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If you’ve ever wondered why liberals fight tooth and nail whenever it comes to confirming judges, just look to California. There, in another outrageous example of judicial over-reach and leftist social experimentation, the state Supreme Court ruled on May 15 in favor of homosexual “marriages.” Specifically, it overturned a 2000 referendum on Proposition 22, in which California voters -- i.e., the people --affirmed, nearly 2-to-1, that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.Sorry, voters: You only think you know best. Your judicial overlords know better. Now run along, like good subjects.Whatever happened to government, “for the people,...

If you think political correctness on our college campuses is a threat to free speech, I have a news flash for you. It's even worse than that. It's actually putting the lives of our young people at risk. Sound a bit over the top? Only if you haven't read a riveting account by a campus psychiatrist who knows the price our children are paying – mentally, emotionally and physically – for the attitudes that allow the "sexual revolution" to rage unchecked in the halls of "higher learning." That psychiatrist, Dr. Miriam Grossman, took a bold step last year when she...

Rarely am I so taken by the beauty and power of a movie that I want everyone I know to see it. “Bella” is a film you must see. The story (I won’t reveal too much, because I don’t want to spoil it for you) concerns a young soccer star whose career is abruptly cut short. He winds up working in his brother’s restaurant in New York City, where he befriends a struggling waitress. The story is rich in messages of redemption, friendship, sacrifice and hope. No wonder the Hollywood crowd is beginning to cut it to shreds. (snip)The film...

My husband and I held each other and cried more than I think we have in nearly 22 years of marriage. We left our son Nick alone in his dorm room far from home after nurturing and loving him for 18 years. Our little boy is now a tall, responsible young man facing life on his own. Yes, it’s what good parents everywhere dream of and want for their kids -- to become independent adults who fly from our arms into a world where they can make their own mark. But still, the tears come -- for me, mainly because...

The only thing worse than being against baseball, Mom or apple pie is being “anti-kid.� Liberals, of course know this -- so they frequently resort to the childish tactic of name-calling. Right now, anyone who opposes their massive government expansion of the healthcare program known as SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) is the equivalent of a monster.As a mother, I know how persuasive it can be to hear someone argue for a certain policy because it’s “for the kids.� And we all know the number of uninsured children out there represents a serious problem. So when a lawmaker such...

Who should be in charge of your child’s education -- you or some strangers in Washington, D.C.? It’s a question worth pondering as Congress prepares to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. As readers of my book, Home Invasion, are aware, I’m a big advocate of what I call “parent-directed education.� We’ve done it all with our three teenagers: private school, public school, homeschool and even a combination of all three. Whatever form it takes, though, parental wisdom should take precedence. And decisions about how a school is run should be as “local� as possible. NCLB fundamentally undermines...

MySpace.com has quickly become the malt shop for today's teens – but, unlike Al's place in "Happy Days," this virtual "hangout" is also frequented by unsavory characters who are after our kids. What most teens see as just a fun place to connect with friends has become a sexual predator's and pornographer's playground. As the New York Times reported May 27, the site's content has become so skanky that even some corporate advertisers, including Weight Watchers and T-Mobile, are either pulling their ads from MySpace or threatening to do so. The pages of sex-film stars like Jenna Jameson and...

“It would end the U.S. as we currently know it.” That’s Robert Rector of The Heritage Foundation, speaking of what would happen if an immigration proposal by Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) becomes law. Their plan would grant amnesty to 9 million to 10 million illegal immigrants and put those immigrants on a path to citizenship. Moreover, the Martinez-Hagel plan would pave the way for an estimated 103 million persons to legally immigrate to the U.S. over the next 20 years -- fully one-third of the current population of the United States. Current law allows 19 million...

The day I signed the contract to write Home Invasion just so happened to be the day that six teenagers and I set out in our 15-passenger van on a 2,000 mile vacation. We always take other kids along with our own three when we go on our legendary Hagelin road trips. This time we were heading south from Virginia to visit Disney World and the beautiful Florida Gulf Coast beaches. (I always wonder at such moments why my wonderful and wise husband, Andy, can't ever quite make it for the "road" part of the trip-he always has to fly...

"Kiss me", "Touch me", "Feel me", "Rape me" – the invitations flashed across the photo of a scantily clad young woman on one of the most popular teen Web hangouts in the world – MySpace.com. Techno-hussies and innocent children just enjoying the latest method to socialize with their friends are falling victim because they are sharing very personal, often provocative and trashy information on MySpace.com, which is quickly becoming a sexual predator's playground. So rampant are the reports and allegations linking sex-crimes and even murder to activity on MySpace that producers at "America's Most Wanted" are looking into the...

