FIC Blog

The following is a reflection by Drew Crandall, the proprietor of Jacob’s Well Christian Coffeehouse and a member of FIC’s Media Advisory Council, on a major development in Hartford’s media landscape.

Dear Friends:

Perhaps you heard the news over the weekend: as of 5 pm last Friday afternoon, classic rock radio stations WCCC-AM 1290 and WCCC-FM 106.9 in Hartford are now part of the
K Love family of Contemporary Christian Music stations!

For decades, Connecticut has been a “Twilight Zone” for CCM between New York City and Boston. Many have been praying for a CCM station. Some have stepped to the plate, including WLVX in the 1980s and JunCTionradio.org in the 2000s. Earlier this year, an enterprising local couple with lots of experience in the radio business launched Y102.5, a low-wattage CCM station in Manchester.

From a sheer signal strength perspective, WCCC’s conversion to CCM is big news and in many ways, a big answer to prayer. The FM station broadcasts at 23,000 watts, transmitted off a huge tower on Avon Mountain in West Hartford. The fact that a station of this magnitude is now airing Christian content right here in Connecticut is exciting.

From a sheer financial perspective, the new owners of WCCC, Educational Media Foundation (EMF), put their money (and faith) where their mouth is. According to FCC filings, EMF is a non-profit 501c3. Sale price was $9.5 million. EMF is based in Omaha, Nebraska. It makes sense to me that an out-of-state organization would pony up that kind of money (to be paid in monthly installments). I can’t think of any Christian entity in our own state that would have the courage and resources to do that!

WCCC went on their air in 1959 and was originally owned by long-time Hartford jeweler Bill Savitt. Over the years, it went through several format changes, but it has been generally known for its rock music. Now it’s going to be the most authentic kind of Rock music–after all, Jesus is The Rock!

As a media hound, my biggest concern with WCCC being affiliated with K Love is that 100% of the content is produced out of state. As I understand it, WCCC will transmit the exact same content that’s on all other K Love stations around the country. Thus, the opportunities to publicize local churches, ministries and events, and deliberately weave together the area’s Christian community, is slim. For example, there will be no way to publicize Jacob’s Well or the other ministries I’m involved with. Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps they will find a way to add local content. I’m hoping so.

With that said, let’s praise God for this new Light in Connecticut’s media landscape and culture. There are millions of souls right here in Connecticut who (a) need to hear the Good News and (b) need inspiration and encouragement from the Lord through contemporary Christian music. Let’s pray that God uses this “new” WCCC in wonderful ways for His Kingdom!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

FIC Action Committee is not endorsing a candidate in the August 12, 2014 Republican primary for governor. But in the last few days both candidates made public statements on the single biggest issue facing Connecticut’s pro-life voters–the effort to legalize assisted suicide in our state–and we want to share those statements with our members.

Greenwich businessman Tom Foley “isn’t outright opposed” to assisted suicide, reports the Connecticut Mirror, “but he said he’s concerned about it being misused.” You can read Tom Foley’s “cautious” comments on assisted suicide about halfway down this article.

Senate Minority Leader John McKinney would veto the assisted suicide bill, the Connecticut Mirror reports. “I fundamentally can’t accept a doctor causing someone’s death earlier than it otherwise would happen,” says Senator McKinney. Read John McKinney’s full comments here.

[9/3/14 Update: As FIC Action Committee members who received today’s email know, Tom Foley has clarified that he does oppose assisted suicide and will veto the bill. ~ NS]

On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 Connecticut’s Republican voters will choose candidates in primary elections for state office. Only one of those candidates is 100% pro-family.

FIC Action Committee is pleased to endorse Angel Cadena for State Comptroller. A veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, Angel is a former intern for pro-family Sen. Michael McLachlan, where his research helped defeat the first assisted suicide bill in 2013. The office Angel is running for is so important to Connecticut’s anti-family Left that Gloria Steinem–yes, that Gloria Steinem–sent a letter to state voters four years ago warning:

This race [State Comptroller] could give the FIC the opportunity to gain strength and influence in state policy and administration. We cannot allow that to occur.

