Subject: SPECIAL REPORT from c.c.watch
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 23:13:43 -0500

SPECIAL REPORT

To: The c.c.watch Internet Network
Subject: Keeping Track 
Date: December 1, 1995

A. More on the upcoming hearings requested by Lou Sheldon and now entitled
"Parents, Schools and Values" to be held on Dec 5 & 6 by the House
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: A spokesman for Chair Peter
Hoekstra (R-MI at 800/972-3524) said today that they have planned "fair and
balanced hearings" and probable topics would be sex education, homosexuality
and condom distribution. Two witnesses on the subject of homosexuality would
be an educator who has worked with teachers on the issue and a parent that
was unhappy with his/her school district. Except for William Bennett, the
witnesses were not national figures but people who have been involved on the
local level. It is "standard practice" not to release the names of witnesses
in advance; furthermore, they "don't want the people inundated with
calls...just to give their testimony." A spokeswoman for the senior minority
member of the subcommittee, Tom Sawyer (D-OH), said that her boss preferred
that the hearings not take place at all. His view is that these are not
federal issues, but ones to be handled at the local level. A good working
relationship, however, between Hoekstra and Sawyer has "toned down [the
situation] from what could have been." Testifying on Tuesday with Bill
Bennett will be Patrice Ann Baltz of the "Partnership for Learning," The CA
and Disney Teacher of the Year will speak "on behalf of the students." On
Wednesday, the Democrats will be allowed to present 2 witnesses--a school
psychologist/administrator and a parent whose gay son committed suicide.

B. James Dobson (Focus on the Family/FOF) sounds the call for widespread
legislation against gay marriages: The November 29th issues of "Family Issues
Alert" warned that the Hawaii Commission on Sexual Orientation and the
Law--full of "pro-gay activists"--has issued a biased report which will be
sent soon to the Hawaii legislature for action. The faxed alert went on to
say: "Key Point: Homosexual marriage in Hawaii will impact all 50
states...Mainland legislators should prepare in January to pass laws
prohibiting homosexual marriages." Suggested resources were: 1) Stop
Promoting Homosexuality in America (SPHA) Bulletins for October and November
from SPHA, PO Box 27843, Honolulu, HI 96827 or 808/523-7739; and 2) model
legislation forbidding gay marriages from South Dakota Family Policy Council
founded by John Paulton and an affiliate of FOF, at [email-masked] or by
fax 605/338-0240. 

C. The Pat Robertson & Co campaign to undermine lesbian and gay Americans
continued this week: On Tuesday, Pat and his co-hosts talked a bit on The 700
Club about how have they have had a lot of publicity by people trying to make
them out as hatemongers. Pat said that it simply boils down to what the Bible
says and God's willingness to forgive us for our sins. Some people he said,
don't want to stop sinning and want to bluff it through by saying: "Anyone
who says it's wrong, I'm going to stigmatize them on television, saying how
horrible they are."  Today--following a long-held practice of getting other
people to say what they mean--The 700 Club offered: 1) a feature on
Restoration Ministries of Loveland, CO--including a "former lesbian" named
Ann who used to demonstrate against CBN and who now maintains that the
pro-homosexual bias of the media makes it harder to change; and 2) an
interview with Dr. Charles Socarides, author of  "Homosexuality, A Freedom
Gone Too Far." Among Socarides comments were: the word homophobic is "a slur
word used to quiet any opposition" that "has no meaning whatsoever," "We hate
the condition not the individual with the condition," adoption by homosexual
couples is "a disaster," it's "most important that the family structure not
be a disturbed one," and homosexuals are "absolutely...not born that way at
all." Pat Robertson was not in the studio today, World Aids Day.

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