BMAT
Moral Action Committee
Watchman Report
#71 02/17/2006
Click on an article to view OR scroll through
the complete document:
1. The right of our
Public Officials to Express themselves in Prayer has once again come under
Attack
2. Katy Texas School District attempted
to ban religious-themed Valentine's cards
3. Poll shows Support of Israel High in
America
4. Is There a War Going On In Texas?
5. Texas Republicans' own civil war?
6. Early June vote on the Marriage
Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
7. New Guidelines Clarify Religious
Expression for Airmen
8.
Army silences chaplain after prayer
criticism
9. Push for Christian prison is
faith-based on two levels closer to reality in San Angelo
10. Administration OK With United
Arab Emirates Running Six Major U.S. Ports
11. Maryland Gay-Marriage Ban Killed
After Democratic Move
12. Deltona Artist Not Accepting
Religious Discrimination Quietly
13. Delaware Catholics and Evangelicals
Join Forces to Defeat Embryonic Stem-Cell Bill
14. Community Marriage Policies Reach a
Milestone
15. Alabama Churches are Rising from the
Ashes
16. Bilingual Education up for Debate in
Texas
17. Board appears to favor
Texas Teacher Retirement fund dumping porn investments
18. Governor Perry given more Money to
Texas Border security Project
19. Congress Eyes Curbs on Gambling
Expansion
20. Gore's Remarks in Saudi Arabia Draw
Strong Criticism
21. Who's Guarding the Boarder???
22. Wiccans Challenge Florida Sales Tax
Exemption for Bibles and Religious Publications
23. Brokeback Mountain Banned in China,
Middle East
24. Federal Communications Commission
Endorses Cable Choice
25. Update: Wal-Mart Lawsuit Staged -
Women "Denied' Abortion Drug Admit Scheming
26. RU-486 Could Be Pulled from Market
27. Victory for Jesus: Court refuses
challenge to his existence
29. Defining: the Marriage Divide -- A
Blockbuster Analysis
30. Global Warming or Global Warning?
31. America's Aborted Conscience "The
Sin of Moral Indifference"
32. Russia confirms missile defense
contract with Iran
The right of our
Public Officials to Express themselves in Prayer has once again come under
Attack
Febv.14 2006 rightmarch.com
T
homas
Jefferson once said, "[The] liberty to worship our Creator in the way we
think most agreeable to His will [is] a liberty deemed in other countries
incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be
its best support."
Although Congress and many other
legislatures throughout the country often solemnize their legislative
sessions with prayers, the right of public officials throughout our nation
to express themselves through prayer has once again come under attack. For
example, in addition to his attempt to strike "under God" from the Pledge
of Allegiance, Michael Newdow also unsuccessfully sought to prevent the
use of chaplains in the U. S. House and Senate. Moreover, a South Carolina
chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has claimed a 2004
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals case, Wynne v. Town of Great Falls,
creates an all-out ban on sectarian prayer by public officials including
federal, state, and local legislators.
Thankfully, some folks in Congress
are taking PROACTIVE action. Rep. J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC) has introduced
the "Public Prayer Protection Act" (H.R. 4364), which seeks to protect the
right of elected and appointed officials to express their religious
beliefs through public prayer by removing all establishment clause cases
involving prayer by public officials to the jurisdiction of state courts.
This is a quick, simple, and
EFFECTIVE solution to the infringements now taking place on some basic
First Amendment rights. We need to encourage Congress to get behind this
new bill NOW -- and get it into the law books.
TAKE
ACTION: The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to
the United States Constitution was intended by our Founding Fathers to
prohibit one religious denomination from enjoying the exclusive backing of
government and to prohibit the Federal establishment of any type of
religious uniformity or orthodoxy that rewards observers and punishes
violators. The First Amendment also guarantees the right of elected and
appointed officials to express their religious beliefs through public
prayer.
The exercise of this right does NOT
violate the Establishment Clause, and the courts and the legislatures of
the several States are in the best position to protect this right.
Thankfully, Article III, Section 2, clause 2 of the United States
Constitution expressly grants Congress the authority to define the
appellate jurisdiction of the Federal court system.
We need to tell Congress to get this
bill OUT of the House Committee on the Judiciary and onto the floor for a
vote. Click below to urge your Congressman to support the "Public Prayer
Protection Act" (H.R. 4364):
http://capwiz.com/sicminc/issues/alert/?alertid=8479521&type=CO
Back
Poll shows Support
of Israel High in America
Feb. 15 2006 Gary Bauer American
Values
A
new Gallup Poll shows support of Israel is strong here in the U.S. The
public sympathizes with Israel over the Palestinians by 59%-to-15%, in
spite of news coverage virtually always critical of Israel and painting
the Palestinians as oppressed victims! Most Americans understand that
Israel is our only reliable ally in the Middle East, and they know that
Israel believes in the same democratic values we do - unlike Hamas,
Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, all of which want to "liberate" Jerusalem
("enslave" Jerusalem would be a more accurate description).
Back
Katy Texas School
District attempted to ban religious-themed Valentine's cards
Feb. 14 2006 Tony Perkins Family
Research Council
T
exas's
family defender Kelly Shackelford hurried into court this week, determined
to prevent the Katy School District from banning religious-themed
Valentine's cards and favors. Students were being told they could not hand
out Valentine materials that mentioned God. Five families from the
Houston-area public school district sought and received a temporary
restraining order against the policy that prohibited the sharing of cards
and gifts that reflect their faith. Alliance Defense Fund senior legal
counsel Mike Johnson charged the district's personnel with creating "an
environment of intimidation and hostility toward Christian students. These
little kids are scared about uttering any reference to their personal
faith because they've seen what happens to them and their classmates when
they do so," Johnson said. The district countered that it was never their
"intent" to limit what messages the students could exchange at Valentine's
Day parties. The effort to censor religious speech apparently has no
limit. I'm happy to see my friend Kelly [succeed] with this effort to
defend Free Exercise. We hope he persuades the judges that the
Constitution requires that government shall not infringe on the people's
rights of religious expression.
Additional Resources
Parents
Sue Katy ISD Over Religious Freedom
Back
Is There a War
Going On In Texas?
Feb. 15, 2006
Phyllis Schlafly / Texas Eagle Forum
I
f
you don't have access to Texas newspapers or the internet, you may not
have heard the sensational news about the enormous cache of weapons just
seized in Laredo, Texas. U.S. authorities grabbed two completed Improvised
Explosive Devices (IEDs), materials for making 33 more, military-style
grenades, 26 grenade triggers, large quantities of AK-47 and AR-15 assault
rifles, 1,280 rounds of ammunition, silencers, machine gun assembly kits,
300 primers, bullet-proof vests, police scanners, sniper scopes,
narcotics, and cash.
That sounds like a war is going on
in Texas! If bomb-making factories and firearms assembly plants are
ordinary day-to-day business in the drug war along our southern border,
the American people need to know more about it.
