GEORGE WHO?

The other day I received a fund raising letter from Mrs. Robert E. Lee, IV.  Yes, there is such a person and she is Vice Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, is not a public park or federal land as many believe. Mount Vernon has been maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association since 1858. George Washington’s Mount Vernon would be a heap of rubble had it not been for this organization.

I was honestly shocked by Mrs. Lee’s letter and some of the statements in it. So shocked that I checked to make sure the letter and the statements were authentic.

Mrs. Lee stated that one in four Americans don't know whose image is on the front of a quarter! I checked out the facts and she is right. Fully one fourth of Americans don’t know that President George Washington, the father of this nation, is on the face of a quarter.

Moreover Mrs. Lee stated that George Washington and his deeds are written about in the school textbooks of today only ten percent as much as they were in the 1960’s! I checked this as well, and unfortunately she is very correct.

The very day I received Mrs. Lee’s letter, a front page story in the Washington Times had this headline "No Founding Fathers? That’s Our New History." The story by Ellen Sorokin announced that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are not included in the revised version of the New Jersey Department of Education history standards. Not only was the father of our country omitted, but so were the Pilgrims, the Mayflower and the word "war".

In other states, names and titles have actually been changed. The Pilgrims are now called, "early settlers," "early Europeans," European colonizers" or simply "newcomers".

The assault against the memory of George Washington and the other "dead white men" who founded the United States started in the 1960’s, and Congress helped in the war against our founding fathers. When I went to school, George Washington’s birthday was a national holiday. Not any more! By an act of Congress the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were "consolidated" into one national holiday now known as "Presidents’ Day".

We now have only one national holiday named after an individual, and that person is Martin Luther King. Abraham Lincoln, the man who ended slavery in America, making it possible for Martin Luther King to be educated and to preach for change, has no holiday named for him. Am I the only one who finds this odd?

The high school textbooks of today give very little information about George Washington. Many times the references to him and the other Founders are in passing. School libraries have very few books on the Founders and virtually none written by conservatives.

REDISCOVERING GEORGE WASHINGTON

Richard Brookhiser has written a biography of George Washington as military general, President and statesman that should be in every school library in America, but is not. Brookhiser is one of the editors of the conservative monthly journal National Review. His book is not written from a purely Christian perspective, which makes it more likely that a copy of his work donated to a school or public library will not be discarded. Founding Fathers: Rediscovering George Washington, is available from the William J. Murray Report for $16.00 including postage and handling.

In this thought-provoking look at George Washington as soldier and statesman, Richard Brookhiser traces the astonishing achievements of Washington's career and illuminates how his character and his values shaped the beginnings of American politics. I have read this work and highly recommend you obtain a copy for yourself. I urge you to donate it to a local Christian or public school once you have finished reading it. For a copy send $16.00 to the William J. Murray Report, P.O. Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013 or call (800) 650-7664 for credit card orders.

NYC SCHOOL SAYS "NO" TO "GOD BLESS YOU"

According to a New York Post story, the New York City Board of Education has banned the phrase "God bless you" from school property. A sign saying "God Bless You" was placed in front of the Beach Channel High School by its parents’ association. A member of the teachers’ union complained, said David Scott Pecoraro, a union lawyer.

Board of Education spokeswoman Margie Feinberg confirmed that the board had determined the sign to be "inappropriate."

ACLU WANTS SATAN IN FLORIDA CITY

While "God bless you" is being kicked out of the New York schools, the ACLU is working like the devil to get Satan back into Inglis, Florida.

It seems that last Halloween Mayor Carol Risher signed a proclamation banning Satan from the town. She had the proclamation posted at the four major entrances to the small community of some 1400 souls, 75 miles north of Tampa.

The ACLU, which never misses an opportunity to be ridiculous, is demanding that the proclamation be rescinded and that the mayor be forced to pay out of her pocket for the four photocopies. ACLU attorney Gary S. Edinger said solemnly, "We have constitutional protections against the establishment of religions." Apparently Mr. Edinger is not aware of the fact that proclamations by mayors and governors are not binding laws, but merely statements signed by a politician. I have dozens of proclamations from mayors for "William J. Murray Day." Many times the mayor of a small town will issue a proclamation welcoming a well known preacher or speaker to a community. The ACLU reaction to this is just flat stupid.

My good friend Matt Staver at Liberty Counsel is helping Mayor Risher defend herself from this Satanic attack of the ACLU.

STOP THE ACLU MONEY MACHINE

How can we stop the ACLU and their destructive practices? One way is to shut down one of their many extortion rackets. We can force the ACLU to pay their own legal fees instead of forcing school districts and others to finance their racket.

