Week Ending May 9, 2008 - Washington, DC

Obama speaks at Israel 60th anniversary event / Cheney, Obama and Lieberman credit President Harry Truman on Israel / Teamsters boss at Israel event / Goodbye Hillary? / Bush still punishing those who pay ransom for loved ones / Weeding out the unborn / Military Decency Act / Ten Commandments on the Hill

THE PRESIDENT

OBAMA AND THE JEWS- On May 8th I attended a Washington, DC celebration for the 60 anniversary of the founding of modern Israel. The announced speakers were Vice President Cheney and Senator Lieberman (I-CT). I was a little surprised when early in the program Senator Barack Obama appeared on stage to credit President Truman for his recognition of Israel's independence. During his remarks he said that American would always be a friend and defender of Israel. What I found odd about this was the anti-Semitic nature of the church Senator Obama was a member of for two decades. At the end of his remarks he came off stage and waded into the crowd. When he got to me he shook my hand and thanked me for my support. It was obviously a case of mistaken identity.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION STILL PUNISHES THOSE WHO PAY RANSOM - Several weeks ago I reported that Iraqi Christian families have been refused admission to the United States because they "aided terrorists" by paying ransom to get their kidnapped loved ones back. These families have actually been added to terrorist lists by our government. Despite my repeated calls and e-mails to the White House and State Department there has been no explanation for this rather bizarre rule. Click here for story by Ken Timmerman.

GOODBYE HILLARY? - Virtually all the pundits now declare that the Democrats have their nominee and it is time for Hillary Clinton to step aside for Barack Obama. One voice calling for her to withdraw is that of Senator Ted Kennedy. Yet, when he ran for president in 1980 he refused to step aside even though he was 500 delegate votes behind Gov. Jimmy Carter. He carried his campaign to the floor of the convention. Senator Obama says he will have the delegates needed by May 20th to tell Hillary bye bye.

THE CONGRESS

TEN COMMANDMENTS ON THE HILL - On May 8th I participated in a press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court supporting Ten Commandment resolutions with Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director, Christian Defense Coalition and Rev. Rob Schenck, president, of Faith and Action. Those present showed support for Ten Commandments resolutions filed by Senator Brownback (R-KS) in the Senate and Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) in the House. Both resolutions stating that the Ten Commandments are the "cornerstone" of Western law are being blocked by the Democrat leadership of the House and Senate. (At left Murray speaks at press conference.)

WEEDING OUT THE UNBORN - U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) authored the an adverse prognosis opt for abortion because they are not given other choices.

Senator Brownback said. "The effect of this sort of 'weeding out' is creating new eugenics, a form of systematic, disability-based discrimination. Once you go down the path of valuing some lives more than others, of saying that people with disabilities don't have the same dignity and right to live as others, there are very few means that don't justify the so-called 'worthy end' of a disability-free society."

MILITARY HONOR AND DECENCY - The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 stated, in part, that "The Secretary of Defense may not permit the sale or rental of sexually explicit material on property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense." However, broad definitions in the statute have created a loophole which allows publications such as Playboy, Penthouse, and similar material to be sold at military exchange stores. Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA) has introduced the Military Honor and Decency Act, (HR- 5821) to close the loophole and stop all sales of pornographic material on military bases.

RELIGION AND SOCIETY

NO ISLAMIC TERRORISM? - Official US documents are being circulated advising federal agencies not to use the terms "Islamic" or "Muslim" in the same sentence as al Qaeda or the words terror or terrorist. The NCTC (National Counter Terrorism Center) says to "avoid calling anything Muslim." Not even the word "jihad" is to be used. The NCTC claims that using these terms causes Muslims to believe we are against them. I bet there is no ban on using the word "Christian" in the same sentence with the word "terrorist." I have sent a query to the NCTC to find out if the words "goofy" and "bureaucrat" in the same sentence is also forbidden. See UPI story

NEW APRIL CHAIRMAN'S REPORTS AVAILABLE - The April, 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 here to view.

INTERNATIONAL

MODERN ISRAEL TURNS 60 - I would rather not admit it, but the modern nation of Israel is two years younger than me. I was two years old when David Ben Gurion delivered Israel's declaration of independence. Just 11 minutes later President Harry Truman, despite his own State Department being against him, gave US recognition of the new nation thus assuring its legitimacy. Events were held all over the world in celebration. At the Washington, DC event both liberals and conservatives attended. One of those in attendance was Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., who has done a pretty good job of stemming corruption and cleaning up the union's image. I talked to Mr. Hoffa for sometime and learned of his future plans for a lengthy visit to the Holy Land with his family. Support for Israel is wide spread in our nation and crosses all types of political boundaries. It is unfortunate that most of America's big corporations refuse to do business in Israel because they view Muslim nations as more profitable for them.

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.

Week Ending November 2, 2007 - Washington, DC

IN THIS ISSUE: President says pay attention to Osama / Ten Commandments news conference on Capitol Hill / Will Nancy Pelosi display the Ten Commandments in the Capitol Building? / A new pro-life champion on Capitol Hill / Senate committee passes LOST / Torture of Iranian Christians / Torture of Iraqi Christians / Religious books taken out of prisons then put back in, why? / RFC new videos at Youtube! ALSO: Learn how to properly beat your wife!

