New York State Issues Devastating Ultimatum to Faith-Based Adoption Agency

A religious adoption provider that has operated since 1965 and placed more than 1,000 children with families is being told by the New York state government to either changes its operating procedures – and go against its faith – or shut down.

Founded by local Christian ministers, New Hope Family Services (NHFS) opened its doors 53 years ago, serving the women, children, and families of Syracuse, NY. In 1986, the organization opened a pregnancy center for women in need, providing pregnancy tests, referrals, and counseling.

As a religious organization, NHFS believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and will only place children in homes with a married mother and father. Same-sex couples who seek NHFS’s services, however, are referred to other adoption providers. NHFS says it has clearly articulated its religious beliefs and has had no formal complaints lodged against it.

That all changed in October 2018, when the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) sent NHFS a letter claiming its traditional marriage policy was “discriminatory and impermissible.” The letter told NHFS that if it did not “revise the present policy” and continued with business as it had done for decades, or failed “to bring the policy into compliance with the regulation,” then “OCFS will be unable to approve continuation of [New Hope’s] current adoption program and [New Hope] will be required to submit a close-out plan for the adoption program.” . . .

Even though NHFS refers same-sex couples to other adoption agencies, New York believes they are breaking the law. The Christian Broadcasting Network reported that the New York legislature “allowed unmarried and same-sex partners to adopt beginning in 2010, it does not mandate that agencies place their children with non-traditional parents.” Title 18 was first proposed in 2013. (Read more from “New York State Issues Devastating Ultimatum to Faith-Based Adoption Agency” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Is This a Joke? 27 Percent of People Think Santa Should Be Female or Gender Neutral

For a long time, Santa Claus has been portrayed as an older man with a hefty build and big white beard but a new poll finds that some feel that Santa should be rebranded as a woman or gender neutral.

After years of this image, Graphic Springs, a logo design company, surveyed hundreds to rebrand Santa and give him a more modern image.

The survey polled approximately 400 people from the United States and United Kingdom. Then, 4,000 people voted on the most popular version of the Santa they designed from the survey.

“Modern Santa” has tattoos, a stylishly-trimmed beard, skinny jeans, sneakers, and a hoverboard. He’s tech-savvy and looks like he could easily feature in GQ magazine.

A new survey found that over 27 percent of people asked would rebrand Santa Claus as a woman or gender-neutral. (Read more from “Is This a Joke? 27 Percent of People Think Santa Should Be Female or Gender Neutral” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Obesity Rates Soar Extremely High in 2018

The nation’s obesity rate has reached the highest-ever level this year, according to the United Health Foundation’s 2018 . Obesity is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease, cancer and other conditions. Additionally, an increase in drug deaths, suicides and cardiovascular disease deaths is contributing to an increase in premature death.

In its 29 th year, the America’s Health Rankings Annual Report also reveals bright spots, including the reduced rate of childhood poverty and an increased number of mental health providers and primary care physicians per 100,000 people. Key findings include: . . .

The obesity rate exceeded 30 percent of the adult population for the first time in America’s Health Rankings history, up 5 percent in the past year (from 29.9 percent to 31.3 percent). Premature deaths increased 3 percent (from 7,214 to 7,432 years lost before age 75 per 100,000 people). (Read more from “Obesity Rates Soar Extremely High in 2018” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

‘Christmas Miracle’: Mall Overturns Nativity Set Ban After Christians Protest With Living Nativity

By Life Site News. A shopping mall in Scotland has overturned its ban on displaying a Christmas nativity scene after Christians protested the decision by staging a living nativity, right within the mall.

Thistles Centre in Stirling released a statement today saying that they had changed their minds and would allow a representative from the Legion of Mary to set up a nativity scene as part of their Christmas decor. . .

On Monday, Scottish Catholics John Mallon and Elena Feick protested actively by visiting the mall dressed as St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mallon chatted with shoppers and discussed the “crib controversy” with them. A video of the dynamic duo “looking for a place at the inn” has been viewed thousands of times on social media. . .

The Scotsman has reported that the Archdiocese of St. Andrews & Edinburgh has likewise expressed great satisfaction that Thistles Centre has responded with “generosity and inclusivity” to Christians.

