THE LAST GENTLEMAN IN THE SENATE

I like Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) a lot. Unlike me, he is a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Indeed the term Southern Gentleman and all the images which are conjured up by it apply to this man. That is why conservatives want to dump him. Trent Lott is just too nice a guy to deal with Tom Daschle (D-SD) and that showed particularly during the last two years when Daschle was in charge and Lott was number two.

In virtually every deal the pair made, Daschle stabbed Lott in the back. Lott was promised hearings on judges that were never held. For each deal made, Trent Lott kept his promise and allowed Democrat agenda items to go forward even when Daschle then laughed at him on national TV.

Senator Trent Lott is from the old school of the Senate when a handshake and a promise was as good as a signed contract. Tom Daschle took advantage of that fact more than once. Earlier, when Lott was Majority Leader during the Clinton Presidency he was stabbed in the back by old "Bubba" more than a few times.

Perhaps now you understand why no one has come forward in the last three or four days to defend Senator Lott for his remark at Senator Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party. Lott, always the gentleman said that Thurmond should have won the Presidency back in 1948 when he ran .... that was a different era, a time when Thurmond was a racist Democrat as were all Southern Democrats. It was the Democrats who controlled the South and who would not allow blacks to vote and made them attend segregated schools and eat at separate restaurants from whites.

As soon as the words came from Lott’s mouth a chorus of Democrats attacked him stating that his "racist" remark should disqualify him from leadership. Al Gore, the king of racial politics said, "That is divisive and it is divisive along racial lines."

Interestingly not many conservatives came forward to defend Lott. Indeed critical statements came from conservative journals such as the National Review and the Weekly Standard, as well as from social conservative groups. The Family Research Council in a release said, "What was the senator thinking? Or was he thinking?" FRC president Ken Connor further stated, "... the senator has an unfortunate history of such gaffes - simply reinforcing the suspicion that conservatives are closet racists and secret segregationists. The damage he has done is considerable." Those comments came from his friends.

The Democrats want Trent Lott’s head to prove the point that they own the black vote. Conservatives in the Republican Party don’t really want Lott in leadership because he is viewed as not being tough enough to handle the Senate leadership in a new era of hardball politics.

Is it time for the last gentleman in the Senate to step aside and let someone who is willing to play political hardball with Daschle take his place in leadership? The decision may have been made for him by conservatives in the Republican Party not willing to come to his aid.

THE COURT AND "UNDER GOD" IN THE PLEDGE

It is a foregone conclusion that the majority of those sitting on the 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals are a bit bonkers. These judges just don’t live in the real world and need to be replaced. The proof is in their latest ruling concerning Michael Newdow and his lawsuit to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Early this month a three judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court ruled that Newdow could sue on behalf of his daughter even though the girl does not live with him and he does not have even partial custody of her.

The child’s mother, Sandra Banning of Elk Grove, California had entered the case stating that she had full custody of the 8-year-old child and that she did not believe her daughter reciting the Pledge as it is would harm her in any way.

The court ruled against Ms. Banning, in effect saying that Mr. Newdow has the right to file lawsuits on behalf of a child that he does not have custody of and who does not live with him. This decision also means that the court has given itself the right to decide whether to uphold its June ruling barring the pledge from being recited with the words "under God" in the nine Western states the court covers.

Since the court has put its original decision on hold it has no real deadline to act. Considering the uproar caused from their first pronouncements on the case, they may not be eager to move forward. However, I am sure that atheist Michael Newdow will push the court and the issue will move forward.

The Religious Freedom Coalition will fight to defend "under God" in the Pledge both publicly and in the courts if required. If government is not subjected to God, if government is not "under God’, then government has no restraints on its actions toward the people. Christianity is the safety net of Democracy. One need look no further than the governments of the Soviet Union, China and Cambodia to see what happens when governments are godless.

President George W. Bush has, by executive order, directed the federal government to let religious charities compete for social-service grants and contracts. He thus bypassed the Senate which refused to move the House version of his Faith-Based Initiative. Senate liberals had demanded the bill be amended to force religious groups receiving funds to hire homosexuals and atheists. That killed the bill. Expect many, many legal challenges to the President’s executive order. Will Michael Newdow be the first to sue the President on this issue?

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

The Religious Freedom Coalition works in Washington, DC and overseas to protect the vanishing rights of Christians. While most of our work is financed by contributions, a good portion of RFC operations is financed by the sale of books, audio and video tapes of a social conservative view point. Many of these items can be found at our online bookstore.

This year the RFC commissioned the production of a commemorative Christmas Ornament. The ornaments are available in the Christmas department of our online store. The ornaments are brass with gold plating. Because the design is etched, no photo does them justice. We still have our "under God" ties in stock. These beautiful ties feature "under God" in the Pledge and are available in the Christmas section of our online store. Also check the main page of our online store.

Congress will be adjourned until January. Current issues of the William J. Murray Report are available online at www.rfcnet.org.

William J. Murray, Chairman

To continue to inform the public on key issues, financial help is needed. Please consider giving a contribution online at https://www.rfcnet.org/support/default.asp or by mailing a check to the offices of the Religious Freedom Coalition, P.O. Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013.