The Val Verde County chief deputy
warned that drug traffickers are helping terrorists with possible al
Quaeda ties to cross the Texas-Mexico border into the United States. A
government spokesman in Houston said "at this point there is no connection
with anything in Iraq."
We are not so easily reassured. We
wonder what our government is doing to fulfill its duty to "protect each
of them [the states] against invasion," as called for in the U.S.
Constitution, Article IV.
The Department of Homeland Security
now admits that there have been 231 documented incursions by Mexican
military or police, or drug or people smugglers dressed in military
uniforms, during the last ten years, including 63 in Arizona, and several
Border Patrol agents have been wounded in these encounters. This admission
comes after years of pretending that such incursions were just
"accidents."
Homeland Security sent a
confidential memo in January to our Border Patrol agents warning that they
could be the targets of assassins hired by alien smugglers. The alert
states that the contract killers will probably be members of the vicious
MS-13 Mara Salvatrucha street gang (whose 17-year-old killers will be
protected from capital punishment by a recent U.S Supreme Court decision).
There is, indeed, a drug war going
on between rival drug gangs, but the U.S. government seems to be just a
bystander without manpower or weapons to take action. Are we going to
continue to leave our Border agents sitting ducks for Mexican snipers?
Rep. Tom Tancredo reported that
sheriff deputies spotted a military-style Humvee near El Paso, Texas, with
a mounted .50-caliber machine gun escorting a caravan of SUVs bringing
illegal drugs into our country. Our outgunned and outmanned sheriff
deputies and state highway patrol couldn't do anything except take
pictures.
The Mexican government is unwilling
or incapable of doing anything to stop the wide-open lawlessness on the
Mexican side of the border. Our Border Patrol agents say they are often
confronted by corrupt Mexican military units employed to protect and
escort violent drug smugglers.
Meanwhile, the news media have shown
us pictures of the just-discovered sophisticated 2,400-foot tunnel running
under our border to a warehouse in San Diego. U.S. authorities recovered
more than two tons of marijuana, and it is unclear how long the tunnel has
been in operation or how many tons of drugs already passed through.
The Bush Administration whines that
it can't (i.e., won't) do anything to implement border security unless its
guest-worker/amnesty proposal is part of the legislative package, and
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff looked pathetically weak when
interviewed on television by Bill O'Reilly. When is our government going
to protect us from the crime, the drugs, the smuggling racket, destruction
of property, the endangerment to U.S. residents along our border and our
undermanned Border Patrol?
In charge of protecting Americans
against this war is 36-year-old Julie Myers, to whom President Bush gave a
recess appointment after her Senate confirmation bogged down because of
her total lack of law-enforcement experience. Her qualifications are her
connections: she is the niece of former Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard
Myers and the wife of Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff's chief of
staff.
Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) says that
if you visit the border, you will find that almost everyone who lives
there is armed for protection from illegals. Just imagine if you had to
carry a gun to go to the grocery store or take your kids to school!
For the best up-to-date analysis of
what our government should do, read Rep. Hayworth's new book called
"Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, and the War on
Terror." He calls for a security fence, 10,000 border agents, enforcement
of penalties on employers who hire illegal aliens, cooperation between the
feds and our 700,000 local and state police officers to enforce our
immigration laws, more detention centers to keep illegals until they can
be deported, and an end to the racket of giving U.S. citizenship to babies
born to illegal aliens.
Back
The views and, or
wording of the following article is not necessarily representative of the
views of the Moral Action Committee of the BMA of Texas. The content seems
to be accurate and useful for its information, but the comments: as usual
are for you to decide.
Texas Republicans'
own civil war?
Feb. 14 2006
William McKenzie Dallas Morning News editorial columnist
Difference in opinion could benefit
GOP, state.
L
ike
Democrats of old, who battled among themselves when they ran the state,
Texas Republicans are in a tug of war between the purists and the party's
more practical members.
The skirmish began in earnest when
George W. Bush left Austin. His engaging personality covered it over, but
the fissures have blown wide open for the whole state to see in this
year's election cycle.
Look at what's happening today near
Austin. We should know by day's end who wins the runoff in a special
election to fill retiring GOP Rep. Todd Baxter's seat. Republican Ben
Bentzin and Democrat Donna Howard are competing, although Ms. Howard
prevailed in the first contest with 49.5 percent of the vote to Mr.
Bentzin's 37.8 percent.
How does this race reflect a battle
among Republicans?
Mr. Bentzin, a former Dell
executive, shouldn't have trailed Ms. Howard so badly in an affluent,
fairly suburban district. But she has been out front on improving the way
Texas funds schools, and that message resonates in this Republican-leaning
district, which includes the Eanes Independent School District, a top
suburban performer upon whose board Ms. Howard once sat.
If she wins this runoff, it's clear
that some Republicans crossed over to support a school funding advocate.
If Mr. Bentzin wins, chalk up a big victory for the Rick Perry/Tom
Craddick wing of the party, which shows little interest in putting much
new money into school districts.
The same phenomenon is at work in a
number of state House GOP primary races. The March 7 vote will pit
Republicans with competing visions for our schools.
In Fort Worth, incumbent Republican
Charlie Geren has drawn two primary opponents. Dr. James Leininger, the
San Antonio school voucher enthusiast, and Houston homebuilder Bob Perry
have put big money behind one challenger, Chris Hatley.
Mr. Geren opposed Republican leaders
on vouchers last year and had the audacity to vote with his district when
it came to adequately funding schools. You don't do that with the purists
down in Austin. They want nothing that bucks party dogma, and their donors
are willing to provide the ammo to defeat independent thinkers.
Mr. Geren isn't alone in drawing
such fire. Incumbents Tommy Merritt, Roy Blake Jr., Carter Casteel and
Delwin Jones have the moneymen beating down on them in their legislative
races, too.
In the Panhandle, Republican purists
went after Anette Carlisle for challenging Craddick ally David Swinford, a
longstanding GOP rep. The Swinford crowd tried to get her kicked off the
primary ballot, but it backfired when a court put her back on.
Ms. Carlisle is one of several
Republican challengers drawing financial backing from Texas Parent PAC, a
bipartisan group that's trying to elect candidates who will invest more
money into schools. This group also backs former Arlington school board
member Diane Patrick against incumbent Kent Grusendorf, the House Public
Education Committee chairman.
San Antonio grocery store CEO
Charles Butt has put money into Texas Parent PAC. Former GOP Sen. Bill
Ratliff supports the group, and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison appeared at
a Geren fundraiser and endorsed other Republicans under attack from the
purists in Austin.
So there's your dividing line. Some
Republicans will see it as a liability, but the struggle actually could
benefit their party. Independent-minded Republicans eventually need to
speak up, or conservative leaders will take the GOP down the extreme path
in the way liberal Democrats tried to steer their party left during the
Democratic heyday.
