Week Ending February 22, 2008 - Washington, DC

Are your prescription drugs made in China? / The President's Africa tour / House and Senate in recess / Illegal kills four kids in Minnesota / Four months in jail and 30 lashes with a whip for walking a dog in public / Saudi kingdom justifies arrest of American woman for drinking coffee with man in public / Student still on death row in Afghanistan for Internet download

TWO NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORTS AVAILABLE - The January 25, 2008 and February 13, 2008 issues of the Religious Freedom Coalition Chairman's Report is now available online. These new issues contain information on Pledge petition deliveries to the Senate and details of the Democrat party drive to turn the Global AIDS fund into a honey pot for abortion groups. Includes more stories about "freedom" in Saudi Arabia. Both new reports are in PDF format.

THE PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT'S AFRICA TOUR - The presidential primaries and the front page battle between Senators Clinton and Obama have placed the Bush presidency in a shadow. Little reporting was done about President George W. Bush's Africa tour in which he received praise from leaders and people alike for the help that continent has received from his Administration. Click here to read more about President Bush and his Africa tour.

HUCKABEE MAY WIN TEXAS - While the front page of virtually every newspaper in the nation talks of Senator John McCain as the winner of the GOP nomination there is a groundswell of support of Governor Mike Huckabee in Texas for the March 4th primary there. A Huckabee win would be a huge upset even if McCain wins Ohio and secures the delegates required for the nomination. The victory would almost certainly assure Mike Huckabee a place on the ticket.

OBAMA MANIA - It is becoming evident that Senator Barack Obama cannot be stopped and will defeat the Clinton machine to be the Democrat nominee for the President. He will bring perhaps 30 million new voters to the polls in November and McCain has almost no hope of victory without recruiting virtually all of the conservative Catholic and evangelical vote. Although he needs a young man on the ticket, word has it that he is actually looking at a list that contains men (and at least one woman) who are in their late sixties and seventies. If the GOP ticket is weak the party could lose 30 or more seats in the House and half a dozen Senate seats.

THE HOUSE

HOUSE IN RECESS - The House was in recess this week and will return late in the day on Monday, February 25, 2008.

MEANWHILE: have you visited my other sites? Read about and watch a video about my 2007 fact finding mission on Iraqi Christian refugees at: www.christianrefugees.blogspot.com

Which is better to stimulate the economy, tax rebates or fixing the nations roads? Check www.roadsnotrebates.com.

Would you like to make comments on these updates? They can be read and commented on at http://murrayonthehill.blogspot.com/

My Political action committee site can be viewed at www.gingpac.org.

THE SENATE

SENATE IN RECESS - The Senate was in recess this week and will reconvene at 5:30 PM on Monday, February 25, 2008.

RELIGION AND CULTURE

ILLEGAL KILLS FOR KIDS- The story of four kids killed in a school bus, including two brothers, was national news last week for about a day. Then all the liberal networks and national press stopped reporting the story at all. Why? The driver of the van that ran a stop light and hit the bus is a non-English speaking illegal alien. Since the media views all illegals as honest folks trying to make a living, their crimes are rarely reported. Read more.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION IS PROBABLY FROM CHINA - Upwards of 80% of prescription drugs from companies like Baxter and Johnson & Johnson are not made in the United States and there are no labeling laws requiring them to tell you that fact. Upwards of 80% of prescription drugs are manufactured overseas, most in China, in plants that are not inspected and often filthy. The drug Heparin is a blood thinner used by many people, including those on dialysis. Recently, some Heparin made in China has killed at least four people and caused allergic reactions in hundreds. (See UK story). The Wall Street Journal reported on the filthy conditions at a pig intestine processing plant that produces the raw materials for Heparin. The factory also makes sausage casings out of the same pig entrails. We deserve to know where our drugs are made. Please contact your congressman on this issue.

TWO NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORTS AVAILABLE - The January 25, 2008 and February 13, 2008 issues of the Religious Freedom Coalition Chairman's Report is now available online. These new issues contain information on Pledge petition deliveries to the Senate and details of the Democrat party drive to turn the Global AIDS fund into a honey pot for abortion groups. Includes more stories about "freedom" in Saudi Arabia. Both new reports are in PDF format.

INTERNATIONAL

JAIL SENTENCE FOR WALKING DOG - A 70-year-old Iranian man was arrested and sentenced to four months in jail and 30 lashes for walking his dog. The jail time is probably meaningless, because the 30 lashes will probably kill the old man. Islam rates pets just someplace between pigs and Christians. Read more.

SAUDI SAYS ARREST OF AMERICAN JUSTIFIED - In a previous issue I wrote about the American businesswoman who once told the brother of President George W. Bush there was great freedom in Saudi Arabia. This same woman was arrested for drinking coffee with an "unrelated male" at Starbucks. After much unfavorable publicity for the Kingdom, authorities this week justified the arrest and conviction saying: "It's not allowed for any woman to travel alone and sit with a strange man and talk and laugh and drink coffee together like they are married." Yes, you read it right "drink coffee like they are married." If Islam were not flat out insane and Muslims didn't murder innocent women and children, this would be funny. Read more

DEATH FOR INTERNET ARTICLE PART IV - More than a month has passed since an Afghan student, Sayed Parwiz Kambakhsh, was sentenced to death for copying a paper from the Internet that the courts there deemed "blasphemous" to Islam. Advocates of religious freedom continue to pressure President Bush and Secretary Rice to help this man but there has been no resolution as yet.

VISIT OUR INTERNET STORE

OUR INTERNET STORE - We have lots of great Christian themed products at our Internet store. Not only are there books and CD's, but everything from candy to jewelry. Unlike Amazon and other major Internet stores, we do not sell porn and satanic materials right beside Christian books. Please take a look. The store is located at www.rfcstore.com.
Contributions to the work of the Religious Freedom Coalition can be made at www.rfcnet.org.