Excerpted from German Police Hunt Paedophile After Boy Killed, by Hannah Cleaver, published Feb 28, 2007, by Telegraph:Police in Germany used dogs, helicopters and heat-seeking equipment yesterday in their hunt for a convicted paedophile who they are certain sexually abused and killed a nine-year-old boy.

Authorities in the eastern city of Leipzig released chilling photographs of the last sighting of Mitja Hofmann. Captured by CCTV as he sat on a tram, the boy was smiling broadly as he made what was supposed to be his first ever journey home from school unaccompanied by his mother.

But the man sitting next to him was named by police as Uwe Kolbig, 43, a man known to police after serving two years in prison for sexually abusing children in 1998.

In an unusual step by police, they stated that they are certain that later that day, last Thursday, Kolbig sexually abused and murdered Mitja.

The boy’s body was found on Saturday evening in Kolbig’s allotment.

Police said that he had died after being strangled. Kolbig himself could not be found.

Continue reading in Telegraph… 

We received the following comment on Out & Costly on Mar 2, 2007 (sic):

“You failed to include the fact that the tax for domestic partmer benifits are paid by the employee and not the employer as the plan is a non-qualifying 125 plan.”

AFTAH’s response:

That information was included in the post:

“…Out & Equal’s ‘spousal equivalency policy’ would require the employer to compensate the homosexual employee for the absence of tax exemption on homosexual partner and children health insurance costs…. Because there is no federal recognition of ‘gay marriage,’ although a homosexual may receive domestic partner benefits, his contribution is paid with taxable dollars.”

The point of the latter section of the post, perhaps made more clearly:

• Currently, some employers do — and some employers do not — offer domestic partner benefits (DPB) to homosexuals; additionally, some offer DPB also to cohabiting heterosexuals as well.
• Most employees contribute some portion of the cost of their benefits through payroll deduction.
• Under current federal law, single employees (whose benefits may cover self only, or self and children) pay their portion with pre-tax dollars; married employees (whose benefits normally cover spouse and children) also pay their portion using pre-tax dollars.
• Federal law recognizes marriage between one man and one woman; it does not recognize “domestic partnership.” Therefore, homosexual (or cohabiting heterosexual) employees who currently have access to DPB pay their contribution for a “partner” and/or “partner’s” children using taxable dollars, but…
• A homosexual (or cohabiting heterosexual) employee still pays the contribution toward his/her own benefits and his/her own children’s benefits with pre-tax dollars, just like any other single employee.
• Out & Equal is advocating that employers pay homosexuals (or cohabiting heterosexuals) using DPB more than married heterosexuals to compensate the pre-tax/taxable difference on the partner/partner’s children portion.

AFTAH is not in favor of domestic partner benefits for homosexuals (or for cohabiting heterosexuals), nor are we in favor of the 15-step Out & Equal agenda for corporate America.

Our good friends at MassResistance have published a disturbing letter, originally sent to Mike Heath of Christian Civic League of Maine, from a young man who was active as a teenager/high school student with a group called “OUT!…As I Want to Be“ (we’ve linked to a cached website since the actual website has been taken out of service). This young man courageously discloses “negligence and abuse” by OUT staff and student leadership.

Excerpts from the letter follow (emphasis ours). Pray for Adam Flanders as he tries to pull his life together.

Jan 13, 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Adam Flanders. I am 20 years old and a current resident of Belfast, Maine. I am writing to you on behalf of my own concerns, as well as the concerns of other youth members and past members (who wish to remain anonymous) of the nonprofit organization, OUT! … As I Want to Be located in Rockland, Maine. We wish to inform you of the negligence and abuse of OUT advisors and adult members…

OUT has since been mismanaged in many ways, but I (we) wish to inform you of the apparent negligence of the adult advisors and board members resulting in the emotional distress, abuse, and harm brought to youth members as young as fourteen years old. We can only speak from personal experience, and since I am the only individual willing to reveal my identity, I will begin with my personal experience of OUT and I will then summarize the complaints of those individuals who wish to remain anonymous.

TAKE ACTION — Do you know whether your child’s teachers, school counselors, and principal are normalizing homosexual behavior in your local school? Find out! (You can use the Risk Audit PDF from Mission America.) Then react to what you learn — for example, if your school has a “GSA” make it known in writing that your children are not permitted to participate in their presentations, meetings, or activities.

