Week Ending March 3, 2006 - Washington, DC
Religious Freedom Coalition
March 3, 2006 1:43AM EST

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - WEEK ENDING MARCH 3, 2006

HOUSE IN SESSION / SENATE IN SESSION

THE PRESIDENT

THE PORTS, THE POLLS AND THE PRESIDENT

President George W. Bush's ratings dropped to an all time low of 34% this past week according to a poll by CBS and the New York Times. Although the numbers are somewhat tainted by an improper mix of Democrats versus Republicans questioned, the poll does show a downward trend caused by the giveaway of major American port operations to Dubai World Ports. New reports showing that the Coast Guard was against the port deal are helping fuel the flames in Congress to overturn the Bush Administration decision. Meanwhile some new and very damning information is simmering just below the surface. The firm at the heart of the controversy, Dubai Ports World is 100% owned by the Government of Dubai via a holding company called Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation or PCZC. The boycott of Israel and Israeli products by the Arab world is enforced by PCZC. This enforcement of the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Arab boycott by PCZC was reconfirmed this week by its spokesman, Muhammad Rashid-a-Din. President George W. Bush had become the most popular Republican president among American Jews ever. This revelation, which is traveling fast through Jewish circles, will diminish that support. (Click here for details on PCZC) (Click here for the full Op-ed version of The Ports and the President.)

President George W. Bush is a sincere individual whom I greatly admire. He truly believes, as do I, that liberty is a gift from God and not a privilege granted by government. The God both he and I worship, however, is far different from the God of Islam who still demands the blood sacrifice of infidels. The concept of individual liberty is foreign to Islam and there is no true Arabic word for the English word "liberty." While I believe in my heart that the President is right and that every human being on the planet deserves the God given gift of freedom, I do not believe that we can achieve that goal by compromising our own freedoms. The PCZC position of honoring a boycott against Israel is contrary to the principles of democracy and the free trade position that this Administration supports and as a result this deal should go down in flames sooner rather than later.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT AND THE PORTS

This week it was revealed that Secretary of the Treasury John W. Snow had previously sold his holdings of Dubai World at a profit while he was the President of CSX, an American transportation company. Under those circumstances many do not believe that he should be involved in the re-examination of the sale of operations at six American ports to that same company.

THE SENATE

PATRIOT ACT

After months of clamor and Democrat threats of a filibuster, the Patriot Act was passed in the Senate this week by a margin of 89-10. This was a victory for a beleaguered President George W. Bush in what was otherwise a dismal week politically. The "no" votes came from Jim Jeffords (I-VT), and Democrats Russell Feingold (D-WI), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) Tom Harkin (D-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Carl Levin (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Feingold tried to spearhead the boycott, his main argument being that the government would be allowed to listen in to bedroom conversations between husband and wife. Reality check: our government does not have sufficient resources to catalog and listen to communications between known terrorists. To abuse the Patriot Act to the extent Feingold fears would require millions of FBI agents - then who would listen to them?

DUBAI WORLD PORTS

Inside scoop: leading the charge against the Dubai World takeover of six American ports is Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. MEANWHILE: her husband, former President Bill Clinton is buddy-buddy with this Arab nation and has been giving them tips as to how to win the PR battle and keep the deal alive. This has been common knowledge on the Hill for days, but was just given public coverage by the New York Post. SOLUTION: Republican Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) has introduced the Foreign Investment Transparency and Security Act (FITSA) of 2006 which would prohibit foreign government controlled entities from managing a national security related facility or investment. The bill would kill the Dubai port deal and be retroactive to the deals cut by Clinton to give the Chinese Communist government the control of two West Coast ports. His bill is broader and cannot be considered "anti-Arab" because it centers on any company which is owned by a foreign government. MEANWHILE: Commentators on Bloomberg Radio today bemoaned the fact that the sale of US assets has slowed claiming this is bad for the economy. This is added proof that we must stop the deficit. As I mentioned in an Op-ed last week, we are fast selling off our assets, including convenience stores, shopping centers, hotel chains and high tech secrets to the Islamic states and the atheist state of China because we have nothing left to trade with them to get our dollars back.

THE COURTS

ABORTION

Once in while the Court gets it right. This week the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that racketeering laws could not be used to bankrupt pro-life groups who organized public demonstrations against abortion. The original intent of racketeering laws was to allow the shut down of the mob, not to stop free _expression of speech. Abortionists have been using these laws to sue anti-abortion groups and individuals for twenty years and the practice could have and should have been stopped by Congress long ago. (Click here for full story)

INTERNATIONAL

WEST BANK CHRISTIAN MURDERED

A Christian associated with our ministry has been murdered in the "West Bank." We received an e-mail this week that one of the men under a death warrant in the Palestinian Authority controlled area had sneaked back into his village from Israel to visit his family. He was seen, and masked men came to his home and took him. He was shot and his body left on the roadside. He was accused of collaborating with Israel, but his real crime was converting from Islam to Christianity. The man was married and a father. Several of the Christian men who fled their villages under the terror reign of Yassar Arafat have recently attempted to return to visit their families. While several have survived and made it back to Israel, this is the second man we know of directly that has been murdered. We have not advertised the soap we sell to support these brothers in Christ recently because it is becoming harder to get it out of Palestinian Authority areas. If you have ordered in the past and would like a few additional bars click here. We have very few bars remaining and after they are gone we will have to return to soliciting outright contributions to help the families of these men.

HUGE REDUCTIONS AT OUR INTERNET STORE

We have a lot of miscellaneous items left over in the RFC Internet store from our Christmas catalog including patriotic ties and several books on Islam, as well as items from the Holy Land. All books are discounted below Amazon.com prices. Click here to view discounted items! Your account will not be charged if items are not available.

PLEASE HELP

Please help with our various projects on Capitol Hill and in the Holy Land. Please make your donation today! 

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William J. Murray, Chairman

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

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Religious Freedom Coalition * Copyright - 2006