“The management of the Thistles Centre, along with owners Standard Life Investments, are to be commended and congratulated for listening to the general public and responding with such generosity and inclusivity, recognising that contemporary Scotland should be a place that both respects and upholds religious liberty in the public square,” an archdiocesan spokesman said. (Read more from “‘Christmas Miracle’: Mall Overturns Nativity Set Ban After Christians Protest With Living Nativity” HERE)

____________________________________________

Washington City Removes Nativity Scene From Public Park After Complaints

By Fox News. A Nativity scene in a Woodland, Washington, park was removed Tuesday after city officials said they received complaints questioning the Christmas display’s presence on public land.

Officials said the Nativity scene – featuring a manger, baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, the three wise men, an angel and several genuflecting animals – would be moved to a privately-owned vacant lot.

The decision came after the city’s attorney advised officials that keeping the display on public property was a violation of federal and state laws.

“I wouldn’t have chosen to do this, but it’s in the best interest of the city to do so,” Mayor Will Finn told Fox 12. “The feedback I’m getting is that it’s in a better spot.” . . .

The city had allowed it to be displayed at Horseshoe Lake Park for the past few decades, with Finn estimating the manger had been set up in the park every holiday season for the last 40 years. (Read more from “Washington City Removes Nativity Scene From Public Park After Complaints” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Why Most People Can’t Explain the Reasons Meddling With Babies’ DNA Is Wrong

News emerged last week that Chinese scientist He Jiankui had broken new ground scientifically and ethically by using CRISPR technology to edit the genes of unborn babies. Groundbreaking scientific efforts are usually hailed as progress for humanity; innovation in ethics is more often considered a problem.

Both reactions are understandable. While new scientific developments have often improved the lives of people around the world, new developments in ethics typically involve getting around a moral barrier that mankind erected long ago—and for good reasons. The public’s reaction has been nearly universally to condemn He’s actions, but people have had a harder time putting the reason for their disgust into words.

The problem is that Western culture has retreated from its historical ideas of right and wrong. Without a grounding in religion or philosophy, people are left with feelings about proper behavior, but lack the grounding to explain those emotions. We feel, almost instinctively, that it is wrong to meddle with the DNA of an unborn human being, but we don’t know why we feel that way, nor can we articulate it. . .

The problem is that, disconnected from any greater ideas about what behavior is and is not acceptable, the question of consent lacks focus. If two people can consent to anything, does that mean nothing to which they consent, if it involves only the two of them, is immoral?

Not to mention that there are more than two people involved in each of He’s experiments: the doctor, the mother, the father, and the baby. One of these is incapable of consent and two more were allegedly duped, but even had it been possible to get everyone on board with the idea, would it ever be okay to meddle with unborn babies’ DNA? (Read more from “Why Most People Can’t Explain the Reasons Meddling With Babies’ DNA Is Wrong” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Linda Sarsour, Unfazed by New Anti-Semitism Charges, Will Keynote Radical Islamist Gathering

Women’s March leader and Islamist activist Linda Sarsour is scheduled to speak at the end of the month at the Muslim American Society-Islamic Circle of North America (MAS-ICNA) annual conference in Chicago.

The announcement comes on the heels of a Tablet magazine profile that shined a light on Women’s March leaders, including Sarsour, who routinely engaged in anti-Semitic harassment of their Jewish colleagues.

“I talked to everyone, and I said it to every last one of them: Tamika [Mallory] needs to resign—not just because of her Farrakhan connection, but because of how she handled it afterwards. I said Linda [Sarsour] also needs to step down. Her controversy and the things she keeps saying and doing are detrimental to the movement,” Mercy Morganfield, a former Women’s March spokesperson, said in the interview with Tablet.

Tablet then asked Morganfield whether she believes Women’s March co-chairs, including Sarsour, are anti-Semitic. She responded: “There are no Jewish women on the board. They refused to put any on. Most of the Jewish people resigned and left. They refused to even put anti-Semitism in the unity principles.”