Imagine, for a moment, you’re back in 2000. A visitor from the present day arrives and tells you that Washington is spending almost $22,000 per household, the most since World War II and one third higher than it was in 2001 {sic. I think she meant 1991]. Your reaction? If you’re like most conservatives, you’d probably say, “I guess the liberals won.” We know otherwise. And that makes the spending impossible to explain. In fact, some people wind up sounding a bit foolish. They’ll sheepishly admit that, yes, budget mistakes have been made. But, they say, we’ve simply drifted off...

"We must marry fiscal and moral renewal in our agenda. We are composed of men and women who are committed to principle – this is not just a time for challenge; it's a time for opportunity." So was the clarion call for an end to "business as usual" in Washington from one within the system. Rep. Mike Pence this morning addressed his colleagues in his position as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is composed of 110 of the most conservative members of Congress. Over 60 conservative House members are gathered on a two-day retreat today and tomorrow on...

But for those who want to read past the title, here are some case studies from “The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought.” Mustang, Okla., 2004: Mustang’s Lakewood Elementary school puts on a Christmas pageant every year with a nativity scene, as well as references to Hanukah and Kwanzaa. But this year, the nativity scene is gone. School Superintendent Karl Springer banned it after the ACLU told him that the nativity scene and maybe even “Silent Night” could violate the First Amendment, and the school district’s lawyer concurred....

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47278 Tuesday, November 8, 2005 All dolled up and no place to go Posted: November 8, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern By Rebecca Hagelin © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com A new catalog from the American Girl doll company arrived in the mail recently – something my daughter Kristin and I used to really look forward to. We've ordered from the company many times, and one of my fondest memories is of a trip I made with Kristin to the huge American Girl store in Chicago. The occasion was...

Meet Mike Pence, the conservative who's leading a revolt against runaway spending GOP conservatives in the House have an almost robotic loyalty to the White House and to stern leaders such as Tom DeLay. How, then, to explain Mike Pence of Indiana? As a freshman in 2001, he fought President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, which he considered a Big Government boondoggle -- and was badly defeated. In his second term, he tried to scuttle Bush's $720 billion Medicare prescription benefit -- and lost by a whisker. This year, Pence, horrified by exploding federal spending, led a backbench rebellion...

I’ve never been more thankful or proud to work at The Heritage Foundation than I was on Thursday, Oct. 20. That was the day my boss, Ed Feulner, joined a coalition of other conservative economic and family organizations to urge Congress to reign in federal spending. Of course, Heritage has been warning Congress and various administrations for years that saddling our children with unfunded entitlements and robbing taxpayers to fund pork projects is financially foolish and just plain wrong. But Dr. Feulner’s message at the press conference, combined with the voices of other gallant warriors in the battle for America’s...

It’s not uncommon for parents who fight the culture on a daily basis to assume they’re alone -- that no one else shares their concerns. But the responses I received when I wrote a column last month about my near-futile efforts to find modest clothing for my 13-year-old daughter, Kristin, proves otherwise. Many parents are fighting the same fight --and quite a few were kind enough to write me encouraging notes. The details of our frustrating shopping trip, which yielded only two acceptable items out of the dozens that Kristin tried on, evidently touched a cord. So with back-to-school season...

As I travel the country speaking about my book, Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture that’s Gone Stark Raving Mad, I’m met with nearly universal desperation from parents who are sick and tired of the battle for their kids’ hearts, minds and very souls. As the mother of three teens, I admit that I sometimes “fall back” in my own war with the culture. It’s often tough, tiresome and even tedious. But raising children who will tower above the culture makes the battle well worth my unwavering commitment. So where to start? Here are five basics: 1) Envision,...

Dad, we need you Rebecca Hagelin townhall.com June 17, 2005 Dad, we need you. It's a simple message, but one rarely heard in today’s culture. The sad reality is that we live in a society where the message to fathers is, “You’re irrelevant. You’re useless. You are a loser.” Just flip on the television: commercials and sitcoms portray fathers as wimpy and ignorant. Men are depicted as lazy, uninvolved, unwanted, and/or impotent. Dads, I’ve got news. Your family needs you. Society needs you. Your sons and daughters need you. Good dads have been the backbone of strong families, the...

Should we fear a man who prays? Some liberals think that we should. They’re apparently comfortable, to judge from Father’s Day advertisements, with men who fish, golf, repair things and fix hamburgers on the grill. But one who goes to church every week, or who prays daily with his children, is viewed with suspicion, if not downright hostility. W. Bradford Wilcox, a sociologist at the University of Virginia and author of “Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands,” made this point in a paper recently published by The Heritage Foundation. Some feminists and journalists believe that religion,...

