It may not be politically stylish to be Pro-Life in California as a Republican Candidate, but the evidence still remains that it is the truest position to hold as you run for any political office that oversees the lives of millions as it relates to life, liberty and independence.

I just returned from an eight-day trip to Hong Kong, China and the Philippines. 

I traveled with a group of 12 radio professionals, talk show hosts and mission experts. We were determined to experience the worst poverty the world has to offer and end the trek walking within the borders of Communist China.

The journey in the Philippines started with 10-million people packed into her Capitol City of Manila.

From the renowned ‘Smokey Mountain Dump-yard neighborhood' to the shores of the ‘community of the cripes', we saw the worst conditions for humanity. The poverty of the Philippines - as it is throughout Southeast Asia - is hard to comprehend and has no comparison in the United States of America.

I met Jonathon in Dumaguaguete City, Philippines.

We were eating a prepared lunch by the local church establish there 15-years prior. Jonathon came to speak with American radio reporters, missionary leaders and fellow Filipino residence. He was determined to be heard and to make his point before we left.

Jonathon is 41-years old man, and the first feature you notice about him is his hands. 

His hands are deformed, his fingers are either gone, severed or replaced with what looks to be flesh wrapped around ‘balloons' just to give some presentation that what remains at the end of his arms are supposed to be hands.

Jonathon was to be aborted when he was 8-months old - in the womb.

You can read, and watch, Jonathon's story at HOGUE NEWS right now.

You can help...

I am working with the Bible League in sending new Bibles to the churches inside of the 1,000-plus islands of the Philippines. Would you consider helping the cause?

A Bible costs just $4.00; $40 sends ten Bibles, $80 sends twenty Bibles today.

Please call 1-800-YES-WORD and make a contribution today and mention my name, "Eric Hogue", to make sure your contribution's allocation goes to the need in the Philippines. That's 1-800-YES-WORD and thank you very much.

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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, facing a midnight deadline to deal with 300 bills, signed legislation Tuesday aimed at helping the state fight global warming by better coordinating local planning efforts to curb suburban sprawl. San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee

In an effort to battle the bulge, California became the first state Tuesday to require chain restaurants to post the calorie content of menu items. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will affect about 17,000 facilities once it is fully implemented in 2011. Sacramento Bee and San Jose Mercury

Born in the USA? Made in Mexico? Picked in Peru? Cultivated in Canada? Supermarket shoppers, now you know. San Jose Mercury Which one of these “new laws” do you preference to be better for the consumer? I’m a tad bit of a radical here, but I like both of these laws - I want to know where my food comes from and I do like to know “what is in the food” I’m eating each day.

The state Department of General Services is shopping for $10 million worth of new law enforcement vehicles, offering a boost to beleaguered automobile retailers. Officials at General Services, the state's procurement arm, invited auto dealerships statewide – and the vehicle manufacturers they work with – to submit bids for police cruisers and SUVs earlier last month. Sacramento Bee

Lower-level criminals with major drug problems would be in line for more treatment and less prison time if voters approve the Nonviolent Offender and Rehabilitation Act of 2008. Sacramento Bee

The Alaska governor has lifted John McCain's support among conservative Christians, but some believe her work outside the home has turned 'husbands lead, wives submit' on its head. Nice article for conversation from Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times

A conversation with a Christian conservative from Northridge yields more points of agreement than might be expected. Los Angeles Times

San Leandro middle school teacher Gary Healy grabbed the contents of his office mailbox Tuesday morning and found a stack of flyers, with a note telling him to pass them out to his sixth-period students. San Francisco Chronicle This is true, and my daughter’s youth group uses flyers all school-year long to announce their events, concerts and activities. More churches should use this method of campus communication.

In the face of passionate opposition, the American River College Student Council on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution calling for a ban on gay marriage. Local lead story offered by Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee

Each should be awarded $500,000 to $1 million for being taunted by spectators, the firemen's attorney says. The city's attorney says the plaintiffs deserve nothing. Great follow-up piece from Tony Perry in the Los Angeles Times

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Frustrated at the Legislature's annual inability to pass a state budget on time, the California Grange – the state's oldest agricultural fraternal group – is pondering an initiative that would not only block lawmakers from being paid when a budget is late, but fine them for it, too. Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee

Happy chickens equal happy consumers, say proponents of Proposition 2, a November ballot measure that calls for the humane treatment of farm animals. The initiative, proposed by the Humane Society of the United States, would ban farmers from raising egg-producing poultry, veal calves and pregnant pigs in small cages and crates by 2015. Stacy Finz in the San Francisco Chronicle

Termed out Assembly members Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, are competing for the state Senate in the 5th District, which includes South Sacramento County and parts of Yolo, San Joaquin and Solano counties. Aurelio Rojas in the Sacramento Bee

Ratcheting up a media barrage that will spill into millions of California living rooms, proponents of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage broadcast their first TV ads Monday, charging that permanent legalization could endanger religious freedom or change schools' curriculum, charges whose veracity were challenged by legal experts. Mike Swift in the San Jose Mercury