At the Chicago conference, Sarsour will be joined by a who’s who of America’s most fringe Islamist preachers, including:

Imam Omar Suleiman, a gay-bashing imam who has endorsed honor killings, the act of murdering a family member for her allegedly inappropriate behavior to restore “honor” within the community or household.

Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Hamas-tied Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S.-based group that was founded to build support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States. Awad has previously declared that he is “in support of the Hamas movement,” which remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. The UAE recently listed CAIR itself as a terrorist organization.

Mazen Mokhtar, who was identified in a federal affidavit as the individual behind a website to raise funds for the Taliban and Chechen terrorists.

The groups that combined to host the confab share an extremist, anti-American agenda.

In a major terrorism financing case, federal prosecutors labeled the Muslim American Society (MAS) as an “overt arm” of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global Islamist organization that seeks to impose the primitive and barbaric Sharia law and a global Islamic caliphate.

The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) also has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Terrorism analyst Yehudit Barsky has described the group as a network “composed of members of Jamaat e-Islami, a Pakistani Islamic radical organization similar to the Muslim Brotherhood that helped to establish the Taliban.”

Kyle Shideler, director of the Counter-Islamist Grid, an initiative of the Middle East Forum, spoke to Conservative Review about Sarsour’s activism. “Linda Sarsour’s antisemitism and support for Islamist causes have never been more apparent. Her relationships with progressive groups have exploded thanks to her role in hijacking the Women’s March, and her Islamist ties have been outed not just in niche media, but in mainstream and even international publications,” Shideler tells CR. “That MAS-ICNA still wants her to speak is a reminder that they are a group founded by Islamists for Islamists. Groups that align with them do so at their own peril.”

Sarsour has admitted that her progressive advocacy is largely a front to build a coalition around her anti-Israel, pro-Palestine agenda. She also has a habitual tendency to blame Jews and Israelis — harnessing anti-Semitic dog whistles to cloak her advocacy in human rights language — for problems occurring around the world.

Sarsour spoke at the same conference last year, where she was joined by many of the same fringe characters. (For more from the author of “Linda Sarsour, Unfazed by New Anti-Semitism Charges, Will Keynote Radical Islamist Gathering” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Woman Sues Orchestra for Pay Discrimination. There’s Just One Problem.

The first chair flutist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is suing the organization, claiming she receives $70,000 less than her male counterpart because she is a woman.

Elizabeth Rowe, who joined the BSO when she was 29 after a blind audition, which, according to the Washington Post involved playing “behind a brown, 33-foot polyester screen” so no one knew her gender or race. Rowe is now 44, and knows that John Ferrillo, a 63-year-old man, makes nearly $70,000 more than her, because his salary was disclosed in a tax filing, since the BSO is a nonprofit organization.

Ferrillo has been with the BSO since 2001. Rowe has been with the orchestra since 2004. Ferrillo was also lured away from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Post reported, by offering to pay him “twice what the orchestra’s rank-and-file-make.”

But the biggest difference between the two? Rowe plays the flute, while Ferrillo plays the oboe. Two very different instruments. So, this is not a case of unequal pay for equal work. BSO provided the Post with a statement, in which it “defended its pay structure, saying that the flute and oboe are not comparable because, in part, the oboe is more difficult to play and there is a larger pool of flutists.” . . .

To be fair to Rowe, she didn’t want her lawsuit to become public. The Post reports that she only wanted her bosses to know about the lawsuit, but the Boston Herald discovered the suit and spoke to Rowe. Her lawsuit will test the Massachusetts Equal Pay Law, which her lawsuit claims requires the orchestra she needs to be paid the same or more than a male in a comparable position. She contends lead oboist is comparable. The BSO says otherwise. (Read more from “Woman Sues Orchestra for Pay Discrimination. There’s Just One Problem.” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Public School Continues to Allow Bullying, Harassment of Jewish Students

In response to several anti-Semitic incidents, Americans for Peace and Tolerance (where I work) launched an extensive investigation into anti-Semitic bullying and harassment of Jewish, pro-Israel students by radical left-wing history teachers at Newton North High School in Massachusetts. The investigation is ongoing, with thousands of internal emails and other documents already obtained and examined under the Massachusetts Public Records Law. Thousands more are on their way. . .

