Report From Washington - August 10, 2012

ISRAEL FACT FINDING MISSION - A once in a lifetime mission led by William J. Murray, William Federer and Frank Gaffney, all three experts on Israel and Islamic affairs. Not a standard "tour," the mission includes visits to settlements and military bases plus evening panels. Read more

IN THIS ISSUE: Obama increases lead over Romney / RFC ad campaign tells the truth about Obama / Romney digs hole deeper on social issues / Both Houses in recess / Defending Michele Bachmann against the new pro-Muslim GOP establishment / Gymnast Aly Raisman honors martyred Olympic Jews / Cop punished for eating Chick-fil-A sandwich / Three servicemen killed by Afghan police chief / "Mainstream" Islamic cleric promotes suicide bombings / Pakistani lawyer kills sister in court / UK honor killing guilt

THE PRESIDENCY
Obama increases lead - According to a new Fox News poll, Barack Hussein Obama has increased his lead over Mitt Romney in the last 30 days. Obama now leads Romney by 9 points according to the poll. An associate of mine who operates a poll by cell phone, shows Obama ahead by only four points. In electoral votes Obama is up 370 to 145 according to most polls. With nearly 50% of Americans receiving government checks of some kind, Obama is going to be harder to beat with Romney concentrating just on economic issues. Mitt Romney's refusal to bring social issues into the process may lose him the election.

Romney digs hole deeper on social issues - Despite losing ground in the polls as he tries to run only on economic issues, Mitt Romney took time out to attack the Boy Scouts. Yes ... the Boy Scouts. His spokeswoman said on the issue that Romney still stands by his 1994 statement in which he said "I feel that all people should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation." Read more

Ads tell truth about Obama - The Religious Freedom Coalition has been conducting an aggressive campaign to stop the war on religious freedom being waged by the Obama Administration. During this critical year of decision the Religious Freedom Coalition will run advertisements in key newspapers asking Congress to curtail Barack Obama's secularist agenda of radically changing our nation. Learn more today

CONGRESS
Both Houses in recess - The House will reconvene on Monday, September 10th with the first vote occurring after 6:30 PM. Although the media would like to portray any recess as a "vacation," that is far from the truth. Most congressmen work six days a week in their district offices, meeting with constituents. Each congressman has more than a quarter of a million people in his or her district, many of whom demand direct contact which they can't get when the congressman is in Washington, DC.

In defense of Michele Bachmann - On Wednesday, August 8th former Federal Prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy addressed a standing-room only crowd at the National Press Club's on Muslim Brotherhood influence operations in the United States. McCarthy presented the briefing as a response to attacks on the "National Security Five." These five members of Congress - Representatives Michele Bachmann (MN) Louie Gohmert (TX), Trent Franks (AZ), Lynn Montgomery (GA) and Tom Rooney (FL) - have asked the Inspectors General of federal departments to investigate evidence of Muslim Brotherhood influence operations within the U.S. government. Read more

RELIGION AND CULTURE
U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman honors martyred Olympic Jews - The music for Aly Raisman's gold medal winning floor routine at the Summer Olympics was chosen by her as a tribute to the Israeli athletes who died at the hands of Muslm terrorists during the 1972 Olympic games in Munich. The music was based on the traditional Jewish song, Hava Nagila. "I am Jewish, that's why I wanted that floor music," Aly told the New York Post. "I wanted something the crowd could clap to, especially being here in London." Read more and see floor routine.

Cop punished for eating Chick-fil-A sandwich - A Dallas, Texas police officer is facing punishment for eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich in front of two openly lesbian officers who serve on the very politically correct Dallas police force. They claim he "stared" at them while eating the sandwich. Read more

Chick-fil-A is not alone - There are other outspoken Christian businesses. Since 1997, Hobby Lobby has placed, during certain holidays, full page newspaper ads that glorify the Lord and advocate Christian values. Ads appear each Christmas, Easter and even Independence Day. The ads are powerful; some ads have reached as many as 44 million newspaper readers. Read more and see some of the ads.

