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More on Dr. Laura and Hate Speech Colin Nickerson (Boston Globe), "Canada silences Dr. Laura on gays: Panel rebukes host for her 'abusive' bias," 12 May 00 Seattle Times, "Dr. Laura's tempest comes to town," 15 May 00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NOTION OF "TRADITIONAL VALUES" Pope John Paul Urges Return to Traditional Values Philip Pullella (Reuters) 13 May 00 FATIMA, Portugal -- Pope John Paul, beatifying two shepherd children who had visions of the Madonna in 1917, said Saturday that modern society had to return to traditional values if it wanted to avoid self-destruction. In his sermon at a beatification mass attended by hundreds of thousands of people, the Pope did not disclose the so-called "Secret of Fatima," said to have been told by the Virgin Mary to three child visionaries in 1917 in this central Portuguese town. It was not clear if the Pope would refer to the secret, which some fear may be a prediction of an apocalyptic event, later in the day before returning to Rome. While the first two parts of the Madonna's message are well known, the third has never been revealed to anyone but Popes and a few top Vatican officials, sparking speculation the Pontiff could divulge it in Fatima. The beatification ceremony, in which Francisco and Jacinta Marto were declared "blesseds" of the Church, was attended by Sister Lucia dos Santos, a frail, 93-year-old nun who is the only survivor of the three visionaries. At the shrine built around the spot of the 1917 events, cheers and tears greeted the Pope's proclamation of beatification, the penultimate step before sainthood, which can only be bestowed upon the dead. Pope Refers To Madonna's Message While the Pope did not disclose the Secret of Fatima in his homily, he did refer generally to what the Church says was the Madonna's concern that sins against God were putting the world on a destructive path. "The message of Fatima is a call to conversion, appealing to humanity to that it does not fall into the (devil's) trap," the Pope said, adding that a struggle between good and evil was still in progress today. The horrors of the past century, including wars, concentration camps, gulags, ethnic cleansing, persecutions, terrorism, kidnappings, drugs and abortion had produced many victims of evil, he said. "Man, by putting God to the side, cannot reach happiness. He will only end up destroying himself," the Pope, who wore resplendent gold and white vestments and appeared to be in good form, told the crowd. Speaking on the 19th anniversary of the 1981 assassination attempt that nearly killed him, the Pope also renewed his thanks to God for having been "saved from death." That shooting also took place on May 13 and the Pontiff, who turns 80 Thursday, is convinced that the Madonna of Fatima diverted bullets fired by a professional killer so that they would not hit vital organs. "One hand fired the gun and another guided the bullet," the Pope once said. When he arrived Friday night, the Pope prayed before a statue of the Madonna of Fatima, whose crown contains the bullet fired by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca. Secret Subject Of Hundreds Of Books The Secret of Fatima has been the subject of hundreds of books, fills thousands of web sites and even inspired a 1981 plane hijacking by a man who wanted the Vatican to reveal it. Doom and gloom predictions have percolated and been doused time and again since Sister Lucia began writing down her recollections of the apparitions. The first part of the Madonna's message was a vision of hell shown to the children. In the second part, Mary predicted the outbreak of World War Two some 22 years before it started, asked for devotion to her Immaculate Heart and asked that Russia, which was about to undergo the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, be consecrated to her. Otherwise, the Madonna is said to have told the children, to whom she appeared each month from May to October, 1917, that Russia, about to become the Soviet Union, would "spread her errors" in the world and the Pope would suffer much. Some Catholics believe Mary predicted the papal assassination attempt and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Portuguese police have mounted a massive security operation for the visit, with some 1,500 officers being deployed in Lisbon and Fatima. On the first of the Pope's visits in 1982, when he came to give thanks for having survived the assassination attempt a year earlier, a fundamentalist Spanish priest tried to stab him with a bayonet but failed. - - - - - Dear Dr. Laura Deborah Mokma Dear Dr. Laura, Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this? I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. Lev. 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify? I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.I don't agree. Can you settle this? Lev. 20:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE ON DR. LAURA AND HATE SPEECH Canada silences Dr. Laura on gays: Panel rebukes host for her 'abusive' bias Colin Nickerson (Boston Globe) 12 May 00 HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Ruling that respect for gays and lesbians is a more fundamental value than freedom of speech, Canada's broadcast watchdog has thunderously condemned Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the pop psychologist, warning that her radio show could ignite antigay violence. In what may be the most strongly-worded ruling in the body's history, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council rebuked Schlessinger for what it called "abusively discriminatory" violations of Canada's broadcast code for stating that homosexual behavior is "abnormal," "aberrant," and "deviant" on her popular radio call-in program. The council also condemned Canadian radio stations that broadcast the show, and will require them to censor antigay comments on future broadcasts and to broadcast statements on the ruling at prime time - in effect, warning Canadian listeners against Schlessinger's ideas. In an unusual aside, the council stepped back from Schlessinger's show to take a swipe at the fundamental American precept that even unpopular opinions have the right to be aired. "In Canada, we respect freedom of speech but do not worship it," the council stated. The self-policing industry regulatory group, to which 430 private Canadian radio and television stations