Week Ending August 19, 2005
Religious Freedom Coalition
August 20, 2005 9:03AM EST

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - WEEK ENDING AUGUST 19, 2005

HOUSE IN RECESS / SENATE IN RECESS

PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS

THE ROBERTS NOMINATION

Supreme Court nominee Judge John G. Roberts was an early backer of prayer in school! While serving as White House associate counsel in 1985 under Ronald Reagan he argued that the Administration should support a constitutional amendment to overturn a Supreme Court decision to strike down an Alabama law allowing a moment of silence or prayer. He backed a constitutional amendment rather than "court stripping legislation" to restore school prayer. (Note: in the past the Religious Freedom Coalition has backed a dual track seeking both a constitutional amendment, which takes years, and "court stripping" or judicial jurisdiction legislation.) In various memos from the 1980's while he was in the Reagan Administration it is also obvious that he held the opinion that Roe v. Wade did allow for regulation of abortion. Currently the United States is one of the few nations in the world where an abortion can be conducted right up until the moment before birth. In fact, in the USA an abortion can be conducted while a woman is in labor. Not even in ultra liberal nations such as Sweden is this allowed. Prayerfully, if Roberts is confirmed he will, at the very least, help establish some reasonable limits to abortion even under Roe v. Wade.

Conservative or not? It appears from his high school writings in which he quotes Cicero, that John G. Roberts has been a social conservative since at least the age of 16. His high school Latin teacher marveled over the fact that he covered a four year Latin course in three years. Roberts, the son of a steel mill worker, was so brilliant he was the first student from his high school ever accepted at Harvard.  Young Roberts excelled both intellectually and physically in high school and was the captain of the football team. Roberts went on to win honors at Harvard and was hired by President Ronald Reagan while he was still in his twenties. It is becoming extremely difficult for the left to tar this man who has so far lived such an exemplary life. So difficult that the left has totally discredited itself with false advertising aimed at him, and has been forced to withdraw.

MEANWHILE: In a major blow to the far left the American Bar Association has given Judge John G. Roberts its highest rating of "well qualified" and stated in its review of his nomination that he is a "mainstream" judiciary appointee. Immediatly after the ABA announcement, Senator Ted Kennedy called a news coference and tried to label Roberts as an "extremist." Kennedy, who claims to be a Catholic, sees Roberts as being too Catholic. On the other hand, Kennedy does not view his own pro-abortion and pro-homosexual marriage stance as "extreme" in comparison to Catholic teachings at all. What a strange man. FOR EVENTS AT THE COURT ON BEHALF OF ROBERTS GO TO WWW.PRAYATTHECOURT.COM

SENATOR TRENT LOTT

Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) has written a new book comdemning most of his Republican colleagues while at the same time speaking of his warm relations with the Clinton White House and especially Clinton political advisor Dick Morris. HMMM! His book, Herding Cats, A political Life in Politics is not worth reading unless you want to take in several hundred pages of recriminations and sour grapes stories. His personal attacks on Senators George Allen (R-VA) and Bill Frist (R-TN) are particularly disingenuous. Since taking Lott's place as Leader, Senator Frist has managed to move the Senate forward with a conservative agenda, something Lott was never able to do. A Nixon era Republican, Lott was too busy making deals for roads and ship building in his home state to care about the rest of the nation or his party. We are better off with him sitting in the back row of the Senate eating his sour grapes.

GOD AND SCIENTISTS

The secularists would have everyone believe that only stupid people believe in God, and that the educated are atheists. In a survey conducted by Rice University in Houston, Texas, that secularist belief was buried under the facts. The study found that 76% of scientists believe in God. In the past, secularists have claimed that less than 10% of scientists believed in God. This scientifically conducted survey proves them wrong. The Washington Times reports on a similar study of medical doctors by the University of Chicago that shows 90% attend religious services and 59% believe in an afterlife. This is a major problem for liberals who want to claim the intellectual high ground. Liberals have the mind set that everyone who thinks like they do is somehow intellectually superior. Someone should have told Senator John Kerry this and maybe he would have done better than straight D's all the way through college. It is interesting to note that a man who barely made it through school to graduation is a leader of the attack against a true Christian intellectual in Judge John G. Roberts.

