subpopulations. Blacks got TV sets
later than whites, and their homicide rate
increased later by the same margin of delay.
A small Canadian town out of reach of the
first TV transmitters enjoyed a temporary
immunity that went away after technology
brought it into the media mainstream.
By 1992, when he reported the South AfSee Believe on page 22
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AFA Journal • june, 1999