iblue

Follow-Up on Dr. Dobson's Message

2007-05-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Concerned Citizens,

We are thrilled to tell you that the "Meehan-Shays Amendment" the "Grassroots Gag Bill" we've been alerting you about since January was killed Thursday in the House Judiciary Committee. This is a victory made possible by concerned citizens like you, who made their voices heard. Thanks to your phone calls and petitions, we will be able to continue informing you of the latest issues in the culture war.

The "Meehan-Shays Amendment" was possibly the most dangerous bill introduced yet in the 110th Congress because it would have severely limited free-speech rights. Because of that, this victory is the biggest pro-family victory we've seen this session. The bill would have made it nearly impossible for groups like Focus Action to update you on important legislative issues by creating miles of new red tape.

Freedom of Speech Petitions Delivered to House Judiciary Committee Democrats

More than 130,000 petitions were signed, and on Tuesday we delivered petitions to the Democratic House Judiciary Committee members. Within two days of delivery, these petitions, along with the thousands of calls and e-mails flooding the Hill this week, clearly impacted the committee members and their vote on this amendment. Click here to listen to Dr. Dobson congratulate the concerned citizens including you who successfully petitioned our government in opposition to this bill, at the top of the May 18 broadcast ("Understanding the Threat of Radical Islam," Part 2 of 2).

But we're not quite out of the woods yet. This dangerous grassroots-lobbying language could be added back in before the full House vote on the broad lobbying-reform bill next week.

Rest assured that we will continue to update you about any new developments leading up to the House vote. We are honored to be your eyes and ears in Washington, D.C. Thank you for helping protect our freedom of speech and congratulations on being an integral part of this victory for our constitutional rights.

P.S. A few weeks ago, we told you about two bills that will directly threaten our First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion. These bills, the Hate Crimes Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) will be coming up for consideration in Congress soon. There's still time to make your voice heard on these bills, so that's why we're asking you to sign this petition and forward this e-mail to your family and friends, so they, too, can sign the Hate Crimes/ENDA petition.

An Important Message from Dr. Dobson!

2007-05-17T23:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a message we recently received from Focus on the Family Action.

Dear Concerned Americans,

Last week we alerted you that the dangerous legislation that would make it much more difficult for groups like Focus Action to keep you abreast of what's taking place in Washington, D.C., had been introduced in the House of Representatives. This week we've learned the bill will be moving very quickly but there's still time for you to stand up for our freedom of speech.

Initially scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee May 15, a broader "lobby reform" bill is now slated for consideration on May 17. At that time, the MeehanShays language (currently the language of HR 2093, which was introduced last week) is expected to be added to the reform bill.

The broader reform bill itself will address many ethical problems associated with paid lobbyists. However, the Meehan-Shays amendment is directed at efforts to educate and motivate the "grassroots" concerned citizens like you to make their voices heard by Congress. No ethics scandal will be solved by making it more difficult for Dr. Dobson to keep you updated about what our elected officials are doing!

We know this bill with the Meehan-Shays amendment will be on the House floor by next week. It's crucial that you do everything you can to stop this threat to our freedom of speech dead in its tracks. We have heard reports that congressional offices are being flooded with calls, and we need to keep the pressure on. Here are a few things you can do:

Call the members of the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to reject the Meehan-Shays amendment or any similar language that will make it more difficult for the grassroots to communicate with Congress. Contact information for the committee members is available here. You are free to contact these members even if they are not your own representative.
Call your representative and urge him or her to oppose the Meehan-Shays amendment or any attempt to interfere with the right of Americans to make their views heard by their members of Congress. Contact information is available here.
Forward this petition update to your family and friends who may not have had a chance to sign the "Freedom of Speech" and "Hate Crimes and ENDA" petitions.

It is time to stand strong for our right to be informed and be heard. Thank you for making your voice heard.

Latest Issue Now Avaliable!

2007-03-30T20:49:00.000-05:00

Greetings Friends,

The latest issue of Blue is now available on the sidebar to the left of this note.

To those of you who are new to Blue, welcome! We hope you enjoy what you find in the pages of this ezine, and that your family will be blessed by the words of our authors. If you have a chance, we would love to hear a quick note with your thoughts!

May the Lord bless you all greatly in the months ahead!