Congressman Jim DeMint of South Carolina has introduced the Student Freedom of Religious Expression Act. Under Congressman DeMint’s legislation the ACLU would no longer be able to extort funds from public school systems. Instead of the ACLU forcing the school to pay their legal expenses, the ACLU would have to pay for their own legal fees!

Oddly, under current law if the school wins, the ACLU does not pay the school’s legal fees. However, if the ACLU wins, the school has to pay the legal fees of the ACLU, which can be outrageously expensive.

Let’s say a student wants to mention God in a valedictory address. Right now, his school may refuse to allow him to mention God because of fear of an ACLU lawsuit. This fear would not exist if the law were changed to require the ACLU to pay their own legal expenses regardless of the outcome of a lawsuit.

As of the end of January only ten congressmen, almost all of them from the Southern states, had co-sponsored the bill. To get the attention of the leadership of the House, the bill needs more congressional sponsors. If you have any interest in seeing the ACLU pay its own bills in these frivolous and threatening lawsuits, please call your congressman about the "Student Freedom of Religious Expression Act" (H.R. 3319).

RELIGION IN SCHOOL? ISLAM IS OK IN CA

Christians nationwide were shocked to learn that many Middle Schools in California require children to dress in Muslim robes, call themselves Muslims and learn to become warriors to fight for Islam.

The ACLU is not filing any lawsuits over this practice. The ACLU does not see any conflict here with "separation of church and state." Now let us suppose that the schools had required the kids to dress up as Pilgrims and to call themselves "Christians". Of course the ACLU would file a lawsuit to stop such a "violation" of "separation of church and state" in an instant. What is the difference? Diversity of course. If the religion in question is not the Christian faith, then it is just fine to cram it down the throats of school age kids regardless of how repulsive it is to them or to their parents.

Brad Dacus, the chief counsel of the Pacific Justice Institute said, "A lot if it is a desire to overly compensate in the name of political correctness."

The course on Islam is one of 11 units in a social studies class called "World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times," that is taught all over the state of California. This is not isolated to one or two schools, but rather is required in the state’s curriculum standards. Teachers can present the course in moderation or go to extremes. In the case of the Excelsior School in Oakland, 125 seventh-graders were required to wear robes and refer to themselves as Muslims. The kids were forced to read verses from the Koran. The course handout said, "From the beginning, you and your classmates will become Muslims."

The superintendant of the school district involved, Mrs. Peggy Green, stated, "We are not teaching religion. We are teaching the California state-mandated standards with state-adopted textbooks..." Does this mean the Koran is a "state-adopted" textbook?

ATHEISTS GO TO SALEM

Actually the next American Atheists Convention is in Boston, Massachusetts, but the organization plans a side trip to the top spot for witchcraft in America. The American Atheists promotional material tells members to "jump start" their atheist convention experience with a trip to Salem, Massachusetts and the Salem Witch Museum. Although the actual atheist convention does not begin until Good Friday, they have set aside Thursday, March 28th to visit Salem.

Strangely enough, Salem, which once energetically discouraged witchcraft, now sells the Black Art as a tourist attraction. The city of Salem now has a three week Haunted Happening leading up to Halloween. The official event literature says the event opens with a "...mile-long concourse of events, museums, attractions, shops, haunted houses and fantastic dining that are the center of Salem Haunted Happenings."

JOE BOB THE ATHEIST

The "big star" at this year’s atheist convention will be Joe Bob Briggs. Joe Bob is a late night movie host for TNT (Turner Network Television). His show, MonsterVision, is a big hit with teens who stay up late at night on weekends. He has two columns syndicated by UPI including his "Drive-in" satirical movie reviews. Joe Bob is the "biggest" star ever to come out of the closet to perform at an atheist convention although most of those in Hollywood live godless lives whether or not they go to church.

The atheists want to claim "normality". Indeed much of their writings claim that morality can be found in one’s self rather than in God. Yet, the star of their convention in 2002 will be a man who makes his living writing about horror shows and who was the host of a TV show that cannot be shown on TV before midnight because of its content. Hmmm!

DON’T CHECK THE  MUSLIMS FOR BOMBS

Believe it or not, that is what the "FAA Guidance for Screeners and Other Security Personnel" has to offer as security guidelines to airlines, just in case you wondered why a seventy-seven year old U. S. Congressman was asked to drop his pants during a strip search.

Congressman John Dingle (D-MI) is seventy-seven and has a metal hip replacement. As a result, he triggers the machines every time he goes home to Michigan, which is every week. He is searched both ways every week despite his age and credentials. Former Israeli Prime Minister Netenyahu was forced to take off his shoes at a New York airport to check for explosives.