MORE FROM THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION
New August Chairman's Report -Now available, the August 2nd, 2012 edition of William J. Murray's Chairman's' Report. In Aug 2nd issue: Obama and our dwindling freedoms / Friedrich von Hayek's predictions on the dangers of Obama style central planning / Newspaper ads in four states warn of Obama's attacks on religious freedom / Should Christians pray for victory over the Islamist threat? Read more

Constitution or Sharia DVD - This is the complete set of DVD's from the November 11, 2011 Constitution or Sharia conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The Constitution or Sharia: Preserving Freedom Conference was the first true national conference on Sharia and the Islamization of America sponsored by major freedom oriented organizations! It was not just another educational conference. How do deal with and stop implementation of Sharia law in the United states was outlined by speakers and in panels. Order today

INTERNATIONAL
Afghanistan: Three US troops killed by Afghan police chief - The American media is reporting that a man "dressed as" an Afghan soldier killed three U.S. servicemen. This is a deception. The killer was actually an Afghan police commander who invited the three to dinner at his home and then gunned them down while they ate, as guests in his home. This is the third such attack by a member of the Afghan military or police force in just on week. Read more

Egypt: Suicide bombing declared mainstream - Egyptian cleric Hashem Islam Ali Islam, a member of the Fatwa Committee of Al-Azhar, made extremely radical statements in an appearance on Al Aqsa TV on July 12, 2012. In Egypt, Al Azhar is considered to represent moderate, mainstream Islam. He has declared that suicide bombing is a religious duty. Read more

Pakistan: Lawyer kills sister in court - A Muslim lawyer shot dead his own sister in an 'honor killing' in a packed courtroom "because he was opposed to her marriage." Sharia law trumps civil law in all family affairs in Islamic nations. Read more

UK - Honor killing of 16 year old - The parents of Shafilea Ahmed have at long last been found guilty of murdering the 17-year-old, who was killed because they believed she had brought shame on the family. The verdict at Chester crown court comes after a three-month trial, and almost nine years after Shafilea was killed for defying her parents' wishes for an arranged marriage in Pakistan to a much older man. Read more

BOOKS BY WILLIAM J. MURRAY Now available at our online store. Books by William J. Murray

 

Report From Washington - August 3, 2012

ISRAEL FACT FINDING MISSION - A once in a lifetime mission led by William J. Murray, William Federer and Frank Gaffney, all three experts on Israel and Islamic affairs. Not a standard "tour," the mission includes visits to settlements and military bases plus evening panels. Read more

IN THIS ISSUE: Will Romney move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? / White House not sure where capital of Israel is / Obama executive order to help blacks only get into college / 60% leave Conservative party in UK over same-sex approval / Congressional resolution on Syrian Christians / Newt Gingrich defends Michele Bachmann / Attacks on Chick-fil-a backfire / Christians arming themselves in Syria / More attacks on Christians in Nigeria

THE PRESIDENCY 

Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem? - Palestinian officials are fuming after Mitt Romney stated that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. Romney implied, but did not state, that he would follow the law and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if elected. Barack Obama has not only refused to honor the law passed by Congress to move the Embassy, but the U.S Consulate now in Jerusalem conducts business in Arabic, not Hebrew.
Same-sex marriage and conservatives - What happens if the Republican Party moves away from endorsing "traditional marriage" in favor of an "its all about the economy approach?" In the U.K. the conservative party went that route, and has lost 60% of its paid membership since Prime Minister David Cameron announced he would forge ahead and endorse "same-sex marriage." Even Barack Obama is facing a backlash from Black ministers because of his endorsement of sodomy -- and he is a left-winger.

Obama executive order to help blacks only - This week Obama signed an executive order, an excerpt of which states the goal of "increasing college access and success for African American students and providing support to help ensure that a greater percentage of African Americans complete college and contribute to the goal of having America again lead the world in the proportion of adults who are college graduates by 2020." But the goal is not "every American". The goal is to force whites, Hispanics and Asians out of entrance slots into colleges. This same executive order would bar public schools from expelling more blacks from school than the percentage of their population in the school, regardless of the offense. is this racist? of course. Read more

CONGRESS 

Resolution on Syrian Christians - Congressman Bilirakas (R-FL) who is the co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Caucus has entered a resolution calling for the protection of the "religious minorities" in Syria in light of the continued growing presence of Al-Qaeda growth in that nation. His resolution (H.Res. 763) comes at a time when more and more congressmen and Senators are being alerted to the truth about the nature of the Islamist uprising in Syria. Syria will become another Iran! Read more
Michele Bachmann defended by Newt Gingrich - Newt Staunchly Defends Bachmann and other Members of Congress on their astute observations about the Muslim Brotherhood influence peddling in Washington and its infiltration into the State Department. Read more

