It sometimes happens that the public response to a news story is more fascinating than the news story itself. The recent arson which consumed the "coffee shop" in Vassalboro provoked a typical reaction from the news media. At first, the editorials and letters to the editor tried to lay an accusation covertly. They subtly insinuated that a member of the Religious Right was responsible for the crime. As time went by, the voices grew bolder and more reckless in their accusations. Now we are seeing editorials and letters that are clearly tainted with an anti-Christian bias.

To understand the killing of George Tiller, we must go back to basics.  Peace and harmony are preserved in a society when its citizens obey certain fundamental rules. Departing from Christian standards of right and wrong - as America has  tragically chosen to do - cannot fail to weaken and destabilize society.

The decision yesterday to uphold the California ban on homosexual "marriage" was greeted with surprise and joy by those in the pro-family movement, and anger and indignation by the homosexual rights movement and their allies. The decision by the California Supreme Court immediately set off a pre-arranged "spontaneous" demonstration in which hundreds of homosexual activists poured out onto the streets of San Francisco deliberately blocking traffic.

The vote by the Maine Senate yesterday to legalize same sex marriage should come as no surprise. The leadership of the Maine Family Policy Council has maintained from the beginning that the Maine Legislature is deaf to the issue of the sanctity of marriage and the family.  Earlier in the day, more than eleven thousand postcards were delivered from members of the public who are against same sex marriage. The net result of this outpouring of sentiment from the public was to sway the vote of one Senator.

Among those who huddled by their computer monitors yesterday morning, anxiously watching the televised vote, the reaction was mixed. Some chuckled with amused disbelief; others shook their heads in dismay and disgust.

We can all agree that Maine has produced more than a few great orators and statesmen. We can count among their number our own native-born Dorothea Dix, James G. Blaine, Hannibal Hamlin, and Joshua Chamberlain. Sadly, we now live in a far different age. The Senate vote yesterday was no shining display of oratorical skills. It was more like a sensitivity training session than a deliberative assembly.

The legislative work session in Augusta on Tuesday was a follow-up to the public hearing last Wednesday at the Civic Center. It was far from an ordinary hearing, with thousands of homosexual activists in attendance, many dressed in red.  One pro-family supporter took a quick tally of the license plates in the parking lot, and found that about forty percent of the cars were from out-of-state.

Testimony from the public dragged on for hours, only to be interrupted by a fire alarm around 5:30. The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Larry Bliss, an open homosexual who currently lives with a male 'partner,' called on the public to leave out any testimony that was redundant -  a difficult task for the homosexual rights lobby, which bases it argument on emotional appeal, and not on reason.

When the flood struck northern Aroostook County in May of last year, I immediately traveled to Fort Kent, and did what I could to help out. Few things I have ever done have been as rewarding. Christians must always be prepared to help those in need.  I am travelling with my wife to Tanzania later this year to offer food for both body and soul to the needy people who live there.  Learn more by clicking here.

As the current economic crisis deepens, lines at soup kitchens and food banks are sure to grow longer; and there will be many opportunities for Christians to help their neighbors. I was astonished to read the story of the former mayor of Lewiston, who lost her job and her apartment, and was forced to spend the frigid winter nights without a home, living in her car. According to the story in the Lewiston Sun Journal, she spent nights sleeping in her car when the temperature was five below. When she was unable to sleep because of the cold - the most miserable feeling in the world - she drove to Wal-Mart to get warm. One night, she opened her car door, fell on the ice, and lay on the sidewalk, crying and unable to move.