Legislative
Update
09/05/2003
LEGISLATIVE
UPDATE - WEEK ENDING
SEPTEMBER 5, 2003
Special
Notice: Over the Labor
Day Weekend we
received an unusually
large number of orders
for More
Than a Prophet,
the book by Arab
Christian brothers
describing the
difference between
Christianity and
Islam. If you ordered
a copy please be
patient as our stock
ran out and we had to
order more. Most
orders are now filled,
but some will not be
shipped until Monday,
September 8th.
CONGRESS
IN SESSION
THE
HOUSE
CHARITABLE
GIVING ACT
The
Majority Whip, Congressman
Roy Blunt (R-MO), is
an original co-sponsor
of the Charitable Giving
Act (HR-7) along with Congressman
Harold Ford (D-TN).
The bill moves to
"mark up" in
the Ways
and Means Committee
next Tuesday. This is a
small part of President
George W. Bush's
faith-based initiative
that has been previously
gutted by Senator Edward
Kennedy and his liberal
colleages in the Senate.
This does not mean that
a victory for the
Charitable Giving Act is
meaningless; it is an
important vehicle to
take government out of
the charity business and
return it to the private
sector.
Like
most bills passed by
Congress that actually
have some effect, HR-7
is about money and
taxes. In this case the
bill frees up previously
frozen and or highly
taxed funds for
charitable giving. For
example, if a fairly
blessed person wanted to
give a $50,000 gift from
excess funds in their
IRA to a charity or
Christian school, they
would be penalized by
the IRS unless they are
past the age of 70 ½.
Under Congressman
Blunt's bill, there is
no penalty and their
donation is tax free.
The bill also allows the
86 million Americans who
do not itemize their
taxes to claim
deductions for
charitable giving. This
will encourage more
giving to non-profits
and charities.
Corporations are also
given tax breaks if they
donate more to
charitable
organizations. Liberals
who want government to
supply all social
services at the expense
of taxpayers have tried
to derail such bills in
the past.
SPECIAL
NOTE:
Please continue to pray
for the health of
Congressman Blunt. Just
as the August recess
began he had surgery for
prostate cancer.
Although this was his
second cancer operation
since being elected to
Congress, it appears he
is now cancer free, but
still needs and deserves
our prayers. Congressman
Blunt is a great
conservative and a man
who follows the
Scriptures while
conducting his elected
duties.
APPROPRIATIONS
BILLS
There
are 13 major
appropriations or
spending bills that
Congress must pass each
year to keep the
government operating.
With a Republican in the
White House, most
Democrats feel it is
their duty to derail
budget bills to slow
down the Bush agenda.
Majority Whip Blunt
believes that all 13
appropriations bills are
on track to send to the
Senate in a timely
manner. What will happen
in the Senate is another
issue.
THE
SENATE
SELFISH
CAPITALIST REPUBLICANS?
Senator
Bill Frist, the
Senate Majority Leader,
returned to the United
States from Africa just
one day before the
session began. While
liberal Democrat
Senators spent their
August recess bashing
our troops, our
President, rich people
and business in general,
Senator Frist, who is a
medical doctor,
performed operations for
free in impoverished
Africa. I know of not
one Democrat Senator who
volunteered to work free
in Africa this summer.
When he returned,
Senator Frist sent me an
e-mail which included
these comments,
"Today
we go back in session
for a busy, busy
legislative sprint,
focusing on
appropriations
(spending bills). I
returned last night
from a personal
medical mission trip
to Africa where I
performed surgery in
Southern Sudan (where
I go each year) and in
Northern Kenya.
Unfortunately, both of
these regions still
have terrorist
activity. The hospital
in Sudan continues to
grow, with the strong
support of Samaritan's
Purse from Boone, NC.
Though there is much
suffering in Africa, I
am inspired by the joy
and the hope of the
African people. The
civil war in Sudan has
killed over 2 million
people--I pray daily
that the peace process
will be successful.
For
the two weeks prior to
my medical mission
trip I hosted 5 other
U.S. Senators to a
fact finding mission
on HIV AIDS on the
southern part of the
African continent. The
trip was successful
and will allow us to
spend wisely the $15
billion that President
Bush committed to
fight this greatest of
all public health
challenges in the past
100 years, HIV in
Africa."
THE
FIGHT FOR JUDGES
"Catholics
need not apply."
That is the message from
Senator
Chuck Schumer of New
York and other Democrats
in the Senate who are
filibustering judicial
appointments made by
President George W.
Bush. One of those
Catholic judicial
candidates appointed by
President George W. Bush
has dropped out of the
fight. Although very
qualified for the
Federal Bench, this fine
Hispanic candidate was
blocked by liberal
Democrat Senators
because of his
conservative Catholic
views. Miguel
Estrada's withdrawal
is a blow it the
Catholic and Hispanic
communities and a
victory for pro-abortion
Senators.