The yin-and-yang also benefits
Texas. This is a red state and will remain so for at least another decade.
The more Texans can hear competing visions within the GOP, the more
choices they will have about the state's future.
When it comes to schools that's
incredibly important. The debate in Austin is over whether legislators
will adequately fund schools. If Republicans don't insist on higher
spending, the state's economy will not keep pace with the techno-driven
global economy.
For the moment, Texas' course
depends upon who controls the GOP. Bring on the civil war.
William McKenzie is a Dallas Morning
News editorial columnist.
E-mail:
wmckenzie@dallasnews.com
Back
Early June vote
on the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Feb. 13 Tony Perkins
Family Research Council
S
enate
Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) took the occasion of his speech to
Friday's session of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
here in Washington to announce an early June date for a vote on the
Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We commend Sen.
Frist for his outstanding leadership on this important issue. FRC Action's
Connie Mackey chaired the pro-life panel and FRC Vice President for Policy
Peter Sprigg chaired the marriage panel at CPAC, also on Friday. Both
panels were well-attended--especially by young conferees. FRC
Action will be scoring positively those Senators who sign on as
co-sponsors of the Marriage Protection Amendment. Now is a good time to
contact your two U.S. Senators and request they co-sponsor this
vitally needed measure. To amend the U.S. Constitution generally requires
the votes of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by
three-quarters (38) of the state legislatures.
Back
New Guidelines
Clarify Religious Expression for Airmen
Feb.9 2006 Wendy Cloyd assistant
editor Citizen Link
Air Force says it will protect free
exercise of religion.
T
he
U.S. Air Force released revised interim guidelines today that clarified
its policy regarding religious expression — a move that was applauded by
pro-family experts.
Critics claimed the expression of
religion on base is unconstitutional, while religious-liberty supporters
said faith is critical to military strength and effectiveness.
The one-page document is a more
concise rendition of the policy, aimed at clarifying the foundation for
the guidelines in light of the First Amendment — what it allows and what
it does not.
"We are sworn to support and defend
the Constitution of the United States," the document states. "In taking
our oath, we pledge our personal commitment to the Constitution's
protections for free exercise of religion and its prohibition against
government establishment of religion."
Explicitly outlined is the
protection of all personal beliefs, including the right to reject religion
outright.
"We will remain officially neutral
regarding religious beliefs, neither officially endorsing nor disapproving
any faith belief or absence of belief," it reads. "We will accommodate
free exercise of religion and other personal beliefs, as well as freedom
of expression."
Tom Minnery, senior vice president
of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said the
proper application of the new guidelines will safeguard the religious
freedom guaranteed to all citizens — military and civilian.
"We applaud these guidelines," he
said. "We hope they will bring an end to the frontal assault on the Air
Force by secularists who would make the military a wasteland of
relativism, where robust discussion of faith is impossible."
He said the guidelines appropriately
caution superiors against making comments about a particular religion that
could appear to subordinates to be official policy.
"With that in mind, they properly
state that 'superiors enjoy the same free-exercise rights as all other
airmen,' " Minnery added. "We particularly thank the Air Force for
specifically recognizing that 'voluntary participation in worship, prayer,
study and discussion is integral to the free exercise of religion.' "
The guidelines establish that public
prayer does not imply government endorsement of religion, but also caution
about the use of prayer during routine business practices.
"Mutual respect and common sense
should always be applied" the document states. "Nondenominational,
inclusive prayer or a moment of silence may be appropriate for military
ceremonies or events of special importance when its primary purpose is not
the advancement of religious beliefs."
Gino Mattorano, tech sergeant at the
Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., said the guidelines support
the current practice at the academy.
"We welcome the revised guidelines,"
he said. "While we are already in compliance with them, we will continue
to refine and improve these programs encouraging and supporting the
religious respect among everyone at the Air Force Academy — that includes
staff and cadets alike."
Jennifer Stephens, an Air Force
spokeswoman at the Pentagon, said though the national debate will likely
continue Air Force officials are confident that members will now better
understand their responsibilities as airmen and their rights as Americans.
"Maintaining an environment of
religious respect within the Air Force is an important requisite," she
told CitizenLink. "We reach that objective by providing general guidance
and empowering commanders to act and apply their experience and judgment
as they uphold the Air Force's core values —'Integrity First, Service
Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.' These values represent the
bedrock of what transforms the widely diverse group of men and women who
join our nation's Air Force into America's airmen."
Stephens said the Air Force chief of
chaplains was highly involved in drafting the guidelines.
"The revised guidelines make clearer
that we respect chaplains' rights to adhere to the tenets of their
individual faiths and that they will not be required to participate in
religious activities — including public prayer — inconsistent with their
faiths," she said. "Our expectation for the entire Air Force is simple: We
respect each other and take care of each other."
QUOTEWORTHY: --- "There is
but one straight course, and that is to seek the truth and pursue it
steadily." -- George Washington, to Edmund Randolph, July 31, 1795
Back
Army silences
chaplain after prayer criticism
Feb. 14 2006 Julia Duin The Washington Times
A
n
evangelical chaplain serving in Iraq has been forbidden to preach at
chapel services after his comments about military intolerance toward
certain Christian expressions got him into hot water with the Army.
Capt. Jonathan Stertzbach, a field artillery chaplain with the Army's
10th Mountain Division in Iraq, was silenced soon after his comments
appeared in a Jan. 23 article in The Washington Times.
The chaplain criticized one of his supervisors, Lt. Col. Phillip
Wright of Fort Drum in New York, by name and gave details about how
chaplains of all faiths were being pressured to offer up only nonsectarian
prayers.
Contacted in Iraq yesterday by The Times, Capt. Stertzbach confirmed
he had been silenced.
"I am not allowed to talk to anyone right now," he said. "There are no
hard feelings, and I have to leave it at that."
His silencing elicited a strong protest letter from Rep. Walter B.
Jones, North Carolina Republican, to Army Inspector General Lt. Gen.
Stanley Green, demanding an investigation into whether Capt. Stertzbach
was "illegally removed" from preaching duties.
"I am concerned Chaplain Stertzbach was removed without
justification," the congressman said in a Feb. 6 letter.
Based on numerous letters and reports he had received, Mr. Jones said
"suppression of religious freedom throughout our armed forces is a
pervasive problem, affecting military chaplains from all denominations and
religions."
The lawmaker has gathered 74 signatures from members of Congress
asking President Bush for an executive order allowing chaplains to pray as
they wish. Even though the Air Force released new regulations last week
giving its chaplains more leeway in talking about their faith, Mr. Jones
had only faint praise for the changes.
"More progress can be made in assuring that Christian military
chaplains can pray in the name of Jesus Christ and [that] all military
chaplains can pray according to their faith," he said.
The letter to the Army, according to a Feb. 7 press release from his
office, is part of Mr. Jones' efforts toward protecting First Amendment
rights of military chaplains.
