California’s new “change therapy” law bans any counseling to help people overcome same-sex attraction!

The ban is an overreaching government intrusion into the personal decisions of parents and their children in obtaining meaningful counseling. The one-sided law mandates that counselors present just one view – that “same-sex attractions are normal and desirable.”  The new law puts Christian counselors in jeopardy of losing their licenses to practice!
 

The Liberty Counsel* has filed  an emergency lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the implementation of the law. Because California is influential in legal matters, the outcome will ultimately affect every state in the Union. The law assumes that the state knows what’s best for children regarding sensitive counseling concerning same-sex attractions.


Under all counseling licensing codes, clients have the right to “self-determination.” A Christian has the right to seek Christian counseling and has the right to prioritize Christian and moral values on sexuality over unwanted same-sex attractions.
 

But under California’s SB 1172, counselors will be forced to disregard their clients’ religious beliefs…or change them. If counselors obey the law, they will violate existing ethical codes because they will be forced to overrule their clients’ right to self-determination.  If counselors provide counsel or referral to clients seeking to eliminate or manage same-sex sexual attractions, they will violate the new law.
 

Christian counselors will lose their licenses no matter what they do!

 

Even worse, the lives of many young people and their families will be adversely impacted under this law. California is demanding that counselors disregard their client’s religious or moral beliefs – or change them! Minor clients will suffer irreparable harm, because they will no longer be able to receive the kind of counseling they have chosen, even though they are greatly benefiting from it.

 

Imagine a young boy sexually molested by the likes of a Jerry Sandusky. Suppose he develops low self-esteem and gender confusion because of this horrible trauma. He begins to experience same-sex attractions but does not want to act on them and does not want to identity as being a homosexual.

The parents of this boy are Christian and believe homosexuality is wrong and harmful. Under SB 1172, the only counseling they will be able to secure for their confused son will only confuse him more!

SB 1172 will force counselors to tell this young boy he should not worry about his confused feelings because same-sex attractions are good and normal. “Don’t worry about these same-sex attractions. Instead, you need to modify your religious and moral beliefs!”

I know this is political hot-button that most people don't want to face. Sadly, the church has either taken the stance that men and women struggling with any form of attraction to the same gender are an abomination OR the church embraces the open lifestyles of anyone. Trust me, I have seen this from personal experiences. There is one other response by the church: Ignore it.

ATA Joins Fight Against 'Sex Trade' Trafficking of Young Girls

10/8/2012
By TruckingInfo Staff

LAS VEGAS - The American Trucking Associations says it has joined with Truckers Against Trafficking to alert member executives and drivers about the "sex trade" and train them to help fight against the crime.

"There are over 3.1 million truck drivers who travel over 408 billion miles each year," said ATA Chairman Dan England, chairman of C.R. England Inc., Salt Lake City, during a press conference at ATA's Management Conference and Expo in Las Vegas over the weekend.

"We are asking our motor carriers to include this important information in their training programs and to work with their customers and communities to help combat the problem.

"These professionals are the eyes and ears of the nation's highways, and with knowledge and guidance, they can make a big difference and save lives."

ATA and TAT want drivers to report suspicious activity they may see at truckstops, rest areas and other places along interstate and main highways, said England and others who spoke at the press conference.

They can call a toll-free number or, better yet, punch 911 on their cell phones if they see people apparently in distress and needing immediate help, said Lt. Karen Hughes, who heads a task force of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.

"It's OK to be wrong" when making a call -- better than not calling and letting a girl remain in bondage, said Paul Enos of the Nevada Trucking Association.

Most victims are young teenage girls, typically 12 to 14 years of age, Hughes said. Often they are runaways from dysfunctional homes who are enticed into the trade, then trapped in it.

They are frequently moved by their handlers - pimps - to keep them from forming relationships with people who might help them.

"One hundred and thirty-one were rescued by our unit in 2011," she said. "That included two boys."

The Department of Justice estimates between 100,000 and 300,000 children are at risk every year to traffickers in the United States and that many children, teens and young women are sold into the sex trade.

"Traffickers are continually moving their victims from place to place, for a variety of reasons, along our nation's highways and roads," said Kendis Paris, national director of Truckers Against Trafficking.

"They 'sell' their victims at truckstops, travel plazas and rest stops, because they're convenient; transient populations frequent them who are less likely to 'rescue' the victims; they have to use them anyway to buy gas and eat; and it's easy money and a good way to break in their victims for other things."

A number of ATA affiliates already work closely with TAT, including state trucking associations in California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin, the national group said.

