DNC Boots Candidate from Chairmanship Race for Criticizing Ellison’s Islamic Faith

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The Democratic National Committee is kicking a candidate out of the chairmanship race after he told The Hill that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) should not be the party’s next leader because he is a Muslim.

In a Jan. 5 email to The Hill, Vincent Tolliver, a former House candidate in Arkansas, said that Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, should not be chairman because of Islamic positions on homosexuality.

“His being a Muslim is precisely why DNC voters should not vote for him,” Tolliver wrote. “Muslims discriminate against gays. Islamic law is clear on the subject, and being gay is a direct violation of it. In some Muslim countries, being gay is a crime punishable by death.”

“Clearly, Mr. Ellison is not the person to lead the DNC or any other organization committed to not discriminating based on gender identity or sexual orientation,” Tolliver continued. “I’m shocked [the Human Rights Campaign] has been silent on the issue. A vote for Representative Ellison by any member of the DNC would be divisive and unconscionable, not to mention counterproductive to the immediate and necessary steps of rebuilding the Democratic Party.”

A spokesperson for Tolliver said he stands by the statement. The Hill did not report on the remarks in early January because it was unclear whether Tolliver would be an active candidate for chair. (Read more from “DNC Boots Candidate from Chairmanship Race for Criticizing Ellison’s Islamic Faith” HERE)

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Alaskan Pro-Life Advocates to Protest Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood on Feb. 11

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In an effort to remove federal funding from the nation’s largest abortion chain pro-life advocates are planning “Defund Planned Parenthood” rallies in Alaska and across the country.

On Feb. 11 rallies will be held at Planned Parenthood locations throughout the United States, including in Anchorage.

“The time has come to defund America’s abortion giant!” said Patrick Martin, outreach director for Alaska Right To Life. “Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion chain, killing over 300,000 babies each year, and nearly half of their billion dollar budget comes from our tax dollars.

More than 60 pro-life organizations are supporting and participating in the rallies in an effort to encourage Congress to defund Planned Parenthood in its upcoming 2017 budget.

A budget without Planned Parenthood funding was sent to the president’s desk last year, and though President Obama vetoed it, pro-life advocates are hoping for a different outcome under newly elected President Donald Trump.

With Planned Parenthood actively pressuring lawmakers to oppose defunding the organization, pro-life leaders are hoping to show strong grassroots support for the defunding effort.

In Anchorage, the rally will take place Saturday, Feb. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic located at 4001 Lake Otis Drive.

Martin said the Anchorage rally will be “positive and family friendly” and participants “protest and pray for an end to Planned Parenthood’s massive government subsidy, and an end to abortion in our country.”

Pro-Life Action League and 40 Days for Life are spearheading the national effort and local pro-life leaders throughout the country such as Alaska Right to Life have responded on the grassroots level.

“The message of the February 11 national rally isn’t just to demand an end to all federal defunding of Planned Parenthood, which comprises roughly 40 percent of their annual $1 billion budget,” states the website of Pro-life Action League. “We’re also calling for those funds to be redirected to Federal Qualified Health Centers that provide a far wide spectrum of services to women without killing children through abortion.”

If Planned Parenthood were to lose its federal funds it “would send the organization into a major crisis, possibly requiring them to begin shutting down locations within months, and crippling their ability to oppose pro-life legislation,” the website adds. “The goal of the February 11 ‘Defund Planned Parenthood’ rally is to help speed that day.

A vote on the defunding language is expected in Congress by the end of February. (For more from the author of “Alaskan Pro-Life Advocates to Protest Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood on Feb. 11” please click HERE)

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