Freedom Of Choice Act . . . Anything BUT Choice!

The Freedom of Choice Act is the subject of this Big B File.

I am so concerned about the Passage of this Big B File that I sent the following letter to my representatives in Congress, Senator Kit Bond, Congressman Lacy Clay, Senator Claire McCaskill (bold Print included in letters to Congressman Lacy Clay &  Senator Claire McCaskill):

---

 

Sunday, January 25, 2009

 

Dear Senator Kit Bond, Congressman Lacy Clay, Senator Claire McCaskill,

           Recently, President Barak Obama has indicated that he would sign the Freedom of Choice if it gets to his desk. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Ted Kennedy have expressed their eagerness to pass it.

I would like to get your responses to the following questions….

• Are you for taking away the rights of states? According to a legal analysis done on FOCA for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which says the following:

               As a general matter, if FOCA were enacted, it would wipe out a very large number of existing state laws on abortion, substantially impede the ability of states to regulate abortion, and override nearly 40 years of jurisprudential experience on the subject of abortion. FOCA does this for several reasons.
              First, FOCA states that the decision whether to have an abortion is a “fundamental” right. Under existing case law, a decision to have an abortion is not a fundamental right as it was under Roe. In 1992, seven justices rejected that view and concluded that the Court’s earlier decisions under Roe had too severely and improperly restricted the states’ power to regulate abortion. Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 873-87 (1992) (O’Connor, Kennedy, Souter, J1.) (concluding that the Court’s earlier decisions had gone “too far” and that “[..not all governmental intrusion [into abortion] is of necessity unwarranted”); id. at 944 (Rehnquist, C.J., joined by White, Scalia, and Thomas, JJ.) (concurring in part, dissenting in part) (agreeing that earlier decisions had gone too far, and urging that Roe be overruled altogether). In judging the constitutionality of abortion laws, the Casey plurality abandoned the use of strict scrutiny, a rigorous test traditionally reserved for the protection of fundamental rights and usually fatal to the challenged law, and substituted for it an undue burden test. The latter test prevents government from imposing a “substantial obstacle” in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before viability. Id. at 878 (emphasis added).

                Here in Missouri, some of the laws that would be wiped off the books if FOCA passes include Parental consent for minors prior to an abortion, Partial-Birth Abortion ban (infanticide law), No taxpayer-funded abortions, 24-hour waiting period and informed consent prior to an abortion, Only physicians can perform or induce abortions, Conscience protections for pro-life doctors and hospitals who don’t want to do abortions; No abortions in order to use fetal organs or tissue for transplantation or experimentation, Licensing of most abortion clinics as ambulatory surgical centers to ensure basic health and safety of the patients, Requiring medical malpractice for doctors who perform or induce abortions, alternatives to abortion programs to encourage and support women who choose not to abort their unborn child.

Are you in favor of taking away parental rights? FOCA would do just that by denying parents the right to raise their kids how they see fit. The kids belong to their parents and NOT the government nor organizations like Planned Parenthood, Now, Pro-Choice America, and others. The parents should have the final decision on whether their daughter has an abortion or not and have the right to be told if their child wants an abortion.

•               Are you in favor of taking away the first amendment right of people of faith? The first amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” FOCA will force Pharmacists, Doctors, and other health professionals to violate their morals and Religious Beliefs and perform Abortion procedures, dispense contraception (a form of abortion and in direct violate of numerous religious teachings, including the Roman Catholic Church). Just ask pharmacists Carol Muzzarelli, of Collinsville, Kelly Hubble, of Belleville, G. Richard Quayle, of Highland and John Menges, formerly of Edwardsville (all Illinois). They were suspended when they refused to violate their religious beliefs and dispense the morning after pill, a form of birth control. The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in December 2008 and the case is Menges, et al. v. Blagojevich (U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois) and go to http://www.aclj.org/Litigation/?state=IL for other cases in this area. This would also apply to people like myself, who would be forced to pay for someone else’s abortion…via the taxes we pay to our respective states and to the Federal Government…forcing us to do something that runs contrary to my values and religious convictions and those of others like me. These tax dollars are the same tax dollars used to pay your salary!
•                 Are you in favor of denying the first amendment rights of Doctors, Nurses and other medical professionals to exercise their religious? FOCA would do this by forcing them to dispense contraception and/or perform abortions in direct violation of their religious beliefs, morals, and consciences.
•                 Are you in favor of violating the part of the first amendment that says, ”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” especially the part that says “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. FOCA would force catholic hospitals and other Catholic Healthcare facilities to provide abortions and contraceptives, along with forcing Catholic organizations like Catholic Charities, St. Vincent DePaul Society, and others to pay for and/or provide abortion and contraceptive services (through programs such as Catholic Charities’ MedAssist Program)…all in direct violation of Code of Cannon Law and official Roman Catholic Church Teaching AND the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