RELIGION AND CULTURE 

Chick-fil-A Day - Congratulations go to Gov. Mike Huckabee for his efforts in organizing a Chick-fil-A appreciation day on Wednesday. Gov. Huckabee had over 25 million visits to his Internet site to get details. At many Chick-fil-A stores, people had to wait more than an hour to get a sandwich. To show their "tolerance" , McDonald's is handing out free chicken sandwich vouchers to homosexuals who plan to demonstrate against Chick-fil-A's pro traditional stance today.
Chick-fil-A protest backfires - Adam Smith, who posted an online video of himself going through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru and ordering only the free water, was canned from his gig as chief financial officer of Vante, a Tucson medical manufacturing company, after the video made the rounds. Read more

MORE FROM THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION

New August Chairman's Report -Now available, the August 2nd, 2012 edition of William J. Murray's Chairman's' Report. In this issue: Obama and our dwindling freedoms / Friedrich von Hayek's predictions on the dangers of Obama style central planning / Newspaper ads in four states warn of Obama's attacks on religious freedom / Should Christians pray for victory of the Islamist threat? Read more

Constitution or Sharia DVD - This is the complete set of DVD's from the November 11, 2011 Constitution or Sharia conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The Constitution or Sharia: Preserving Freedom Conference was the first true national conference on Sharia and the Islamization of America sponsored by major freedom oriented organizations! It was not just another educational conference. How do deal with and stop implementation of Sharia law in the United states was outlined by speakers and in panels. Order today

INTERNATIONAL 

Christians arming themselves in Syria - As evidence mounts that foreign Islamists are fighting alongside Syria's increasingly radicalized rebels, Christians in Aleppo and elsewhere are taking up arms, often supplied by the regime. "We saw what happened to the Christians in Iraq," Abu George, a Christian resident of Aleppo's Aziza district told GlobalPost. "What is going on in Aleppo is not a popular revolution for democracy and freedom. The fighters of the so-called Free Syrian Army are radical Sunnis who want to establish an Islamic state. Read more
More attacks in Nigeria - Over 1, 000 worshipers fled from what could have been a massive bomb attack at a Nigerian church on Wednesday. The bomb was set in the church during the evening service but failed to detonate. The police bomb squad defused the bomb, describing it as "foreign-made and capable of bringing down not only the church but surrounding buildings as well." Read more The first week of August, more than 100 Christians were killed in attacks including a Nigerian senator.
Syrian Christians need help - The Religious Freedom Coalition operates co-operative missions in Amman, Jordan which are assisting Syrian Christians. Medical and other supplies have been moved to Damascus to assist Christians in need because of the brutal attacks upon them by Islamist rebels. Please contribute today to our Middle East Missions Fund
Syria news outlet - The CIA is blocking the Syrian government's news outlet at SANA.SY. However, the site can be visited by going directly to its server address at: http://208.43.232.81/index_eng.html. NOTE: Links cannot be created using numeric addresses. You will have to copy and paste this into a browser.

BOOKS BY WILLIAM J. MURRAY 

Now available at our online store. Books by William J. Murray  

 

 

 

 

Chairman’s Report for August 2, 2012

THE PRESIDENCY

OBAMA AND OUR DWINDLING FREEDOMS – Every social conservative should read Friedrich von Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom. While the book is constantly quoted by economic conservatives such as Congressman Paul Ryan, and while Hayek was in fact an economist, the core of the book is about more than economics; it’s about how individual freedom is lost as governments consolidate power.
The central point of The Road to Serfdom is that it is impossible to have both central planning and individual freedoms. We can see this playing out today; for instance, a small business owned by a Roman Catholic family in Denver refused to buy the federally mandated health insurance covering birth control, the morning after pill and sterilization. The Obama Justice Department told the family that they could either provide the insurance as ordered by the government, or shut down the business. The case is still in the courts.

Then there is the ongoing saga of Chick-fil-A.

By the way of full disclosure, I have met with the founder of Chick-fil-A, S. Truett Cathy. His first name is actually Sam, but he prefers Truett. I met with him last year at the Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on my way to speak at a youth facility in Pine Mountain supported by a Chick-fil-A foundation. I have been in many corporate headquarters in the last three decades, including that of News Corp. The Chick-fil-A headquarters is the only major corporate office I have ever been in that I can describe as happy. Every employee – hundreds of them – have a free lunch there every day. The company is about a lot more than profit.