Angel Cadena’s website can be viewed here. FIC Action Committee urges all our members to contact Angel’s campaign, volunteer for him and vote for him on August 12th. Please encourage every pro-family voter you know to do likewise.

Paid for and approved by FIC Action Committee, Lawrence Taffner, Treasurer.

From our friends at Y-Life:

A Pro-Life Dance will be held at the Shrine of St. Anne for Mothers, 515 S. Main St. in Waterbury. The music will be from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and it will be an evening for young and old alike. A Vigil Mass will be offered at 6:15pm. and the dance is from 7-11pm. Appetizers and sweet treats will be served, as well as coffee, tea and punch.

You can BYOB. Call your friends and family, put on your dancing shoes, and join us on
Aug. 9th to Dance for Life.
No pre-registration, pay at the door- $25 family, $10 individual- no charge for priests seminarians and religious- doors close at 8pm.
Direct questions to ylifeprovita@gmail.com

Yesterday I wrote about how Sen. Blumenthal balked when I approached him with a question after his Hobby Lobby press conference. Video of that encounter is now available here. I was also invited on Jim Vicevich’s program, where I learned more about “Honeygate” and together we set the record straight.

Now I see that the Courant, forgetting its own coverage of the broad religious exemption in our state’s contraception mandate, has editorialized in favor of Sen. Blumenthal and his antagonistic stance toward Hobby Lobby. As rallying cries go, though, it noticeably lacks visceral impact. It’s long on the recounting of events and short on opinion — the red meat of any editorial — which, when it does show up, is weakly stated. Referring to Blumenthal’s ill-fated Hobby Lobby bully bill and the even worse abomination that bears his sponsorship, the bill National Review calls the “Gosnell Enabling Act,” the Courant sighingly concedes: “Unfortunately, none of these efforts shows promise of succeeding.” Even the Ed Page seems fatigued from banging the contraception-abortion drum, no?

The piece concludes, “Even so, those in positions of power need to speak up for women’s reproductive rights.” I wasn’t aware that any of our delegates to Congress had ceased such speech. Between the news and social media lately, I would almost get the impression that it’s all they do (okay, that’s probably unfair; I’ll say half). Even the least vocal of them on Hobby Lobby, John Larson, has nevertheless had a consistent 100% rating from NARAL and Planned Parenthood for fifteen years. At this point I really wish my would-be political suitors would shut up about my reproductive system already before I go Eliza Doolittle on somebody. The truth is, Connecticut’s deck is completely stacked; it would be grand to have one, just one real advocate for the point of view my friends and I represent. One out of seven, is that too much to ask?

I hesitate to expend more energy refuting a piece than the source evidently put into writing it. I’ll just say this much, in reference to the title: whose “women’s rights” does Blumenthal stand for — this woman?

(Photo credit: RNS/Adelle Banks)

These women?

(Photo credit:AP)

What about these women?

Certainly not these women…

The Democratic Party crows, “When women succeed, America succeeds.” More and more of us are feeling left out of the concept of success that would have us trade a priceless freedom for a handful of no-baby pills. The face of the pro-life movement is female, and we will be victorious.

Holding a presser without us? I don’t think so

FIC Blog has been on vacation, but our office has in no sense been idle — in fact, we have some exciting press to share. In case you missed it, you can still view the WTNH video of my rebuttal to Sen. Blumenthal’s press conference at the site of a new Hobby Lobby under construction in Manchester. Claiming to speak for women, as usual, Blumenthal & Friends have continued to harrass the Green family business, wasting time and taxpayer dollars with a bill that would purportedly “fix” Hobby Lobby’s Supreme Court victory. Predictably, their bid to fix what ain’t broken did not go over well in the Senate. Egregiously, the former Attorney General also misrepresented state law, as reported earlier this summer by none other than the Hartford Courant:

In Connecticut, insurers broadly must offer contraceptive coverage if the plans have prescription coverage. As with federal law, the state exempts church-controlled organizations from that requirement — but the state also exempts individuals for whom contraceptives are against their religious or moral beliefs. Exempted employers must alert their employees with a brochure explaining the lack of coverage in at least 10-point type.