Two years ago, a Jewish student at Newton North — we’ll call her Becky — was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer with a 60-70 percent survival rate, just before she was to start her junior year. Her parents moved her to Israel for a year of treatment by its amazing doctors. Becky wanted to attend a U.S.-accredited international school in Israel, because she wanted to graduate with her friends back in Newton after she got better and returned home.

In response to this plan, and to Becky’s desire to take an AP class, Jonathan Bassett, the chair of the Newton North history department, stated: “This is, of course, somewhat ridiculous.” He then wrote: “I’m not going to entertain requests … to take [a course] pass/fail, or any other modification.” He finished with, “I’m not going to have them play the cancer card on me if it doesn’t go well.”

At Newton South, Newton’s other high school, a more sympathetic attitude appears to prevail. An Israeli student was given the choice to take an entire semester of classes pass/fail simply because a visa issue forced him to miss a few days of school.

Bassett has been intensely hostile to community members concerned about anti-Israel bias in his school, telling teachers to “ignore the noise” and, in the words of a former school committee member, “wax[ing] poetic about this garbage,” referring to the community members’ concerns. Two years ago, Bassett dismissed a Jewish parent’s concerns about anti-Israel and pro-Islam history lessons in class, telling the principal, “She has some mental health issues and is visibly unwell.” . . .

Earlier this year, a Newton North history teacher had someone who apparently turned out to be a visiting former student reported to the Newton Police Department, because the former student came into the history office looking for a couple of teachers and happened to be wearing a sweatshirt with an Israel Defense Forces logo. The teacher felt that the former student represented a threat to the school. (Read more from “Public School Continues to Allow Bullying, Harassment of Jewish Students” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Radio Station Lifts Ban on Popular Christmas Song

Sometimes the crowd is full of stupid. But sometimes the crowd is full of wisdom. A Bay Area radio station’s decision to lift the ban on the popular Christmas song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” due to an audience poll is an example of the latter.

According to CBS News, San Francisco’s KOIT radio station will be returning the allegedly controversial “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” to the airwaves this season after audiences overwhelmingly expressed disapproval of the ban.

The ban occurred last week when KOIT Program Director Brian Figula announced the station would be shelving the song while asking listeners for feedback. In the end, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” won the day. . .

“After hearing from thousands of Bay Area listeners via polling, phone calls, emails and social media, KOIT has concluded that the vast majority consider the song to be a valuable part of their holiday tradition, and they still want to hear it on the radio,” Figula said in a statement on Monday. . .

“KOIT’s listeners have spoken, and the overwhelming message is they do want to hear ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ on our station, as they have throughout the years,” he said. “More than seven out of every ten listeners who responded said although some lyrics of the song may reflect a different era and a different sensibility than today, still they love the tradition and history of the song, and want to hear it as part of their holiday season.” (Read more from “Radio Station Lifts Ban on Popular Christmas Song” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Here’s the Outcome of the Stormy Daniels Lawsuit

It’s a win for Trump. The defamation lawsuit filed against Donald Trump by Michael Avenatti on behalf of Stormy Daniels has been tossed—and a judge is ordering her to pay nearly the president’s $294,000 legal tab. Daniels recently toldthe Daily Beast that the defamation suit filed by Avenatti was done against her wishes. The suit claimed that Trump has defamed the adult entertainment actress on his Twitter account. Well, regardless of the circumstances, it’s time to pay up, Stormy (via CNBC):

A federal judge in California has ordered porn star Stormy Daniels to pay President Donald Trump more than $292,000 in his attorneys’ fees and another $1,000 in sanctions in connection with her dismissed defamation suit against Trump.

Trump’s lawyer Charles Harder said that the fees that Daniels was ordered to pay amount to 75 percent of Trump’s legal feels in the case. And he said the sanctions are for Daniels having filed a “meritless” defamation action against Trump. . .

“They received less than one half what they asked for because the request was gross and excessive,” Avenatti said. “Stormy will never have to pay a dime because they owe her over $1 million in attorney’s fees and costs from the main NDA case, especially in light of Cohen’s guilty plea to a felony.

(Read more from “Here’s the Outcome of the Stormy Daniels Lawsuit” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.