FRC Monthly Support Newletter August 1994


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SUMMARY:        Gary reviews FRC's recent progress/accomplishments,
                assesses their victories, and analyzes their defeats.
                He then tells of their plans for the future.
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August 12, 1994


        In polling, it is very difficult to find anything upon which
        three-quarters of all Americans agree. Nevertheless, 83 percent
        of Americans agree with the statement, "Most Members of
        Congress care more about keeping power than they do about the
        best interests of the nation," and only 14 percent disagree.
        Those are truly mind-boggling numbers.

                     -- Political analyst Charles E. Cook
                        Commenting on an _ABC News/Washington Post_ Poll
                        "Roll Call", July 7, 1994

Dear Friend: I hope you are having an enjoyable and adventure-filled summer. By the time you receive this letter, Members of Congress will be preparing to return to Washington, D.C. following their August vacation -- assuming the health care debate doesn't interfere. Actually, the Congressional calendar officially refers to this annual time off as a "district work period." Now, I don't want you to get the idea that I begrudge our Senators and Congressmen -- who do work hard -- a little time away from Washington, D.C. In fact, based on the poll numbers Charles Cook cites above, most Americans might wish that our Congressmen and Senators would take even longer vacations.

Public opinion today seems to clearly indicate the sorry state of our government's affairs. Like most things in life, however, there are always two sides to the story. Many of those who expressed a negative opinion to the pollsters about politicians, haven't bothered to vote in years. Their failure to participate in the political process has only compounded the problem. If the actions of Congress do not reflect the desires of the nation, how will it improve matters if citizens refuse to express their displeasure at the polling booth?

I know I'm probably preaching to the choir on this subject. But my letter this month is not really about the public distrust of Congress, it is more about the trust you have chosen to place in Family Research Council. With Congress out of town, August is a good month for FRC to take stock of where we are. This Congressional vacation period gives us the opportunity to carefully review our progress, assess our victories, analyze our defeats, then make plans for the future. Let me briefly share with you some of FRC's recent highs and lows -- and where I see our strategic planning leading us in the days and months ahead.

Washington Watch

"Washington Watch" is FRC's meat-and-potatoes publication. This October we will celebrate its fifth anniversary of informing and educating our constituents on family-related issues. In that short time frame, "Watch" has grown from a circulation of 38,000 in its first year to over 220,000 regular recipients. The numbers are actually much higher if we count the bulk copies being distributed each month by churches, businesses and other organizations.

Most of FRC's calls to action are issued through "Watch". Some are directed at specific legislative initiatives while others are intended to put heat on the administration and various federal agencies. As more and more concerned citizens sign up to receive "Watch", FRC's impact on the government bureaucracies whose schemes affect the family unit also increases. Our goal for "Watch" is to double its current circulation by the end of 1996. We need your help to accomplish this goal. You can assist us by sending in the names of people you know who are also concerned about the direction in which our country is headed.

The EEOC and "Religious Harassment"

The impact of "Washington Watch" was recently demonstrated during the continuing battle with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. FRC used several issues of "Watch" to inform American families about the serious threat posed by the new EEOC policies. The controversy centers around the adoption of a new set of guidelines pertaining to religious harassment in the workplace. If enacted, they would leave employers little choice but to ban all religious expression from their place of business, or risk the legal consequences. Spurred on by the alerts issued in "Watch" and through encouragement from other sources, over 100,000 concerned Americans responded by writing to the EEOC to protest the implementation of the proposed guidelines. FRC actively moved forward on a variety of other fronts as well to marshal opposition to the EEOC's intended action. Our legal policy director met with EEOC lawyers to present our concerns. We supplied names of informed individuals who were willing to testify against the guidelines on Capitol Hill. We also arranged TV and radio interviews, conducted background research and wrote guest editorials.

I believe the results on this issue have been impressive so far. Both the House and the Senate (the latter by a vote of 94-0) have now voted to instruct the EEOC to clarify the proposed regulations by removing all threats to the fundamental right of free exercise of religion. Unfortunately, the destructive forces of liberalism seldom rest these days, and I believe this battle is far from over. The encouraging news to me, however, is that so many families like yours read FRC's materials and respond to our calls to action.

Standing Firm for Religious Rights

Unfortunately, too often our effectiveness in defeating initiatives like the EEOC guidelines spawns even more direct attacks on the pro-family movement. For months now, I have watched with growing dismay as story after story slamming those who profess faith in God has appeared in the national media. The liberal elite would have us believe that voters who are motivated by their spiritual beliefs and political activists who possess a conservative bent are a threat to the well-being of the republic. At least one national spokesman, Vic Fazio of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has recently been using such phrases as "fire breathing," "radical" Christian right to describe those of us who would dare to resist the attacks on the moral underpinnings of our society.

FRC is non-partisan, which means we will aggressively oppose attacks on family, faith and freedom from either political party and from every direction. Bigotry against Americans who publicly profess their faith is the most common form of intolerance in American public life today. On this issue, we couldn't wait for media opportunities to express FRC's point of view because most of the liberal media don't seem to understand either the issue or the problem.