                          You have stated in the past that you want to “protect a woman’s right to choose”. Okay fine… a woman’s right to choose what… abortion or want? What is the other option besides abortion?    I strongly urge you to oppose the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and do everything possible to ensure its defeat once and for all. I would very much appreciate your response, please go to http://big-b.net/feedback.htmlor send them to me at 2192A Keeven Lane in Florissant, MO 63031.

Sincerely Yours,

 

 

Bryan V. Hewing
Author and commentator of the Big B Files
2192A Keeven Lane
Florissant, MO 63031
bvh

 

 

 

The Nation’s Transition to Digital Television & not telling the Whole Story

The Nation’s Transition to Digital TV & not telling the whole story is the subject of this Big B File . . .

     On February 17, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. (local time), all television broadcasters in the United States of America will be making the final transition to digital . . . or will they?

     According to the public service announcements that have run and are still running by the nation’s full-power broadcasters, cable and broadcast networks, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), nonprofit organizations, and other community groups and local governments, among others . . . you and many others in this country would logically say that I’ll all the stations you’re watching right now will shut off their analog transmitters at that time . . . 2/17/09 at 12:01 a.m… and we’ll all be broadcasting in digital only after that time. Just take a look at this notice is given to customers who buy along televisions. Sets in places like Goodwill, The Salvation Army, etc.

CONSUMER ALERT

      This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more information, call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission’s digital television website at: www.DTV.gov.

        Unfortunately, this announcement similar to what others using is not completely accurate. What these notices and public service announcements don’t tell you is that only the full power stations are mandated by federal law to make the switch to High Definition Television (HDTV) on February 17, 2009. The Low Power (LPTV), Translator, booster, and Class A television stations are not mandated to make the switch on February 17th with no deadline of their own to make the transition to digital television.

     The transition to a high definition television began in earnest in 1996 with the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. That act mandated that broadcasters convert their signals to Digital (HDTV) TV within a certain period of time. The original date was December 31, 2006, but was later pushed back several times before finally being set to February 17, 2009. The rest of the time line went like this (according to the website Digital TV Primer):

Time Line (Updated July 2, 2006)

