2006 Conservative State of the Union

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Dorthy Newman
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Mission Statement The Family Research Council champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the

We shape public debate and formulate public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family.

data to demonstrate the vital link between the family and a healthy (2) We advocate ideas within Congress, the administration, the courts, and many

1 Mission Statement The Family Research Council champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. We shape public debate and formulate public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, we promote the Judeo- Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society Conservative State of the Union Strategy Our strategy is fourfold: (1) FRC is a think tank, developing and using the most recent social science data to demonstrate the vital link between the family and a healthy society. (2) We advocate ideas within Congress, the administration, the courts, and many state legislatures so that our ideas and policies will have an impact. (3) We educate and mobilize citizens through pastors and churches as well as through the print and broadcast media. (4) We develop future leaders for long-term, cultural change by training collegians through our Witherspoon Fellowship. frc TONY PERKINS, PRESIDENT 801 G STREET NW WASHINGTON, DC order line BC06B01 family research council Washington, DC

Tony Perkins President Dear Friend, The following is a family policy speech I delivered on January 27, 2006 at an event entitled; The Conservative State of the Union.

The other presenters were former Michigan Governor John Engler who spoke on economic policy and the President of the Center for Security Policy, Frank Gaffney, who spoke on national security.

In 1796 in his final address to Congress he made the following statement: Of all the habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.

2 Tony Perkins President Dear Friend, The following is a family policy speech I delivered on January 27, 2006 at an event entitled; The Conservative State of the Union. This well attended event, which drew significant media attention, was hosted by Paul Weyrich, President of the Free Congress Foundation. The other presenters were former Michigan Governor John Engler who spoke on economic policy and the President of the Center for Security Policy, Frank Gaffney, who spoke on national security. Conservative State of the Union Our first President, George Washington, began the practice of delivering annual messages to Congress on the state of the Union in In 1796 in his final address to Congress he made the following statement: Of all the habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would men claim the tributes of patriotism who would work to destroy these great pillars of human happiness. The presentation, which was made just days before President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, aired several times across the country on C-SPAN. My remarks were designed to strike a chord of both urgency and opportunity while laying out the policy priorities of the Family Research Council for The dedicated staff of Family Research Council and I will work daily to help our nation s leaders understand the vital importance of preserving the family as outlined in my message. We will educate. We will debate when needed. And we will mobilize concerned citizens. Thank you for the important part that you will play. Sincerely, Tony Perkins, President Two hundred and ten years later those great pillars, despite repeated and persistent attempts to topple them, continue to hold up our Republic. As the modern conservative movement has matured over the last 30 years there has been an ongoing process of restoring these pillars to their once grand state.

We are witnessing the principles of the conservative movement being passed to the next generation. The conservative movement is not only alive and well, but it is growing.

portunity to employ the principles of conservatism to enrich and extend the life of this Republic.

3 We are witnessing the principles of the conservative movement being passed to the next generation. The conservative movement is not only alive and well, but it is growing. I was reminded of that growth this past Monday as thousands of young people joined in events marking the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade in Washington, D.C. portunity to employ the principles of conservatism to enrich and extend the life of this Republic. In the last election voters not only returned President Bush to office but they expanded the conservative majorities in Congress. What was their motivation? The media unwittingly put their finger on the answer when they attributed the remarkable turnout to values voters. Values voters, extending beyond the ranks of identifiable social conservatives, are average Americans wearied by limousine liberals and activist judges whose elite prejudices have led to the corruption of our culture. The preservation of religion and morality, the two indispensable pillars that our first President warned were essential to our political prosperity, was at the heart of the values voters concerns. Before looking forward we must look back to see the significant gains that have been made on behalf of the unborn: among them the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and, although temporarily held hostage by the courts, the federal ban on partial-birth abortion. Before us is an unparalleled opportunity. Years of prayer, tireless commitment and fruitful labor by many, some present here today, have brought about a conservative majority in Congress and arguably one of our nation s most conservative presidents. But the victory is not in simply arriving at this moment, the victory is in seizing it. History will judge us based not upon whether we won a conservative majority, but whether we used this op- The Republican Party s pledge to protect marriage, rein in activist judges, clean up the public airwaves, protect young women and unborn children, and preserve our religious freedoms led a majority of Americans to entrust the GOP with the leadership of the Republic. That trust is not unconditional; it is dependent upon the Republican majority and a small but growing bloc of courageous Democrats to fight to uphold the values that they campaigned so aggressively upon.

latter group, in particular, has continuously attacked voluntary prayer, abstinence programs, religious freedoms, faith-based programs, marriage and just about everything else associated with

Improving Broadcast Decency Defending Marriage The conservative majority must now act to protect the institution of marriage by sending an amendment to the constitution to the American people for