An Army spokeswoman said yesterday that Capt. Stertzbach remains a
chaplain, but she could not confirm whether his right to preach had been
taken away.
Back
Push for
Christian prison is faith-based on two levels closer to reality in San
Angelo
Feb. 11 2006 Thomas Korosec
Houston Chronicle
B
ill
Robinson's plan to build a Christian-based prison has failed four times,
but his faith could be rewarded on his latest try.
Since 1986, when Texas officials
declined to back his plan to house state prisoners in a Liberty County
lockup, the former convict and longtime prison minister's Bible-backed
proposal to rehabilitate the criminally inclined has been doomed by
financing or political problems.
This time, Robinson's Corrections
Concepts Inc. is hammering out the details with Tom Green County to build
and operate a $35 million, 624-bed lockup in San Angelo, and he has the
former chairman of the Texas Criminal Justice Board and a former Oklahoma
warden on his side.
"People realize we have to try
something different," said Tom Green County Commissioner Steve Floyd, who
is part of a majority on the commission supporting Robinson. "You have
President Bush and others out there proposing faith-based initiatives as
something we should try."
Christian programs, including one
run by former Watergate figure Charles Colson, have operated for several
years inside state-run prisons in Texas, Iowa and elsewhere.
For the past two years the Lawtey
Correctional Institution in Florida has been operating as the nation's
first faith-based prison. At Lawtey, 28 religions are represented,
including Scientology and Wicca.
Corrections Concepts' lockup would
be the first in the nation with a strictly Christian bent.
"You have to volunteer for our
program, and that inmate knows he is coming to a Christian-run facility,"
said Robinson, speaking from his home office in northeast Dallas. "His
worship practices will be accommodated without hostility or interference,
but the (evening) curriculum is Christ-centered, and every employee is a
Christian believer."
Rob Boston, spokesman for Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, said that arrangement is
unconstitutional because it uses tax dollars to advance evangelical
Christianity.
"We don't object to volunteers going
into the prisons. Prison ministries do a lot of good work," Boston said.
"What we object to is using state money to pay for these programs.
Government is not supposed to advance or inhibit religion."
Separation issues
In 2003, the Washington-based group
filed a federal suit in Iowa challenging state support of a prison program
run by Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries. Inmates in the special unit
participate in what is described as "24-hour per day Christ-centered,
Bible-based programming."
Boston said inmates in the program
are more likely than others to be considered for parole, so "they're
rewarded by the state for embracing Christianity."
Colby May, director of the
Washington office of the American Center for Law and Justice, said neither
Colson's program nor Robinson's proposal promotes religion because inmates
volunteer.
Furthermore, he said, the prison's
goal is not to promote religion but to rehabilitate inmates.
"We think the courts will get this
right and uphold it," said May, whose group drafted a legal memo that
Corrections Concepts has used to try to convince officials that it could
prevail if challenged in the courts.
According to Robinson, the San
Angelo prison would handle inmates who are within 30 months of being
freed. They would dress in civilian clothing, set their own schedules and
be required to work at the $5.15 minimum wage or more. Their income would
be used to pay restitution and room and board, with 15 percent set aside
in savings accounts.
The facility — which would use walls
rather than barbed wire around the perimeter — would look more like an
industrial park than a prison.
"They'll walk out with a marketable
skill, $1,000 in savings, embraced by a church and committed to their
family," Robinson said. "Why not try it as a pilot project when nothing
else is working? Working means they are not returning to prison."
A 2002 Justice Department study
found that 67 percent of inmates released from state prisons committed at
least one serious crime within three years.
Short of an endorsement
Among reasons cited by
criminologists for the high recidivism rate is a lack of rehabilitation
programs such as vocational education, drug treatment and classes to
prepare prisoners for life outside.
In 1999, then-Texas Gov. George Bush
praised Robinson's approach but stopped short of endorsing the specific
proposal he was promoting at the time to place a Christian prison in Red
River County in far northeastern Texas.
"Crime must be treated as a moral
crisis if we want to ensure that ex-offenders remain ex-offenders," Bush
wrote to Robinson.
Charles Terrell, a Dallas insurance
executive and former chairman of Texas' prison board who has been on the
board of Robinson's organization, is among a group of influential Texans
who agree.
"If you expect to change a man, you
change his heart and soul and give him an ability to make a living," said
Terrell, whose name was on the prison that houses Texas' death row until
he asked that it be renamed five years ago.
"It's surprising anyone would care
enough to work on this for 20 years," Terrell said of Robinson, who has
been preaching in Texas prisons since his born-again conversion in 1980.
Robinson, who described himself in
his early years as a "drunk and drug abuser who kited checks out of 10
bank accounts," spent seven of nine years between 1962 and 1971 locked up
for check fraud, twice in Louisiana and once in federal prison. In 1979 he
was convicted in a tax fraud scheme and received five years' probation in
federal court in Tyler.
Others would run it
Tom Green County commissioners say
they are aware of Robinson's criminal background — and a personal
bankruptcy he filed in September — and are satisfied that others in his
organization will tend to the nuts-and-bolts administration of the prison.
Last spring, the commissioners set
up a county-owned corporation to oversee the prison, using the same
public-private structure that other Texas jurisdictions have used to build
private, for-profit prisons.
In the past several months, lawyers
for the county and Corrections Concepts have been negotiating details of a
management contract, twice delaying a final vote.
"We've been for the concept, and I
expect we'll get to a point where the parties agree," said County Judge
Michael Brown.
Opposition has centered on
traditional concerns about locating a prison in San Angelo, particularly
its effect on the city's image, said Brown, adding he welcomes the
prospect of 158 recession-proof jobs paying about $4 million in annual
wages.
Needs at least 310 inmates
Once a final agreement is reached,
Robinson said he must line up commitments from state and federal
jurisdictions to send at least 310 inmates before his underwriter — an
Atlanta-based organization that specializes in selling bonds for church
construction — will commit to financing.
Mike Viesca, spokesman for the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice, said the system is not authorized to
contract for any new long-term beds and is making no commitment to
Robinson's group.
Jack Cowley, a former Oklahoma
prison warden who would run the San Angelo facility as Corrections
Concepts' chief executive officer, said he is confident that state and
federal authorities will be interested in sending inmates there.
"The emphasis today is on re-entry
(into society), and this is a total commitment to re-entry," Cowley said.
"Prisons won't pay for those programs (at existing facilities). The only
ones who will are people of faith because it's their calling."
Back
Administration OK
With United Arab Emirates Running Six Major U.S. Ports
Feb. 12 2006 Cathie
Adams Texas Eagle Forum
W
ASHINGTON — A
company in the United Arab Emirates is poised to take over significant
operations at six American ports as part of a corporate sale, leaving a
country with ties to the Sept. 11 hijackers with influence over a maritime
industry considered vulnerable to terrorism.