• 1996 — Congress passed Telecommunications Act of 1996 which established December 31, 2006, as the end of the transition to a new ATSC digital television standard. On that date authority to broadcast via the old NTSC analog standard would end.
• 1997 — Congress adopted caveats to that hard date to ensure that no more than 15 percent of American TV households would be cut off from TV before analog transmissions ended in any market.
• May 1, 1999 — Top four networks in the top ten markets required to have their digital channels up and running (although not at full power and not full time).
• November 1, 1999 — Top four networks in markets 11-30 required to have constructed their digital stations.
• May 1, 2002 — Remaining commercial broadcast stations required to be transmitting a digital signal.
• April 1, 2003 — Broadcast stations required to transmit digitally 50 percent of the time that they broadcast analog programming.
• May 1, 2003 — All broadcast stations’ digital channels required to be up and running (these requirements turned out to be a goal, not universally met).
• April 1, 2004 — Broadcast stations required to transmit digitally 75 percent of the time that they broadcast analog programming.
  • Cable operators must supply upon request to their customers, HD STBs with functional Firewire 1394 connectors.▸ July 1, 2004 — 50 percent of models of DTV receivers in sets 36″ and larger that are labeled “Digital Cable Ready” must have DVI or HDMI interfaces using HDCP (high-bandwidth digital content protection) technology.
  • 50 percent of new televisions 36″ and larger are required to have integrated over-the-air digital tuners
• September 7, 2004 — FCC releases Report and Order, Second Periodic Review of Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion to Digital Television (Mostly technical rules, but among other things, it repealed a requirement for simulcasting and rejected proposals for consumer labeling of analog-only sets).
• December 31, 2004 — Commercial broadcast stations required to increase signal strength to meet “principle community coverage.”
• February 2005 — First round channel elections for broadcast stations with “in-core” channels (i.e. 2-51). Channels 52-69 will be surrendered at the end of the transition and those frequencies (698-806 MHz) will be auctioned off by the government or transferred for use by public safety agencies.
• April 1, 2005 — Broadcast stations required to transmit digitally 100 percent of the time that they broadcast analog programming.
• June 2005 — FCC Media Bureau issues DTV channel election conflict letters.
• July 1, 2005 — all HD STBs must also have DVI (digital visual interface) or HDMI (high definition multimedia interface).
  • 100 percent of models of DTV receivers in sets 36″ and larger and 50 percent in sets 25″ to 35″ that are labeled “Digital Cable Ready” must have DVI or HDMI interfaces using HDCP (high-bandwidth digital content protection) technology; any set labeled “Digital Cable Ready” must also include an integrated over-the-air digital tuner.
  • 100 percent of new televisions 36″ and larger are required to have integrated digital tuners; 50 percent of new televisions 25″ to 35″ are required to have integrated over-the-air digital tuners.
  • Use-it-or-lose-it deadline for the top four networks’ stations in the 100 largest TV markets to go to full digital signal coverage (a replication and maximization protection deadline).
• August 2005 — Broadcast stations file with FCC first round channel election interference conflict forms.
• September 2005 — Second round of channel elections for broadcast stations.
• October 2005 — FCC completes second round channel election interference conflict analysis; Media Bureau issues conflict letters.
• November 1, 2005 — The Senate and the House of Representatives each pass their own version of a new digital TV transition bill. The House version would end the transition on December 31, 2008, and the Senate version would set that date as April 7, 2009. Each would have a subsidy for digital-to-analog set-top-boxes.
• December 2005 — Broadcast stations submit second round conflict decision forms to FCC.
• December 31, 2005 — Non-commercial broadcast stations required to increase signal strength to meet “principle community coverage.”
• February 8, 2006 — Digital TV Transition Act of 2005 signed into law, establishing February 17, 2009 as the last day for NTSC/analog TV broadcasts.
• February 2006 — Third round channel elections for stations without confirmed channels.
• March 1, 2006 — All new televisions 25″ to 35″ are required to have integrated over-the-air digital tuners.
• March 2006 — FCC to resolve third round DTV channel election interference conflicts.
• July 1, 2006 — 100 percent of models of DTV receivers in sets 25″ to 35″ that are labeled “Digital Cable Ready” must have DVI or HDMI interfaces using HDCP (high-bandwidth digital content protection) technology.
  • Use-it-or-lose-it deadline for all smaller commercial stations plus non-commercial stations to go to full digital signal coverage (a replication and maximization protection deadline, with caveats depending on channel assignment).
• August 2006 — FCC completes channel elections, issues new DTV Table of Allotments. That is, all TV broadcast stations have their final digital channel numbers.
• March 1, 2007 — Deadline for all television sets (13″ and larger) to include integrated ATSC (digital) tuners.
• January 1, 2008 — First day that consumers may request $40 government subsidy coupons for a digital-to-analog converter box.
• February 17, 2009 — Hard cutoff date for analog TV broadcasts set by the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.
• March 31, 2009 — Last day for consumers to request $40 government subsidy coupons for a digital-to-analog converter box.

     Here are some serious issues in relation to the Digital transition when it comes to low-power, Class A, and TV translator stations. As I said earlier, Low Power (LPTV), Translator, booster, and Class A television stations are not mandated to make the switch to HDTV on February 17, 2009 and have no set date for these stations to make the switch themselves. Unlike Full Power stations, Low Power (LPTV), Translator, booster, and Class A television stations were not automatically assigned a second digital channel by the FCC like the Full Power stations were in the late 1990s.