Excerpted from Gay Teens Coming Out Earlier to Peers and Family, by Marilyn Elias, published Feb 8, 2007, by USA Today:

…Gay teenagers are “coming out” earlier than ever, and many feel better about themselves than earlier generations of gays, youth leaders and researchers say. The change is happening in the wake of opinion polls that show growing acceptance of gays, more supportive adults and positive gay role models in popular media.

…Still, many continue to have a tough time. The worst off, experts say, are young people in conservative rural regions and children whose parents cannot abide having gay offspring. Taunting at school is still common…

…Schools are more likely than in the past to have openly gay staff members who can help young people, says Anthony D’Augelli, an associate dean at Pennsylvania State University. In a recent national survey, one-third of school psychologists said they had counseled students or parents about sexual orientation.

In the mid-1990s, a few dozen Gay-Straight Alliance clubs were in U.S. high schools; now 3,200 are registered with the education network, Jennings says.

The Internet also has eased isolation for gay teens, offering a place for socializing and support, says Stephanie Sanders of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction in Bloomington, Ind.

Cultural diversity is prevalent

Teens are coming out in an era when more Americans than ever consider homosexuality acceptable. In 2006, 54% found homosexuality acceptable, compared with 38% in 1992, Gallup polls show.

Youths also swim in a cultural sea that’s far more pro-gay than ever, says Ritch Savin-Williams, a psychologist at Cornell University and author of The New Gay Teenager. From MTV’s The Real World to Will & Grace and Ellen DeGeneres hosting the Oscars, “kids can see gays in a positive light,” he says…

…Not everyone applauds the soaring number of school-based gay/straight alliances and adult-led programs for gay teens. “Homosexuality is harmful to society, and young people have no business committing to a sexual identity until they’re adults,” says Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, a conservative policy group. The council backs a new Georgia law, first in the nation, that requires schools to tell parents about clubs and allows them to forbid their children to participate in gay/straight alliances.

What’s going on at Deerfield High School — and what can parents do?

Lora Sue Hauser and LaurieHiggins will be the guests on the Sandy Rios radio program:

Our good friend Linda Harvey of Mission America (please support her wonderful work!) noted in a Dec 2006 e-mail that the State of Maine has published “Maine’s Best Practices in Bullying and Harassment Prevention” which are essentially recommendations for all state school districts. Here are a few excerpts (emphasis ours):

• “Discuss ways of involving students in planning efforts for Bullying Prevention activities such as through a Gay Straight Alliance, Civil Rights Teams, Peer Leadership, etc.” [pages 8-9]

• “Students at risk for bullying include those who ‘don’t fit in’, such as those who are or are perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning, those who differ from the majority of their classmates with regard to race, ethnicity, or religion, those who have differing social or physical abilities, and those who are economically disadvantaged.” [page 10]

• “Have an explicit commitment to social justice and teach, both formally and informally, about the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression that impact all students. Such a commitment is reflected in an inclusive curriculum that teaches critical thinking, and a school environment that encourages and supports the development of active and effective student groups that reflect this commitment, such as Civil Rights teams and Gay/Straight Alliances.” [page 10, recommended again on page 18]

• “For boys: interventions challenging homophobia and narrow gender roles and the use of ‘gay/lesbian’ as an insult.” [page 35]

From American Family Association’s Jan 23, 2007, Action Alert:

“…Ford helped sponsor one of the most explicit, sickening homosexual scenes ever shown on television.”

Ford was among the advertisers for “Dirt” on the FX channel. AFA has posted a description of the highly offensive scene, which readers may prefer NOT to read…with that warning, if you wish to be further informed, you may click HERE.

Excerpted from Gay-rights Group Fights AFA with Website, by Camille Spencer, published Nov 1, 2001, by The State News:

The Triangle Foundation, a Detroit-based gay rights advocacy organization, has unveiled a controversial Web site targeted against the American Family Association.

The group unveiled the Web site, www.AFAexposed.com, Wednesday…

Sean Kosofsky, director of policy and victim services for the Triangle Foundation, said the site was created as a resource to educate people about the association…

“We personally believe that the AFA may support the murder of gay, lesbian and bisexual people,” he said. “We are also fairly certain the AFA wants all homosexuals locked up on sodomy charges and put in jail.”

…The site also features a picture of Gary Glenn, state director of the Michigan chapter of the American Family Association, next to links explaining Triangle Foundation’s perspective of the association’s agenda.But Glenn said the association will defend its purpose to defend family values, despite the foundation’s views.