A Shasta County atheist sued top state corrections officials Monday, claiming that his constitutional rights were violated when he was returned to prison after objecting to participation in a program with religious overtones as a condition of parole. Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee

Both the weekly dinner and the prayer are required. The students are participants in a special program offered by All Saints Episcopal Church in Sacramento that gives free housing to college students. In exchange for living in one of the apartments owned by the congregation, the students must meet the church's spiritual requirements. Jennifer Garza in the Sacramento Bee

The rejection of the Wall Street rescue plan may have jolted Sacramento's struggling economy and harmed the fragile recovery in the region's housing market. A small but extreme example: As the House voted down the bailout plan Monday, real estate broker Steven Krohn was called by a client who's trying to sell a home near Fruitridge Road. The instructions: Drop the listing price by one-third, to $129,000. Dale Kasler and Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee

Schwarzenegger plans to sign that bill Tuesday. He has approved a toll lane plan for the 10 and 110 freeways and a bill that could help East L.A. and Rowland Heights attain city hood. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times

I like this one too…New "Country of Origin Labeling" law requires stores to tell you where your food comes from -- Born in the USA? Made in Mexico? Picked in Peru? Cultivated in Canada? Supermarket shoppers, now you know. Starting today, new federal rules take effect requiring all U.S. supermarkets and large food retailers provide labels telling consumers which country a wide variety of food came from. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday signed two bills making it tougher for teachers who commit sex crimes to remain in California's public schools. The new laws close loopholes in California's teacher licensing system that had allowed some teachers accused or even convicted of serious crimes to remain in the classroom. JULIET WILLIAMS AP

But the Republican-dominated Ohio Supreme Court decided on Monday that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was following the law when she ruled there is a six-day window in which voters can register and vote at the same time. The decision — also backed by two separate federal judges — means election officials are preparing for the rush of early voting Tuesday, the first day absentee ballots are accepted in advance of the Nov. 4 presidential election. Ohio AP

Brown's Web site dedicated to providing resources for active and retired military veterans. McClintock's campaign recently launched www.vetsfortom.com, that lists resources for military personnel, such as Amvets, that Brown's campaign alleges, lists the same organizations, "in the exact same order, as those listed on the veteran's center that Retired Lt. Col. Brown has had online for more than a year. Brown campaign spokesman Todd Stenhouse said the moves explain how little McClintock knows about the military. The Union

Throughout this election season, Sacramento voters have been bombarded with lectures, stories, blog entries, speeches, mailers, press releases, and even bumper stickers touting which mayoral candidate is the true Democrat, as though the title were some sort of regal honor that will determine the outcome of the election. Do voters even care? I sure don’t. I care about issues; not race, not gender, not stance on gay marriage and DEFINITELY *NOT* whether the candidate worships an elephant or a donkey. Joe Sacramento

Inside Publications publishes newspapers such as Inside East Sacramento and Inside Arden [hey when is Inside Natomas coming?]. The basic premise of her support for Kevin Johnson is that eight years of Fargo is enough. Eight years is enough for a president, a governor, and should be for a mayor as well. I could not agree more. Great points all the way around. Joe Sacramento

After the jump you'll find a press release from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, announcing that it has filed complaints against six churches reported to have participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday with political endorsements. Dallas Morning News

Milk: The film Milk will hit theaters in December. With 30 times the budget of Fireproof, the dramatization of slain gay activist and San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, played by Sean Penn, is already drawing considerable buzz in California. Milk will certainly draw more press than Fireproof, but if the Kirk Cameron flick catches fire like Bella did among the pro-life community last year, it could have a significant impact at the ballot box in Florida, Arizona and California when Nov. 4 rolls around. Lifesites

An immigration reform activist says there's absolutely no reason that American taxpayers should bail out illegal immigrants who should not have been in country in the first place, but were among those given risky loans that have created the mortgage crisis. In a recent column, Michelle Malkin points out that some of the hardest hit areas by the foreclosure wave -- including Phoenix, Las Vegas, and large swaths of California -- also happen to be some of the nation's largest sanctuary areas. She argues that lending institutions like Bank of America have gone out of their way to woo homebuyers who are in the country illegally. One News Now

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Clinton said voters would think, "I like that little Down syndrome kid. One of them lives down the street. They're wonderful children. They're wonderful people. And I like the idea that this guy does those long-distance races. Stayed in the race for 500 miles with a broken arm. My kind of guy." Seattle Times President Clinton made this comment while being a guest on “The View” yesterday. In our house, my wife’s teaching credentials have always instructed us to say, “Billy, the youngster with Down’s Syndrome”, not “that Down’s Syndrome kid”. Rather insensitive and elitist wouldn’t you say?

Motorists entering the quaint, woodsy town of Olema near the sea in Marin County may notice a subtle change as they enter: it appears the burg's name has been changed to ''Obama.'' Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama supporter and bed and breakfast owner Kelly Emery created a perfect mirror of the green sign people read as they enter the town's limits. And if you refuse to enjoy the name change - try selling your home in Marin County in this housing market. CBS Channel 5 News

In the aftermath of two major terrorist attacks on Western targets, America's counterterrorism community is warning that Al Qaeda may launch more overseas operations to influence the presidential elections in November. Call it Osama bin Laden's "October surprise." In late August, during the weekend between the Democratic and Republican conventions, America's military and intelligence agencies intercepted a series of messages from Al Qaeda's leadership to intermediate members of the organization asking local cells to be prepared for imminent instructions. New York Sun News Even if this threat is hollow in reality, it is still enough to place some fear in the hearts and minds of the citizens of the country. Good for the election, bad for the economy.