I am pleased with how the interview and coverage went. I am not as pleased with other aspects of the experience…

Blumenthal Gives Me the Brush?

As I was chatting with members of the press, someone asked me if I planned to try to speak to Blumenthal. I mentioned that I had not been satisfied with his response to written correspondence in the past, but I said yes, I supposed I would try. I saw him moving in our direction, walked up, shook his hand warmly and said point blank, “Senator, I want to understand why you think the owners of Hobby Lobby are imposing their religion on their employees.” Pointing a finger toward me, he replied, “Give me a phone number and we’ll talk. I have to run.” Before I could even process this, he was halfway to a car.

The young lady and young man who had prompted me before got to bear witness to this exchange and my flabbergasted expression. They pointed to a woman, who also looked preoccupied, and said, “We think she is his aide.” At that moment I decided to pass, but I did follow up by forwarding (Heaven help me!) my personal cell phone number to the contact listed on his press release, explaining who I was and what had transpired. I received no confirmation.

Two days later I tweeted:

As of today I’ve heard zip…nada.  I can’t say I am surprised; after all, our Senator clearly has a very busy schedule.

Allow me to suggest a new hashtag: #NoTime4Ur?s

[Pastor Rick McKinniss is the Senior Leader of Wellspring Church in Berlin, CT ~ PW]

The 4th of July is being threatened these days by an odd sort of “military coup”. In recent years I have witnessed a shift in how our national holiday of independence is framed in public celebrations. Instead of hearkening to the real historical events and the ideals that gave birth to our nation, “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” to quote President Lincoln at the dedication of the military cemetery at Gettysburg, we have begun to reduce our public celebrations of the 4th to honoring our military for their service.

Let me be clear-it is always right and appropriate to thank and honor the men and women who have served or who are serving in our military. But the 4th of July is the celebration of the ideas that define our nation and the ideals that this experiment in self-government embodies. The 4th is the annual renewal of the Declaration of defining truths held by the signers to be “self-evident.” These include the foundational truth that all are “created equal” and “that they have been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The 4th is also a celebration of the courage and the vision of the 56 signers, who pledged their “Lives, Fortunes and (their) sacred Honor” to seeing this cause through to the establishment of a new nation. These are the ideals our men and women in uniform serve to guard and protect and the advance. It is these ideals and the examples of courage and sacrifice that founded the nation that make present-day military service to the nation particularly noble and worthwhile.

I am not exactly sure why there is a movement and to ignore these ideals and the vision and courage of the founders—some of whom immediately had their property confiscated by the British upon signing; and all of whom would have been hanged as traitors had they been captured or had the Revolution been lost. 21st century political correctness makes it unseemly to celebrate the pioneers of earlier eras who do not live up to today’s socially acceptable norms and practices. The signers were all men. They were all white men. Some held slaves—failing to see the inherent contradiction in that heinous institution and the ideal of all being created equal. But there were no women in public leadership in the 18th century. And the Declaration of the ideal of all being created equal ultimately led to the eradication of slavery by means of a bloody civil war—white men dying to free black slaves. And the same ideal ultimately led to suffrage and equal rights for women. It is the ideals we celebrate on the 4th of July that continue to lead us, even if the founders failed to live up to all that they signed on to that day 238 years ago.

And of course, for some it is an antiquated and dangerous notion to credit the Creator as the One who endows all humanity with inalienable rights. This violates the 21st century version of the separation of church and state where God is not allowed out of the four walls of the sanctuary into the discussion of the public square. To declare that the Creator is the source and guarantor of human rights is a positively radical idea in the secular vision of current political thought.