Those of us who travel a lot (and I travel a lot) have seen it over and over again. Young men who barely speak English are patting down eighty-year-old women, while young men in turbans walk right onto aircraft unchallenged. I can attest that there is no real security at the airports as of January of this year.

Not too many are aware of the fact that I was an airline manager for more than a decade before becoming a conservative Christian activist. When I stand back and watch the "security" at our airports I truly understand what a joke it is. Let me state a fact:

Unless every single passenger is strip searched and their luggage checked by both machine and by hand, security does not work without profiling. Since we don’t profile, we have no real security. The FAA guidelines specifically state that a screener should not "...rely on generalized stereotypes or attitudes or beliefs about the propensity of members of any racial, ethnic, religious, or national origin group to engage in unlawful activity."

This is why Muslim Richard Reid was allowed on an American Airlines jet from Paris to Miami with bombs in his shoes. He was acting suspiciously. He was sweating. He was reciting in Arabic. He had bought a one way ticket with cash. He had no address in the United States. He had no apparent means of support. He had no checks, cash, credit cards or hotel reservations. Yet he was allowed on the plane, while little old French ladies had their underwear gone through in their carry on bags. And security personnel patted themselves on the back for putting him on the plane because they were politically correct and didn’t "profile".

Many times I just stand and watch the security "circus" at the airport. National Guard troops with machine guns are watching as non-citizens, many of them Muslims, search teenage girls who are part of a basketball team on tour, while men who appear to be real threats just walk onto the aircraft.

And those "random" searches at the gate, what about them? I am never searched because I know the system. I wait to board until someone else is chosen to be checked. I know the "random" check will keep the screener busy for five minutes, so that is when I board the aircraft. A real hijacker would never think of that, would he?

Then there is the "bag matching". It makes me feel really secure to know that a suicide bomber must be on the aircraft with his bomb. "Bag matching" is the single biggest airline security joke. It will not even stop someone who puts a bomb in his wife’s suitcase to get rid of her. Since she is on the plane, the bag goes with her and so does the bomb.

Nothing works better than profiling. Why? Imagine a hold-up at a bank. Then imagine that the police were not allowed to mention the race, sex or age of those who robbed the bank. Now you see the problem with being politically correct to the extreme.

The reality: Islamic men from the Middle East are more likely to be terrorists than anyone else getting on an aircraft. If we refuse to admit that fact, we can have no security.

UNHOLY WAR

Randall Price has written a new book about Islam and its war against Christianity and the West, titled Unholy War. This is a very in-depth 400 page plus book written after September 11th. Every other book and video we have offered in the last six months was written before September 11th.

Randall Price has exceptional expertise on the Middle East and his intimate knowledge of Judaism, Islam and the modern-day controversies make this an ideal reference tool. Unholy War is a very important book that belongs in every church library and every public library. For a lengthy book, it is not expensive and therefore I am asking that you purchase two books, one for yourself and one to place in either a church or public library.

This month we are offering Unholy War for just $15.00 including postage and handling or two copies for just $25.00. Call (800) 650-7664 and mention offer 02N02 or send check to William J Murray Report, P.O. Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013

MIXED WHITE HOUSE SIGNALS

Can a president be all things to all people? President Bush’s advisors seem to think so. Great news came out of the White House the week of January the 28th. Secretary Tommy Thompson of Health and Human Resources (HHS) announced that he would seek to change policy to allow State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover unborn children. This would for the first time since Roe vs. Wade give a fetus the standing of a human being under law.

Abortion activist Kate Michelman of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League immediately attacked the change saying it is a "...commitment to the strategy to undermine a woman’s right to choose by ascribing legal rights to embryos." In other words, to the pro-abortion fanatics their own agenda is much more important than giving poor women the chance to get pre natal care.

We salute the President and his team for moving toward recognizing an unborn child as a human being.

However ... the same day HHS made the above announcement, the White House agreed to change President Bush’s "Faith Based Initiative" in all states to force religious groups to hire homosexuals and lesbians. In other words "Charitable Choice" is dead. Under the real Charitable Choice, religious groups could bid for government contracts such as drug rehabilitation programs. Under the provisions the White House now approves of, a Christian boys’ home would be forced to hire openly homosexual men and provide benefits for their "domestic partners" in order to obtain federal funds.

The provisions now approved of by the White House will mean that few if any truly Christian organizations will opt for the federal money. Instead, the funds will go to even more secularized programs that don’t work.

Was this really a "mixed message" from the White house or was it a dual event planned to woo both social conservative Christians and homosexuals at the same time? Indeed, I have learned the dual announcements were planned for the same day to "prove" the President understood the base concerns of both social conservatives and homosexuals. We got the message.