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Week Ending March 16, 2007 - Washington, DC
RFC
March 17, 2007 3:08PM EST


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March 16, 2007
 
 
Week Ending March 16, 2007 - Washington, DC

SPECIAL NOTICE: The March 13, 2007 edition of the Chairman's Report is now available online. Click here for further information!

The President and Mexican "Migration" / Gonzales Gone? / School Prayer and Ronald Reagan / The atheist congressman / A real conservative summit? / Heart disease cure seen first hand / Amazing Grace the book, the movie and the Op-ed / Adoption tax credit in danger / Chiquita Banana and terror / Russia the villain

THE PRESIDENT
MEXICAN 'MIGRATION" - In the Bush Administration the word "immigration" is out and the word "migration" is in. While in Mexico President Bush repeatedly referred to Mexican "migration" to the United States. Migration is the free movement of people within the border of a nation, while immigration is the movement of people from one nation to another. Apparently the President has decided that all Mexicans are actually Americans and have the right to "migrate" to the USA. NBC News White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell remarked: "We saw something you don't see very often. And that is President Bush made a promise, directly, to the people of another country, pledging to the Mexican public that he'll do everything possible to work for the passage of what he calls 'comprehensive immigration reform.'" While ten million or so Mexicans illegally will be allowed to stay in the USA under the President's plan, it is my understanding that the one million Europeans and two million Asians in the USA illegally will be sent back to their nations of origin. Click here for additional coverage of the President's comments.

GONZALES GONE? - I did not support the appointment of Alberto Gonzales to the office of Attorney General. Since taking office, however, he has done a tremendous amount for the cause of religious freedom. He has set up a task force to investigate violations of rights based on religious belief and is investigating universities in California for refusing to accept graduates from Christian schools. (See www.firstfreedom.gov) Senate Democrats led by Hillary Clinton want his head over his firing of eight federal prosecutors, and because of the current weakness of the presidency they may force Gonzales out. With the Senate in Democrat hands it is likely that a "moderate" Attorney General would replace him. Click here for more.

SCHOOL PRAYER - This week in 1984 the Senate refused to pass a Constitutional Amendment championed by President Ronald Reagan that would have allowed the return of prayer in school. It was during the fight to pass this amendment that I made my first visit to the Rose Garden at the White House. Click here to read President Reagan's remarks on prayer in school.

THE HOUSE
THE ATHEIST CONGRESSMAN - Congressman Peter Stark (D-CA) has announced that he is an atheist. Stark represents the 13th district (see map) on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay including all of Alameda County. This announcement comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched Stark's voting record over the years. He had previously reported his "religion" as Unitarian. The Unitarian/Universal Church holds the position that there is no personal deity. Generally Unitarians are atheists who just do not like to use the word atheist.

LETS ALL COME TOGETHER - With the entry into the presidential race of Mayor Rudy Guiliani there is a growing gap between the social and economic conservatives. The Washington reality is that the economic conservatives who mainly operate from lush lobbying offices on K Street are never at the same meetings with congressional leaders as are social conservatives. This week I approached majority Leader Boehner, Majority Whip Roy Blunt and Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor with the concept of a summit of social and economic conservative activists. I believe it is a grave error for congressional leaders to "work" the two groups separately. I will keep you informed as to my progress.

THE SENATE
I SAW HEART DISEASE CURED - At a meeting with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) I met a man who had completely recovered from heart disease after receiving an adult stem cell transplant in Thailand. Doug Rice had less than 10% flow from his heart and was given less than six months to live. He flew to Thailand where some of his own stem cells were extracted and shipped to Israel. In Israel they were grown and then shipped back to Thailand where they were injected into his heart. Before the treatment he could not even stand, now he leads a normal life. The treatment, which cost him $40,000, is not available in the United States where adult stem cell research is neglected in favor of killing embryos for stem cells which do not work. About 500,000 people a year die in the United States who could be treated with this therapy. A British doctor told me that embryonic stem cells would never work because of the lack of a genetic match for treatment. Democrats want to pass a bill to provide federal funds to experiment on human embryos although the research is totally useless. Clic k here for detailed information on the Democrat bill and what is wrong with it.

AMAZING GRACE OF WILBERFORCE - In past issues I have mentioned the movie Amazing Grace about the life of William Wilberforce, who led the fight in Great Britain to end slavery. Senator Sam Brownback has written a wonderful Op-ed on the life of William Wilberforce, and the book on his life that has been out of stock is now available. Our Internet store is offering the Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce for just $7.19. Click here for more information. NOTE: You can buy it cheaper at bookstores such as Amazon which also sell pornography.

COST OF ADOPTION - Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) has begun a push to make tax credits to help families who wish to adopt permanent. Many of the tax reductions granted under the Republican Congress the last decade have sunset clauses and will end unless extended. In the case of the adoption credits that will be December 31, 2010. Senator Bunning whose daughters have both adopted special needs children has introduced S-561 to make the tax credits permanent. Contact your Senator about S-561

RELIGION AND SOCIETY
CHIQUITA BANANA FINANCES TERROR - I don't know that I will ever be able to eat another Chiquita banana. The company has admitted to the Justice Department that it paid nearly $2 million to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, one of several terrorist organizations with a history of assassinations in Columbia. The company paid protection money to be able to ship bananas out of a volatile region of Columbia. There is no excuse for paying murderers in order to make a profit. Click here for story.

INTERNATIONAL
RUSSIA VILIFIED - The media and the Bush Administration are out to get the "Putin Regime." Forget the fact that Vladamir Putin is a democratically elected President who has lifted Russia out of economic ruin to be the fasted growing economy after China. He is a villain because he raised oil and nature gas prices for export to the same level American companies charge. He is a villain for doing business with Islamic states. He is a villain for demanding that we not move missiles within a few miles of the Russian border. Now, every time a Russian gets murdered somewhere in the world it is Vladamir Putin who personally ordered the killing. Here is what I think: We have made such a mess of fighting our real enemies we have to pick on someone who we don't have to worry about actually getting mad and fighting back.

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 birthday 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.
phone: 202.742.8990

William J. Murray, Chairman Religious Freedom Coalition, PO Box 77511, Washington, DC 20013 - (202) 742.8990 This publication is a service of the Religious Freedom Coalition (RFC). Links to political and other sites are for informational purposes and do not constitute endorsement. No statement is intended to assist or defeat any candidate running for public office. Religious Freedom Coalition * Copyright - 2007



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