Washington Weekly Review

Roberta Combs, President

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Congressman Walter Jones Introduces Legislation Which Will Ensure that ALL Military Chaplains Have Religious Freedom such as Christian Chaplains Being Able to Close Their Prayers "In the Name of Jesus Christ" - Congressman Ron Paul is the First Original Co-Sponsor

Last week, Congressman Walter Jones, R-NC, introduced new legislation, H.R. 6514, which will ensure that all military chaplains in every branch of the American armed services -- including at all the U.S. military academies such as West Point and Annapolis -- would have the right to recite a closing prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience.

Congressman Ron Paul, former Republican presidential candidate from Texas, is the first original co-sponsor on Congressman Walter Jones' tremendous legislation. Christian Coalition of America wholeheartedly supports this legislation and urges all Members of the House of Representatives to co-sponsor this bill.

In John McCaslin's "Inside the Beltway" of the "Washington Times" on Monday, Congressman Jones was quoted saying: "For Christian chaplains, closing their prayers in the name of Jesus Christ is a fundamental part of their beliefs, and to suppress this form of expression would violate their religious freedom. The demand for so-called 'nonsectarian' prayer is merely a euphemism declaring that prayers will be acceptable only so long as they censor Christian beliefs."

The text of Congressman Jones' bill, H.R. 6514 says: To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure that every military chaplain has the prerogative to close a prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled..."

Congressman Jones said that some progress is being made. For example, the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, directed the secretaries of the Navy and Air Force to rescind 2006 guidelines preventing chaplains from praying according to their own faith and conscience in public venues.

A tiny minority of radical atheists, inside and outside the military, have agitated to get rid of any prayers by military chaplains who pray in the name of Jesus Christ. This discrimination will end once and for all, when Congressman Jones' legislation becomes law.

ACTION ITEM: Please your Congressman at 202-225-3121 or you can go to www.cc.org/contactcongress.cfm and email them and urge them to co-sponsor the legislation introduced by Congressman Walter Jones, H.R. 6514, to ensure that every military chaplain has the right to close a prayer according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience.

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On Wednesday, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Ruled that the City Council of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Could Ban "In Jesus' Name" in City Council Meeting Prayers and Ban Fellow City Councilmen who Pray in the Name of Jesus From Praying

Radical judicial tyrants continue to legislate from the bench as shown this week when the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the city council of Fredericksburg, Virginia had the legal authority to require so-called "non-sectarian" prayer and they could also ban a Christian council member, the Rev. Hasmel Turner, from being able to pray during city council meetings because he prayed "in Jesus' name."

Sandra Day O'Connor, the liberal retired former Supreme Court Justice who sat in on the appeals court case, continues to spread mischief, to legislate from the bench, and to write left-wing decisions, as she did for decades when she sat on the United States Supreme Court. O'Connor wrote the decision on Wednesday which said: "The restriction that prayers be nonsectarian in nature is designed to make the prayers accessible to people who come from a variety of backgrounds, not to exclude or disparage a particular faith."

Air Force Academy graduate, Gordon James Klingenschmitt, the former United States Navy chaplain who faced court-martial for praying "in Jesus name" in uniform (but won the victory in Congress for other chaplains), defended Rev. Hashmel Turner. Chaplain Klingenschmitt said: "The Fredericksburg government violated everybody's rights by establishing a non-sectarian religion, and requiring all prayers conform, or face punishment of exclusion.

"Justice O'Connor showed her liberal colors today, by declaring the word 'Jesus' as illegal religious speech, which can be banned by any council who wishes to ignore the First Amendment as she did. Councilman Rev. Hashmel Turner should run for mayor, fire the other council-members, and re-write the prayer policy. And if he appeals to the Supreme Court, I pray he will win, in Jesus' name."

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House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel Held a Hearing on Wednesday to Determine Whether the 1993 Law -- Passed Overwhelmingly in a Democrat Congress -- Outlawing Homosexuals in the Military, Should be Overturned

On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on personnel held a hearing on the law passed by a liberal Democrat Congress in 1993 which was responding to the tremendous outcry of the American people about Bill Clinton's attempt to force homosexuals into the United States military. The 1993 law banning homosexuals from the American military passed overwhelmingly. The Democrats held this week's hearing the same week when their approval rating has reached the lowest rate of any American Congress in history: some 9% of Americans approve of their dismal performance.

