The biggest pro-family victories in California so far this month are the successful campaigns to put “In God We Trust” on police vehicles in Kern County, just north of Los Angeles County.
Enjoy these photos from my two-day tour to battle alongside these three pastors who spearheaded their city campaigns and won great victories. I highly commend them for being outstanding examples of “standing your ground and not backing down.”
Godly pastors: Justin Medlock of
Shafter, David Vivas of Delano, Angelo Frazier of Bakersfield, and myself, on
June 4, after we testified to the Shafter City Council.
Bakersfield’s ‘In God We Trust’ leader: Pastor Angelo Frazier, doing a TV interview, on May 22, the day he proposed adding our national motto to police and fire vehicles.
Encouraging Christians to put their light on a stand: Here’s Pastor Angelo Frazier with a Christian man prior to the June 5 Bakersfield City Council meeting. He encouraged this man to speak, which he eventually did in front of the council, audience, and media.
Public perseverance: Both Christians and atheists at the June 5 Bakersfield City Council meeting. You can see Pastor Frazier and me in the first row. After 2 hours of testimony, the council voted 4 to 2 (Republicans for, Democrats against) to place “In God We Trust” on police and fire vehicles. The news quickly spread nationwide.
Even liberal media get to see ‘In God We Trust’: Bakersfield TV news people were waiting to interview Pastor Frazier after our great moral victory inside City Hall.
Basking in victory: Caring enough to show up for this winnable battle, these Bakersfield Christians celebrate with Pastor Frazier, along with me and Pastor Medlock from Shafter.
Glorying God in Shafter, California: On June 4, Pastor Justin Medlock testified, sharing how a Christian cop helped him repent from drug use and clean up his life with the help of Jesus Christ’s Holy Spirit. He knows that “In God We Trust” on police cars will do good!
Christians are coming out of the closet: Here’s Pastor Medlock with two brothers who own a design and print shop, who’ve offered to pay for the “In God We Trust” decals in both Delano and Shafter, overcoming an atheist objection of taxpayer expense.
He started it all: Pastor David Vivas used his influence with his city’s mayor to propose that Delano be the first California city to place “In God We Trust” on police vehicles. Like the spark of the American Revolution, Pastor Vivas’ bold action on April 2 was a “shot heard round the world.” Pastor Vivas says his Christianity compels him to publicly shine his light.
Christian values benefit everybody: On June 5, I had the privilege of meeting with Pastor Vivas and Delano Mayor Joe Aguirre, a very strong advocate of “In God We Trust.”
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they slight a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, in Matthew 5:14-15
May 9, 2019 update: 58 Democrats power AB 624 through State Assembly to mandate an abortionist’s phone number on student ID cards. See our statement and who voted for it
As expected, the Democrat author of AB 624, requiring an abortionist’s phone number on student ID cards, has exempted “nonsectarian” (religious) colleges, universities, and seminaries. This latest amendment by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel in the Assembly Higher Education Committee follows the Education Committee’s exemption of all private schools, grades 7 through 12.
While these two amendments are a relief to parents of students at church-affiliated schools, realize what’s happening. The pro-abortion Democrat state legislators (and every single Democrat committee member has voted yes for this awful bill) are forcing pro-abortion ads on the student ID cards of millions of children and young adults in California.
AB 624 still forces the advertising of abortion (“student identification cards shall have printed on either side…A sexual or reproductive health hotline”) behind the backs of parents, teachers, and school administrators:
At all California government-run, “public” junior high and high schools
At all California community colleges, CSU campuses, UC campuses, adult schools, technical colleges, and other post-secondary training schools, and all private colleges and universities that are “nonsectarian” (non-religious)
So don’t thank the Democrat author or the other Democrat legislators who support AB 624 for exempting religious students from their radical pro-abortion bill. I fully expect the pro-abortion Democrat state legislators to “add” back religious students in future years.