The Bush
administration considers the UAE an important ally in the fight against
terrorism since the suicide hijackings and is not objecting to Dubai Ports
World's purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Co.
The $6.8 billion sale is expected to
be approved Monday. The British company is the fourth largest ports
company in the world and its sale would affect commercial U.S. port
operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and
Philadelphia.
DP World said it won approval from a
secretive U.S. government panel that considers security risks of foreign
companies buying or investing in American industry.
The U.S. Committee
on Foreign Investment in the United States "thoroughly reviewed the
potential transaction and concluded they had no objection," the company
said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The committee earlier agreed to
consider concerns about the deal as expressed by a Miami-based company,
Eller & Co., according to Eller's lawyer, Michael Kreitzer. Eller is a
business partner with the British shipping giant but was not in the
running to buy the ports company.
The committee, which could have
recommended that President Bush block the purchase, includes
representatives from the departments of Treasury, Defense, Justice,
Commerce, State and Homeland Security.
The State Department describes the
UAE as a vital partner in the fight against terrorism. But the UAE, a
loose federation of seven emirates on the Saudi peninsula, was an
important operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out
the attacks against New York and Washington, the FBI concluded.
Sen. Charles
Schumer, a Democrat whose district includes the New York port, urged the
administration to consider the sale carefully.
"America's busiest ports are vital
to our economy and to the international economy, and that is why they
remain top terrorist targets," Schumer said. "Just as we would not
outsource military operations or law enforcement duties, we should be very
careful before we outsource such sensitive homeland security duties."
Last month, the
White House appointed a senior DP World executive, David C. Sanborn of
Virginia, to be the new administrator of the Maritime Administration of
the Transportation Department. Sanborn worked as DP World's director of
operations for Europe and Latin America.
Critics of the proposed purchase
said a port operator complicit in smuggling or terrorism could manipulate
manifests and other records to frustrate Homeland Security's already
limited scrutiny of shipping containers and slip contraband past U.S.
Customs inspectors.
"When you have a foreign government
involved, you are injecting foreign national interests," Kreitzer said. "A
country that may be a friend of ours today may not be on the same side
tomorrow. You don't know in advance what the politics of that country will
be in the future."
Shipping experts noted that many of
the world's largest port companies are not based in the U.S., and they
pointed to DP World's strong economic interest in operating ports securely
and efficiently.
"Does this pose a
national security risk? I think that's pushing the envelope," said Stephen
E. Flynn, who studies maritime security at the New York-based Council on
Foreign Relations. "It's not impossible to imagine one could develop an
internal conspiracy, but I'd have to assign it a very low probability."
Changing management over the U.S.
ports "doesn't offer Al Qaeda any opportunities it doesn't have now," said
James Lewis, who worked with the U.S. committee at the State and Commerce
departments. "It's in Dubai's interest to make sure this runs well. There
is strong economic incentive to be sure these worries never materialize."
Flynn and others said even under
foreign control, U.S. ports will continue to be run by unionized American
employees. "You're not going have a bunch of UAE citizens working the
docks," Flynn said. "They're longshoremen, vested in high-paying jobs.
Most of them are Archie Bunker-kind of Americans."
Peninsular and Oriental and DP World
set approval by the U.S. security committee as a condition for the sale.
In regulatory papers, the companies said either the committee must agree
not to formally investigate the purchase or Bush must not move to block
the sale for national security purposes.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI
has said the money for the strikes was transferred to the hijackers
primarily through the UAE's banking system, and much of the operational
planning for the attacks took place inside the UAE.
Many of the
hijackers traveled to the U.S. through the UAE. Also, the hijacker who
steered United Airlines flight into the World Trade Center's south tower,
Marwan al-Shehhi, was born in the UAE.
After the attacks, U.S. Treasury
Department officials complained about a lack of cooperation by the UAE and
other Arab countries trying to track Usama bin Laden's bank accounts.
Back
Maryland
Gay-Marriage Ban Killed After Democratic Move
Feb. 03 2006 Connor Adams Sheets Fox
News
A
NNAPOLIS,
Md. — The Republican-led campaign for a constitutional amendment to ban
same-sex marriage in Maryland suffered a major setback Thursday, when
a House committee killed legislation that was intended to put the measure
before the voters in November.
The House Judiciary Committee voted
unanimously against the proposed amendment, with even its most ardent
supporters voting against it after Democrats amended the bill to allow
civil unions with full marriage rights between gay couples.
Republican legislators said the
fight is not over, and said they will continue the push for the ban on
gay marriage in the state Senate.
"Thank God there is a Senate," said
Republican Delegate Michael Smigiel.
After the bill was amended, its
sponsors, including chief Republican sponsor Delegate Donald Dwyer Jr.,
removed their names from the measure.
"The bill no longer represents my
intent or my will," Dwyer said. "Once again, the Democrats have been up to
their dirty deeds and have completely reversed the intent of the bill."
The vote in the committee occurred
after Republicans in the House of Delegates were thwarted in an effort to
bypass normal procedure and bring the gay marriage amendment to the floor
without a committee vote.
Rather than allow the Republicans to
try their unusual tactic, House Speaker Michael Busch, a Democrat, gaveled
the House session to a close a few minutes after opening ceremonial and
procedural duties were finished.
Republicans objected that the
Democratic leadership's abrupt move was unprecedented.
"When the rules of the house have
been breached by the speaker himself, there are no rules at all and there
is no longer any integrity of the institution," Dwyer said.
Later, aides to Gov. Robert
Ehrlich joined the condemnation of the Democratic leadership.
"Today is a sad day for Maryland,"
said Ehrlich spokesman Greg Massoni. "Fifteen people decided to make a
decision for 5 million people by not allowing the vote on the floor and
the vote in November."
Back
Deltona Artist
Not Accepting Religious Discrimination Quietly
Feb. 15 2006 Liberty Council
Lloyd Marcus Retains Liberty Counsel
D
eltona,
FL - The Deltona artist, Lloyd Marcus, whose paintings celebrating Black
History Month were censored by the City of Deltona, has retained Liberty
Counsel to represent him. Yesterday Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter
to Mayor Dennis Mulder and acting City Manager/City Attorney, L. Roland
Blossom, demanding that the paintings be displayed. The letter gives the
city until noon today to reverse its decision or face a federal lawsuit.
To celebrate Black History Month,
the City of Deltona allowed City employees and local citizens to display
artwork depicting black history. Marcus is a well-known artist,
entertainer and composer residing in Deltona. He has emceed city events
and volunteers as President of the Deltona Arts and Historical Center. A
City employee requested that Marcus display some of his artwork along with
other paintings from the community. One picture displays a partially
covered Bible and church sign. Another picture depicts a festive New
Orleans funeral, and a third shows a Christmas basket. The paintings are a
published series based on scenes from Marcus's childhood in his father's
Baltimore church. After they were displayed, Marcus received a call
stating that Mr. Blossom demanded the paintings be removed due to their
religious content.
