By Thomas Hampson
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09.23.24
Banned Books Week, an annual propaganda campaign by the left-wing ALA, highlights the most radically inappropriate, obscene or downright pornographic books that are available to anyone of any age without restrictions in libraries...
By Thomas Hampson
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09.04.24
Gender-affirming care, until recently, has been gaining popularity around the world for treating gender dysphoria in children and adults. All that is changing. The term itself mischaracterizes the treatment. Gender-affirming care is not care. It is chemical and surgical mutilation.
By Thomas Hampson
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08.06.24
The SHIELD Act (S.412) passed in the U.S. Senate in July. This bill would address image-based sexual abuse by establishing new laws to knowingly distribute sexually explicit content of an individual without their consent. It will also outlaw the distribution of pornographic images of minors that are intended to humiliate, harass, or degrade the minor. But, if S.412 passes the U.S. House and is signed into law, will it be enforced?
By Thomas Hampson
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07.16.24
Our understanding of what we think is true constantly changes. At least, it does if we continue to learn. When I was in high school, for example, my science textbook unequivocally stated that the entire universe consisted of 16 galaxies. Period. Now, more than sixty years later, we do not know how many galaxies there are.
By Thomas Hampson
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07.08.24
Despite the seemingly mundane nature of regulations, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Chevron Deference is poised to have a profound impact on our daily lives. This decision will touch each and every one of us, shaping our daily experiences and interactions.
By Thomas Hampson
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06.29.24
Regardless of their claimed party affiliation, average Americans are more unified in their opinions than it might appear. It doesn’t seem that way when we watch the news or read the paper, and sometimes even when we discuss issues one-on-one. An outside observer might even think we are hopelessly divided.
By Thomas Hampson
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06.04.24
Why would Equality Illinois, a non-profit organization established to promote the civil rights of LGBTQ individuals, be involved in promoting the decriminalization of “sex work”. . . in other words, stop enforcing laws against prostitution? How does this help those who consider themselves LGBTQ?
By Thomas Hampson
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05.09.24
Last week the United Methodist Church (UMC) caved to the LGBTQ agenda. For several years, the UMC has pushed back against progressive efforts to embrace same-sex marriage, the ordination of LBGTQ pastors, and the full inclusion of those who identify as LGBTQ into all church ministries and activities.
By Thomas Hampson
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05.02.24
Stories of children reported to be victims of sexual exploitation are so familiar these days that they have become little more than background noise in the daily news feed. Even our legislators don’t give this exploitation a second thought. At least, that’s the impression I get from a review of HB 5239.
By Thomas Hampson
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04.18.24
One of the commonly heard complaints of college students in the last several years is that the institutions of higher education they attend have failed to provide “safe spaces” for them. Students have complained that they feel unsafe because the professors or fellow students or administrators fail to acknowledge their chosen pronouns or that students of color feel unsafe in classes or dorms with white students.
By Thomas Hampson
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04.09.24
What are we doing to our children? Today, children are told—starting at 3 or 4 years old—that we don’t really know if they are a boy or a girl. The doctor just guessed based on their appearance when they were born. Over the next few years, they are told, it is up to the child to discover if they are a boy, a girl, non-binary, fluid, or something else altogether.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.26.24
What we think is true can have the same effect on us as what is true. We have known this forever. But today, in our post-truth culture, we are becoming less concerned with discovering what is true and more focused on what we feel is true. Public opinion today is shaped more by emotion and personal beliefs than facts. The impact of this post-truth era is profound.
By Thomas Hampson
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03.19.24
A bill currently under consideration in the Illinois General Assembly would allow children 12 and up to apply for Medicaid to pay for “family planning” services. Specifically, HB 5473 states: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph (2), a minor who is 12 years of age or older may sign and file an application of the minor’s own behalf if such application is for the Article V family planning program enacted by Public Act 102-665 amending Section 5-5 of this Code.”
By Thomas Hampson
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03.11.24
The legislative effort to address bullying in Illinois started in 2006 when the Illinois School Code was amended. The act required schools to establish an anti-bullying policy, inform students and parents about it, and keep their updated policies on file with the Illinois State Board of Education.
By Thomas Hampson
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02.28.24
Whenever a legislator proposes a new law, supposedly, that new law is intended to solve some problem. But what problem does the law proposed by Anne Stava-Murray seek to solve in HB 4876? Her bill would expand the definition of child abuse to include a parent or other member of the household who...
