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E-Alert 1.13.10
Wednesday January 13, 2010 - 03:29 AM
This Week's Topics: U.S. Senate Special Election - TUESDAY! OneNewsNow: Going against the Kennedy legacy; NY Times says "biggest gambler" at Foxwoods is the casino itself; NJ defeats same-sex "marriage," Prop 8 goes on trial; PFOX forces Disney to include ex-gays in shareholder resolution. Be sure to click on eForce to receive our MFI eForce E-Alert in your Inbox every Wednesday.

E-Alert 1.13.10

Inside this issue
• U.S. Senate Special Election - TUESDAY! • OneNewsNow: Going against the Kennedy legacy • NY Times says "biggest gambler" at Foxwoods is the casino itself • NJ defeats same-sex "marriage," Prop 8 goes on trial • PFOX forces Disney to include ex-gays in shareholder resolution

	U.S. Senate Special Election - TUESDAY!
	The Special Election to fill the seat left vacant by the passing of Ted Kennedy will take place this coming Tuesday, January 19th. This race has quickly become a national story with polling data showing it a dead heat between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley. (Note: Independent candidate Joe Kennedy is also in the race.) With this being an off-cycle election, the result will be affected more than usual by voter turnout. In other words, turnout from specific blocks of voters could very well decide who celebrates victory and who must concede defeat. As "values voters," we hold a large amount of power, if we decide to vote and get others to join us. Here are FIVE action steps for you to take between now and Tuesday: Watch this special YouTube message from MFI President Kris Mineau. View and Download our Voter Guide from this webpage. Ask your pastor to distribute the IRS approved Voter Guide on Sunday; have him or her encourage the congregation to go out and vote on Tuesday as well. Visit the candidate's websites, find out more about them and volunteer. Pray for the Election. Massachusetts Family Institute is committed to strengthening the family in Massachusetts, and advocating for Judeo-Christian values in the public square. We strongly believe that it is the civic duty of every Christian citizen in Massachusetts to find out where the candidates stand on the important issues, and cast a ballot for the one who best represents their values. Join MFI in VOTING VALUES in the Special U.S. Senate Election this Tuesday, January 19th. You can find out where to vote at www.wheredoivotema.com.
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	OneNewsNow: Going against the Kennedy legacy
	Going against the Kennedy legacy Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/8/2010 8:45:00 AM A Christian leader in Massachusetts says voters in his state will soon decide whether to break their "yoke of bondage" to the Kennedy family dynasty. On Tuesday, January 19, a special election will be held in Massachusetts to determine who will replace the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, who died in August after serving in the Senate for almost 47 years. The race later this month pits the Kennedy family's handpicked nominee, Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley, against three-term Republican State Senator Scott Brown. Longshot Libertarian candidate Joseph Kennedy is not expected to be a major factor in the race. Brown says if elected, he will be instrumental in helping Republicans derail Democrats' healthcare bill. A Rasmussen poll shows he only trails Coakley by two percent among likely voters. Kris Mineau, president of Massachusetts Family Institute, believes Brown has solid conservative credentials. "Scott Brown has been a strong proponent of traditional family values [and] he's fiscally conservative," states Mineau. "He's got an amazing military background, and he's an extremely well-qualified candidate -- probably the best senatorial candidate we've had in many, many years in Massachusetts." Massachusetts Family Institute has compiled voter guides on the three U.S. Senate candidates, and has made them available on its website. Link: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=844850 Copyright 2006-2008 American Family News Network - All Rights Reserved.
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	NY Times says "biggest gambler" at Foxwoods is the casino itself
	"It's pretty quiet on a weekday afternoon," starts a recent article in the New York Times about Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort and Casino. It goes on to say that "beneath the surface it was more like a three-dimensional financial chess meet bailout era," explaining that the combination of tribal sovereignty and $2 billion in at-risk debt is creating a "potential meltdown with no known rules." The article speaks about Foxwoods' gamble in 2006, taking on debt to build the $700 million MGM Grand resort and casino, which opened just as the recession took hold. This led to more than 700 employees being laid off, slot revenues falling by 13.5 percent and the tribe announcing in November that it was paying only $14 million on a $21 million debt payment. The Pequots are a sovereign nation, however, exempt from most commercial regulations and "almost certainly unable to use the bankruptcy laws or sell off gambling assets that could be operated by others." Lenders, therefore, are forced to restructure the debts, and hope the economy picks up. Probably the most important part of the article for Massachusetts is this: "It will take more than a quick economic recovery to make everything work. The spread of gambling across the Northeast is leaving too many casinos chasing too few gamblers." The Times points out the possibility of even more competition with slots and even a casino coming to New York. The article also quotes a gambler at Foxwoods, Andy Valeri, 43, who enjoys coming to Foxwoods once a month but would prefer that Massachusetts stay out of the casino business. "You know and I know that every inch of this place is a shell game to get people's money," he said. "I'd rather that we invest in something that provides real jobs and productivity, not more casinos. You just get the feeling that somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn in this country." The article concludes with this ominous warning: "But this sure feels more like a problem that's starting than one that's winding down." Source: New York Times
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	NJ defeats same-sex "marriage," Prop 8 goes on trial
	The New Jersey State Senate chose to defend traditional marriage last Thursday when a vote was taken on a bill to legalize same-sex "marriage." The 20-14 vote defeating the measure continues a growing string of victories in defense of traditional marriage, including the defeat of a similar bill in New York and the veto by the people of a same-sex "marriage" bill in Maine last November. Proponents of same-sex "marriage," going the route that has been the most successful for them, plan to take their fight to the New Jersey courts. Meanwhile, the fate of the successful Proposition 8 in California is now before the federal court system. On Monday, the trial before U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco began, and will not only determine the fate of Proposition 8, but could force every state to allow same-sex "marriage." The case is likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court and determine the constitutionality of laws and constitutional amendments in all states protecting the traditional definition of marriage. You can read a detailed account of the first day of testimony from Andy Pugno, general counsel of ProtectMarriage.com, the group that sponsored Prop 8, in the Baptist Press.
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	PFOX forces Disney to include ex-gays in shareholder resolution
	The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) has directed the Walt Disney Company to accept a shareholder resolution requesting the inclusion of ex-gays in Disney's sexual orientation policies and corporate diversity programs. Disney had opposed the ex-gay resolution and asked the SEC for permission to exclude it from stockholder consideration. "Like many corporations, Disney implements mandatory diversity training for employees that emphasizes gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders, but fails to include ex-gays," said Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX). "It is a serious omission both for the ex-gay community and their supporters." The resolution cites a recent judicial decision issued by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In the case, brought by PFOX, the Court ruled that former homosexuals are a protected class that must be recognized under DC's sexual orientation non-discrimination laws. Source: PFOX
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