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Articles and Commentary

• Deadlier Than AIDS? -
• Free Contraceptives for Middle School Children -
• In Their Own Words -
• Upcoming Events -

Important News Headlines

Memory Verse of the Week

DEADLIER THAN AIDS? -

Health experts warn that a drug-resistant "superbug" has the potential to kill more Americans that AIDS. Each year more than 90,000 Americans are infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The potentially deadly staph infection is believed to be responsible for the death of a 17-year-old high school student in Virginia which prompted officials to shut down 21 schools.

MRSA is the subject of a new report published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently in hospitals and healthcare facilities. However staph infections are becoming more and more common outside of the hospital setting. What's more, not only are Staph infections more widespread, they are also more resistant to antibiotics. According to the study, which was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, "infections with significant antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, the types formerly seen only in hospitals, now have onset in the community - old diseases have learned new tricks."

Schools across the country are reporting an increase in outbreaks of staph infections, particularly among athletes. MRSA bacteria can live on common surfaces such as tables or doorknobs for days or weeks and can be transmitted when someone touches an infected surface. Health officials believe many of the infections are being spread in gyms and locker rooms. In Maryland, more than two dozen staph infections have been reported by four high schools over the past three weeks. Health officials in other parts of the country (including North Carolina, Ohio, New York, New Hampshire, and Florida) have also noted an increase in staph infections.

Old Diseases Learn New Tricks

The World Health Organization recently released its annual report, which states that infectious diseases are spreading faster than ever before. According to the WHO, new diseases are emerging at the "historically unprecedented" rate of one per year. Since the 1970s, 39 new diseases have developed, such as SARS, Ebola, and the Marburg virus. Furthermore, in the last five years alone, the WHO has identified more than 1,100 epidemics including cholera, polio and bird flu. The WHO anticipates that more new diseases will emerge in the near future, the report states that "It would be extremely naive and complacent to assume that there will not be another disease like AIDS, another Ebola, or another SARS."

Thomson Prentice, editor of the WHO report, says that modern airline travel has exacerbated the spread of infectious diseases: "With something like two billion passengers traveling last year, that works out at something like three million people every day flying from one city or one country or one continent to another. The potential, I think, is obvious for someone with an infectious disease unwittingly perhaps carrying it from one part of the world to another."

With the advent of antibiotics more than 50 years ago, scientists predicted the end of death and suffering from infectious diseases. During the past 30 years, however, we have witnessed the reemergence and geographical spread of well-known diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera, often in more virulent and drug-resistant forms. Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Diseases thought to be obsolete have once again become a global threat, and in recent years new pathogens have emerged, some of which carry antibiotic-resistant genes or mutations enabling them to move across different species.

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FREE CONTRACEPTIVES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN

Middle school students in Portland, Maine will have access to birth control prescriptions through their school's health center if the Portland School Committee approves a proposal on Wednesday.

The health center at King Middle School in Portland, Maine is available to students whose parents have given permission for their children to be treated there. Most children who use the health center seek help for sore throats, coughs, and asthma, and to get routine physical examinations and vaccinations. The health center does more than treat the common cold, though. It also distributes condoms to its few sexually active students and soon may also be able examine and hand out birth control prescriptions to the 11-14 year olds who ask.

Children having children - the problem exploded in the 1970s and 1980s as sexual activity among teens increased. Then, as families, communities, religious organizations and government agencies worked double time to give kids better guidance, the number of sexually active high school students began dropping nationwide. The number of sexually active middle school kids in Maine dropped from 23 percent in 1997 to 13 percent in 2005, according to the Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Of the 134 students who visited King Middle School's health center last year, five reported they had had sexual intercourse.

Advocates of the birth control program argue that the few high-risk children need to have contraceptives available to them. They may not go to their parents for birth control, and may therefore end up pregnant. The school must, they argue, step in and help.

A proposal like this raises huge health and parental rights issues. It also raises the question, "Will the 'cure' do more damage than the problem itself?" Right now very few girls at King Middle School are sexually active. A higher availability of birth control, however, may encourage 12 and 13-year-olds to experiment sexually more than they otherwise would have.