The 91-year-old Truett Cathy is as sharp today as when he started the business. I was introduced to him as “Bill Murray” and he said, “You’re the son of that atheist who took prayer from the schools. I read your book back in 1962.” This man loves the Lord and that love has been handed down through four generations of his family.

Under the utopian, central planning system that Barack Obama wants to force upon America, this family and their business must be punished for openly honoring the Word of God.  When Truett’s son Don made the public statement that the family and business support “traditional marriage” the attack by Obama’s team began.

Rahm Emanuel, who ran President Barack Obama’s White House for two years as his Chief of Staff, has vowed to shut down any business in Chicago whose owners say they are Christians and who oppose homosexuality. He very pointedly said that Chick-fil-A would not get another business permit in Chicago. Rahm Emanuel is not just the mayor of Chicago; he has been a spokesman for the Barack Obama campaign and a close advisor to the President. The mayor stated that those who practice free speech will not be allowed to do business in his city.

Some say I exaggerate that Obama is conducting a war on religious freedom. What more proof is needed?  The advertising campaign to warn America of Obama’s plans is critically needed during this key year of decision.


OBAMA AD RUNNING IN VIRGINIA – Since the last Chairman’s Report, our newspaper ads exposing Barack Obama as the most dangerous president ever to religious freedom have continued to run. The ads began in Florida and we have now expanded to North and South Carolina and Virginia. We are now investigating appropriate markets in Pennsylvania and Ohio. I would very much like to go back into Florida and run the ad in four newspapers we were forced to skip because of cost.

See full list of newspapers running our ad

Winter Haven is a huge retirement area with several mega-churches that would be helpful in pressuring Congress to act against the Obama agenda. The same is true of Bradenton where the very large Christian Retreat is located. But, as I said, the ads are expensive. About $10,000 more is needed for the Florida project. The four newspapers I want to go back to in Florida are

The Ledger – Winter Haven
Florida Today – Titusville, Melbourne
Bradenton Herald – Bradenton
Charlotte Sun – Arcadia, Wauchula

You may note that we ran our ad twice in the Black Mountain News in Black Mountain, North Carolina. This was done because several very large Christian summer camps are located there and people we want to reach rotate through that area. We may run the ad in Black Mountain again in August once or twice.

Please note that the first ad placed directly by a supporter of the Religious Freedom Coalition appeared in a Nebraska newspaper on July 3^rd. If you live in a smaller community where there is little political commentary, you may be able to place the ad for some nominal cost. You may even have a small weekly newspaper in your area that we are not aware of, in which you can place one of the Obama ads. We can even help reformat the ad for your local newspaper if you will pay for the cost of the ad space.

To help place the ad, simply print off a copy from www.savingreligiousfreedom.org and give it to the ad department of your local newspaper. They can probably format the ad right then and there to a quarter, third or half page ad and give you the cost. If the newspaper needs us to format the ad they can call our Washington office at 202.543.0300.

We can make a difference in stopping Barack Obama’s attacks on religious freedom.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, OUR LORD AND PRAYER

Other than this Chairman’s Report I write a weekly update that appears at our Internet site at ReligiousFreedomCoalition.org. I also write numerous op-eds and other articles for several publications including newspapers. Many of my articles appear in World Net Daily which most people know as wnd.com. Just in July, I wrote three major articles for wnd.com including one on school prayer entitled Secularization does not ‘revitalize Christianity’.

For the most part I never reprint the articles I write for other publications in the Chairman’s Report. However, I’m making an exception this month. On my way back from the Middle East I wrote an article entitled Praying for Victory. The article was short, but to the point. Christians in the West, particularly evangelical Christians pray defensively while Muslims pray for our destruction. The article is below as it appeared at wnd.com and in other publications.

*****

Praying for Victory

 

It was about a two years into the second Gulf War and things weren’t going too well. George W. Bush had made the fatal mistake of disbanding the Iraqi Army and police force, leaving the nation lawless. Islamist fighters, who were very happy that the secularist government of Iraq had been overthrown by the United States, flowed into Iraq to finish the job by creating a Sharia state.

It was 2003 and I had been invited to speak at a Texas church. At the opening of the service the pastor asked the congregation to pray for the protection of service members from the church who were in Iraq and Afghanistan. Suddenly I was hit with this thought: Why are we praying only defensive prayers, why are we not asking God to give our brave servicemen victory in the field?