On Nov. 5, the presidential election winds up in a electoral-college tie, 269-269, the Democrat-controlled House picks Sen. Barack Obama as president, but the Senate, with former Democrat Joe Lieberman voting with Republicans, deadlocks at 50-50, so Vice President Dick Cheney steps in to break the tie to make Republican Sarah Palin his successor. "Wow," said longtime presidential historian Stephen Hess. "Wow, that would be amazing, wouldn't it?" And, "If this scenario ever happened, it would be like a scene from the movie 'Scream' for Democrats," said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh. "The only thing worse for the Democrats than losing the White House, again, when it had the best chance to win in a generation, but to do so at the hands of Cheney and Lieberman. That would be cruel." Washington Times Can you imagine the day after an event like this in America?

Six percentage points is the price Barack Obama could pay on election day for being black. That disturbing calculation was found in a groundbreaking new Associated Press-Yahoo News poll conducted with Stanford University which probes the effect of the Democratic presidential candidate's race on his historic campaign for the White House.

"There's a penalty for prejudice, and it's not trivial," Stanford University political scientist Paul Sniderman told the AP. AP Article

Actor Brad Pitt's $100,000 donation last week to the campaign opposing a November ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California was the largest thus far by an A-list celebrity. But it accounts for a small percentage of the roughly $30 million collected by supporters and opponents of Proposition 8, in donations ranging from $20 to seven-figure sums. Sacramento Bee The “No on 8” campaign will have double the money for this campaign; How much will religious, evangelical and church organizations raise for the Yes on 8 campaign?

The No on Proposition 8 campaign unveiled the first ad on Monday in the battle over same-sex marriage, featuring an elderly couple who urged voters to not eliminate their gay daughter's right to marry. Prop. 8, on the November ballot, would overturn the state Supreme Court's ruling earlier this year that a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Contra Costa Times There will be many, many more in the following days and two months. Over $30-35 million will be spent on Proposition 8 this year.

San Francisco resident Carlos Dimaano, 50, a recent immigrant from the Philippines, speaks English in his job at a community center. But when he goes home to cook dinner for his 88-year-old father, the two lapse into their native Tagalog. San Francisco Chronicle Is this a reason for the growing concern surrounding high school dropouts in California?

Immigration boom slows as country's economy falters. The wave of immigrants entering the United States slowed dramatically last year as the economy faltered and the government stepped up enforcement of immigration laws. The nation added about a half-million immigrants in 2007, down from more than 1.8 million the year before, according to estimates being released today by the Census Bureau. AP Add to this that unemployment is up and many Americans are starting to consider these jobs for income. Also, many American owners are not looking for cheap labor, they are looking for work. So the lines of those taking jobs has declined. Immigration has been taken off of the campaign trail conversation for the 2008 elections.

Rescue plan could hinge on value of bad assets. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's $700 billion financial rescue plan has grown from a program focused on relieving lenders and investors of their bad mortgages to one in which the government would have the authority to take over any kind of problem loan or other asset, from bad credit card debt to commercial real estate securities. San Francisco Chronicle If the government owns my credit card debt, do I have to pay it back? Consider that the government ‘never pays back its debt’, so why should I have to do the same. Bill me over my lifetime with taxes, just keep the tab running.

Lawmakers raised doubts Monday about what would be the largest government bailout in American history, but a bigger, more terrifying question lurked right under the surface: What if it doesn’t work? Failure, says one insider, is not an option. Politico

State physical fitness rule poses challenges in schools; since her freshman year at Fillmore High School, Alondra Gaytan has made sure to take the right classes to help reach her goal of attending a University of California campus. But the sophomore fears she might be sidetracked by a relatively new state requirement: Students who don't pass at least five of the six parts of a state physical fitness test have to keep taking physical education classes until they pass. Ventura Star

Starting early last Sunday morning, the turmoil in New York's financial markets triggered a spiritual response among Christian leaders reminiscent of the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Cell phone text messages quickly spread calls to prayer. "Barclay has pulled out of Lehman deal," one announced. Wall Street giant Lehman Brothers was finalizing bankruptcy papers; Merrill Lynch was clinching its deal to sell itself to Bank of America. Monday would be devastating. Many Wall Streeters realized that the crisis could be earthshaking. A. J. Rice, well-respected CEO of the hedge-fund firm Pomeroy Capital, says, "Most people think this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. In 1987 we had a dramatic shock, but the other shoe didn't drop." This year, a whole lot of shoes have dropped. Wall Streeters have lived with a constant sense of foreboding. Christianity Today Many churches held ‘prayer meetings’ on Sunday, for Monday’s return to the market. Should we be praying for Wall Street and our investment problems?

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