Leaving parents out of the equation is also extremely bad policy. Studies consistently show that parental involvement is one of the foremost factors in preventing high-risk behavior among teens. Allowing children to circumvent their parents does not protect them, but simply allows them to do more behind their parents' backs.

In fact, according to a study by Florida State University law professor Jonathan Klick, parental consent and notification laws for abortion correlate with a drop in sexual activity in the states that have those laws. Klick and Thomas Stratmann, professor of economics at George Mason University, found that teens adjusted their behavior to the laws of their state. The states without parental notification laws in effect had significantly higher rates of gonorrhea than states with laws that required kids to let their parents know before they got an abortion, indicating that kids who could go around their parents to get abortions were also more likely to have high-risk sex.

Teaching young people to make wise decisions begins in the home. If young people do not have the support and guidance at home they need to make good decisions, however, the school system should not take charge and grease the way to make bad decisions. The best things we as individuals can do is reach out to the kids we know personally, to help them. We can be involved in our schools, go to school board meetings, and helpfully discuss with teachers and administrators about positive things that can be done to help the at-risk kids in our communities. And, before all these things, we need to continue to pray for our towns and communities, and for our governments.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

"Soon Islam will become the dominating force in the world, occupying first place in the number of followers amongst all other religions...We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world" - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran

"Peace initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement." - Hamas Charter 1987, Article 13

"Believers (Muslims), take neither Jews nor Christians to be your friends: they are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number, and God does not guide (those Jewish and Christian) wrong-doers." - The Quran, Sura 5:51

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" - Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood

"Sons of Islam everywhere, the jihad is a duty - to establish the rule of Allah on earth and to liberate your countries and yourselves from America's domination and its Zionist allies, it is your battle - either victory or martyrdom." - Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas co-founder and spiritual leader

"If the refugees return to Israel, Israel will cease to exist." - Former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, a key player in the Six Day War who openly advocated the destruction of Israel

"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces. Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem? If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries - to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe." - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi." - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [Editor's Note: In the Islamic faith, the Mahdi is the ultimate savior of mankind. His appearance will usher in an era of Islamic justice and bring about the conversion of the heathen amidst flame and fire. The Mahdi will establish Islam as the global religion and will reign for seven years before bringing about the end of the world.]

"There is no use in giving concessions. The more you concede, the more generous you are, the more it is seen as weakness and they will attack you again to get more concessions." - Tawfik Hamid, former Muslim extremist

"The Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.'" - The Hadith, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 260

"Allah's Apostle was asked, 'What is the best deed?' He replied, 'To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad).' The questioner then asked, 'What is the next?' He replied, 'To participate in Jihad'" - The Hadith, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 25

"Fight and slay the pagans (infidels) wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." – The Quran, Sura 9:5

Most Americans - and even most Christians - have no real awareness of the nature of Islam: its origin, its agenda, and its methods. To learn more about the growing threat posed by Islamic extremists we encourage you to watch the film Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West (click on the link above for a special offer). This new documentary has been described as "required viewing" and "one of the most important films of our time." It contains an "insider's view" of the true nature and agenda of radical Islam.

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Iran Missiles Could Strike US by 2015 - October 16, 2007
Iranian technology is on pace to build a long-range missile that could strike the United States within a decade. Growing international political tension with Iran over its nuclear program and its role in orchestrating insurgent attacks in Iraq has given military officials in the US reason to step up their efforts in developing a workable missile defense system. FOX News

37 Percent of Israelis Willing to Give Up Holy Sites - October 16, 2007
In a recent poll 37 percent of Israelis said they would be willing to cede sole sovereignty over Jerusalem's holy sites - many saying the site should be under international rule. Ynet

Triple-digit Oil Prices to Become Norm - October 16, 2007
Some experts believe that oil prices of at least $100 a barrel are expected to become the norm as early as next year, as conventional supplies continue to decline and consumption in the developing world rises. Market Watch

Putin Warns US Against Attacking Iran - October 16, 2007
Russian leader Vladimir Putin met his Iranian counterpart Tuesday and implicitly warned the US not to attack Iran. AP

Chicago Researchers Look for 'Gay Gene' - October 16, 2007
A new federally funded study seeks to determine if homosexuality is genetic. It is the largest study ever conducted on the topic and it is already generating criticism and controversy, even though the initial results won't be published until next year. FOX News