Please see (and hear!) her May 11 appearance on Fox News as the guest of religion correspondent Lauren Green @ http://video.foxnews.com/v/1634531846001/using-religion-to-heal-the-wounds-of-sexual-abuse

Here’s the May 15 hearing by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights

My story on the arrest of “free Chen” activists at the White House: http://mobile.wnd.com/2012/05/police-handcuff-human-rights-protesters-at-white-house/

Possible video makers: http://gloria.tv/?media=287428
Gary Meisner’s site: http://goldennumber.net/

My favorite books on creation…

WND EXCLUSIVE

Police handcuff Christians at White House

Demonstrators seek help for Chinese pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng

Published: May 4, 2012
By Anita Crane

WASHINGTON – Several protesters were arrested outside the White House today while lobbying the president for help for Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese attorney and human rights activist who gained international attention for exposing the brutality of his government’s one-child policy.

A crowd of “Free Chen” demonstrators prayed and urged Barack Obama to provide asylum to Chen and his family. Some 35 minutes into their prayer vigil, U.S. Park Police set up yellow-tape barriers and ordered everyone, including the demonstrators, tourists, workers on lunch break and journalists, to get off the sidewalk and go across the street to Lafayette Park.

Several demonstrators who refused to leave were arrested.

Chen has been working with the help of his wife, Yuan Weijing, to expose the brutality of China’s one-child policy. They have revealed that Chinese officials abduct pregnant mothers; abort their unborn babies; and sterilize the women.

After years of living under house arrest, reportedly harassed and guarded by some 90 Chinese officials, Chen escaped over a high fence and, with the help of friends, went to the U.S. embassy in Beijing on April 22.

The New York Times quoted one of his supporters, who described Chen getting past layers of guards and over a wall in the dark of night. “‘You know he’s blind, so the night to him is nothing,’ Mr. Ai said the friend told him. ‘I think that’s a perfect metaphor.’”

However, just prior to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s arrival in Beijing for an unrelated diplomatic visit this week, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke walked Chen out of the embassy and sent him to a hospital.

Chen had been injured during his escape journey and he said he was told by Chinese officials they had captured his wife, they had beaten her for two days, and they would beat her to death if he didn’t leave U.S. custody.

Rev. Rob Schenck of Faith and Action and Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition called for prayer vigil at the White House in response. Schenck wasn’t in Washington for the vigil, but said in his online announcement, “I’m gravely concerned and deeply saddened … What so distresses and alarms me is the cowardly way the administration sold out a hero of the faith. I’m speaking about Chen Guangcheng, the blind dissident in China who first revealed to the public the abhorrent practice of forced abortions and sterilization to sustain China’s ‘one child’ policy.”

Read entire story @ http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/police-handcuff-human-rights-protesters-at-white-house/

*On Saturday, Clinton left China without Chen and it remains to be seen whether the State Departemnt will champion his cause.

By Anita Crane

Despite Hollywood’s advice to independent filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin, popular demand proved naysayers wrong. Box Office Mojo reports “October Baby” ranked No. 8 last weekend and the brothers are expanding theater distribution this weekend.

As WND reported prior to the pro-life movie’s opening weekend, a Hollywood studio executive told the brothers: “You’ve proven that you can make a feature film. But we won’t touch this subject because it’s hard to pitch around at the cocktail parties. Sell this one off cheap, get whatever you can, let’s move on to the next one and then we’ll talk.”

Read the entire story here: http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/october-baby-beats-forecasts-expansion-announced/

Tea party, Herman Cain return to D.C. to slam Obamacare

Published: March 25, 2012

By Anita Crane

Ken Cuccinelli speaking to Tea Party Patriots rally on March 24, 2012

WASHINGTON – Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and former GOP presidential contender Herman Cain were two keynote speakers who addressed the Road to Repeal rally organized by Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots in the Upper Senate Park this weekend.

Martin held up Obama’s massive health-care law and announced, “Obamacare is cancer in our government, and we are gonna rip it out, we’re gonna repeal this bill, this law!”

Despite cold and rain, a crowd of patriots warmly welcomed leaders and prayed that Obama’s health-care law will be struck down in the U.S. Supreme Court and fully repealed by Congress. All speakers noted that repeal depends on a new Senate majority and a new president.