I actually spoke that day on my experiences on 9-11. That fateful day I was on the 14^th Street bridge crossing the Potomac River, when flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon by Islamists. I was trying to get a message out from nearly the first day, a warning that this was just the beginning of a hundred year’s war. However, with President George W. Bush singing “religion of peace” from the bully pulpit, few wanted to hear my message.

At the conclusion of the service I asked the pastor if he had ever led his congregation in prayer asking God to give our troops victory. He just sort of stared at me for a minute or so. Finally he simply said “no.” As we talked it was obvious he felt uncomfortable with the thought. The evangelical church had developed a message over the past few decades that Christ Jesus is only about peace and He came to comfort the sick, the grieving and to save the lost. Today, most in the evangelical church turn to Jesus only for personal matters, such as the health of a loved one, finding a better job, selling a house or bringing a lost child to Christ.

Over the years I have brought the subject up in various places, as our very well armed and educated troops in the field were beaten back again and again. Finally George W. Bush declared victory in Iraq where there was none. Obama pulled the troops out, leaving a wounded nation and people. The only real accomplishment of the second Iraqi war was the eradication of the Christian community in Iraq. The Islamists have raped Christian women, stolen Christian homes, murdered Christian men and blown up churches until 80% of the Christian population has fled. There is no democracy, and other than corrupt officials in the new government, no one in Iraq has benefited from our invasion.

Did anyone ever pray for our victory in Iraq or for our way of life to be shared there? Maybe, I just don’t know. I asked several army chaplains if they had ever led men in prayer for victory on the field of battle and the answer was no. The prayers were defensive, they were for protection. I continued to talk to church pastors, and one day asked my Sunday School class to pray for victory. For a few weeks the class did do that, but soon we were back to asking the Lord only for personal help with health or finances.

I wanted to start a campaign to get churches to pray for our troops to be victorious, but the suffering of Christians in the Middle East and my ministry there kept me away from any organized efforts. That is, until my latest trip to an area of conflict in the Middle East.

I must stop and thank God that the “rebels” I encountered on this trip had no idea who I was. Fortunately I was with members of the Muslim Brotherhood and under their protection. The Brotherhood had something to prove to me, which they did; however, it was not what they wanted to prove. I did learn a lot about the “fog of war”, as I met dozens of men who had no idea why they were fighting, other than for the glory of Allah. Some, I don’t think were even sure what nation they were in. What I did learn very well is how the Islamists pray.

Every sermon calls for the destruction of the enemies of Islam. Every prayer calls for victory of Islam in armed conflict. Every prayer calls for the destruction of the Jews first, their current enemy second, and finally America.

The difference was striking. While American Christians pray for better cars, the Islamists pray for the total and complete destruction of Christianity, democracy and the American way of life. While Christians here pray for the safety of a particular soldier who is from one of our churches, the Islamists pray for the death of every American soldier at the hands of an Islamist martyr. For the Islamists Christians ask God to “open the eyes of the unbelievers.” The eyes of the “unbelievers” are open, and looking down the sites of gun barrels at us.

During World War II virtually every church in the United Kingdom and the United States prayed every Sunday for an Allied victory. That was the last war in which we won a total victory. By the time of the Vietnam War it was politically incorrect to pray for victory, and victory never came. Praying for victory, even post 9-11 is still politically incorrect and America is still either losing wars or fighting to a standstill in decades long conflicts.

Straying from political correctness in the church I beg to ask the question: If we want to win a war, spiritual or otherwise, should we not be asking God for victory? If the answer is yes, pastors can find models for those victory prayers in Psalms authored by King David, among other note worthy places in the Bible. If, on the other hand, we do not want God’s intervention perhaps we should prepare ourselves to lose the existential battle against the Islamists.

*****

In the article, I mentioned my trip to the Middle East and my encounter with the Muslim Brotherhood. I would very much like to give you all the details, but to do so would endanger lives. Mentioning locations can get people killed. Mentioning real names of people or showing their photos in public documents such as this one can get them killed. Oddly, conservative leaders here in Washington have decided to welcome the Muslim Brotherhood as the future. This is a grave mistake.

William J. Murray, Chairman

Religious Freedom Coalition, 601 Pennsylvania Ave, NW  #900 , Washington, DC 20004 * (202) 742-8990