After listening to caller feedback on the scores of radio interviews I’ve done so far on my new book, Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That’s Gone Stark Raving Mad, I’ve got a renewed passion for my heartfelt message: Parents can fight the culture -- and win. Caller opinion is astoundingly consistent. Today’s parents feel overwhelmed by the negative messages inundating our kids, and the vast majority of them are ready to fight back -- but, sadly, many have never learned how. A recent poll, outlined in a piece by Linda Feldmann in The Christian Science Monitor reveals...

"Porn is just another form of entertainment now." The speaker, an 18-year-old concession-stand worker named Ben Meredith, was explaining to a Los Angeles Times reporter why virtually no young people were trying to get in to see "Inside Deep Throat" at an Orange County, Calif., theater. Given the rating (NC-17) and the subject matter (the making of the notorious 1972 movie "Deep Throat") one might expect to find some curious teens infiltrating the theater – or at least trying to. Instead, the Times reporter writes, the audience was "overwhelmingly middle-age" and "not a young person was in sight." Which didn't...

Heroes My life has been filled with heroes. My own father was a giant of a man who understood that fathers and mothers are the most important forces in their children's lives. And when I married my knight-in-shining armor 20 years ago, God blessed me with another hero: my father-in-law. Papa John quickly became an important part of my life. As I grew to know and love him and my mother-in-law over the years, it was quite evident why my husband is a man of strong character and selfless love. This week, our dear Papa John died. But although I...

“This study is proof positive that there is an element of Hollywood deliberately attempting to poison the minds of children. The ultimate insult is that their method has parents pay them to do it.” This astounding statement is one that every parent, and anyone concerned about our culture and its affect on children, must investigate. Brent Bozell spoke these words over lunch as we discussed a recent study of programming content on MTV conducted by his organization, the Parents Television Council. In case you’re not familiar with Brent, in addition to his work with PTC, he’s also the president of...

It's been quite cold here in Northern Virginia this past week - we've had below freezing temperatures and enough snow and ice to close local schools for two days. But if you were to judge the weather based on what many teen girls are wearing, you would think the temperature outside was 1,000 degrees - actually, that's probably the body temperature of the teen boys who, believe me, are noticing what the girls are wearing. Which is not much. I am blessed (truly I am!) to be the mother of three teenagers. I'm keenly aware of the clothing "fads" and...

Jailhouse Middle School Rebecca Hagelin It felt more like a juvenile detention center during lockdown than lunchtime in my neighborhood public middle school. Teachers were strategically stationed throughout the cafeteria about 20 feet apart. One of the vice principals had taken her customary place at the microphone. Every few seconds the noisy room was punctuated with her constant commands: “You, in the green shirt, sit down.” “Students standing at the back table, find a seat quickly.” “Young man at the soda machine, move to a table.” Parents who had attended this upper-class suburban institution 20 years ago touted it as...

It felt more like a juvenile detention center during lockdown than lunchtime in my neighborhood public middle school. Teachers were strategically stationed throughout the cafeteria about 20 feet apart. One of the vice principals had taken her customary place at the microphone. Every few seconds the noisy room was punctuated with her constant commands: "You, in the green shirt, sit down." "Students standing at the back table, find a seat quickly." "Young man at the soda machine, move to a table." Parents who had attended this upper-class suburban institution 20 years ago touted it as "a wonderful school." Other parents...

Sitting in a radio studio towering above New York City in the Empire State Building was the highlight of one of my many trips to New York. But not because of the view. No, it wasn’t what I saw that blew my socks off, it was what I heard. Michael Medved was hosting his popular radio show (normally done from KTTH in Seattle) from the grand building while attending the same convention I was in town for, and I had tagged along to watch this great master of history, entertainment and the pop culture in action. He used no notes,...

Parents beware!Rebecca Hagelin (archive) February 11, 2005 | Print | Send Parents, does the school your children attend feature a sex-education program that’s billed as “abstinence-based” or “abstinence-plus”? If so, you may be under the understandable impression that it tells teens, in clear-cut language, that they’re not ready for sex. That they should wait. That it focuses on … well, abstinence.But a major study from The Heritage Foundation, “Comprehensive Sex Education vs. Authentic Abstinence: A Study of Competing Curricula,” shows that isn’t the case. Like “People for the American Way” or “Planned Parenthood,” the label “abstinence-plus” is a flat-out lie....

