CONGRESS IN SESSION - SENATE ONLY

THE SENATE

THE JUDICIAL BATTLE

The thirty hours of continuous debate on Judicial nominees scheduled by Majority Leader Bill Frist began on Wednesday at 6:00 PM. Republican Senators took to the floor of the Senate Chamber taking turns pointing out how very qualified individuals have been systematically filibustered by Democrats because of their faith. The code word used by the Democrats to describe men who are committed Christians is "deeply held beliefs." Senator Schumer (D-NY) has made it clear that he wants no one with "deeply held beliefs" to hold a judgeship on the Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Democrats have confirmed over 150 Bush appointees in the lower federal courts which have limited influence on the definition of law. It is at the Circuit Court level that key appointments are being filibustered. Why? The Circuit Courts are the prime recruiting grounds for nominees to the Supreme Court. The Democrats want to make sure that there are no judges with "deeply held beliefs" on any Circuit Court of Appeals. That really means, "deeply held religious beliefs." If a nominee has a "deeply held belief" that a fetus is not human, that would be just fine with Senator Schumer and company.

THIRTY HOURS - ALL NIGHT

Beginning Wednesday night there were press conferences in the Mansfield Room adjacent to the Senate Chambers every sixty minutes on the half hour. Each press conference had a theme featuring different types of organizations who support President George W. Bush's nominees. Faith-based organizations such as the Religious Freedom Coalition were assigned the 3:30 AM time slot by Senator Frist's office and yes, I was there. In fact, I was there most of the wee hours of the morning.

The faith-based press conference at 3:30 AM was perhaps the best attended as far as participants. Besides myself, speakers included: Tony Perkins, Family Research Council; Jeff Ballabon, Republican Jewish Coalition; Dr. Barrett Duke, Southern Baptist Convention; Mychal Massie, writer and columnist; Lou Sheldon, Traditional Values; Tim Minnery, Focus on the Family; Jim Davis, American Family Association, and several others.

Our press conference was moderated by two pro-life champions, Senator Brownback of Kansas and Senator Santorum of Pennsylvania. Unlike Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), both Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum are practicing Catholics who stand with their church on the issue of abortion.

I was actually surprised by the number of reporters present. Camera teams from virtually every major network were there as were reporters from major newspapers and news services. After the press conference a reporter from the prestigious Congressional Quarterly spoke with me as well. TV media featured the thirty hour marathon of Republican Senators all day Thursday and into the evening. Although this is something I would not like to do on a daily basis, it was a very effective way of getting out the Republican message of bias against conservative judges by extremist Democrat liberals. Remember this: every single one of the judges being filibustered have enough votes on the Senate floor to win. Even some Democrat Senators are committed to vote for them. It is only left-wing extremists in the Senate who are stopping these fine nominees from having an up or down vote in the full Senate Chamber.

SENATOR ZELL MILLER

While waiting to appear on a Fox News program I met with Senator Zell Miller (D-GA). Although a Democrat Senator Miller has announced that he will support President Bush for reelection next year. Senator Miller was on Fox promoting his new book, A National Party No More, details the decline of the Democrat Party. I am very sure that Senator Miller, although a Democrat, would vote for the judges that are being filibustered by extremists in the Senate.

THE HOUSE

HOUSE NOT IN SESSION

The House was not in session this week at all. However, there were some Members in town including Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ). He was the only House member to come to the Senate side to assist with the overnight news conferences. He spoke at the 4:30 AM news conference which featured various small business groups and was led by Senator Wayne Allard who is a veterinarian. (Senator Allard said he is used to the early morning hours because it is usually about 4:30 AM when farmers call him about sick cows. Most of the Republican Senators actually have other careers.) Trent Franks works with social conservative groups on various issues. After the press conference we spoke about other issues including Holly's Law introduced by Congressman DeMint (R-SC).