In the meantime, millions of California girls, ages 12 through young 20’s, will be indoctrinated that, in a crisis pregnancy, they should call an abortionist, who will kill their child and damage their hearts for life. Where’s the adoption hotline? Are the anti-life Democrats against any “unwanted” child living?
Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 3:39 pm | Randy Thomasson
APRIL 10 UPDATE: AB 624 mandating an abortionist’s phone number on student ID cards late today PASSED the Democrat-controlled California State Assembly Committee. Religious junior high and high schools HAVE BEEN EXEMPTED via the author’s amendment, but religious colleges, universities, and seminaries HAVE NOT. This bad bill promoting abortion and compelling objectionable speech now goes to the Assembly Higher Education Committee.
There’s a very bad bill — ridiculous, unconstitutional, anti-parent, anti-religion, and deathly — introduced by a very pro-abortion California state legislator who’s received lots of money from Planned Parenthood abortionists.
Democrat Jesse Gabriel of Assembly District 45 in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley has authored AB 624 to require an abortionist’s phone number on student ID cards at every junior high, high school, and college campus in California, including Christian- and Catholic-format schools and universities.
The bill states that “a public school, including a charter school, or a private school, that serves pupils in any of grades 7 to 12” and “a public or private institution of higher education”…”shall have printed on either side of the student identification cards”…”a sexual or reproductive health hotline.” NOTE: “A sexual or reproductive health hotline” is obvious code for Planned Parenthood abortionists.
Religious schools are in the Democrat politicians’ crosshairs again. Yet AB 624’s blatant violation of religious freedom and free speech (which even liberal politicians remember as “separation of church and state”) isn’t allowed in the USA. Because the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling NIFLA v. Becerra prohibited government from compelling private organizations (pro-life crisis pregnancy centers) to support pro-abortion messages.
But neither the U.S. Constitution nor the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court matter to Planned Parenthood abortionists or their bought-and-owned politicians (all the Democrats in the California Legislature are pro-abortion and pro-Planned-Parenthood). They want free advertising for new abortion customers as young as 12 years old.
So, AB 624 and its Democrat author have no problem forcing Christian- and Catholic-format junior highs, high schools, and universities to put an abortionist’s phone number on their student ID cards. This way, no parent and no school administrator will know about the killing of pre-born babies and the emotional scarring of teenage girls.
NEW ACTION
1. Leave this message with the 9 Democrats and 3 Republican on the Assembly Higher Education Committee: “Oppose AB 624 which mandates an abortion provider’s phone number on student ID cards, including at faith-based colleges, universities, and seminaries. This bill blatantly violates the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in NIFLA v. Becerra, which said California can’t force private institutions to support abortion messages that they disagree with.”
2. Pray to God in Jesus Christ’s Name that He would send angels to California’s pro-abortion Democrat state legislators (3/4ths of the State Legislature) to bother them to NOT support AB 624.
3. Tell all your friends that Democrat politicians are unfortunately pro-abortion and this tyrannical bill is more evidence of this. Planned Parenthood only endorses pro-abortion Democrats, as shown here and here.
The California Legislature included in its official history the congratulatory statement that the Act was part of California’s legacy of “forward thinking.” App. 38–39. But it is not forward thinking to force individuals to “be an instrument for fostering public adherence to an ideological point of view [they] fin[d] unacceptable.” Wooley v. Maynard, 430 U. S. 705, 715 (1977). It is forward thinking to begin by reading the First Amendment as ratified in 1791; to understand the history of authoritarian government as the Founders then knew it; to confirm that history since then shows how relentless authoritarian regimes are in their attempts to stifle free speech; and to carry those lessons onward as we seek to preserve and teach the necessity of freedom of speech for the generations to come. Governments must not be allowed to force persons to express a message contrary to their deepest convictions. Freedom of speech secures freedom of thought and belief. This law imperils those liberties. Justice Anthony Kennedy in NIFLA v. Becerra
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