MARRIAGE
The
Republican
Policy Committee,
operating out of the
office of Senator
Jon Kyl has produced
a report entitled
"The Threat to
Marriage from the
Courts."
Written by Senator Jon
Kyl, this
is an extremely well
done and analytical
report on the effects of
the recent Lawrence and
Goodridge cases which
legalized sodomy and
made "gay
marriage" more
likely. While the report
is too large to
reproduce here, I urge
you to read it at the
RPC site. Click
here
THE
PRESIDENCY
THE
GOOD NEWS:
On Friday, August 29th President
George W. Bush
extended the Mexico City
Policy first established
by President Ronald
Reagan to cover all
State Department
programs. The Mexico
City Policy prohibited
federal funds from being
used by USAID; however,
Planned Parenthood and
other organizations were
able to use funds from
other State Department
programs to promote
murder of the unborn.
President Bush extended
the ban on the use of
Federal funds to every
State Department
program. The was a bold
step by President Bush.
Expect outraged
pro-abortionists such as
Senators Schumer,
Clinton and Kennedy to
try use legislation to
once again help Planned
Parenthood and other
organizations that
promote infanticide. (See
Memorandum)
THE
BAD NEWS:
President Bush has been
pushed by the polls to
ask the United Nations
for "help" in
Iraq. The Administration
did not anticipate Jihad
warriors from Saudi
Arabia and other Arab
nations coming to Iraq
to fight the concept of
democracy. He now sees
our military stuck and
vulnerable along with
his reelection plans.
Going to the UN has
major risks.
Conservatives will be
outraged and liberals
will say it is proof we
needed the United
Nations all along. But
there is even worse news
for the civilized
peoples of the world in
the President's
decision. By going to
the United Nations for
help, the President has
sent a message to our
enemies that
assassinations and car
bombs work. This will
make the radical Islamic
forces in the world even
more bold in their
bombings. A civilian
train was bombed in
Russia this week. The
message to Russia is as
clear as it is to the
United States: "We
Muslims will continue to
kill civilians until we
have every demand met,
and our final demand is
world domination."
Will going to the United
Nations for
"help" stop
bombings by Muslim
terrorists? No. The
reverse is true. The
inability of the United
States to stay the
course against terror in
Iraq will bring more
terror to our shores.
THE
UGLY NEWS: Nuclear
war in the Middle East
is now almost a
certainty according to
my intelligence
contacts, unless the
nuclear ambitions of
Iran and other Islamic
nations are stopped now.
Will President George W.
Bush give the OK to
Israel to take out
Iran's Russian built
nuclear reactors before
they are fueled? How
will the President's
strong Christian faith
affect his decisions? If
the President sees
nuclear war as a
fulfillment of that
which Christ spoke about
in Matthew 24, would he
or should he intervene?
With his "Road
Map" peace plan
torn to tatters by
Muslim suicide bombers,
does the President still
believe peace can come
to the Holy Land in this
era? If Israel destroys
Iran's nuclear capacity
without the permission
and the protection of
the United States, will
Israel then face
military retaliation
from a very anti-Semitic
Europe? Full details are
in the September edition
of the William
J. Murray Report.
SEPTEMBER
11
In
about a week we will be
at the second
anniversary of the 9-11
Jihad attack on the
United States. Stores
have stopped selling
patriotic items and we
have long been back to
"business as
usual" in Congress
with backbiting and
accusations flying
wildly. Our airports
have become so
"secure" that
a bum was recently found
on an American Eagle
plane in the early
morning hours. He had
found his way past
security and slept the
night in the aircraft.
Illegal aliens with the
help of the ACLU are
demanding free tuition
at Virginia's
universities (How did
they get here?) Iran and
Korea are manufacturing
nuclear weapons and we
are turning to the
anti-Semitic,
anti-American United
Nations for help in
Iraq.
We
here at the Religious
Freedom Coalition still
remember the Jihad
attack against us and
what it really
represents. (Read
my statement from last
year.) We also
continue to offer
patriotic items at our
online store. We still
offer patriotic
and Christian
ties for men. For ladies
we found patriotic scarves.
We have an "In
God We Trust" scarf
that is a good match to
the "Under
God" tie. For
couples that attend
political meetings or
conventions it is a set
they have to have. For
ladies' scarves click
here. For men's ties
click
here. Guys ... the
Inspiration socks are
now in stock. To view
socks click
here.
WRAP
UP
Check
our Internet site at www.rfcnet.org
for last minute updates!
Please feel free to
forward this weekly
update to friends.
We are now at over
60,000 subscribers ....
Get the word out and
help us hit the 100,000
mark by the end of the
year! See below for
subscribe/unsubscribe
instructions. God richly
bless you, that is my
prayer.
William
J Murray, Chairman
Religious
Freedom Coalition
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