It was also a radical notion in the 18th century, but for completely different reasons. In 1776 accepted political wisdom spoke of the divine right of kings to govern their subjects. But the Declaration speaks of the Creator endowing “the people” with rights that could not be granted, compromised or taken by a king or by any embodiment of the state. Further, it speaks of governments deriving their just powers from the “consent of the governed.” Radical notions! Revolutionary ideas! A war got started over these ideas. These are ideas that changed the world.

These are ideas the nation has been celebrating for over two centuries. And they are continued cause for celebration even into the second decade of our current century. These ideas are the heart of American exceptionalism, a much misunderstood concept that has been bandied about in our current political debate. American exceptionalism does not mean that we believe we are the greatest, best, brightest or strongest people or country on the earth. Rather, America has been an exception in the history of nations, an outlier from the rule of kings and despots. At the heart of our historical uniqueness are twin notions. First, that the state is answerable to the people; i.e. governments derive their “just powers from the consent of the governed.” Second, that the people are endowed by their Creator with rights that cannot be compromised or abrogated. So there is an authority of justice higher than the state and higher than the whims of the majority.

John Adams wrote presciently to his wife, Abigail, about the day of the signing of the Declaration:

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations (i.e fireworks), from one end of this continent to the other, form this time forward and forevermore.

John Adams got it right. He knew that what happened that July day in Philadelphia would change the world in ways that were worthy of annual celebration.

We ought every day to thank men and women in uniform for their service to our nation. But Independence Day is not a military holiday. It is a celebration of our ideals, of revolutionary ideas that secure the liberty and equality for all our citizens. If we have failed to always live up to these ideals—and we have—that is no reason to forsake the celebration. These ideals will continue to inform our vision and fuel our aspirations as long as we embrace them, own them, pursue them. So let us not forget them! Fire off an illumination—and remind yourself about the light for life, liberty, equality and the pursuit of happiness this great nation has been!

Jonathan Pelto, an “education activist,” has announced that “he will have the signatures necessary to earn a spot on the ballot” for governor as a petitioning third party candidate. This will be bad news to Betty Gallo, who bills herself as “a lobbyist who specializes in social justice issues.” Just a few days ago Betty had an op-ed in the Sunday Courant urging her fellow “progressives” not to sign Pelto’s petition granting him ballot access because it would hurt Gov. Malloy who, she says, has “never wavered from his progressive principles.”

It’s a curious op-ed.

Betty claims Pelto “worked against workers” who “take care of people with disabilities.” But Betty does not mention that she herself worked against people with disabilities in her ongoing effort to legalize assisted suicide, a cause vigorously opposed by grassroots disability rights activists as well as the State Office of Advocacy and Protection for People With Disabilities and the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities. Betty references Gov. Malloy’s support for same-sex marriage twice but does not mention that the Connecticut Supreme Court imposed it years before Gov. Malloy was elected. She uses decades-old quotes about the earned income tax credit to give the impression that President Reagan praised Gov. Malloy’s passage of it, even though Reagan was long dead when it passed.

But Betty’s most glaring omission when it comes to assessing Gov. Malloy is the one on assisted suicide. As it happens, Gov. Malloy actually did take the prudent, progressive approach of giving greater choice to patients at the end of life by passing a pilot program for MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) that can be improved upon as its effects are studied. But he did it by resisting the ableists who pay Betty Gallo to lobby in favor of assisted suicide.

On assisted suicide, it was Betty who “wavered” from her “progressive principles” and Gov. Malloy who rightly recognized and followed the truly progressive advice of the heads of his own agencies, the Office of Protection and Advocacy for People With Disabilities and the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities.

But if Gov. Malloy is re-elected this Fall, what will he owe Betty Gallo for this gushing op-ed?

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that pro-life Americans do not lose their First Amendment right to religious liberty when they open a family business. Though it will take some time to digest everything in the decision–which does not address similar issues facing religious nonprofits–this ruling is a big win for religious liberty.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate was forcing religious organizations and believers to provide and pay for abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilizations in violation of their faith. Unless the courts stopped it, the rule permitting this outrageous attack on our First Amendment right to religious liberty was going into effect.