Marcus is a well-respected member of the
community and a long-time supporter of the city. He is an accomplished
singer, entertainer, songwriter and artist who raised funds for Hurricane
Katrina victims with his song "America Cries for You." He wrote a song
honoring the city, called "Deltona." This remarkable patriot served in the
army, sang in a Green Beret choir, performed for President Bush, and sang
a solo at an inaugural ball for President Reagan. Photographs of his
paintings are online at: http://www.lloydmarcus.net/BannedReligiousArt.html
Mathew D. Staver, President and
General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, stated: "While trying to avoid
complaints from a hypothetical heckler, the City officials' act of
censorship managed to offend a majority of Americans, and most
particularly the Constitution. The First Amendment does not require
cleansing religion from black history. Under the City's distorted
understanding of church and state, Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural
address on the subject of slavery, where he referenced God and repeatedly
quoted the Scriptures, would be considered unconstitutional. Black history
cannot be separated from its religious history."
Back
Delaware
Catholics and Evangelicals Join Forces to Defeat Embryonic Stem-Cell Bill
Feb 9. 2006 Gudrun Schultz
LifeSiteNew.com
D
OVER,
Delaware, A Delaware bill authorizing human stem cell research was
stripped of all anti-life components before passing in the house, thanks
to the efforts of a concerted group of Christians.
Senate Bill 80 was passed in the
Delaware House of Representatives this week after all references to human
embryonic stem cell research we're removed from the bill. Supporters of
Bill 80 were not able to gather sufficient votes for the bill to pass in
its original form.
The victory is being attributed to a
campaign called “A Rose and a Prayer” undertaken by a coalition of
Christians, who received an overwhelming response to calls for
participation in opposing the bill.
"This is a huge win against
tremendous odds for human life and for the people of Delaware. We are very
pleased that our state representatives recognized Delawareans’
overwhelming opposition to Senate Bill 80 and, specifically, to human
embryonic stem cell research and human cloning," said Ellen L. Barrosse,
of A Rose & A Prayer, in a press release Tuesday.
More than 2,400 people signed up for
prayer hours in opposition to the bill, totaling more than 1,500. Over
10,000 people contacted their representatives and asked them to vote
against the bill. State legislators received 1,500 roses last week, with
cards from individual voters asking them to vote against the bill.
Bishop Michael Saltarelli of the
Tatholic Diocese of Wilmington, and Christian minister Bowen Matthews of
Brandywine Valley Baptist Church were among supporters of the grassroots
effort.
"We hope that other states will
recognize Delaware’s decision to refuse to authorize embryonic stem cell
research as an indication that Americans do not want or need research that
destroys human embryos," said Stephen Jenkins, a Wilmington attorney, also
of A Rose and a Prayer. "Rather, we need research that focuses on adult
stem cells, where scientists are increasingly finding real cures."
Back
Community
Marriage Policies Reach a Milestone
Feb. 9 2006 staff reports Citizen
Link
Two hundred cities now have
voluntary guidelines.
L
as
Cruces, N.M., is the 200th city to establish a community marriage policy —
agreements among pastors that they will refuse to perform short-notice
weddings, will provide marital counseling to couples and assistance to
stepfamilies.
Mike McManus, the founder of
Marriage Savers, has been pushing for the policies for 20 years.
“By
helping churches create a safety net under every marriage, the church can
reduce its own divorce rate to near zero," he said. "If you get enough
churches involved in a community, you can push the divorce rate of a
community down 50 percent or more.”
That’s exactly what happened in
Modesto, Calif., the first city to sign on in 1986. Michael Douglass, a
pastor in Modesto, said the divorce rate dropped 57 percent after churches
agreed to the policy.
“We’re
not trying to be legalistic. We’re just trying to give you the best
preparation — biblically centered preparation — that we can give you so
that you have a lifelong and fulfilling marriage," he said. "The Community
Marriage Policy has really become part of the culture even in the secular
areas of our community.”
The Rev. Scott Ruthven, rector of
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Las Cruces, is looking forward to the new
policy having a similar impact on his city.
“The
hope is that we will become part of the solution," he said, "instead of
part of the problem in terms of divorce.”
Back
Alabama Churches
are Rising from the Ashes
Feb. 9 2006 staff reports Citizen
Link
'They prayed for the guys who did
it.'
T
he
congregations of nine Alabama churches that burned in the past week — all
likely by arson — are looking for ways to continue worshiping and to keep
their message in the community.
Gary Farley with the Pickens Baptist
Association, a family of churches in western Alabama, pointed out that all
of the burned buildings bear the same name.
“The first round of fires last week impacted four Baptist churches that
were affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and one that was
affiliated with the National Baptist — the name that’s most common in this
area would be Missionary Baptist for them," he said. "And the four that
were burned this week were all Missionary Baptist.”
While anger would be a natural first
response, Farley said the congregations are maintaining their witness.
“They
prayed for the guys who did it," he said. "That was just so Christian to
me.”
Steve Patrick, a spokesman for the
Bibb Baptist Association which had four churches burned, said they are
determined to rebuild.
“The
churches are coming together, helping one another," he said. "Offers to
help are coming from all across the country, including financial
assistance as well as other things that may be needed. But I just sense a
stirring in the hearts of people here. They are pretty resilient.” Pastors
in Alabama say the first thing to do is pray.
Back
Bilingual
Education up for Debate in Texas
Feb> 10 2006 Free Market
Foundation
Y
esterday,
the State Board of Education (S.B.O.E) considered replacing bilingual
education with full English immersion classes. Although action will not be
taken immediately by the S.B.O.E., the hearing served as a precursor to
possible legislation in an upcoming legislative session. Under current
law, bilingual instruction is designed to teach students basic skills in
their native language, while helping them to master English. Immersion
classes would require instructors to only speak English to the students. CLICK HERE
to read more. (note: this news site may require you to sign-in.)
Back
Board
appears to favor
Texas Teacher Retirement fund dumping porn
investments
Feb. 11 2006
Robert Elder
the American Statesman
It won't be easy, and it will
take time, trustees say.
A
majority of the Teacher Retirement System's board appears to favor ridding
its $94 billion portfolio of investments in pornography.
But answers to the big questions —
defining porn and identifying companies actively involved in it — remained
elusive.
The board took no action at its
meeting Friday and could reconsider the issue at its March 9 to 10
meeting. In the meantime, the pension fund's investment staff will
research the details, such as: the possibility of jettisoning porn-related
investments; how much that would cost; and whether it would breach the
trustees' duty to manage funds to generate the highest returns.
The board oversees the pension fund
for public school educators and provides pension checks, health care and
disability benefits to 1.1 million people. It's the biggest public fund in
Texas and one of the nation's top five.
