[CS-FSLUG] KERRY'S "RELIGIOUS" ADVISOR

[Fred Miller]

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - WEEK ENDING August 6, 2004  

HOUSE AND SENATE IN RECESS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7TH 

KERRY'S "RELIGIOUS" ADVISOR 
As I am in Brussels, Belgium at a conference on religious freedom I did not 
originally plan on writing about any domestic issues in this week's 
legislative update ... then the Kerry for President camp just handed me the 
kind of story I can't keep away from. The new "religious advisor" to Senator 
John Kerry previously joined the lawsuit filed by atheist Michael Newdow to 
remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag!  
Kerry's new "religious advisor" - Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson - was one of 
thirty-two clergy members to file an amicus curiae brief in behalf of Michael 
Newdow. This is the woman that John Kerry plans to send to America's 
religious groups as his representative. Polls show that almost all Christians 
and the vast majority of even non-Christians in America, do not want "under 
God" removed from the Pledge. So what religious groups is she going to 
represent John Kerry to? Gay Unitarians? 

NO BOUNCE 
Before the Democratic convention in Boston in July there were almost daily 
stories about the 10 to 15 point "convention bounce" Senator John Kerry would 
be getting in the polls. I for one wondered where these 10% to 15% of the 
voters were going to come from. The polls I had seen, both public and 
private, showed the race at around 47% to 47%. There are only about six 
percent in the middle who are undecided, and most of those folks are not 
going to vote anyway. In a USA Today/CNN poll taken over a period of three 
days at the conclusion of the convention Kerry actually went down in the 
polls. According to the USA /CNN poll, Kerry was ahead in likely voters 
before the convention and then dropped behind Bush by the conclusion of the 
convention. Bush led by 50 - 46 among likely voters. 
Here is the bottom line ... which I have stated before... there are virtually 
no undecided voters and Kerry is not as much a factor in the race as he 
thinks he is. If the Democrats had nominated a one-eyed dog named Osama the 
numbers would be about what they are today. This election in the minds of 
most Americans is about President George W. Bush and only President George W. 
Bush. The Bush hating millionaires in Hollywood, led by Michael Moore, would 
rather see Saddam Hussein in the White House than George W. Bush. Who the 
Democrat candidate is means nothing to the people who are financing the hate 
Bush campaign, which includes everything from letters in daily newspapers to 
feature length films. The Democrats hate this man, period. The question in 
this election has to do more with turnout and not "undecided" voters, simply 
because there are virtually no "undecided" voters. Whichever camp can get 
their voters to the polls on November 2nd wins. We will see if the enthusiasm 
for George W. Bush in the Republican camp can overcome the hatred for him in 
the Democrat camp. Kerry who? 

MARRIAGE

On August 4 the citizens of Missouri stampeded the booths to cast their votes 
in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban homosexual marriage. Over 70 
percent of all Missourians are in full support of the traditional definition 
of marriage as between one man and one woman. This initial victory sets the 
stage for a showdown between those who support the God-ordained institution 
of marriage and those who are trying to redefine this time-honored bedrock of 
civilization. Missouri is the first state to pass an amendment banning 
same-sex marriage since the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled to legalize it.  
Currently nine more states are scheduled for a similar vote in the next 
several months to determine whether or not to ban homosexual marriage. These 
states include Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, 
Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah. The media has consistently portrayed Americans 
who oppose homosexual marriages as a small group of staunch religious rights 
who are imposing their beliefs on the majority. This past week demonstrated 
that the American people as a whole don't want same-sex "marriage."
A note of concern regarding the issue of same-sex marriage involves a judge in 
the state of Washington who is taking the  liberty to define marriage in 
stark opposition to the general consensus of the people. A day after the 
Missouri landslide victory, a superior court judge in King County, 
Washington, declared that the state's constitution mandates  that same-sex 
couples receive marriage licenses.  The House passed the Marriage Protection 
Act ( H.R. 3313) on July 22, which removes federal judges from cases 
involving the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act); now it goes on to the 
Senate. Again this highlights the need for legislation that will prevent 
activist judges from imposing their liberal agenda. 