ALL NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The November 2, 2007 issue of the Chairman's Report is now available online. This all new issue contains information on our fact finding mission to the Middle East. There are photos from the Mission as well as photo links. New Capitol Hill action as well. Click here for the new Chairman's Report.

THE PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT SAYS PAY ATTENTION TO OSAMA - In a rather unnoticed interview with a small group of the media, the President said Congress listens too much to George Soros' MoveOn.org. Said Mr. Bush, ""When it comes to funding our troops, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground, and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters." Click here for LA Times story.

IRAQI CHRISTIAN REFUGEES - The State Department is a part of the Bush Administration and thus responsible for the policy of forcing Iraqi refugees to be interviewed by UN personnel rather than by our embassies. This week I made contact directly with the State Department and with a US Senator who also talked to the State Department about this practice. Iraqi Christian refugees are getting a raw deal from the United Nations and this must be stopped.

THE HOUSE

TEN COMMANDMENTS DECLARATION- Yesterday (Nov 1, 2007) the Religious Freedom Coalition participated in a news conference in the Rayburn House Office Building to promote Congressman Todd Akin's resolution recognizing the importance of the Ten Commandments. HR-598 would set aside May 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 2008 for Ten Commandments recognition. See also: Ten Commandments Commission.

TEN COMMANDMENTS IN THE CAPITOL? Will radical left Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi allow a vote on placing the Ten Commandments in the Capitol Building like they are already displayed in the Supreme Court? Congressman Cliff Stearns (R- FL) earlier this year introduced HCON-12, a sense of the Congress resolution that the Capitol Architect place in a visible location the Ten Commandments.

NEW PRO-LIFE LEADER - Newly elected Congressman Dr. Paul Broun (R-GA) looked me in the eyes and told me it was God who wanted him in Congress because he was there against all odds. That is very true. The entire Georgia Republican political machine tried to defeat him in favor of a state Senator to fill the vacated seat of deceased Congressman Norwood. Congressman Broun is about to introduce his first legislation and it is a pro- life bill that would declare that a human life begins at conception. Dr. Broun is a practicing medical doctor who has come to Washington openly proclaiming his faith. The bill has not as yet "dropped" and I will inform you as soon as there is a bill number. Read it here!

THE SENATE

LAW OF THE SEA - LOST, the Law of the Sea treaty favored by President George W. Bush and opposed by every presidential candidate including Mike Huckabee and John McCain, passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 17 to 4. Senator Norm Coleman voted against the treaty telling me, "Anyone that thinks this can work needs to work at the UN for one year." Under the treaty the UN could control and tax the Mississippi River and all of its tributaries. Most nations in the UN are NOT democracies and have a hatred of the United States. Why do we want to give them jurisdiction over every river and stream that flows into the oceans? Op-ed by Frank Gaffney explains the problem with LOST.

RELIGION AND CULTURE

RELIGIOUS BOOKS IN PRISONS - In a previous update I had reported that the Bureau of Prisons had removed all books from the Chapel libraries including those written by me in an effort to stop "extremism." This is code word for the hateful Islamic books that promote murder in the name of religion. The Bureau intended to list 150 books for each religion that were "approved." The Religious Freedom Coalition along with the Prison Fellowship Ministries and others protested. WE WON! All books have been placed back on the shelves with unless they fail one of these four criteria:
1. Is the material religious in nature; 2. Does it jeopardize the safety, security and good order of the institution; 3. Does it facilitate criminal activity; and 4. Could it be used to radicalize or incite inmates to violence.
For more information see PFM Justice.

ALL NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The November 2, 2007 issue of the Chairman's Report is now available online. This all new issue contains information on our fact finding mission to the Middle East. There are photos from the Mission as well as photo links. New Capitol Hill action as well. Click here for the new Chairman's Report.

MEXICAN CAN FLY WITH CONTAGIOUS TB - Better not try this if you are an American. Remember the Atlanta attorney that flew once with contagious TB and his photo was all over the news? He was transported by authorities to a hospital and held there under guard. But when a Mexican national flies with the same illness that has killed two in his family, so far our government and the press ignore him. There is virtually no news of this event, just check Goggle ... Read this small story in a North Carolina paper.

INTERNATIONAL

THE DEATH OF AN IRAQI CHURCH - During our fact finding mission to the Middle East , I interviewed Iraqi Christians at the Chaldean Catholic Church in Beirut, Lebanon. In the basement of the church a display had been placed on the walls of photos from the church in Iraq. The display started with average middle class family photos taken before Islamic oppression escalated with our invasion, and they show what the conditions are now. I did a video tape of the display and you can view it at Youtube: Click here to view video.

CHRISTIANS ATTACKED IN IRAN - The Farsi Christian News Network is reporting continued torture of Iranian Christians. President Jimmy Carter ordered the Western leaning government out of Iran in favor of the Islamic fascists. Since then the Christian and Jewish populations have been decimated.

HOW TO BEAT YOUR WIFE - Islamic expert on marital relations explains how to properly beat a wife. Click here for complete description.

SUPPORT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION

THE PLEDGE - My most recent book, The Pledge: One Nation Under God has been released and is now available online and at bookstores. The book has a forward by Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) who is the primary sponsor of the Pledge Protection Act to keep "under God" in the Pledge. Please order The Pledge from the RFC bookstore, as the funds will be used to help fight to keep "under God" in the Pledge. Click here or on Image to learn more. 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.