Week Ending February 8, 2008

More than 180 Presidential nominees blocked / The President at the prayer breakfast / Veto the House AIDS bill? / Stimulus package passes, but what will it stimulate? / Romney who? / Saudi "freedom" / Death sentence for Afghan student unchanged / A Russian dictator?

NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The all new January 25, 2008 issue of the Chairman's Report is now available online. Click here to read in PDF format

THE PRESIDENT

THE PRESIDENT'S NOMINEES- Most people are familiar with the fact that Democrat leader Senator Harry Reid is blocking several judicial appointments made by President Bush. Most do not know that he is also blocking appointments to many federal departments as well, including the FAA. There are now 180 important posts that are unfilled because the Democrats who control the Senate want to play partisan political games. To see how serious this has become read the President's remarks of this week.

THE PRAYER BREAKFAST - The President's remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast this week centered on prayer. He concluded saying, "I believe in the power of prayer, because I have felt it in my own life. Prayer has strengthened me in times of personal challenge..." Click here for full statement.

THE HOUSE

VETO AIDS BILL? - The Presidents' Emergency Program For Aids Relief (PEPFAR) has increasingly morphed into a bill that provides funding for groups that view prostitution as just another business, despite AIDS related issues. Some of the groups are brutally honest in saying that an aborted baby can't catch AIDS from the mother. Chairman Lantos' Democrat controlled committee has distorted PEPFAR, which up to now supported the highly successful ABC approach to stopping AIDS in Africa. A - Stay abstinent, B- If you can't be abstinent ,be faithful. C - If you can't stay faithful, use a condom. Under PERFAR the A and B would be forgotten and condoms and abortion pills would be passed out.

The State Department has prepared a letter outlining the problem with the reauthorization of PEPFAR , with the changes made by Democrats. Click here to read.

THE SENATE

STIMULUS PASSES - The Senate Democrats wanted to increase the "stimulus" package from $150 billion to over $200 billion but were blocked by Republicans. Some of the Democrat add ons were pure pork. The tax rebate feature of the stimulus package recommended by President Bush was previously passed by the House. Total cost is $151 billion this year and another $16 billion next year. The government will have to borrow this money and we, the taxpayers, will have to pay it back with interest. When you get your $600 check, keep in mind that the interest you will pay on it in taxes over the next 20 years will be about $1,500 at current rates.

Will the money be used by consumers to buy cheap Chinese junk as the Congress hopes? I'll use my check to pay my credit card. If most others do that as well, the stimulus will fail and the economy will stay in recession. Check www.roadsnotrebates for some answers.

RELIGION AND CULTURE

ROMNEY WHO? - Two days after "Super Tuesday" Mitt Romney announced that he has suspended his campaign for president. On the front pages it looked like he had a major victory on Tuesday, but that was not the case. He actually only won two primaries. In his home state of Massachusetts he received only 51% of the vote. He also won the Mormon state of Utah. The other victories were small caucus states. All told Romney won fewer actual primaries than Mike Huckabee. I was in Little Rock with Governor Huckabee on Super Tuesday and I have written my reflections on that day which can be read at www.gingpac.org.

ALL NEW CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - The January 4, 2008 issue of the Chairman's Report is now available online. This new issue contains details of "under God" in the Pledge petition deliveries to the Senate and first hand accounts of the huge Right to Life march in Washington. Read about adding a pro-life amendment to Indian Health Services. There is also Information on the church bombings in Iraq. Click here to read in PDF format

INTERNATIONAL

SAUDI FREEDOM? - An American businesswoman strolled down the street in the Saudi capital with Neil Bush, the president's brother, talking about all the "freedom" people have in the despotic kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Many Americans who are making lots of money in Saudi Arabia turn a blind eye to the Islamic terror there. But this particular businesswoman found out the hard way. Two weeks after the stroll with Neil Bush, she was arrested at a Starbucks for sitting with an unrelated male, a business partner. She was taken to jail, strip searched, and forced to sign a false confession. (See story) Meanwhile the head of the Anglican church says the West should accept Sharia law. Question of the day: is Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams totally nuts, or just blind to injustice. (See Story in UK paper)

DEATH FOR INTERNET ARTICLE PART II? - For two weeks I have reported on an Afghan student, Sayed Parwiz Kambakhsh, who had been sentenced to death for copying a paper from the Internet that the courts there deemed "blasphemous" to Islam. Bush officials told me the matter must be handled "quietly" and the story has vanished from the American press. It is still very much in the news in the UK where the Independent reports that our Secretary of State has publicly promised to talk to the Afghan president about the matter. Why is this not news in the United States? (See story)

RUSSIAN DICTATOR? - Our media and our Congress just can't seem to find any problems with the despotic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But the media is hounding Russian president Vladimir Putin as a dictator. They point out that the election next week, in which Putin is not even running, is rigged. Their proof? No funds have been set aside for a run-off election. No one bothers to make the point that we do not have a presidential run-off election in the United States if no one gets 51% of the vote. The real problem the media has with Russia is that it has become a Christian nation that challenges US efforts to secularize the world.

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.