Sincerely,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief, Blue

New Homeschool Writing Club

2007-02-07T17:12:00.000-06:00

Greetings Friends,

I am very happy to announce to you the conception of the HYCWA--the Homeschooled Young Christian Writers' Association. It was founded by my cousin Elizabeth Ramirez (a frequent contributor to Blue) andhas the makings of a really neat thing!

Here is the letter she sent me about it:

I wanted to inform you of the making of an association for young, home-schooled writers called the HYCWA (Home-school Christian Young Writers' Association). We organize into pairs, and each sends the other their stories. The writer's partner critiques his story, and vice versa, so that they are perfected before they are sent in to publishing, if the writer so desires. Only two requirements are made for the stories: (1 That they contain no rough language or inappropriate items for young children and (2 that they comply with the certain values of Christians. If you would like to join, please email me back and we will match up partners. You may have a partner in your family if you would like, but it would be better if people had partners they did not know so they have not perhaps partly read the story over that person's shoulders.
Thank you for considering this. It is a wonderful opportunity to get to write and perhaps publish something.

If you are interested in this, look for more information in the upcoming issue of Blue!

Blessings,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief

Change of Email Address

2007-01-02T16:42:00.000-06:00

Greeting Friends,

I wanted to let you know that the Blue email address is changing. The new address is bluezine@suddenlink.net. If you have us in your address book, please change to this address because I do not think we will be able to receive emails at the other address for much longer.

Blessings on your new year!

Sincerely,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief, Blue

The Nativity Story

2006-12-11T21:48:00.000-06:00

Greetings Friends,

Since the Christmas issue of Blue will not come out until next week, I wanted to give you access to a couple of reviews for the film The Nativity Story right now. From my research, it seems to be a mostly good film, but as with any film, it is not perfect. There are a few controversial issues in the film in regard to its recount/interpretation of the Biblical story of Christ's birth, and we at Blue do not agree with everything the film contains. I feel these reviews address most of the issues and encourage you to check them out if you are planning to see the film.

Plugged In Online review.

Christianity Today review.

Please note that these reviews do not necessarily express our views, but they do come from Christian perspectives.

Happy Christmas,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief

Server Change Complete!

2006-12-05T15:12:00.000-06:00

Dear Readers,

Our internet server has now finished its change over, and our files are now successfully hosted on the new server. This means that all the issues in the sidebar to the left are fully accessible to those who have Microsoft Word. You can download a Word reader by clicking on the blue "W" at the bottom of the sidebar.

If you have any questions, please select one of the names from the "Contact Us" section on the sidebar.

Thanks for your patience on this matter!

-The Blue Staff

One Reason to be Thankful

2006-11-21T22:01:00.000-06:00

Greetings Friends,

I just received news that Wal-Mart has withdrawn their support of same sex marriage as well as any "contributions to support or oppose highly controversial issues." Please click on the following links below to read Wal-Mart's official statement and AFA's statement (they have removed their official ban on Wal-Mart stores).

I praise the Lord for the positive influence His people were able to affect on this important cultural issue. Your support was blessed by God.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief, Blue
bluezine@cox.net

Wal-Mart Letter Update

2006-11-20T15:56:00.000-06:00

Greetings Friends,

I have sent off the letter to Mr. Lee Scott, president of Wal-Mart. You can access a copy of the final letter by clicking here.

I thought I would also share with you a little information, that I found in an online encyclopedia, about this man:

H. Lee Scott, Jr. is the current president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart. Scott has worked for Wal-Mart in different capacities since 1979, but has held his current offices since January of 2000. Under his leadership, Wal-Mart has retained its position as the largest retailer in the world based on revenue, but its share price has fallen 22%. Scott graduated with a degree in business from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. He is married to Linda G. Scott and has two children. The family has residences in Arkansas and California.

Scott was included in TIME magazine's lists of the 100 most influential people of 2004 and 2005. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Scott)

I do not know how a family man could endorse such anti-family organizations as Wal-Mart has done, and I pray that Mr. Scott will see the light.

I wanted to thank all of you who signed the letter and those others who contacted me to let me know that you would be writing your own letters. We have a total of eight signatures on the letter, and I praise the Lord for the willingness of His people to stand up for what is right. I know that it is uncomfortable and time-consuming to take a stand on social issues, but occasional inconvenience is a must if we are to win back America for the values it was built on.

