Week Ending July 25, 2008 - Washington, DC

President Bush's new pro-life initiative / State Department offers calendar of mosques in America / Congressman's open letter to Pope / Pelosi's new "energy plan" - use up the military reserve oil / Court says nudity OK during Super Bowl / Religious freedom meetings in Washington / Jerusalem tomorrow / A brave bishop in a Muslim nation.

THE PRESIDENCY

STATE DEPT OFFERS MOSQUE CALENDARS- In celebration of this year's Islamic Ramadan, Global Publishing Solutions (GPS) offered a limited edition of the 2009 "Mosques in America" wall Calendar. The 12-month calendar, they said, was perfect for Muslim outreach efforts and to give out as gifts at State Department events. GPS is the publishing arm of the State Department which is part of President Bush's administration. Imagine the uproar if the State Department published a "Churches in America" calendar. Read more

NEW BUSH PRO-LIFE INITIATIVE - President Bush is pushing for Health and Human Services regulations that would allow health care workers to refuse to participate in the taking of a human life. A proposed HHS document that safeguards health care workers who refuse to perform "any of the various procedures - including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action - that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation." As of now nurses, pharmacists and other who receive federal funds must participate in practices despicable to them. Senator Hillary Clinton and other radicals are up in arms, insisting that even doctors should be forced to preform abortions regardless of their beliefs. Read more

THE CONGRESS

CONGRESSMAN'S LETTER TO POPE ON IRAQI CHRISTIANS - Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MD) sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI just prior to his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, asking the Pope to protest the vicious victimization of Iraqi Christians by Islamic extremists. In his letter McCotter pointed out the need for political autonomy of Christians in the Nineveh Plains. Read letter

PELOSI ENERGY PLAN - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leftist allies who control Congress do not want any domestic drilling for oil. They also refuse to approve nuclear power plants and coal shale mining. The have forbidden American companies to obtain oil from the vast reserves of the Arctic. No drilling in the Alberta sands either. This week Pelosi and her radical left buddies finally came up with a plan: Pump out the strategic oil reserves that are kept by the government for national emergencies and use it to bring down the price of gas four or five cents a gallon for a few days to "help consumers." This woman just hates America and any chance she has to put the nation in danger, she will do it.

CULTURE AND RELIGION

NUDITY DURING SUPER BOWL OK'D BY COURT - The United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that CBS will not be forced to pay the $550,000 fine imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The court threw out the fine for the "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which revealed Janet Jackson's breast on live television. The court ruled that the FCC "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing the fine. The court action clears the way for nudity and sexual acts at all times of day, even in children's hours, on broadcast TV. Read more

NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The all new July 10, 2008 Chairman's Report is now available to read in PDF format. The Chairman's Report contains some material and photos that have not previously been displayed at our Internet site including new details about our Middle East mission. Click here to read the all new issue.

INTERNATIONAL

OUR MISSION TO JORDAN- Very good reports are coming in from Jordan as a result of our mission trip there this month. I received calls from both the food distribution center and from a health care clinic. As a result of the funds we delivered, the food delivery system is back up and operating. The free medical clinic told me that the drugs we delivered were a blessing and already in use.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - In last week's update I did not mention that within 24 hours of returning from the Middle East I participated in two major events in Washington, DC. A meeting celebrating the 10th anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 was held in the Library of Congress members' room. The Religious Freedom Coalition was a key player in the passage of the law. Read Congressman Trent Franks' opening remarks.

On that same day I spoke at a rally in the Senate park next to the Capitol Building protesting the persecution by China of religious minorities such as the Falun Gong. China is spending huge amounts of money and arresting dissidents in an effort to stop all protests during the Olympic games this summer.

BRAVERY OF BISHOP THOMAS - On Friday the 18th I met with Coptic Bishop Thomas, one of the most outspoken of the leaders of the Christian minority in Egypt. About 10% to 15% of the Egyptian population is Coptic. When the Muslims invaded Egypt in the 7th century, it was nearly all Christian. The Copts are the original Christian Egyptians who have not been arabized and forced into Islam. The Bishop's remarks were an education on the history of the Copts and I urge you to take a few minutes to listen to them. Use this link, then click on "media clips."

JERUSALEM TOMORROW- This week I met with Nir Barkat who is a member of the Jerusalem city council and a candidate for mayor of the the holy city. He shared with me his vision of making Jerusalem a center for religious freedom that would draw in as many as eight million visitors a year, or more than four times the current number. A conservative, Mr. Barkat believes there is a role for Christians in a new and vibrant Jerusalem.

I also met with Michael Weiss this week who is the founder of www.Jerusalem.com. I encourage you to visit the site which he hopes will bring together the world to pray for and to help build a newer and better Jerusalem.

SUPPORT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION

CHRISTIAN THEMED GIFTS AND BOOKS - There are literally tens of thousands of Christian theme items available at our affiliate store including jewelry from the Holy Land. It is a great place to shop for birthday gifts. The store is located at www.rfcstore.com. Please help us with our various projects on Capitol Hill and overseas by shopping at our affiliate Christian Superstore . Contributions to the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition can be made at www.rfcnet.org.

Week Ending April 11, 2008 - Washington, DC

Obama says rural people are "bitter" and "cling to religion" / Bush and the Pope / Pope wants Iraqi Christians helped / New House caucus on Iraqi Christian issue / Why does Nancy Pelosi help narco-terrorists? / Abortion clinic regulation? / Did Huckabee actually win? / Our Hill office closes / A gay time at McDonald's?

NEW END OF MARCH CHAIRMAN'S REPORTS AVAILABLE - The March 29, 2008 Chairman's Report from William J. Murray is now available online in PDF version. The Chairman's Report contains some material not seen in these updates. Click to view!

