Marijuana Businesses “Growing Like a Weed”

Our friends at Focus On The Family in Colorado Springs have put together some compelling information on marijuana and what legalization means for our communities. In case you have any doubts, the news is not good.

In one of their latest emails, Focus writes,

When Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, a Pandora’s Box of problems was opened.

Washington State, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia have already followed Colorado’s lead. And, similar efforts to legalize the drug are picking up steam in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Maine—and now the U.S. Senate.

Marijuana leads to a host of social problems and health-related risks, including increases in drug addition, mental illness, homelessness and crime, along with permanent damage to memory, lung function and brain development—especially in teens. Yet, even with this evidence, states are lining up to legalize this drug for recreational use.

On March 10, an historic and sweeping Senate bill was introduced to essentially end the federal ban on marijuana. The bipartisan CARERS Act—short for Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States—would remove any fear of federal prosecution. While patients and doctors are highlighted as the “compassionate” recipients of this legislation, the biggest benefactor would be the growing marijuana industry.

Meanwhile, another law—the Law of Unintended Consequences—seems to go unnoticed in what Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper calls, “the greatest social experiment of the 21st century.”

(more…)

See How These Arkansas Senators Voted on This Pro-Life Bill

Yesterday the Senate Public Health Committee passed a good, pro-life bill requiring abortion-providers who perform drug-induced abortions to follow FDA protocols.

This bill protects women from unsafe abortion practices, and it has the potential to save the lives of unborn children by ensuring abortion-providers do not perform chemical abortions later than the FDA protocols allow.

It takes five affirmative votes to pass a bill out of a senate committee. The bill received five votes for it and two votes against it. One senator was at the meeting, but chose not to vote when her name was called.

You can see a breakdown of the vote below. You can leave a message for any of these senators by calling the senate switchboard at (501) 682-2902.

The Following Senators Voted “Yes”

The Following Senators Voted “No”

The Following Senator Chose Not to Vote

The bill now heads to the Arkansas Senate floor, where the entire senate will vote on it sometime in the near future.

Help Stand for Religious Liberty in the Military

The following is by Family Council staff member Deborah Beuerman.

The persecution and hostility against Christians in the U.S. Military is strong.  Both gay activists and atheists have been allowed register complaints resulting in punitive action and even dismissal from the military for Christian members.

Military chaplains are particularly under attack as evidenced this week by the removal from duty of U.S. Navy Chaplain Lt. Commander Wes Modder, who has served 19 years with great distinction.

Credentialed by the Assemblies of God, Chaplain Modder was accused of “failing to show tolerance and respect the rights of individuals.”  This by the base commander who had just weeks before commended Chaplain Modder as “the best of the best.”  Under the pretext of curiosity about the chaplain’s beliefs, a young officer newly assigned as a chaplain’s assistant visited with him in private numerous times.  Chaplain Modder expressed his biblical view on sexual morality–including homosexuality.  Never disclosing that he himself was gay and married to a man, the officer appeared one day with 2 Equal Opportunity representatives and a 5-page complaint which could result in the chaplain being forced out of the military.

Chaplain Modder was simply doing what he is trained and directed to do: offering spiritual guidance in accordance with his faith. His right to do so is legally protected. In fact, according to military policy, if he does not adhere to the tenets of his faith, he could lose his ability to remain a chaplain.

Federal law and military regulations forbid the Navy from taking adverse action against a chaplain based on his faith, making the Navy’s actions against Modder unlawful.

Below are links for signing two petitions to the Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus calling for Chaplain Modder to be fully restored and all charges against him to be dropped. Family Research Council and Liberty Institute will deliver your petitions to them to show them that the American people will not stand for hostility toward faith in their military.

http://www.frc.org/alert/another-chaplain-needs-your-help

https://www.libertyinstitute.org/modderfacts

you can also contact your members of Congress.  American Family Association has provided this link that allows you to easily send emails:

http://www.afa.net/activism/contact-elected-officials/