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Vol. 1 No.9
October
12, 2004
From the Desk of Pastor Rick
Scarborough
GEORGIA COUNTY MAY LOSE
TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT
Sadly, Barrow County, Georgia, may
lose the Ten Commandments display in its courthouse, due to its
inability to pay attorneys' fees to defend the monument.
Thus far, the county has spent $135,00 defending against a
lawsuit seeking to have the display removed. All of that has
come from church donations. But funding has run out, the case
drags on, and the other side apparently has inexhaustible
resources.
Due to a law passed by Congress decades ago, if a governmental
entity loses a First Amendment case, it's required to pay
plaintiff's attorney's fees. On the other hand, if a group
seeking to eradicate God's law loses, it doesn't have to pay a
penny to the city or state which may have spent hundreds of
thousands dollars defending the symbols.
This encourages groups like the ACLU and Americans United for
Separation of Church and State to go on a seek-and-destroy
mission against tokens of America's Godly heritage. It's just
one more way the legal deck is stacked against Christians trying
to preserve one nation under God.
BIRMINGHAM
POLICE PIN HOPES ON TEN COMMANDMENTS
After three police officers were
killed in the line of duty, cops in Birmingham, Alabama began
wearing Ten Commandments pins as a tribute to their fallen
comrades.
It is a fitting tribute. After all, the injunction against
murder comes not from the Declaration of Independence or United
States Constitution but from Sinai. By wearing these pins,
police silently attest to the fact that the killers of their
brother officers violated God's law, as well as the laws of man
(and the reality that the latter are based on the former).
The Birmingham PD should brace itself for the inevitable assault
by the ACLU, which worries less about cop killers than public
display of Thou Shalt Not Kill.
CATHOLIC
STUDENT SILENCED DURING "DIVERSITY WEEK"
A federal district court judge
ordered the Ann Arbor public schools to pay $102,738 in
attorneys fees to the Thomas Moore Law Center, which
successfully represented a student whose free-speech rights were
violated.
During so-called Diversity Week 2002 (which, if truth in
advertising applied here, would be called Celebrate
Homosexuality Week), Betsy Hansen was silenced when she tried to
present the teachings of her church on homosexuality, at an
assembly where all of the speakers were pro-gay rights.
This highlights a travesty: In the guise of teaching
sensitivity, many schools have become brainwashing forums for
the homosexual agenda. Just imagine what they'll be able to do
in our schools, if gay marriage becomes the norm.
CHRISTIAN
PATRIOTS BRAVE THE STORM IN OKLAHOMA
More than 300 Christians braved a
driving rain to show their support for Biblical values at a
rally for "God and Country: For Such a Time as This," on the
South steps of the Oklahoma Capitol this past Sunday.
I was privileged to address these stalwarts, along with State
Senator Jim Williamson (leader of Oklahomans for Protection of
Marriage) and Mike Jestes (executive director of the Oklahoma
Family Policy Council).
Oklahoma is one of 10 states that will have marriage protection
amendments on the November ballot. On Sunday, Christians
weathered the storm to rally for the amendment to maintain God's
definition of marriage, as well as in support of greater
Christian political participation.
I was proud to be with them and encouraged by their commitment
to the tradition that made America great.
ACTION TODAY
KEEPING THE CROSS
IN THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SEAL
The Campaign for California
Families is supporting a petition drive to keep the cross in
the Los Angeles County seal. If they can collect 341,212
valid signatures by March 1, 2005, it will stop a scheme by
the ACLU and three county supervisors to remove the cross,
until the people vote.
The seal, which was designed in
1957, contains a small cross, to honor the Christian
missionaries who helped establish the early settlement that
became Los Angeles.
Patriot pastors and concerned
Christians in or near LA County are urged to help gather
signatures. Others may wish to contact The Campaign for
California Families at (916) 443-1410 or at
http://www.savecalifornia.com to find out what they can do to help.
Pray for the success of the petition drive. If the ACLU and
the liberal supervisors have their way, next, they'll want
to change the county's name. After all, doesn't The Angels,
violate their distorted view of the First Amendment?
EARLY VOTING
With less than three weeks to go
before what could be the most important election in our
lifetimes, voting by absentee ballot has already begun..
You don’t have to be away from
home to take advantage of this option. Many states make
liberal provision for absentee voting. To find out who
qualifies for using an absentee ballot, go to the website of
your state’s secretary of state.
MAYDAY FOR
MARRIAGE
This Friday, October 15th, is the
Mayday for Marriage rally on the National Mall in Washington,
D.C. (noon to 3pm). Mayday is the international symbol for an
impending disaster - which is exactly what gay marriage would
mean to the institution of marriage and the family.
Distinguished speakers will include
Dr. James Dobson, Chuck Colson, Tony Perkins of the Family
Research Council, Rabbi Daniel Lapin and Richard Land of the
Southern Baptist Convention. For more information - including
registration and transportation for the rally -- go to
http://www.maydayformarriage.com.
AMERICA FOR
JESUS
Here's a message from my friend Bishop
John Gimenez. National Chairman of America for Jesus - A Day of
Fasting and Prayer for America (October 22nd, starting at noon,
on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.)
"I Timothy 2:1-2 commands us to pray
for all in authority that we might lead Godly lives in peace. We
also know that the God of our Covenant tells us that a nation
that is in right standing before Him will defeat her enemies."
"We are honored to ask you to join our
network of churches and a growing number of leaders across the
Body of Christ for a time of fasting and prayer on the Mall,
October 22, 2004 at 12pm."
I have been given the honor of
speaking at this rally. I
hope as many of you as possible will attend this historic event.
For more information, go to http://apjc.unored.com.
If you would
like a fellow pastor or friend to receive Vision America’s
twice-weekly PATRIOT PASTOR E-MAIL ALERT, please call our office at
(936) 699-1131 or enter their e-mail address at our newsletter site –
http://www.visionamerica.us
Contributions to further Vision America’s vital work are deeply
appreciated. You may also contribute with a credit card online at
http://www.visionamerica.us.
Register Voters
– Pastors, the deadline is fast
approaching to register voters. These vary from state to state, from
as many as 30 days to as few as 10 days prior to Election Day. For
registration requirements in your state, contact the secretary of
state’s office or go to our website,
http://www.visionamerica.us
and use the “register to vote” link.
For more news of
interest to concerned Christians, visit the Vision America website -
http://www.visionamerica.us
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