Friday, December 18, 2015
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
We Need You!
As we send this report, our staff is monitoring online receipts and sorting through the mail. Support is coming in (Thank you!), but we are still way behind where we need to be.
I don’t want to give you the impression that we are depressed. You have always come through for us in the past! And we are counting on you again.
Sometimes it is difficult to quantify what we do here in Washington. Let me give you one example of how our work is making a difference for our values.
The other night my phone rang and on the other end of the line was a prominent member of Congress. He had just finished reading one our daily reports and he wanted to ask for our help. Of course, I said yes.
“No one encapsulates the issues confronting the nation the way you do,” he said. “Please, send me a few paragraphs on life, values and religious liberty. I’d love to use it in speeches and floor statements!”
Every week, there are dozens of examples just like this one that take place thanks to you. It is only because of your generosity that we are able to respond to requests like that. And that is why your continued support is so important!
Please help keep us going by making a generous, tax-deductible gift today!
A Tale Of Two Elementary Schools
W.R. Castle Elementary School in Wittensville, Kentucky, was set to host a performance of that classic holiday special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Unfortunately, political correctness kicked in and school officials decided to censor Linus.
“We don’t want to do anything that would cause harm to our district or our children here in Johnson County Schools,” said Superintendent Thomas Salyer.
I suspect you’re probably scratching your head trying to recollect what it is that Linus does in the cartoon that could in any way cause harm to children. He doesn’t do drugs. He doesn’t steal from anyone. He doesn’t cheat on a test or start a fight.
No, sadly, what got Linus censored was that he dares to read from the Bible, specifically verses from Luke about the birth of Jesus. He is, after all, trying to explain to an exasperated Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about.
Thus, Linus has committed the one “sin” that can’t be tolerated — he referenced the Judeo-Christian values upon which the nation is built.
Heaven forbid . . . (Whoops!) The radical left forbids that children be exposed to religious values. We can’t have that — at least not Judeo-Christian values.
On the other hand, Islamic values, well, that’s just fine.
A school in Virginia decided to have students practice their calligraphy skills by writing out the shahada, or the Islamic statement of faith, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” This, by the way, is the same message that appears on the ISIS flag.
So the educrats balked at having Linus recite the Christmas story as told in the Book of Luke, but no one seemed to have second thoughts about having our kids write out the shahada in Arabic?
Here’s an idea: Let’s have children practice their calligraphy by writing out the Ten Commandments, John 3:16 or the Nicene Creed. Somehow I suspect that would never happen.
But I am pleased to report there is good news.
Some students at the Virginia school refused to do the assignment. And when parents figured out what the Arabic phrase was, many were furious and complained to local school officials.
The story went viral, and now the county has shut down all schools today and cancelled all extracurricular events for the weekend, apparently out of fear that outraged parents might show up.
Just like the quick reversal at a Brooklyn school that tried to ban Christmas and Wheaton’s action putting the hijab-clad professor on leave, I am encouraged by the strong reactions against this radical left-wing nonsense.
Our American values are worth fighting for!
Our Broken Immigration System
Whenever a conversation turns to immigration, someone inevitably says, “Our immigration system is broken.” Yes, it is. But most reforms being proposed (like those granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants) won’t do anything to fix what is REALLY wrong — the broken, ineffective bureaucracy.
Yesterday, top Obama immigration officials testified before a House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing regarding the vetting process for those seeking to enter the country. To the surprise of many, one official stated that since the 9/11 attacks, 9,500 people have had their visas revoked — specifically due to terrorism-related issues.
Given that visa overstays account for a huge part of our illegal immigration problem, Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) asked the obvious question — does the government know where these 9,500 people are today?
A top State Department official answered, “I don’t know.”
That is beyond inexcusable. It is another example of the Obama Administration’s failures that are putting our nation at risk.
Tashfeen Malik, one of the San Bernardino shooters, is perhaps the most notorious example of our failed vetting process. But she is by no means the only failure.
Senator Jeff Sessions has identified more than 30 examples of foreigners admitted to the country who later turned against us.
Yes, our immigration system needs major reform. Let’s make sure those reforms begin by putting our national security first.
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