[Active-l] (ACTION ITEM) Call to oppose PERA

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

	Focus on the Family and several other fundamentalist groups are 
working to push PERA, the "Public Expression of Religion Act," which 
would change civil rights laws to prevent court and attourney fees from 
being collected from the loser of a religious-establishment court case. 
The intent is to make it much more difficult to oppose government 
endorsement of religion via the courts, something they want to do via a 
whole collection of methods. I strongly recommend calling to oppose 
PERA; right now, it's sliding through without much notice, and the 
fundamentalists would like very much to keep it that way.
	Another vote is supposed to come through soon, so I recommend contact 
as soon as possible.
					- Dara

-----
More Action on American Values Agenda in Congress
A package of bills designed to address pro-family issues continues to 
advance.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 12, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041949.cfm

The American Values Agenda is steadily moving through the House of 
Representatives, but it's become a race to the recess.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and House Majority Leader John 
Boehner, R-Ohio, bundled 10 pro-family bills into a legislative package 
in June. Amanda Banks, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family 
Action, said the House has been working to pass the agenda ever since.

"The House got started pretty quickly moving these bills," she said. 
"It passed five out of the 10 in July. Of course, they went on recess 
in August and just came back this week."

Next week could see action on H.R. 2679, the Public Expression of 
Religion Act (PERA), sponsored by Rep, John Hostettler, R-Ind. It 
passed the House Judiciary Committee last week.

"We are hearing that a vote on PERA is imminent and will probably come 
next week," Banks said. "We want to be sure our voices are heard on 
Capitol Hill."

Hostettler's bill would reform civil-rights laws that enable groups 
like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to file so-called 
Establishment Clause cases against cities and counties and, if it wins, 
to collect hefty attorneys' fees with tax-payer dollars.

While the suits would continue, the bill would eliminate a provision of 
the law concerning attorneys' fees.

There are plenty of examples why the change is needed.

• In 2001, county officials in Iowa agreed to remove the Ten 
Commandments from the grounds of a courthouse rather than face the 
possibility of paying the challenger's legal fees.

• In 2004, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-to-2 to 
remove a tiny cross from the County Seal when the ACLU threatened to 
sue, rather than take the case to court and risk paying attorneys' 
fees.

• In 2000, the ACLU of Montana settled a lawsuit out of court with a 
county government over the Ten Commandments and a nativity scene placed 
on public property.

"It is outrageous," Hostettler said, "that public officials have been 
threatened with the prospect of financial ruin, merely because they 
wish to defend their constitutional rights in a court of law. My 
legislation allows these folks to have their case heard before a judge 
rather than settling it out of court."

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., has introduced a companion bill.

In addition to PERA, the American Values Agenda consists of the Pledge 
Protection Act; the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act; the 
Internet Gambling Prohibition Act; the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act; 
the Human Cloning Prohibition Act; Permanent Tax Relief for Families, 
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATFE) Reform and the Disaster 
Recovery Personal Protection Act.

One of those bills, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's Freedom to Display the 
American Flag Act, was signed into law on July 24. Only one bill — Rep. 
Marilyn Musgrave's Marriage Protection Amendment — has failed. The 
236-187 vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed for a 
constitutional amendment.

Two bills — the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act and the Human Cloning 
Prohibition Act — have experienced somewhat slow progress.

"There is still a possibility that we could see votes on the Human 
Cloning Prohibition Act and the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act," Banks 
said. "Both are very good pro-life bills, but we're not sure if they 
will happen or not. So this is a great time to encourage your 
representatives to make sure both get a vote before the end of the 
year."

TAKE ACTION:
Contact your representative and ask him or her to support and cosponsor 
the American Values Agenda bills. Especially ask for support of the 
upcoming vote on PERA.

For help in contacting your lawmakers, please see the CitizenLink 
Action Center.

If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue 
"Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our 
Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.

--
Please do not add this email address to any mailing
lists, or give it to any company or web site. Thanks!