HOLLY'S LAW

Last week I went into some detail about Holly's Law, which was introduced by Congressman Jim DeMint (R-SC) to stop the use of the dangerous drug RU-486 as a home use abortion drug. DeMint's bill is named after Holly Peterson, a California teenager who was killed by RU-486 after it was given to her by Planned Parenthood in California.

I spoke with Congressman DeMint about the bill on Wednesday at a reception being held by his Senate campaign committee. Congressman DeMint is running in the Republican primary for the seat being vacated Democrat Senator Ernest Hollings. Senator Hollings is one of four Southern Democrats who will not seek reelection next year. If DeMint wins the South Carolina Senate seat it will make filibusters by liberal extremists in the Senate more difficult. For more information on Holly's Law please see Congressman DeMint'sInternet site. So far Holly's Law (HR 3453) has 59 co-sponsors in the House. Has your congressman agreed to sponsor this important lifesaving bill? Contact your congressman. Senator Brownback (R-KS) will introduce a companion bill in the Senate.

THE PRESIDENCY

At first I was shocked, stunned and hurt by a letter "signed" by President George W. Bush and sent to a homosexual church in California congratulating them on the "...sharing of God's love and boundless mercy ..." In reality the Metropolitan Church led and founded by "Rev." Troy Perry is a meat market for homosexuals to hook up on Sunday. To thank him for the letter of commendation sent to the Metropolitan Church on its 35th anniversary the "Rev." Perry and other homosexuals pounded away at the President for signing a proclamation for Marriage Protection Week in October.

Worldnetdaily reported that the Senior "pastor" of the Metropolitan Church in Los Angeles said, "How does one denounce the right of gays and lesbians to marry in their churches and suggest they are incapable of having healthy marriages in one moment, and in the next rejoice in God's faithfulness to a gay and lesbian congregation that performs such same-sex marriages?" Actually, I would like to know the same thing,

I am sure President Bush never read the letter and probably didn't sign it either. Most of the letters that come out of the White House are approved by staff and then "signed" by a signature machine with the President's "official" signature. I have letters personally signed by President George W. Bush and I can assure you that his real signature and the "official" machine signature are somewhat different. The question is, does the White House have senior staff, able to approve the President's signature on letters, who are so uninformed they don't know that the Metropolitan Church is a meat market? Worse, is there someone on the staff who favors the homosexual agenda and who wants to embarrass the President? Calls to the White House for an explanation have not been returned.

THE COURTS AND THE COMMANDMENTS

JUDGE ROY MOORE

Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, has been removed from office for failing to follow a federal court order to remove the Ten Commandments from the Supreme Court building in Alabama. He had been suspended since August when the Ten Commandments were removed from the Alabama Supreme Court Building. The hearing to punish Judge Moore for not carrying out the order himself was held before a nine member review panel of his peers. To the great dismay of many it was the job of Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor to prosecute the case against Moore. What makes that so unusual is that Attorney General Pryor is one of the Circuit Court nominees being filibustered by Senate Democrats because of his "deeply held beliefs." It also fell to Attorney General Pryor to actually remove the Ten Commandments from the Court House, an event which caused him great distress. It is said he actually cried when he got home from carrying out the court order to remove the Ten Commandments.

Both Judge Moore and Attorney General Pryor are men of deep religious conviction. Both men believe that the Constitution does not prohibit the display of the Ten Commandments and that a Federal judge erred in his decision against Moore. They differ in that the Attorney General believes that the rule of law must be followed regardless of how distasteful it may be. Attorney General Pryor is the legal counsel, the chief attorney for the state of Alabama, charged with carrying out the law. I have great sorrow for the weight placed upon Attorney General Pryor because of an activist federal court's desire to rewrite the Constitution.

After the hearing in which he was permanently removed, Judge Roy Moore stated that Congress should get the Ten Commandments out of the closet in which it is being hidden and move the sculpture to the Halls of Congress. I agree. This would send a message to the liberal establishment that wants to destroy the intent of our Founders. No court can tell the Congress what it can or cannot display.

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