THE PRESIDENT

OBAMA SAYS POOR CLING TO RELIGION Of those who live in rural areas and small towns Barack Obama said: "... it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Keep in mind that this man grew up in an Indonesian village in a Muslim school, and now with his Harvard education looks down his nose at those who work for a living, something he has never had to do. This comes after his comments last week that he did not want his daughters "punished with a baby." A CNN clip on Youtube.com has his comments as well as a response from Clinton and McCain.

BUSH AND THE POPE - President George W. Bush will meet with Pope Benedict XVI this week. The Pope will once again ask the President to help the hundreds of thousands of persecuted Christians who have been displaced in Iraq. Before the US invasion, Iraq was a secular nation in which Christians were relatively safe and held important government positions. Most have now lost their jobs and homes. The situation is so bad that even economic and defense conservatives in the Republican Party have joined social conservatives in asking the President to do something. Read Cliff Kincaid's latest article at Accuracy in Media.

THE HOUSE

NEW HOUSE CAUCUS - Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) will chair the newly formed Caucus on Religious Minorities in the Middle East. An inaugural reception will be held from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-338 on April 15th. The Caucus on Religious Minorities in the Middle East is a bipartisan Congressional Member Organization dedicated to serving as a central location for information on religious minorities in the Middle East. This reception will focus on the persecution of Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, and will include a screening of a recent 60 Minutes segment that highlights the persecution of Christians in Iraq.

THE HOUSE SUPPORTS TERROR - Nancy Pelosi changed the House rules this week to block a free trade agreement with Columbia which has been fighting communist narco-terrorists for decades. While Pelosi supports free trade agreements with communist nations, she apparently does not want to do anything to assist a nation fighting communism or the drug trade. Most of the narcotics coming into her California congressional district come from Columbia, but perhaps that kind of free trade is OK with her. Bloomberg.com summarized Pelosi's move as pro-Chavez.

WHAT DOES NANCY DO? - This week Nancy Pelosi managed to derail a free trade agreement with our best ally in Latin America and to call votes on the naming of some post offices. So far under the "leadership" of this San Francisco radical leftist, 40% of the bills passed by the House have named federal buildings.

THE SENATE

ABORTION CLINIC REGULATION - Published reports of abuses in abortion clinics illustrate the need for health and safety regulation: From the LA Times 2/8/2008: "By the time paramedics arrived, the patient was lying in a pool of her own blood, her pulse racing and her blood pressure dangerously low. The woman, identified only as Angela P. in records of the Medical Board of California, had gone to the Clinica Medica Para la Mujer de Hoy in Santa Ana in the summer of 2004 for an abortion. Dr. Phillip Rand, then in his early 80s, performed a vaginal suction procedure, despite having determined that Angela was about 20 weeks pregnant, well into her second trimester. She was given no anesthesia or painkillers. Angela P.'s experience was cited in a 2004 medical board accusation against Rand as "barbaric" and a "severe departure" from a reasonable standard of care."

Unlike plastic surgery clinics, such as those that do liposuction, abortion clinics are virtually unregulated. Senator Brownback (R-KS) is currently working on legislation that would regulate the barbarous industry.

RELIGION AND SOCIETY

DID HUCKABEE ACTUALLY WIN? - Writing for the American Prospect, Sarah Posner made the bold comment that Gov. Mike Huckabee had won the "civil war" in the Religious Right. Grassroots evangelical organizations are fleeing the "old guard" leadership who backed Giuliani and Romney in the presidential primaries. In the chaos of the evangelical movement, Mike Huckabee is forming a new political entity that will probably emerge in the next week or so to replace older groups that have so discredited themselves through marriage to the Republican Party, which also seems to have lost its core values.

MCDONALD'S JOINS GAY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Richard Ellis, a vice president of McDonald's, announced last week that the restaurant chain is "thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce team." This move has angered the American Family Association and many other conservatives because of the belief that the NGLCC will be a powerful advocate for the homosexual social agenda, including gay "marriage." Randy Sharp of the AFA maintains that McDonald's should remain neutral and does not have to join a homosexual group in order to be fair to gay customers and employees. For more on the story, see the report at CNS News.

OUR OFFICE CLOSES - After more than twelve years, the Religious Freedom Coalition has moved out of its office at 717 2nd Street NE. We subleased space from Paul Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation for more than a decade, but unfortunately they have sold the building to a developer and it is coming down. The Free Congress Foundation is moving to Virginia, and we have found a temporary space at 601 Pennsylvania Avenue which is six blocks west of the Capitol, toward the White House.

NEW MARCH CHAIRMAN'S REPORTS AVAILABLE - The March 29, 2008 Chairman's Report from William J. Murray is now available online in PDF version. The Chairman's Report contains some material not seen in these updates. Click to view!

INTERNATIONAL

ANOTHER IRAQI PRIEST MURDERED- Another Iraqi priest was murdered in a drive-by attack in central Baghdad on Saturday of last week, in yet another attack on Iraqi Christians. The priest, Adel Yousif was a part of the Syrian Orthodox Church which has a large presence in Iraqi. This comes just a few weeks after the murder of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS NEED HELP - The work of the Religious Freedom Coalition on behalf of Iraq has a need for additional funding. Please consider a gift to the Religious Freedom Coalition this month.

SUPPORT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION

CHRISTIAN INTERNET STORE - There are literally tens of thousands of Christian theme items available at our affiliate store including jewelry from the Holy Land. It is a great place to shop for gifts. The store is located at www.rfcstore.com. Please help us with our various projects on Capitol Hill and in the Holy Land by shopping at our affiliate Christian Superstore . Contributions to the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition can be made at www.rfcnet.org.