Conservative leader blames gays for Iraqi prison abuse
Knight decries ‘decadence’ of gay weddings
By ADRIAN BRUNE


WASHINGTON — A conservative leader pinned blame for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib and the subsequent beheading of an American businessman on gays getting married and serving in the military, among other acts of American “decadence.”

Writing for WorldNetDaily.com, a site for religious conservatives, Robert Knight of the Culture & Family Institute said the U.S. has arrived at the “perfect storm” of cultural depravity, which came to a “deadly nexus in Iraq.”

He specifically targeted the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts and the promotion of homosexuality in schools as policies that are putting Americans at risk for terrorism. He also blamed the presence of women in combat roles in the military.

The comments by Knight, a longtime foe of gay rights, hearken back to the aftermath of Sept. 11, when Rev. Jerry Falwell ascribed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center to “the pagans, the abortionists, and the feminists and the gays and lesbians.” Falwell also contributes to WorldNetDaily.com.


~

Bishop threatens to withhold donations


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs has threatened to withhold donations from a nonprofit group if it does not state that it supports church teachings.

The anti-war Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission has accepted donations ranging from $3,500 to $6,000 from the diocese since the group was founded 26 years ago, director Sister

Dorothy Schlaeger said. The commission's total 2003 annual budget was $89,000.
In an April 12 letter, Bishop Michael Sheridan, head of the diocese, asked group leaders to change their mission statement to explicitly support church teachings -- including those that oppose abortion and homosexual behavior -- or lose funding.

"I am asking that the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission explicitly acknowledge its commitment to defend life at every moment from conception to natural death ... as well as its position on upholding the objective morals and values of the Catholic Church, in its mission statement and on its Web site," Sheridan wrote.


~

Police didn't care, says 'attacked' gay man


Police in Belfast today faced accusations of homophobia from a gay man beaten up in the city.

Kristian Markus, 26, claimed he faced a wall of resistance from station officers after being battered outside a nightclub.

The advertising executive alleged anti-gay attitudes also stretched to his friend being wrongly arrested for assaulting a policeman.

Mr Markus vowed to take legal action and is preparing a detailed complaint for Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan’s office.

He said: “It’s no good devising new strategies for homophobic crime if there are undercurrents within the force itself.


~

Australia Moves Quickly to Outlaw Same-Sex 'Marriage'

Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Pre-empting moves by homosexuals to have their foreign "marriages" recognized under Australian law, Prime Minister John Howard has introduced legislation banning same-sex marriage as well as preventing same-sex couples from adopting children abroad.

The marriage ban is likely to pass easily and quickly into law, as the opposition Labor Party said it would support the legislation in the federal parliament. Labor was still considering its position on the adoption measure.

Howard told a commercial radio station Friday that the move was not intended to offend anyone, "but I equally don't apologize for wanting to put into the law the simple proposition that a marriage is a union between a man and a woman - hopefully for life." 

Homosexual advocacy groups called the decision "homophobic," and some government lawmakers warned a backlash could cost