INTERNATIONAL 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONFERENCE 
As I mentioned above I am in Brussels, Belgium for the Interparliametary 
Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom. Rather than attempt to give 
a complete report in this update, I have prepared a lengthy summary and 
posted it as a separate article at our Internet site. For the current report 
on the conference please click here. 
The biggest surprise for me here was the number of representatives from 
democratic nations who believe that censorship of speech and the press can 
somehow create a better society. Indeed one individual bragged how a 
newspaper was closed after making an anti-Semitic statement ... not forced to 
print an opposing view ... closed. What continued to go through my mind 
during my role as the moderator of the panel on anti-Semitism was, "Who 
decides what is so bad to print that a newspaper should be closed?" 
Fortunately we don't have to worry about newspapers being shut down for what 
they print, at least not yet. 

KOSOVO 
Shortly after this conference concludes I will travel to Kosovo on a fact 
finding mission to view the destruction of Christian homes and churches since 
NATO and the UN took control of that Serbian province. Most Christians now 
live in small ghetto-like enclaves unable to safely travel to schools or 
hospitals. Prior to leaving I authorized the purchase of three medical kits 
containing sufficient antibiotics and other drugs to care for a total of 1500 
people for up to three months. It isn't much, but it was all we could do for 
now. The kits will be carried directly to Belgrade by the part of the team 
traveling directly from the United States this weekend. We will then drive 
the supplies to clinics having the most need in Kosovo. I will try to report 
to you directly from Kosovo on the situation there next week. 

HOLY LAND 
Holy Land Soap is still available for shipment this week. This fresh handmade 
soap from the Holy Land is made from olive oil. The soap is made by Christian 
Palestinians in the West Bank. This is the ONLY income of the Christian 
families involved. Two of the men are under death warrants issued by the PLO. 
The soap is made by the families. For more information on the soap, its cost 
and how we obtain it from the families in the West Bank click here or on the 
image. PLEASE NOTE: Our purpose in selling this soap is to support the 
families involved ... once the last family has received permission to move to 
a Western nation, we will no longer be making the soap available. We are 
making progress! 

THE CARIBBEAN 
I am inviting conservative Christians to enjoy the Caribbean with my wife and 
me and other staff members of the Religious Freedom Coalition. There will be 
virtually no organized activities for the group other than meeting each other 
and having dinner at the same tables- fellowshipping with other Christians.  
If we do this cruise, it will basically be a vacation for Christians who 
share common beliefs and goals. Nothing is set in concrete and I am only 
trying to gauge interest. We have already received many responses from people 
interested in taking this vacation so if you are interested and we have not 
heard from you yet, please contact us at EVENTS. 

ABOUT OUR BOOKSTORES - YES STORES  
The Religious Freedom Coalition maintains both an in-house and an affiliate 
bookstore. The in-house bookstore contains products we promote such as 
Christian and patriotic men's ties and video documentaries we have made. The 
affiliate Christian bookstore is operated by Spread The Word Ministries and 
has over 15,000 Christian books, CDs and other items. Books and other items 
purchased there are shipped by Spread The Word directly to you. The Religious 
Freedom Coalition receives about 10% of the total sale and those funds are 
used for our work. Most books and CDs at our Spread The Word Bookstore are at 
least 20% off retail.  Let's get honest ... you can get a better deal at 
Amazon.com. However, there is no porn sold at our site ... you will not find 
Satanic items or books promoting a heathen culture or atheism at our stores. 
You can save a few bucks buying Christian books from a site that also sells 
porn, but think about that ... do you really want to do that or spend a 
couple a bucks extra and help Christian ministry work at the same time? For 
the RFC in-house store click here. For the RFC general Christian bookstore 
click here. 

William J. Murray, Chairman  
Religious Freedom Coalition , P.O. Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013 Phone: 
(202) 543-0300  
It is now possible to donate to specific projects of the RFC both domestic and 
International. To make a contribution to our work click here .  

-- 
"Running Windows on a Pentium is like getting a Porsche but only being
able to drive it in reverse with the handbrake on."