God bless you all this Thanksgiving week!

Sincerely,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief, Blue
bluezine@cox.net

The Truth About Wal-Mart

2006-11-10T16:13:00.000-06:00

Greetings Friends,

Like me, you have probably been hearing something going around about Wal-Mart supporting a sinful organization. I did not believe the rumors until I read about it in the paper, and then did some research through the American Family Associations website. Wal-Mart has done more than just give a donation to this cause, they have taken several active steps to embrace the sinful lifestyle this organization promotes and plan on continuing to.

I have neglected being too specific in this email to save your little one's minds from being troubled, but I urge you parents to follow the link below to read a brief, concise article on this very urgent matter.

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/afa/312006a.asp

The article gives the facts and offers suggestions to fight back. It has been suggested that those who are pro-family stop shopping at Wal-Mart and send letters to both their local store managers and the Wal-Mart president Lee Scott. We will be putting together a letter to send to the Wal-mart president and may invite you, our readers, to add your family's signature to it. I will let you know about this.

I challenge you to take a stand for what is right, even though it might hurt. The road of complacency is easy, the gates are always wide-open and the people will always smile at you. The higher road is naturally rockier, but we can be brave in the knowledge that God gives us the strength to do whatever He calls us to do. Wal-Mart has drawn the lines--we can stay on the complacent side of acceptance of sin or we can cross over to the higher road. We can take a stand against what is wrong.

God bless,

Stephen Z. Biller
Editor-in-Chief, Blue

I Am David

2006-10-03T12:28:00.000-05:00

The second Amberwell Prize Winner is I Am David by Anne Holme.
Check it out in the Autumn 2006 issue of Blue or click on the cover above to read an in-depth review!

News for You

2006-10-02T11:23:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed the new feature we added to this site. Two news feeds intended to keep you up-to-date on what's happening in the world.

As you will see, there is "Conservative World News" and "Homeschool News." Please know, we have used conservative sources for our news services, but if you ever run across a headline or story that you feel is inappropriate, please let us know and we will address the problem. Email us at bluezine@suddenlink.net.

Sincerely,

The Blue Staff

Viewing Blue Better

2006-06-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

Greetings Friends,

I know some of you have had some problems viewing Blue. Some of you may need to pull down the View tab at the top of your browser window (after you have Blue opened) and select "Print Layout." You may also need to adjust the "Zoom" which can be found under the View tab as well. For some screens "100%" is best, but other screens may show the ezine better at "75%." It is a personal preference.

I hope this helps anyone experiencing difficulties!

Sincerely,

Stephen Z. Biller

Editor-in-Chief

bluezine@cox.net

Some Helpful Instructions

2006-03-15T11:27:00.000-06:00

Greeting Friends,

Some of you, I know, do not have a lot of practice with Blogs or Blogging. (I can feel with you because this is one of the first Blogs I have ever done, and until recently, I had never even seen a blog!)

To post a comment to a note or to see the comments already posted click on the word "comments" at the bottom of the note. The number in front of the word "comment" shows how many comments have been posted for that note. It looks like this: 0 comments

The "links to this post" right beside "comments" is a tool that bloggers use to link a note on one blog to a note on their own blog. It looks like this: links to this post

Finally, the little symbol of an envelope with an arrow on it is for emailing a note on iblue to a friend. Say you find an interesting note on this site, and you know someone who would like to read it. Well, just click on that little symbol and you will be taken to an easy-to-use form that will help you send the note.

I hope this helps anyone who was experiencing difficulties! God bless!

-Stephen

Runt of Rogers School

2006-02-26T21:33:00.000-06:00

Here is the first Amberwell Prize Winner! You can read all about it in the newest issue of Blue: the Late Winter 2006 issue. Once you read all about it (or if you already have) check out the comments posted by some of our other readers or post one of your own! Just click on the Comment link below. Remember to sign it with your first name so we know who posted it! : )

The Amberwell Prize

2006-02-22T20:19:00.000-06:00

The Amberwell Prize

This is an award designed to honor exemplary family books. Post any suggestions you have for future nominations, reviews of nominated books, or any other thoughts on the prize as a response to this note!