GAS, JOBS, AND THE ECONOMY

According to a new Gallup Poll just issued, only 36% of Americans believe the economy is good and the overwhelming number of Americans think it is getting worse despite nearly 200,000 jobs being added this month. The White House says the economy is "vibrant and growing." So who is right, the White House or the people? In reality, the economy is continuing to grow, but not as fast as the cost of gasoline. Consumer confidence is down because people are spending money on gasoline they would rather spend on everything from better steaks to new furniture. The price of oil could move the nation into a recession in a matter of months. BUT WHY? Every oil expert says that the fundamentals indicate the price of oil should be at $38 to $40 a barrel, yet oil futures are trading in the mid $60 range. The reason for the cost of oil has nothing to do with supply, demand or refinery capacity. The current cost of oil is driven by the "hot money" of hedge funds. A hedge fund can buy millions of dollars of oil futures contracts for just a few hundred thousand dollars. The more "hot money" that flows into futures contracts the higher the price of oil goes, despite the fact that there is actually an oil glut in the Untied States. There is so much oil the refineries can't even keep up with it and we are running out of storage space. Tankers are sitting offshore unable to unload because storage facilities are full. MEANWHILE: The same hedge funds are selling the major industrial stocks (the DOW) short. That means they are selling stocks they don't have at a high price, gambling that as they push up oil the stock market will drop and they can make money on both ends. In other words rich gamblers are using hedge funds to make themselves huge profits by deliberately destroying the economy. THIS COULD ALL BE STOPPED IN ONE DAY AND THE PRICE OF OIL COULD DROP $20 A BARREL. How? If Treasury Secretary John Snow would hold a news conference and simply tell the truth about the oil reserves on hand and how the hedge funds are manipulating the markets, the whole pyramid scheme would collapse. Dream on ... the Administration believes solidly in the marketplace to correct what is happening. Treasury Department insiders tell me the Secretary believes the hedge funds will finally push the oil to an unsustainable level and the hedge operators will be so damaged that they will leave and not come back. Great idea Mr. Secretary .... if that happens before the economy collapses. WHAT YOU CAN DO: First and foremost don't drive anywhere on Sunday other than church. It's supposed to be a day of rest. Second, don't keep your tank full. Most people are filling their tank when they don't need to because they are afraid the price will go up.  Filling the tank up takes gas off the market and drives the price up. If you are going to use ten gallons next week, then just buy ten gallons.

INTERNATIONAL

A MUST READ BOOK ON ISLAM

Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch has just released his Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam. This is a great, must read book on Islam and the Crusades. It is much less complex and far more to the point on the differences between Islam, Christianity and democracy. Everything (well, almost everything) you know about Islam and the Crusades is wrong because most textbooks and popular history books are written by left-wing academics and Islamic apologists who justify their contemporary political agendas with contrived historical "facts." But fear not, Robert Spencer refutes popular myths and reveals facts that you won't be taught in school and will never hear on the evening news. He supplies a revealing list of "Books You Must Not Read" (as far as the PC left is concerned), and takes you on a fast-paced politically incorrect tour of Islamic teaching and Crusades history that will give you all the information you need to understand the true nature of the global conflict America faces today. You can buy this book for $15.74 at our Christian bookstore or about $2.00 cheaper than from one of the discount Internet book sites that also sell porn. (Click here for our store)

BETHLEHEM IS NOT IN ISRAEL!

THE FACTS: under the Oslo Peace Accords, the agreement forced down the throat of Israel by then President Bill Clinton, the first city to be handed over to Yassar Arafat was Bethlehem. Christians immediately began to flee and now they number less than 20%. During my time in Bethlehem I never saw a Christian woman on the street. Every woman wears a Muslim veil or scarf and it is now unsafe for a Christian woman to be on the street without a male escort. My full report on current conditions in Bethlehem and out projects there is now complete and available online (Click here to read ) There are several photos in the report showing some of the children who were helped. School does not start for two weeks and we can still get more funds to Christian children for school supplies, books, uniforms etc. You can help with an outright gift or you can help by purchasing one of the Jerusalem stone Nativity sets made by Christian families in Bethlehem. These Nativity sets were made for the purpose of assisting us in raising funds. Click here or on the image for more details on these beautiful Nativites. You can also donate directly using your credit card at our secure site or call 1-800-650-7664 during normal business hours. Gifts may also be sent to Religious Freedom Coalition , PO Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013

AND FINALLY ... We have reduced the price of some of our custom made Ten Commandment ties for men. These 100% silk ties were made exclusively for distribution by the Religious Freedom Coalition. The red and blue ties are now just $17.95 and the tan tie has been further reduced to just $12.95. Order yours today at our Internet store .

PLEASE TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THESE UPDATES

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William J. Murray, Chairman

Religious Freedom Coalition, PO Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013 - (202) 543-0300

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