Cuccinelli, who’s also a 2013 Republican candidate for Virginia governor, will be arguing before the Supreme Court next week.

 Lots of juicy quotes and info, see story at http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/james-madison-is-turning-over-in-his-grave/

"October Baby" filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin

All too often the Catholic Church, her teachings, saints and sinners are misrepresented, mocked or just plain lied about in movies, TV programs and music videos. Yet Andrew and Jon Erwin, makers of the feature film “October Baby,” actually pay homage to the Catholic Church and today, March 23, their movie opens in towns and cities of 40 states across America.

In “Movie makers defy ‘Don’t touch this story’ warnings” at WND, I interviewed Andrew, plus John Schneider, Rachel Hendrix and Jason Burkey about their roles in the movie, surprising audience reactions and what they hope this gutsy film will achieve. But there’s more to the story.

Synopsis: Rachel Hendrix stars as Hannah, a 19-year-old college freshman, who steps onstage for her theatrical debut. Before she can utter her first lines, Hannah collapses and goes into convulsions – stunning the audience, including her parents (John Schneider and Jennifer Price). After medical tests, all signs point to one underlying factor: Hannah’s difficult birth. To Hannah’s shock, her parents reveal she was actually adopted after a failed abortion attempt. Instead of being grateful, Hannah feels somewhat betrayed by her parents and turns to her lifelong friend Jason (Jason Burkey), who takes her on a spring break road trip with some quirky characters (including Chris Sligh as Bmac). On the road, Jason helps Hannah to find her birth mother (Shari Rigby). And along the way, Hannah meets Mary (Jasmine Guy), a nurse who essentially tells Hannah her life is more significant than she could have imagined.

“I’m not afraid of being typecast with this film because the way that the argument [on life verses abortion] is presented in this film is very much passionately how I see the issue, and Jon as well,” said Andrew. “What we tell people is that the movie isn’t about abortion. It’s about forgiveness and healing, but the context is an abortion survivor and we’re very comfortable with that.

“We were raised Christian, we’re Protestant, both of us go to more of a Baptist-affiliated church.

“But in our film, one of the beautiful scenes happens in a cathedral and that was intentional because of the beauty of the historical church – how that set it in a much grander context than we could have anywhere else; but, secondly, because I’ve always admired the amazing leadership that the Catholic Church has had, especially on life issues. I think they’ve championed the cause of life in such a beautiful way that I have a deep respect for that.

“The Catholic Church has always championed the place of Christianity and the arts,” he continued. “And historically throughout the Catholic Church you see the beautiful place that art has played in it. I think Christians in recent years have given up that territory.”

John Schneider praised the Erwin brothers as artists and called “October Baby” “gorgeous.”

Thus, Andrew explained, “So if you talk about the quality of ‘October Baby,’ our desire is to reclaim that. We want to produce quality that’s on par with other artistic endeavors and we feel like that deserves our best. And I think the Catholic Church has represented that very well over the years.”

Andrew believes all Christians can and must unite in fighting to protect the fundamental human right to life.

He said, “As Protestants and Catholics, are there places and times to discuss differences? Sure, that’s fine. But there are things that we can unite over and come together as Christians and this is definitely one of those.”

Thank you, Andrew and Jon Erwin.

In the cathedral scene, the Erwins feature a beautiful statue of Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, holding the holy Infant in his arms and a priest (Rodney Clark) gives Hannah good counsel.

(Copyright 2012 – all rights on this story reserved by anitacrane.com)

For more stories on gutsy indie filmmakers, please click on the following links — some story titles are different at actual places of publication:

• Kirk Cameron talks Piers Morgan, ‘Monumental’ & tyranny (begins on my site, links to WND)
• Praised by Vatican official, Peter Mackenzie’s ‘Doonby’ hitting screens (ditto)
• ‘This gets people’s attention like nothing else’ (begins on my site with full-impact photo, links to WND)
• ‘Snowmen’ family movie is funny and ‘Profound!’
  
• Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen on ‘The Way’
• Drifter’s story captures attention in Hollywood
• Award-winning movie ‘Of Gods and Men’ reveals Christian love
• Insiders expose abortion industry in ‘Blood Money’
• ‘Southern Exposure’ – urgent immigration documentary
• The woman behind ‘An American Carol’
  

There are more, please click on “Filmmakers” category to see all