belong, denounced Schlessinger's views as tantamount to racism. "The sexual practices of gays and lesbians are as much a part of their being as the color of one's skin or the gender, religion, age or ethnicity of an individual," the council ruled late Wednesday. "To use such brutal language as she does about such an essential characteristic flies in the face of Canadian provisions relating to human rights." The ruling marked the second time in recent years that Canada has sought to swat a controversial American radio personality from the northern airwaves. In the mid-1990s, Howard Stern - then aired by two Canadian stations - came under fire from the broadcast council for referring to French-Quebecers as "scumbags" and saying they should learn English. Stern's show has since been dropped by a Montreal station and is closely monitored and occasionally edited by the Toronto broadcaster. Proponents of gay rights in Canada were jubilant about the harshly-worded ruling against Schlessinger, whose conservative notions have also drawn protests in the United States. "I'm on Cloud Nine," said Ian Crowe of Halifax, one of the four individuals who filed formal complaints against Dr. Laura with the council. "I feel I've done good for the world.... What this says is Dr. Laura is not allowed to call me deviant, aberrant, disordered or dysfunctional." According to industry estimates, Schlessinger's show attracts about 18 million listeners on nearly 500 stations in the United States and Canada. She also writes a column for more than 100 newspapers. In Canada, it is a criminal offense to "willfully promote hatred" against an "identifiable group," a category that includes racial, religious and ethnic minorities as well as people whose only common bond is their sexuality, such as gays or lesbians. Ron Cohen, chairman of the broadcast council, said Canadian radio stations may still broadcast Schlessinger's show but must censor any comments that insult or denigrate homosexuals. - - - - - Dr. Laura's tempest comes to town Seattle Times 15 May 00 Once more, Seattle is raising high the banner of protest. The pulse of activism that throbbed through town last December is revving up. Web sites and speed-dials are buzzing. And all on account of one gabby, anti-gay radio dominatrix with a compulsive need to spank her listeners. When Paramount Studios last year gave famed disciplinarian Dr. Laura Schlessinger the go-ahead for a TV show, the syndicator surely never imagined what would ensue. Coast-to-coast demonstrations. A boycott of Procter & Gamble Co., which will advertise on "Dr. Laura." Public objections within Paramount from its many gay employees. And this Saturday at 1 p.m., a "Stop Dr. Laura" rally in front of the Dexter Street headquarters of KING-TV, which will start broadcasting the show Sept. 13. The gay-fueled movement to persuade KING and Paramount to kill Schlessinger's show before it ever airs comes to Seattle at a time when the city seems predisposed to protest - especially about human-rights issues. "Stop Dr. Laura" organizers are hoping to make Seattle's turnout the biggest yet, and have slated a host of speakers from the local and national gay communities. The headliner is former congressional candidate Grethe Cammermeyer. But is the as-yet-unseen "Dr. Laura" really worth all this fuss? The wheezing talk-show genre is tanking on TV, with ratings for Ricki Lake, Jerry Springer and even "Oprah" in decline and recent mercy cancellations of Martin Short, Dr. Joy Browne and Donny and Marie Osmond. Besides, our society espouses the principles of capitalism. KING paid good money for a program it's now obligated to air or else violate a contract. So why not let the marketplace decide? Gay activists say no way. To them, Dr. Laura's diatribes against homosexuality - she has likened it to bestiality, pedophilia and incest, and called gays "biological errors" - make her someone who should never have gotten a TV deal in the first place. "If Dr. Laura had called blacks 'biological errors,' no one would have given her a TV show," says Seattle protest organizer Pete Gregson. "Paramount's decision is akin to saying it's OK to be intolerant of gays and lesbians, just not any other minority group." On Friday, a group of gay representatives will meet with KING's management to offer their concerns and an ultimatum: Get rid of the show or face protests and boycotts. The same tactics will apply to local advertisers whose commercials run on the show, says Gregson. So far, neither Paramount nor any TV station planning to carry "Dr. Laura" has backed down. That's not to say the protests haven't had an effect on the show. According to KING programming director Jay Cascio, Paramount promises Dr. Laura's guests and audience members will include a variety of viewpoints. Furthermore, said Cascio, KING will vet the program - and be prepared to pull the plug. "If 'Dr. Laura' promotes intolerance and bigotry, if it is not the show or episode we were promised, we will take it off," he said. "I do not defend Dr. Laura based on her past. What I defend is KING-5 and the standards we hold to as broadcasters, the relationship we have with the community and with individual groups." Ironically, KING has a commendable scorecard on gay concerns, not only in its hiring and news practices, but in its charitable support. That, plus the potential loss of well-heeled gay viewers, makes the situation touchy for both sides. But there's good reason to believe the "Dr. Laura" dilemma will resolve itself come fall. Here's why: If "Dr. Laura" ends up delivering the rabid, bottom-thrashing lectures typical of her show on KOMO radio, KING will have to yank it. And if it doesn't go over the top, what we're likely to see is another dull talk show with dull guests; in other words, a toothless program ripe for cancellation or consignment to the 2 a.m. slot on KONG-TV now occupied by - oh, the ignominy - "Roseanne." * * * * * In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. __________________________________________________________________________ FASCISM: We have no ethical right to forgive, no historical right to forget. (No permission required for noncommercial reproduction) - - - - - back issues archived via: <ftp://ftp.nyct.net/pub/users/tallpaul/publish/tinaf/> --- Sponsor's Message -------------------------------------- Knowledge is power, but at AllPredict it’s also cash and prizes! 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