NATIONAL LEGISLATION

Federal “Hate Crimes” bill threatens Religious Freedom

Last month, the U. S. House (with no notice to constituents) passed a bill that would allow federal prosecution for crimes based on “actual or perceived” sexual orientation.

S B 1145 entitled the “Local Law enforcement Act of 2005”) is now in the U. S. Senate.

If the Senate passes this bill, it will be the first law by the federal government that gives special protection or benefits based on the status of sexual orientation. Also, if SB 1145 passes the Senate, it will be coupled with the Hate Crimes Reporting Act of 1990 that mandated the FBI include intimidation in its reporting of statistics on hate crimes. Therefore, because intimidation may also be considered a hate crime, ministers or religious organizations who speak out against homosexuality are in danger of being labeled with a hate crime. Some examples:

• Eleven Christians were jailed under Pennsylvania 's hate crimes law in 2004 for singing in a public park and preaching against homosexuality.
• In 1998 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a Resolution blaming religious people for hate crimes, declaring: "It is not an exaggeration to say that there is a direct correlation between these acts of discrimination, such as when gays and lesbians are called sinful and when major religious organizations say they can change if they tried, and the horrible crimes committed against gays and lesbians."
• A Canadian citizen was fined over $6,000.00 for running an ad in the newspaper where he quoted Leviticus 18:22, which states that homosexuality is a sin.
• A mayor in was found to violate a human rights ordinance when she refused to declare Gay Day.
• A minister in the was fined £20,000 (approximately $35,000.00) for an ad that described homosexuality as an abomination.
• A complaint was filed in a Dutch court against Pope John Paul, II for his statement that "homosexual acts are contrary to the laws of nature." The Dutch court ruled the Pope's status as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican State afforded him immunity from prosecution. Other religious leaders would not be immune.

I have been in contact with Senators Chambliss and Isakson’s offices, and both our senators are committed to vote against any legislation that includes “hate crimes” language. I am sure that many of you who receive this update have relatives or friends in other states. Please forward this email to them and ask that they contact their Senators urging them to oppose this dangerous bill.

The Liberty Counsel has created a legal memorandum addressing similar “hate crimes” bills. If you would like more information on this issue, you can read the memo by going to www.lc.org.

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Immigration Reform

Capitol Hill is bracing itself for a major debate over immigration reform, just as the immigration issue has reached a boiling point along ’s border with . Recently, the Democrat governors of Arizona and New Mexico declared states of emergency along their borders in order to free up additional funds for local law enforcement authorities because the federal government has largely ignored the problem.

Last week, 82 House members sent a letter to the administration expressing their opposition to any “guest worker” program until something is done to address enforcement issues. The letter was authored by Representatives John Hostettler (R-IN), Tom Tancredo (R-CO), and Lamar Smith (R-TX).

The letter concluded by citing public security as a major issue that demands attention: “We have lost control of our borders and endangered the lives of Americans by not enforcing immigration laws. For example, the current ‘catch and release’ policy enables 85 percent of illegal immigrants who are apprehended to go free.”

(Gary Bauer’s End of Day)

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In The News (Agape Press)

...A Christian leader says presidential aide Karl Rove suggested that conservative women more prominent than Harriet Miers had declined to be nominated to the Supreme Court. On his daily radio show Wednesday, Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson said Rove told him that President Bush had decided to pick a woman, but that some who were being considered did not want to put themselves or their families through the Senate confirmation process. Dobson said Rove told him "that Harriet Miers is an evangelical Christian that she is from a very conservative church that is almost universally pro-life." But Dobson denied receiving any assurances of how Miers might rule on abortion or any other issue.

...The White House has responded to reports that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was a contributor to Democratic political candidates. Office of the Public Liaison deputy director Tim Goeglein says Miers was a Democrat at one time, but like many others on Capitol Hill, has changed parties. Goeglein says Miers' loyalty is unquestioned and that she "has been a very strong supporter of the Republican Party. In fact if you look at the donations, by any scale she is overwhelmingly generous to the Republican Party." With regard to a specific donation to a Democrat in a recent campaign, Goeglein says that occurred during a Democratic primary race and not during the general campaign.

...The U.S. Supreme Court has begun deliberating a challenge to Oregon 's euthanasia law, which argues that the state law violates the federal Controlled Substances Abuse Act by allowing doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients. Pat Trueman of the Family Research Council was in the courtroom for the arguments and felt several justices seemed to be in favor of the Oregon statute. That includes "Souter, Ginsberg, and Stevens," Trueman says, "and then, Kennedy was troubling as well. So I would not say the case is out of the woods. We're certainly likely to see a bad ruling." “If it's a four-to-four decision by the Supreme Court, the lower court ruling [which upheld the Oregon law] will stand, so Oregon 's euthanasia law will be in effect," Trueman points out. However, if Harriet Miers is confirmed to the court before a vote is taken, hers could be the deciding vote that will either approve or end the practice of euthanasia in Oregon, the only state where such action is currently legal.

...Members of the Painesville, Ohio , City Council have stopped praying aloud before meetings. Council president Bill Horvath halted the invocations after receiving complaints from people who watched the meetings on cable television and heard a prayer that was said "in Jesus' name." Horvath says, "Some council members go a little too far with specific Christian prayers." Painesville City Council members had been allowed to lead a prayer of their choosing, but will start meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance for now. In a related story, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a Wiccan priestess angry that local leaders would not let her open their sessions with a prayer to "the creator of the universe." Cynthia Simpson, who belongs to a group known as the Broom Riders Association, complained that most of the invocations at governmental meetings in Chesterfield County, Virginia , are led by Christians. She sued and initially won before a federal judge who said the county's policy was unconstitutional. But Simpson lost at the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the county had changed its policy and directed clerics to avoid praying in the name of Jesus. The Supreme Court has let that decision stand. The county's attorney says its policy is now in line with the Supreme Court's endorsement of legislative prayer as long as it does not proselytize, advance or disparage a particular religion. [AP]

Thank you for Keeping The Faith.
Sadie Fields