4 latter group, in particular, has continuously attacked voluntary prayer, abstinence programs, religious freedoms, faith-based programs, marriage and just about everything else associated with mainstream religion and morality. Improving Broadcast Decency Defending Marriage The conservative majority must now act to protect the institution of marriage by sending an amendment to the constitution to the American people for ratification. To date 19 states, all that have placed the question on the ballot, have passed constitutional amendments or the equivalent to protect marriage. Just this past week a Maryland judge imposed samesex marriage in that state and for the first time this past year a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon, struck down a state constitutional amendment approved by over 70% of the voters in Nebraska. Cold feet or not, it is time for Congress to get in step with the people of this nation. Defunding the Left The Republican majority in Congress must amend the law to halt the abuse of the public purse by halting funding and other awards to left-wing organizations like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. The Two years ago Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. In the two years since that episode Congress has no doubt been exposed to many re-runs, but they have not moved forward on cleaning up the public airwaves. A fine of $32,500 is not even a slap on the wrist when 30-second advertising spots can generate as much as $2.5 million. Congress must put teeth in the FCC s enforcement efforts by increasing the fines that have gone unchanged for decades. Building a Culture of Life Over 40 states have laws in effect that require the consent or notification of at least one parent, or court authorization, before a minor can obtain an abortion. Congress must act this year to protect the rights of parents and the well being of vulnerable minors from unscrupulous adults who would evade these state laws by transporting these young girls across state lines. Congress must pass the Child Custody Protection Act. In the past few weeks Korean scientist Hwang Woosuk has proven again that research surrounding cloning and embryonic stem cells is both ineffective and unethical. Not that I enjoy holding up the United Nations as an example of moral fortitude, but that international body has shown more leadership than the U.S. Congress by passing a measure calling for a worldwide cloning ban. To continue building a culture of life, Congress should pass and send to the President this year a measure

the lethal instruments wielded against them.

5 that nearly 80% of Americans support - the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. As a result of the court testimony surrounding the challenge to the partialbirth abortion ban, we now know from the lips of the abortionists themselves that maturing unborn children feel the pain of the lethal instruments wielded against them. How can we possibly hold ourselves out as a civilized society when we provide more legal protection from feeling pain to commercial livestock than to unborn children? To further push back the corruption of our culture, Congress should address the Pandora s Box of euthanasia that the Supreme Court recently opened with its decision in Gonzales v. Oregon, the assisted suicide case. Family-Friendly Economics Families are the engine of our economy and they should not be forgotten in our fiscal policies. The President s tax relief provisions of 2001, 2003 and 2004 must be made permanent. At the top of these provisions are the $1,000 per child tax credit, the death tax, and marriage penalty relief. Without making these family friendly tax cuts permanent, families will experience huge tax hikes upon their expiration, which could be a significant setback to the nation s economy. Congress should also act quickly to protect private property from government confiscation for economic redevelopment purposes. Opposing Gambling and Political Corruption And finally, the recent allegations of political corruption surrounding gambling have, pardon the expression, upped the ante for Congress to act now to stop the scourge of gambling and its corrupting influence on all levels of government. Two hundred and ten years after President Washington s final words to Congress, we can say that a majority of Americans have identified and repudiated those who have attempted to robe themselves in the garment of patriotism while leading attack after attack on the two great pillars of our Republic, religion and morality. That majority has responded by advancing men and women who have pledged to preserve and restore those great pillars. At no time in recent history, and in no other nation, has that been more clearly seen than in the 2004 U.S. election results. The resolve of the American electorate to see these pillars of religion and morality restored to their rightful place in our society is strong. All that remains to be seen is the resolve of those the people have chosen to stand on their behalf in the halls of government.

6 2006 Legislative Priorities 1. Marriage Protection Amendment 2. Advance Religious Liberties: Defund the ACLU 3. Defund Planned Parenthood 4. Enforce Broadcast Decency 5. Child Custody Protection Act 6. Cloning Prohibition Act 7. Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act 8. Make Family-Friendly Tax Cuts Permanent 9. Protect Private Property Rights 10. End Gambling Expansion 11. Confirm Strict Constructionist Judges Additional Resources from frc DOMA Won t Do It - Why the Constitution Must Be Amended to Save Marriage BC04D03 The legal revolution to make same-sex marriage the law of the land is advancing more quickly than many imagined. With the Massachusetts case Goodridge v. Department of Health, homosexual marriage has gone from exotic suggestion to virtual reality in barely a decade. This pamphlet answers objections to a federal marriage amendment and explains why such an amendment is necessary. Human Cloning: The Abuse of Science BC04J01 This incisive pamphlet, written by two FRC bioethics experts, provides an overview of the process of cloning and powerfully shows how the use of human life in that process is a profound abuse of science. Partial-Birth Abortion on Trial BC05K02 When the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was signed into law, it faced legal challenges by pro-abortion groups and abortion doctors themselves. This resource uses actual court transcripts and the words of the abortion doctors themselves to describe this horrific and brutal procedure. Dealing with Pornography: A Practical Guide for Protecting Your Family and Your Community BC05C01 Written by the former chief of the U.S. Department of Justice s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, this extremely practical pamphlet explains how to fight porn in stores, on the Internet, and on television -- what options you have, whom to contact, and what to expect. Stem Cell Research, Cloning and Human Embryos BC04C01 Various bioethics issues have entered into current moral and political debate. This pamphlet offers and examination of stem cell research, both embryonic and adult. Also included is a clear overview of cloning and a discussion of human embryos. Judicial Activism and the Threat to the Constitution BC05F01 Professor Robert George of Princeton explains how judges who impose their own political ideology upon their decisions violate the Constitution and threaten both the family and democracy itself. Publicly Honoring God : Justice Antonin Scalia on the Ten Commandments BC05G01 The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against the display of a framed copy of the Ten Commandments in a Kentucky courthouse. FRC reprints excerpts from Justice Antonin Scalia s dissenting opinion in this case, which explain why neither history nor precedent supports the Court s conclusion that publicly honoring God in such a way violates the Constitution. To order these resources or to see more FRC publications, visit our website at www. frc.org or call

- A New York town clerk doesn't want to participate in signing gay marriage licenses.

- A New York town clerk doesn't want to participate in signing gay marriage licenses. Rundown of FNIF programs for Friday, July 1, 2011 Rhode Island passes civil unions. The Department of Justice is appealing a DOMA ruling. - Planned Parenthood acknowledges other Medicaid providers. - A