At the urging of trustee Greg Poole,
a high school principal in Conroe, the board of the teachers' fund on
Friday considered whether and how to avoid porn-related investments.
Poole argued that educators in
particular should avoid holding any investment in pornography because of
their special role in educating youths. That position won support from
three additional trustees, including Linus Wright, a retired Dallas
schools superintendent. The board has seven members, with two vacancies.
"Educators in this country are
expected to educate the total child," Wright said. "I think it would be
disrespectful to the teaching profession to contribute money to the
production of pornography."
Back
Governor Perry given
more Money to Texas Border security Project
Feb. 10 2006 Free Market
Foundation
G
overnor
Rick Perry just added $3.8 million to the border security project,
Operation Linebacker. "Operation Linebacker is increasing our law
enforcement presence along the border, making life more difficult for
those trying to smuggle drugs, weapons, and people into Texas," Perry
said. "It has never been clearer that increasing security along our
1,200-mile border is a public safety and homeland security imperative."
The funds, nearly $10 million, will be given to 16 counties to provide
manpower, equipment and resources to guard the Texas border against
criminal activities
Back
Congress Eyes
Curbs on Gambling Expansion
Feb 2 2006 staff reports Citizen
Link
Hearings held to consider limits
on "reservation shopping."
T
he
gambling industry is setting up shop across the country, and locals are
often kept in the dark about its arrival until it's too late.
But now, some in Congress are
targeting the casinos, which are operated by Indian tribes — sometimes
hundreds of miles from their tribal land — in what has been dubbed
"reservation shopping."
The Senate Committee on Indian
Affairs held hearings Wednesday to hear from people like Al Alexanderson,
who testified that he had been excluded from the decision to put a casino
in his Washington state neighborhood.
"I called the local (Bureau of
Indian Affairs) office to get the application, and they said, ‘Well, you
can't have the application,' " he told Family News in Focus. When he asked
if he could in any way weigh in on the process, he said he was told, "No,
you're not a participant."
That was an odd reaction,
considering his land is next door to the eight-story casino in question,
and the road in front of his house will see an extra 40,000 cars a day
because of casino traffic.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, chairman of
the Committee on Indian Affairs, has a bill before the Senate that would
put a check on the practice of reservation shopping, which — in many cases
— involves tribes being used by developers to further their own interests.
"This went from a very small revenue
and small enterprise business," McCain said, "to now approaching $20
billion a year."
Tom Grey of the National Coalition
Against Gambling Expansion said the promise of easy money comes at a cost
for communities.
"Gambling's an addictive product and
the more available and accessible you make it, the more people you hook,"
he said. "We have about 20 states now where there have been these attempts
to put gambling into communities."
What's so bad about playing the slots? Or a little casino poker? More
than meets the eye, if you'll look past the media varnish to the tarnish.
The fact is: more than five million Americans suffer from pathological
gambling addiction and millions more are at risk.
Back
Gore's
Remarks in Saudi Arabia Draw Strong Criticism
Feb. 14 2006 Patrick Goodenough CNSNews.com International Editor
A
speech in which former Vice President Al Gore told a mostly Saudi audience
that the U.S. had committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after 9/11
continues to make waves, with critics calling the remarks disloyal and
"inappropriate during a time of war."
Some also challenged Gore's reported assertion that "thoughtless" U.S.
visa policies towards Arabs were playing into al Qaeda's hands. The most
serious questions, however, involved Gore's decision to criticize his
country's policies while abroad -- at a time when Muslim feelings against
the West are running high.
Addressing the Jeddah Economic Forum, Gore said Sunday that after the
Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Arabs in America had been "indiscriminately
rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a
green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just
unforgivable."
Gore told his audience, "I do want you to know that it does not represent
the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my
country."
In a statement, the National Association of Chiefs of Police accused Gore
of having "crossed the line of diplomatic decency by denigrating his own
country within the Islamic world."
It said if he had evidence of "terrible abuses" he should put it before
the Department of Justice or Congress.
The body also called the comments "shrill," "loathsome" and "ugly," and
said they should be condemned by Republicans, Democrats and Independents
alike.
"What possesses a former vice president of the U.S. to travel to the
birthplace of Islamist terrorism and denounce his country?" asked the
website Investors.com in an editorial.
"Unhinged by the 2000 electoral debacle, he has forgotten the meaning of
'loyal opposition,'" it concluded. "Now his only entitlement is disgrace."
Terence Jeffrey, editor of Human Events magazine, questioned Gore's
statements criticizing post-9/11 visa policy, given the conclusions of the
9/11 commission that the hijackers - 15 of whom were Saudis - had taken
advantage of weak immigration and law enforcement in the U.S.
Conservative bloggers also weighed in, calling Gore's remarks repugnant,
insidious - even treasonous - and a debate is raging on Al Gore website
discussion forums.
Many critics noted that Gore was making the comments in a country
characterized by an absence of democracy, religious freedom violations,
and second-class status for women.
The three-day forum, now in its
seventh year, has become a major event on the kingdom's calendar, and is
sometimes nicknamed the Middle East Doha.
Previous keynote speakers have included former President Clinton, whose
2002 appearance netted him a $300,000 fee, according to the campaign
finance website PoliticalMoneyOnline. Clinton returned in 2004.
According to the forum website, the Saudi Binladin Group - the
Jeddah-based construction firm owned by Osama bin Laden's family - has
been a key sponsor, listed in that capacity for this year's event as well
as those in 2004 and 2002.
The company, which employs 35,000 people, has distanced itself from the
al-Qaeda leader.
Back
Who's Guarding the
Boarder???
Feb. 13 2006 Jerry
Seper the Washington Times / Cathie Adams Texas Eagle Forum
The U.S. government
has sent more than $376 million to Mexico in the past decade for that
country's military and police to help stop alien and drug smugglers, guard
against terrorists and protect America's southern border, including $50
million due this year, say observers.
The money, quietly
authorized through State and Defense department programs, has been used to
train and equip the Mexican military and police, drawing disagreement on
whether those institutions are part of the solution for U.S. border
security, or are part of the problem.
Mexico has denied
that any of its military personnel have been involved in recent border
incursions, blaming drug smugglers. The incidents are under investigation
by both governments.
-
The money funds
helicopters, four-wheel-drive vehicles, trucks, all-terrain cycles,
communications and detection equipment, binoculars, computers and other
equipment.
-
It also has been
used to train Mexican military and police in intelligence gathering and
counterterrorism.
-
The 2006 budget
request calls for the delivery of a telephone intercept system, which
would give Mexico the ability to eavesdrop on suspected narcoterrorists
and smugglers.
Most of the 2006
funding request, about $28.1 million, comes from the State Department's
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for
technical assistance, equipment and arms transfers, as well as programs to
encourage the cultivation of legal crops and assistance for drug
demand-reduction programs.