We responded to these attacks by repeatedly issuing pleas for America's legislators, policy makers and opinion leaders to remember the men and women of faith who have helped carve out the history of our nation. FRC encouraged them to reject the anti-religious impulses that have written some of our history's darkest chapters.

We felt so strongly about the need to take a stand that we purchased national advertising space to drive the message home. Our recent full-page advertisement in USA Today entitled, "We didn't ask..." has precipitated a tremendous response, but even more importantly, it has helped some of the media to finally understand that a genuine issue exists and that it must be addressed. Our boldness on this issue provided me with the opportunity to articulate our case for protecting the full rights of religious Americans on a number of occasions. One such event was a luncheon for Republican Senators here in Washington. Within hours of my remarks, a letter to President Clinton had been drafted, circulated and signed by all forty-four Republican Senators calling for a "cessation of hostilities" against religious conservatives.

Frankly, I'd like to see every public official in the country sign this letter. There is no reason why any elected leader with good moral character should refuse. Even though FRC first became involved in this ad campaign as a matter of conscience, I now see the possibility of a far-reaching impact on this front that could discourage attacks on men and women of faith for many years to come.

Research: The Long Haul for Family Values

The intense skirmish I've just described is but another interlude in a long and difficult journey. I've never gotten used to the fact that an active campaign to protect the basic institution of the family should even be necessary in American society today. It's still something of a shock to me as I wake up each morning and realize that my staff and I must continually come up with new strategies to promote and defend the values upon which our nation was founded.

FRC's overarching purpose is to defend family, faith and freedom and in so doing to deliver the good news about family values to the American people in every way possible. That is why we are committed to advancing the case for pro-family public policy based upon the foundation of top-notch research and analysis. With God's help and the support and encouragement of faithful friends like you, I believe we will ultimately prevail!

FRC was in the forefront of the news again this past June when Planned Parenthood's research institute released the results of a national study on teenagers and sex. Their interpretation of the results downplayed the harmful effects on our youth from the collapse of traditional moral values. Our response on TV, over the airwaves and in print exposed Planned Parenthood's gross manipulation of the statistical data as well as their orchestrated attempt to disguise the real truth.

In response to Planned Parenthood's study, we released an analysis of our own. We have also held roundtable discussions with young Americans from across the country to help us craft a powerful pro-abstinence message for print advertising and poster display. We recently unveiled the ad shown at left in conjunction with the closing rally of the True Love Waits celebration held in Washington, D.C. on July 29th. You'll want to watch for my letter next month as we unveil FRC's full series of pro-abstinence ads and make them available for you to obtain. Our primary aim is to communicate the helpful, hopeful message that sexual abstinence prior to marriage is the right choice and that true love is worth waiting for.

I thought you'd also be interested to know that FRC recently announced the powerful results of another research project. This study details the impact of job loss on families that would result from the enactment of either President Clinton's health reform plan or the similar bill promoted by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). The final results, produced in conjunction with the highly respected CONSAD econometric modeling firm, demonstrated that families with children would be disproportionately harmed by the job-killing employer funding mandate included in Clinton's plan. This report has helped provide the intellectual arguments necessary to remove the employer funding mandate in recent Senate committee votes on health care. Our efforts on this issue have gained FRC the ear of many key Senators, and through them we intend to maintain the pressure for commonsense, pro-family alternatives.

Finally, this fall FRC will release our first video documentary, entitled "The Children of Table 34". This film documents the shocking sex research involving children included in the studies by Dr. Alfred Kinsey. Since his findings were published more than 40 years ago, this flawed research has had a tremendous impact on sex education, the law and cultural values. We now know Kinsey enlisted homosexuals and pedophiles to assist him in his research on the sexuality of children. You will be hearing more from us later about this powerful film introduced by well-known actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. The basis for the film is "Kinsey, Sex and Fraud," a book the leading British medical journal, "The Lancet," has described as demolishing the scientific foundations of the infamous Kinsey sex studies of the 1940's and 50's.

As you can see, FRC has undertaken plenty of homework on our summer vacation. With schools opening soon and Congress set to return to the Capitol, our workload is only going to increase. I believe that FRC has been called to take some difficult stands, and I want to thank you for your willingness to stand tall with us. I want to assure you of our determination to use every means at our disposal, including our newsletter ("Washington Watch"), guest editorials, media appearances, paid advertising, public service announcements, research studies and video projects to effectively communicate the pro-family message. I also want you to know that it is your prayers, your personal involvement and your financial support that help to open so many doors of opportunity for FRC.

From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my dedicated staff here at FRC, thank you and may God continue to richly bless you. Your continued support of FRC's efforts is making a critical difference for the future of America's families.

                                        Sincerely,

                                        Gary L. Bauer
                                        President

P.S. Now that we've shared with you some of the details of our busy summer, why not send us a note and tell us about yours? Our mail usually drops during the summer months, as families -- we hope and pray -- spend more time together out-of-doors enjoying God's wonderful Creation. Your messages of encouragement and support let us know that, in your eyes, we're doing the right things. Please write us and let us know how we're doing as we "fight the good fight" for families.

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FRC Monthly Support Newsletter provided by courtest of Mark Conty.

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