Bill Clinton basically ignored the 1993 law and instituted a policy called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and now the radical homosexual lobby wants to overturn both the 1993 law and Bill Clinton's illegal interpretation of the law. The law passed Congress with veto-proof majorities in 1993 and has been upheld as constitutional several times.

Mrs. Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness, who played a key role in passing the 1993 law banning homosexuals in the military, testified at the hearing on Wednesday, along with a former Sergeant Major in the Army, Brian Jones, a veteran of the Army's Delta Force. An ultra-liberal Congressman from Arkansas, Democrat Vic Snyder said that Mrs. Donnelly's concern about the impact of HIV-positive American soldiers was "dumb." Other Democrat members of the committee were also extremely rude to these American patriots.

Mrs. Donnelly said last week that this may be the only hearing that liberals in charge of Congress will hold before they move to actually repeal the law. They hope to pass a new law allowing homosexuals to serve in the military if Barrack Obama becomes president. Obama has promised his left-wing base he will -- like Bill Clinton tried to do -- put homosexuals into the military. Mrs. Donnelly has also alerted America as to the outrageous “perception management” (PM) techniques employed by powerful forces in the radical left-wing "news" media and by fellow left-wing activists who are determined to impose a sexual agenda on the military.

Arrayed against conservative groups such as Christian Coalition of America and the Center for Military Readiness are large, well-funded activist groups like the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign and other Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Left organizations. They are devoted to one radical goal: repeal of the 1993 law, which is constantly mislabeled “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

Mrs. Donnelly and Sergeant Major Jones at Wednesday's hearing exposed the extent of the real damage that will be done to the culture of our military if these groups are allowed to win. She said that we cannot stand by and allow the full force of mandatory social engineering to be imposed on our men and women in uniform. The situation is critical, and everyone who cares about our military needs to defend our military from this threat.

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!

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Senator Sam Brownback Blasts the Decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Throwing out the $550,000 Fine Imposed on CBS by the Federal Communications Commission For Showing Janet Jackson's Breast During the 2004 Super Bowl in Front of Tens of Millions of Children

Senator Sam Brownback, R-KS, Chairman of the Senate Values Action Team condemned the decision on Monday by the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals which threw out the $550,000 fine imposed on CBS Television by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC,) for its showing Janet Jackson's breast during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show seen by tens of milions of children around the world.

The radical judges in the majority said that the FCC had "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in imposing this mild fine on CBS. Senator Brownback a few years ago led the effort to increase the fines for such indecency infractions by the television networks and the liberal television networks have been squawking ever since.

Senator Brownback authored the "Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act" which increased by a factor of ten fines for broadcasting obscene, indecent, or profane material. The "Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act" increased fines for television networks and individual performers from $37,500 per infraction to $375,000 per infraction. President George W. Bush signed this law in June 2006.

The FCC had argued that CBS should have had a video-delay system installed during live performances so that they could delete such examples of indeceny as Janet Jacket and her fellow performer, Justin Timberlake, demonstrated to the billion or so people watching the CBS broadcast around the world. Her nudity occurred at the end of the half-time show when Timberlake stripped away Jackson's bustier while singing: "gonna have you naked by the end of this song." It is long past time for these radical left-wing judges to stop legislating from the bench.

Senator Brownback said following the ruling by the court last Monday: "I am disappointed that this panel of federal judges apparently does not take seriously the viewpoint of many Americans. These judges failed to acknowledge that Janet Jackson’s so-called ‘wardrobe malfunction’ was distasteful and shocking for viewers, but based on all the calls and letters my office received in the days following the Super Bowl, I disagree."

Senator Brownback also said that "Radio and television waves are public property, and it is a privilege for broadcasters to use those public airwaves. We ask that broadcasters keep their content free from indecent, obscene, and profane speech during hours when children are likely to be watching. Broadcasters who do not abide by such guidelines should be held accountable and should face suitable fines."

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After Liberals on the 3rd and 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Made Terrible Decisions This Week, Commonsense Prevailed on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday as The Majority Ruled that a Christian University in Colorado Can Receive State Scholarship Money

Finally, commonsense prevailed on one United States Circuit Court of Appeals this week following the left-wing decisions made by the 3rd and 4th Circuit Courts of Appeals. On Wednesday, the United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Christian university in Colorado can receive state scholarship money. The Associated Press reported that this decision was the latest in a string of legal victories for religious schools seeking American taxpayer dollars.