An additional $18.4
million is from the Defense Department's International Military Education
and Training program, which provides counternarcotics assistance and
training to foreign military personnel and police. The budget also
includes $2.5 million for grants and loans to help purchase U.S.-produced
weapons, defense equipment and military training; $1.1 million for
additional training for the military and a limited number of civilians;
and $450,000 to train military officers as part of the Regional Defense
Counterterrorism Fellowship Program.
Source: Jerry
Seper, "U.S. gives Mexico millions for security," Washington Times, Feb.
13 2006
Back
Wiccans Challenge
Florida Sales Tax Exemption for Bibles and Religious Publications
Feb 9 2006 Liberty Council
T
allahassee,
FL – Liberty Counsel filed a brief with the Florida Supreme Court
defending a state law that exempts Bibles, religious publications and
ceremonial items from sales tax. The lawsuit was filed by The Wiccan
Religious Cooperative of Florida, Inc. (“Wiccan”) against the Department
of Revenue.
Wiccan says it paid sales tax on the
purchase of the Satanic Bible and the Witch’s Bible Compleat. Instead of
seeking a refund, Wiccan filed suit, claiming Florida Statute 212.06(9)
violates the Establishment Clause. Florida law exempts from sales tax “the
use, sale, or distribution of religious publications, Bibles, hymn books,
prayer books, vestments, alter paraphernalia, sacramental chalices, and
like church service and ceremonial raiment and equipment.”
Liberty Counsel’s brief argues that
Wiccan has no standing to sue, because, even if the law were struck down,
Wiccan would not receive a refund which it claims is due. The brief also
points out that the Florida exemption differs from the religious
publication exemption struck down by the Supreme Court in Texas Monthly v.
Bullock. The Texas law exempted Bibles and religious publications but did
not exempt secular publications. Florida law provides a wide array of
exemptions for educational publications, newspapers, magazines,
newsletters, promotional materials and works of art sold to or used by
educational institutions. Finally, the brief argues that the best Supreme
Court precedent is Walz v. Tax Commissioner, where the Supreme Court
upheld property tax exemptions for churches. The brief points out that
Texas Monthly was a fractured opinion with no majority, the Justices who
voted to strike down the Texas law are no longer on the Court, and those
who voted to uphold the law still remain on the Court.
Mathew D. Staver, President and
General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, stated: “The Wiccans are trying to
collapse the entire house on itself by seeking to eliminate all sales tax
exemptions on Bibles and religious publications. Florida’s law, which
provides a wide array of exemptions to religions and nonreligious
publications, is constitutional. Even if Florida’s law were questionable
under one of the Supreme Court’s fractured prior opinions, which it is
not, any attempt to tax religion will not be met with enthusiasm by a
majority of the Justices on the Supreme Court. In case the Wiccans haven’t
been paying attention lately, they should realize the times have changed.
We have a new Court.”
Back
Brokeback
Mountain Banned in China, Middle East
Feb. 10 2006 Terry Vanderheyden
LifeSiteNews.com
B
EIJING,
China, despite its poor record on human rights and outright ban on most
non-state-run religion, still holds on to some traditional values
abandoned by most western nations. These values have led censors there to
ban the homosexual propaganda film, Brokeback Mountain.
On Wednesday, the United Arab
Emirates followed suit, banning the film. More middle-eastern countries
are expected to follow UAEs lead. The Emirates’ Ministry of Information
decided to shelter its citizens from the “offensive, abnormal behaviors”
depicted in the movie, adding that Brokeback Mountain would “destroy the
values and morals of the society.” The Malaysian distributor for the film
has not even bothered to ask the country for permission to air the
spectacle.
“The
film will upset the people of this culture and tradition,” said Dr
Abdullah Al Amiri, Chairman of the Committee of Financial, Economical and
Industrial Affairs of Sharjah Consultative Council, according to press
reports. “The portrayal of the sexual behavior of its main character is
offensive to eastern societies, particularly Muslims and the Arabs since
Islam forbids abnormal behaviors like homosexuality.”
Back
Federal
Communications Commission Endorses Cable Choice
Feb. 9 2006 Pete Winn, associate
editor Citizen Link
Self-produced report corrects
errors of industry study.
T
he
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reversed its position today on
cable choice — also known as a la carte programming.
The commission released a report
repudiating an earlier study which said a la carte programming would be
more expensive for consumers.
The government regulator now says
allowing customers to pick and choose could provide "substantial benefits"
— up to a 13 percent savings.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who
prompted the FCC to look into cable choice, applauded the reassessment.
"The report confirms what I have
believed for years — if consumers are allowed to choose the channels their
families view then their monthly cable bill will be less," he said.
"Choice is far preferable to being forced to buy a host of channels they
don’t even watch."
The original study, conducted by a
group called Booz Allen Hamilton, made "analytical and mathematical
errors," according to the FCC.
Among other things, the early study
had exaggerated certain costs of providing cable choice by 50 percent.
Pat Trueman, special counsel for the
Alliance Defense Fund, said this new look came at the behest of FCC
Chairman Kevin Martin — and was conducted by FCC staff.
"The earlier study was paid for by
the cable industry," he said. "Any study that's funded by a
self-interested group is likely to be suspect. It reminds me of when
Playboy used to fund studies which showed that pornography is not harmful.
Well, what would you expect?"
Phil Burress, president of Citizens
for Community Values said he isn't about to say, "I told you so." But the
FCC's change of heart is good news.
"Ten years ago, I and other
volunteers walked the halls of the Senate passing out packets of
information wondering why we were forced to take cable channels that we
did not want — and forced to pay for them," he said. "Now, after 10 years,
it sounds like the outcry is finally being heard."
Burress said the cable industry has
long stood in the way of cable choice. First, it argued it didn't have the
technology to offer individual channels. Then, it said it would be too
expensive. It even ran an ad campaign to that effect.
"The cable industry has now spent an
estimated $2 million telling people that they can block channels that they
don't want — but that's absurd," Burress said. "Why should we have to pay
for something if we don't want it? The argument just does not hold water.'
To counter the industry ads, his
group came up with its own national ad campaign.
"I don't think people object so
much, at first, to paying for channels they don't care about," Burress
said. "We object to having to pay for channels that bring indecency into
our homes. That leads to not wanting to have to pay for any channels we
don't want."
Burress is now calling on the cable
industry to voluntarily take action to offer a la carte programming.
McCain, meanwhile, said, just in
case the industry balks, he is preparing to introduce cable-choice
legislation into Congress. He plans to utilize the fact that cable bills
are expected to jump an average 6 percent in the next year.
"It is regrettable that the cable
companies continue to balk at offering channels on an a la carte basis,"
he said, "and instead continue to raise the price of their bundled
offering."
"Therefore, I will soon be
introducing legislation that would entice all providers of television
services to offer an a la carte option in addition to a package of
channels — in return for regulatory relief."
Back