A must read by Rebecca Hagelin "There's an old saying, 'Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks.'"

Want to know how you're doing as a parent? Check out how your children are doing when it comes to minding their manners. I don't mean just etiquette. How you set a table properly, when to use the little fork across the top of the plate and where to seat the groom's mother at a wedding reception are only small parts of the equation. Are your children thoughtful? Do they get up from the dinner table and offer to help with the cleanup? Are they polite and cheerful to other adults they encounter? No, they won't absorb all the rules...

More than 100,000 people waited in line for hours in California to have the opportunity to walk near his casket. The scene was repeated in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where mothers, fathers, college students, business men and veterans, blue- and white-collar workers, the old and the young waited in the heat and rain and dark of night just to be in the room with the body of our beloved former president. Hundreds of thousands more lined the streets in Washington for the processional to the Capitol and later to the funeral. Thousands more repeated the scene in California...

As election 2004 swings into full gear with all of the promises, rhetoric, charges and counter-charges that come with it, it's important that potential voters understand the issues. Educated voters asking educated questions of candidates makes for better candidates and better results at the polls. It also makes for better public policy. The trouble is, with so many people expressing distrust in the news media, it's sometimes hard to know where to turn for reliable information on key issues of the day. Well, not anymore. The Heritage Foundation has produced the most comprehensive, up-to-date candidate briefing resource on issues ever...

Sean Hannity is the real deal Posted: March 23, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Observing Sean Hannity "work a room" is like watching someone welcome a good friend into his home. There is no glad-handing, no feigned interest in what his guest is saying, no forced smile. Rather, there is a warm handshake, meaningful conversation, deep appreciation for the individual and that unmistakable Hannity charm. In a word, Sean Hannity is ... adorable. There, I said it. Might as well get right out there in the open for all the world to read. Sean is intelligent, genuinely kind, correct on the...

An oasis in the desert Posted: March 9, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com As a new bride in 1984, I left my job in Washington, D.C., and moved to Houston, Texas, where my husband, Andy, taught Naval Sciences at Rice University. My young life up to that point had been filled with cause-oriented work – I lived and breathed national politics and, from junior high school, had longed to make a difference in the lives of people across the nation. In Houston, I found myself far away from the work I so loved – and although there were plenty of local...

Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and love Posted: March 2, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com So now I know the power of Rush Limbaugh. I don't just know about it – I mean I have actually felt it. Two weeks ago, as I was diligently working in my office at the Heritage Foundation, the reception area outside my door was suddenly a flurry of hyper activity and excitement. Several folks were trying to cram through my doorway at once, all chattering something about Rush Limbaugh. Adding to the delightful madness was the ringing of my phone and the simultaneous "dinging" of incoming e-mail....

Help for your marriage! Posted: February 17, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com The letters are enough to make a grown woman cry. I'm referring to the many stories sent by men across the country to Dr.Laura Schlessinger that are included in her newly released book, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands." Several weeks ago, I decided to write a column about Dr. Laura's book because I deeply value her wonderful work on behalf of families. As I have written before, the basic unit of every single civil society – the family, starting with marriage – is in grave peril due...

Cultural terrorism Posted: February 3, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com There we were, my precious 11-year-old daughter and I, curled up on the couch, anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl halftime extravaganza. Let's be clear about this: We weren't watching the game – not a single minute of it. Nope, we were having a girls' fun night running back and forth between decorating her room and trying to catch the much-awaited halftime spectacle. And boy, what a spectacle it was. Janet "Flashing" Jackson and all. Halftime had already started before we realized it, so we quickly scrambled to catch the rest of...

"Cal Thomas for President" actually has a nice (let freedom) ring to it. And you've got to hand it to Cal: He sticks to conservative principles, says what's on his mind, and has a heck of a lot of fun while doing it. Consider, for instance, the recent campaign "speech" Thomas gave on Fox News Channel's "After Hours with Cal Thomas." In his typical Cal-esque style of combining wit and wisdom with just a touch of wacky, he delivered the campaign "promises" many of us long to hear: "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you....

X-NADER RUNNINGMATE ENDORSES KUCINICH. Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich's Presidential campaign last week picked up the endorsement of Native American activist Winona LaDuke. Who? LaDuke was the Green Party nominee for Vice President on Ralph Nader's ticket in both 1996 and 2000. "Dennis is not a Green, but he's a Green in his heart," said LaDuke at the Minnesota Kucinich rally. Also on the third party front, Kucinich was previously endorsed by John Hagelin (the three-time Natural Law Party nominee for President) and Barbara Ehrenreich (1988 Socialist Party nominee for Vice President).