The ruling this week concerned Colorado Christian University which has some 2,000 students in a Denver suburb. Most students attend chapel every week and sign a promise to following the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. In addition, the university faculty must sign a statement that they believe that the Bible is the "infallible Word of God."

The Associated Press reported that the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals majority ruled that the state of Colorado "overstepped its bounds with a system allowing students to use state scholarship dollars at some religious colleges, but not those dubbed 'pervasively sectarian' -- a judgment that required bureacrats to investigate such tricky criteria as whether religion courses amounted to neutral study or proselytizing." Colorado had allowed students to use their scholarships at Methodist and Roman Catholic universities in the state, but not at Colorado Christian University (CCU), which is a nondenominational university.

The President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Paul Corts, said following the latest victory for Christian colleges and universities that students "attending institutions such as CCU who take their faith-based commitment seriously should have an equal opportunity to participate in Colorado's financial program."

The Associated Press reported that religious colleges have argued that their students should not be deprived of a state benefit everyone else can get, a very commonsense position. "Last year, California's Supreme Court upheld the rights of 'pervasively sectarian' institutes benefiting from government programs that issue bonds on their behalf. Another federal appeals court, the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, VA, sided with Columbia Union College in Maryland, a school affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church that had been denied access to a state bond finance program.

"The Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati upheld bonds issued on behalf of David Lipscomb University, a school in Tennessee affiliated with the Churches of Christ where students attend daily Bible classes. In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the state of Washington against a student who claimed discrimination because he couldn't use a publicly funded scholarship to pursue a degree in theology.

"But in Wednesday's ruling, the 10th Circuit took a narrow view of that decision. It acknowledged that the Supreme Court had allowed states to withhold their support for certain degree programs. However, the 10th Circuit ruled, that position doesn't 'extend to the wholesale exclusion of religious institutions and their students' from sources of government support that are otherwise neutral. Nor can Colorado make intrusive judgments about what constitutes a 'sectarian' or 'pervasively sectarian' school.

"'The First Amendment does not permit government officials to sit as judges of the indoctrination quotient of theology classes, Judge Michael McConnell wrote." Judge McConnell was a nominee of President George W. Bush.

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!

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Christian Coalition Activists Need to Encourage 110th Congress to Pass Both "Net Neutrality" and "Multicast-Equal Access" Legislation to Prevent Discrimination Against Religious Broadcasters - Democrat-controlled Congress Expected to Pass "Net Neutrality"

Multicast/Equal Access" (formerly called "Multicast/Must-carry") will go a long way to preventing discrimination against religious broadcasters. Without a "Multicast/Equal Access" law, the cable and satellite companies would probably not add new Christian channels and the influence of current Christian channels will be diluted.

ACTION ITEM: Please all your Congressman at 202-225-3121 or you can go to http://www.cc.org/contactcongress.cfm and email them and urge them to co-sponsor the Net Neutrality legislation introduced by Republican Congressman Charles "Chip" Pickering and Democrat Congressman Edward Markey called the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008," H.R. 5353

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Join the Christian Coalition’s Judicial Task Force, which is dedicated to ending the obstruction of the President's judicial nominees and ensuring that they ALL receive a fair "up or down" vote by the full Senate

Please sign our petition and join the Judicial Task Force at: http://www.cc.org/taskforce.cfm

Encourage your family, friends and church friends to also sign the petition at our website and to join the Christian Coalition’s Judicial Task Force, which is dedicated to ending the obstruction of the President's judicial nominees and ensuring that they ALL receive a fair "up or down" vote by the full Senate.

There are a number of President Bush's Circuit Court of Appeals' nominees who have not yet received a Senate floor vote. The challenge to confirm President Bush's nominees in a Democrat-controlled Senate will be very difficult and we need your help in doing just that. You will become part of a team of individuals who are committed to being ready on a moment’s notice to take action when obstruction occurs.

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Please keep the above issues in prayer. Through prayer and action great and mighty things can be accomplished.

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…”

Please be sure to forward this message on to as many people as possible!