Educating the public about the danger posed by the HHS Mandate was the single biggest project undertaken by FIC in 2012: four rallies, almost forty speeches in dozens of churches, op-eds, media appearances and more. Never before or since has FIC given this much attention to a federal issue, an issue we continued to address in subsequent years.

(See photos of the 3/23/12 Stand up for Religious Freedom Rally at the Abraham Ribicoff federal building in Hartford here and photos of the 6/8/12 Rally on the New Haven Green here.)

The reason is that losing this battle would mean losing the First Amendment as we have known it. If our First Amendment right to free exercise of our religion means anything, it means the federal government cannot coerce us to pay for and provide abortion-inducing drugs in violation of our consciences.

Another reason we took on this fight is FIC’s storied history in protecting religious liberty in the State of Connecticut. In 2009, FIC helped turn back an outrageous attack by our state government against the freedom of the Catholic Church to manage its own affairs. FIC played a key role in utilizing the backlash from that outrage to pass into law the strongest religious liberty exemptions to same-sex “marriage” in the entire nation.

We were not alone in those fights. Then-Bishop of Bridgeport William Lori learned much about secularist hatred of religious liberty during those battles in Connecticut, insights he now applies to the federal fight against the HHS Mandate as the Archbishop of Baltimore. In 2012, FIC awarded Archbishop Lori the Charles Stetson Award for Pro-Family Courage because of his fortitude in leading the fight for religious liberty on the national stage.

These are just some of the Connecticut connections between recent fights for religious liberty in our home state and the federal fight to save our First Amendment liberties that are threatened by the HHS Mandate. As with the Connecticut attack on the Catholic Church, the HHS Mandate seems to target one particular denomination in a way that is a threat to the religious liberties of all of us, no matter what our beliefs.

That is why today’s ruling for religious liberty was especially applauded by the Family Institute of Connecticut. We will hold a religious liberty victory rally at the state Capitol tonight at 6 pm to celebrate.

NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut is “whining up a storm on Twitter” over the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Massachusetts’ buffer zone law, as FIC’s Nicole Stacy has reported. But the state’s pro-abortion lobby is revising its own history when it comes to buffer zones in Connecticut.

The facts were accurately reported at the time in this 2010 Hartford Courant item. NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut responded to that year’s successful 40 Days for Life campaign–13 babies saved outside Hartford’s abortion clinic!–by saying they would

be working to secure a buffer zone in the coming year and we’ll keep you [NARAL’s members] posted on our progress.

FIC took NARAL’s threat seriously…and so did The Courant. Anticipating a 2011 battle over buffer zones, Connecticut’s paper of record declared “This state isn’t known as a battleground on social issues but a fault line is emerging over abortion.” FIC’s political action committee asked candidates about their position on buffer zones for years afterward because of NARAL’s threat.

And yet, NARAL never did make good on their threat, which is why their Connecticut head played this sleight of hand in the New Haven Register today:

Wolfgang said at the time that it NARAL’s goal to introduce a “buffer zone” law to impinge on FIC’s free speech rights.

Christian Miron, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, said the organization explores new policies all the time in order to keep providers and women free from harassment as they access this legal service.

“We have never introduced legislation related to buffer zones. I’m not sure what he is claiming victory over,” Miron said, referring to Wolfgang.

FIC did not invent NARAL’s desire to pass buffer zones in Connecticut. It came from their own December 6, 2010 email blast. And NARAL’s email was a bit more than “exploratory.” It was a stated commitment. Here’s the screen shot:

It is possible that FIC’s strong response–and the immediate media attention it generated–caused NARAL to back off. Regardless, that NARAL was never able to carry out it’s threat to pass buffer zones in Connecticut–and now they can’t–is what FIC is “claiming victory over.”

That NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut wants to pretend this never happened is no surprise to FIC. Reminding them of the history they would like to forget makes victories like this one even sweeter.