     Up until the past few years, Low Power (LPTV), Translator, booster, and Class A television stations were virtually ignored by the FCC and organizations like the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and were left on their own to find a second digital channel. Not only that, but if a Low Power station was on a channel that has been assigned to a full-power station as their digital channel, they have no choice other than find a new channel, file a displacement relief application (without FCC help and using their own funds), or cease operations altogether a.k.a. shut down permanently (go dark /silent) . . . just ask Bob Suffel, Former owner & General Manager of KBTV-LP in Sacramento, California, which had to shut down his station in February 2000 after being bumped by KOVR-DT (then owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, now by CBS).

     Currently, there is no set deadline for all the Low Power (LPTV), Translator, booster, and Class A television stations to switch to Digital TV . . . even though FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin has suggested in a letter to National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and others a goal of having 2012 as the date of the switch to digital for low power stations.

     When the $40 government subsidy coupon program began one year ago, it was only for Converter Boxes that did not have the analog pass-through capability . . . meaning that LPTVs cannot be viewed before and after the transition, whether the converter box is on or off. As a result of this, the Community Broadcasters Association (CBA) filed a lawsuit on March 26, 2008, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. In the lawsuit, the Community Broadcasters Association said that all but six of the converter boxes that were lacking the Analog Pass-Through capability violate the All-Channel Receiver Act (ACRA), 47 U.S.C. §303(s), and Sections stations 15.115(c) and 15.117(b) of the FCC’s Rules. The Big B Files believes that the CBA was correct in this regard and that a recall should be issued in this regard for the Noncompliant converter boxes to be exchanged for ACRA compliant boxes as well. The Lawsuit was dismissed in Early May and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled against the CBA in Early May and CBA had said they have no plans to appeal the case. The good news is that the vast majority of the converter boxes out now do have this capability.

     As of Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 7:51 pm CST, only the following stations have a digital channel in the St. Louis, Mo Metro area:

• KUMO-LD
• K23IR-D
• KPTN-LD
• K49FC

     The Big B Files says that the FCC must assign a digital channel to the Low Power (LPTV), Translator, booster, and Class A television stations in the country, set a hard date for the switchover to digital and provide funds to those who need funds to make the transition to HDTV and allow some of those stations to upgrade to Full Power status.

     That is the Big B Files. Click on the comments link below and let me know what you think… I’m Bryan Hewing.

Novena to defeat the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) – January 11-20, 2009

Dear Big B Files Readers,

     Please mark on your calendar the day to start this Novena, Jan 11th. Our prayers are desperately needed.  If you are opposed to abortion then there is bad news on the horizon. I know that most of you are aware. For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is set to be signed if congress passes iton January 21-22 of2009. The FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If made a law then all limitations on abortion will be lifted which will result in the following:

1. All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more then 30% of all hospitals in the United States.   (We can only imagine what kind of repercussions this will have on our Church.)
2. Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no limitations.
3. All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.
4. Parental notification will no longer be required.
5. The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of 100,000 annually.

     Perhaps most importantly, the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, Down Syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have

     Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.
The Plan: To say a novena (9 days of prayer) along with fasting starting on January 11th. For Catholics, the prayer of choice will be the Rosary with intentions to stop the FOCA. For non-Catholics I encourage you to ptay your strongest prayers with the same intentions, also for nine consecutive days. The hope is that this will branch and blossom as to become a global effort with maximum impact. We have very little time so we all must act fast. Just do three things:

• Pass this letter to 5 or more people.
• Do it in three days or less.
• Start the novena on January 11th and pray for nine consecutive days.

     Remember that with God all things are possible and the power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless killing of defenseless children then the time is now to do something about it!   Please also fast for at least two days during the novena.

May God bless you all !!

“If you pray well, you will live well, if you live well, you will die well; and if you die well, all will be well.”

- St. Augustine

“We cannot fight credibly against other social and moral evils, including poverty and violence, while we tolerate mass killings by abortion.”

- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Gov. Rod Blagojevich Impeachment Press Conference

you can watch the press conferences live (From WAND-TV NewsCenter 17 in Decatur, IL)