TAT provides a number of resources for the industry, including a wallet card with guidelines and a telephone number to call. They provide a training DVD, webinars and other outreach materials.

The national trafficking hotline number is 1-888-373-7888, or in easier to remember form, 888-3737-888.

TAT is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating, equipping, empowering and mobilizing the trucking industry to fight human trafficking. Its resources include a website, a trucking-industry-specific training DVD, webinars, posters, and speakers/trainers. More information is available at www.truckersagainsttrafficking.com.


For more information about sex trafficking in Louisiana and Shreveport, see prior posts on the subject. You will be shocked at the statistics for Louisiana.

"It's better to be more interested than interesting"

Do you remember the Billy Crystal segment on SNL years ago as Fernando Lamas: "It's better to rook good than to feel good."  Well, that advice may not be the best, but in attempting to make contacts and influence people there is something to be said about "It's better to be more interested than interesting."

 

As we move into the "conference season" there will be plenty of opportunities to make contacts, but believe it  or not, lawyers struggle with "ego." They tend to "toot their horn" much more than they take an interest in the client. Consider the advice of Scott Dinsmore, contributor to Forbes Magazine, in "The Seven Pillars of Connecting With Absolutely Anyone"  that "interested people" are set apart.

 

His finding are simple and just about any lawyer can do them.  Dinsmore points out, "I don’t care what your goals, industry or interests are, there’s no getting around it: Personal relationships run the world." 

 

 1. Be genuine. The only connections that work will be the ones that you truly care about; the world will see through anything short of that. If you don’t have a genuine interest in the person, then stop trying.

 

2. Provide massive help. Even the biggest and most powerful people in the world have something they’d like help with. Too many people never reach out to those above them due to the fear that they wouldn’t be able to offer anything in return. But you have more to offer than you realize. You may write an article about them, share their project with your community, and offer to spread their message through a video interview with them. 

 

Are you getting the point here? It's NOT about you! Give real thought on how you can  benefit their goals. If it turns out you can’t be that helpful, at least you made genuine gesture.

 

3. Pay ridiculous attention. If you don’t pay attention -- genuine attention -- then how can you expect to be of service? Do your research by reading blog posts, books and articles about the connection beforehand. Learn about their backgrounds and passions. Invest genuine time in learning what really matters to them and how you can help.

 

4. Connect with people close to them. You arrive with credibility when referred by a mutual friend to someone you want to meet. Spend more time connecting with your current network of friends and colleagues and see where it leads.

 

Have you ever been to an event, where you are talking to someone and then he  sees someone "more important" and snubs you? That person will never get a recommendation from me. Be sure you don't make the same mistake by snubbing someone you think is less important.

 

 5. Persistence wins.  The first attempt is just the very beginning. Realize that the first try may get you nowhere, but the fifth or the tenth tries are the ones that start to yield results. An unreturned email or voicemail doesn’t mean they don’t want to connect with you. It’s your job to be persistent! Usually only about 2 percent of the initial contacts ever follow up. Don’t be in a hurry, but don’t be invisible either.

 

6. Make real friends. Think about how you’ve made the friends you have. That’s all this is. You only make friends with people you genuinely want in your life. I have learned this lesson from Dirk Beckwith from Michigan. Dirk and I met several years ago as we served on an ethics panel at the annual Transportation Lawyers Association. I like Dirk. He is easy to chat with and there is no "hard sale." He doesn't over think it. He enjoys getting to know people and spending time with them, even if it's not a client contact.

 

Be human, be helpful and most people will happily be human in return, regardless of who they are.

 

7. Remain unforgettable. This doesn't mean being  an obnoxiously loud, overbearing "know it all."  Instead do the memorable things such as send birthday cards. Mail your favorite book with a signed personal note from you on the inside flap.

Be genuinely helpful. You’d be surprised how the simplest things actually never get done. Being memorable isn’t as hard as some think!" I recently made a  note that one of my clients is particularly interested in the Louisiana Brown Pelican so I am on the lookout for an interesting picture or token. 

 

Also, many of our clients appreciate the pralines or coffee that we send them. It's just a way to be set apart, but all of that is completely for nothing  if we don't genuinely care.  The world is run by relationships... yes, even today!

 

I think I get most bothered when I lose a client that I have fostered a friendship, but there are many reasons that this can happen and none of them may be because of a relationship problem.

 

I would prefer to make the effort of developing a relationship and caring about the client's interests than just having a client because of the short-term gain of a few dollars.  The lawyer that gets this will certainly have an easier time practicing law... and actually making a good living at it.

Not to mention being happier... relationships make our lives richer!