March 1, 2002

Texas Eagle Forum News & Notes

EAGLE FORUM OF ALABAMA SPONSORS OVERFLOW CONFERENCE
Eagle Forum of Alabama, with Eunie Smith as state president, held its 21st annual state conference on Feb. 22-23 at the Birmingham Marriott, boasting its biggest attendance ever. Over 400 attended the Leadership Banquet, including every candidate for state office (including three gubernatorial candidates) and many prominent public officials including Supreme Court Chief Judge Roy Moore (of Ten Commandments fame). Phyllis Schlafly, the dinner speaker, addressed the topic "Security Starts at Our Borders."

The conference opened on Friday noon with Dr. John Eidsmoe speaking at lunch on "Islam: Countering Current Propaganda." Afternoon speakers included Michael Chapman on "Restructuring Society for a State Planned Economy," Dr. Tom Dooley on "Viable Alternatives to the Immorality of Human Cloning and Embryonic Stem Cell Research," and Dr. Verne Bacharach on "Can Science Justify State Funded Pre-K Programs?" The Saturday morning session called "Defending Alabama Pocketbooks" included Dr. Mark Thornton on "Taxes: How Much State Revenue is Enough?", Murfee Gewin on "Changing Face of Alabama Politics," Michael Ciamarra on "Constitution Rewrite: Who Benefits? What Alternatives?" The second session, called "Defending American Lives," featured Major General George Pickett speaking on "After Afghanistan What Next?" and Dr. Stephen Mosher on "China: Threat or Trading Partner." The luncheon speaker on Saturday was Judicial Watch's Larry Klayman, who spoke on "What the Government Isn't Telling Us About the Reasons for the Terrorist Crisis." All hands agreed that Alabama's 2002 conference was the best and most informative gathering of the Eagles ever. Tapes are available @ $5 from Eagle Forum of Alabama, 4200 Stone River Circle, Birmingham, AL 35213, (205) 879-7096.

SOUTH DAKOTA EAGLE FORUM MAKES NATIONAL NEWS
The South Dakota State Legislature, at the instigation of South Dakota Eagle Forum and state president Kitty Werthmann, passed a resolution in support of congressional legislation to "completely ban human cloning." The state Senate passed the resolution 32 to 1 and the state House passed it 63 to 4. South Dakota Eagles hope this will encourage Senate Majority Leader Daschle to bring the bill to a vote in the U.S. Senate.

Source: UPI Capital Comment Column, 2-26-02

GEORGIA SENATE PASSES EMERGENCY HEALTH PLAN
Georgia Eagle Forum leader Sue Ella Deadwyler reports in the Feb. 22 issue of Georgia Insight that the dangerous "Governor's Emergency Health Plan," which the February Phyllis Schlafly Report warns against, passed the Georgia Senate Feb.14 by a vote of 42 to 8. It transfers control over all health care to the state public health department whenever the governor declares a public health emergency. No public health personnel are elected; therefore, state employees not answerable to voters will control medical care in that emergency. The key features of the bill are: 1) it creates a computerized data gathering and sharing system for tracking private medical records; 2) A public health emergency can be declared if the governor merely believes there is a threat of bioterrorism; 3) the public health department may force vaccinations and treatment with or without a real threat; 4) religious exemptions are ignored if there is an epidemic or a threat of one; 5) compulsory isolation, segregation, quarantine and surveillance are authorized.

IMMIGRATION FRAUD FOUND "RAMPANT."
A study prepared for the U.S. House subcommittee on immigration by the General Accounting Office (GAO) was released Feb. 15, with little media attention. It reports that immigration fraud is now so great that it "threatens the integrity of the legal immigration system," and that fraud in the process is "pervasive and significant." The GAO, which is the investigative arm of Congress, further predicted that immigration fraud "will increase as smugglers and other criminal enterprises use fraud as another means of bringing illegal aliens, including criminal aliens, into the country." The authors of the study say they "believe that some aliens are using the benefit application process to enable them to carry out...crimes of violence, narcotics trafficking and terrorism" in the United States. Fraud occurs when otherwise ineligible aliens lie or deceive officials into thinking that they are related to a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident, or that they fit into a classification of especially needed workers. Some enter into sham marriages, or have unscrupulous employers list them as essential workers. Others impersonate clergy so as to be admitted under "religious worker" provisions. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) exacerbates the problem by insisting that applications be processed quickly.

Source: Washington Times, 2-23-02

MEXICO CALLS AGAIN TO 'INTEGRATE' WITH THE U.S.
Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Jorge Castaneda said in Ottawa, Canada on Feb. 22 that Mexico wants the U.S. to move more quickly toward integration on a continental scale. "We would like to continentalize as much as possible. . . . We have been pushing for this. And we have been encountering a receptive ear both in Canada and the United States. We would like to move more quickly." Mexican President Vicente Fox is on record as urging adoption of a common currency, a customs union, and the entire elimination of border controls.

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corp, 2-23-02

IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES RETURN TO PUSHING FOR AMNESTY
Silent for months following 9/11, the immigration lobby has renewed its effort to gain legal status for millions of illegal aliens in the U.S. They are conducting a postcard drive to lobby President Bush.

Source: Associated Press, 2-21-02

ATTACK ON THE USE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The New York Lawyers for the Public Interest has filed suit against two Brooklyn hospitals, accusing them of failing to offer non-English-speaking patients translation and interpretation services.

Source: Reuters, 2-22-02

LONG BEACH, CA. EAGLES HOST PROGRAM ON EDUCATION AND CANDIDATE FORUM
At its February 7 meeting, Eagle Forum of Long Beach presented Dean Gotcher, an internationally known researcher, founder and director of the Institution for Authority Research, and consultant, speaking on "Education Reform." Among the questions he addressed were " What are the differences between traditional and transformational ways of thinking?" "How do they relate to Outcome-Based Education, TQM, School To Work and Goals 2000?" "How do these processes affect the workplace, government, church or family relations?" and "How do these processes destroy faith in God?" For its March 7 meeting, the chapter has invited all local candidates in the April 9 primary nominating elections for Mayor, City Attorney, City Prosecutor, City Council, School Board, and Community College Trustee positions to appear and speak about their positions on the issues.

FLORIDA EAGLES TO HOST PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY
Alyse O'Neill, President of the Naples chapter of Eagle Forum, is taking reservations for her group's twenty-second annual fundraiser featuring Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly. At a luncheon on March 14 at the Naples Beach Club, Mrs. Schlafly will speak on the subject "Security Starts at our Borders."

COURT WATCH HOSTS UPCOMING CONFERENCE
Court Watch Chairman, Virginia Armstrong, announces the first annual national judicial policy convention "Courting Justice - a Conference on Judicial Reform," to be held in Greensboro, NC on Monday, April 15 & 16, 2002 at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons, Joseph S. Koury Convention Center 800/242-6556. Co-sponsors include Eagle Forum, Family Research Council, and the William Wilberforce Society of Greensboro. Phyllis Schlafly will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers include Virginia Armstrong, Tom Jipping, Ken Conner and Jan LaRue. For more information, call Conference Coordinator, Amy Kirkham at 336-288-9235.

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE STILL PONDERING PICKERING NOMINATION
"Borking Judge Pickering" is the way the Washington Times headlined its editorial (2-21-02) about the false and unfair smear by Senate Democrats against Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering Sr. nominated by President Bush to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It is particularly outrageous to suggest that he is tinged with racism, since back in 1967, Pickering risked his life to testify against a local Ku Klux Klan leader on trial for the firebombing death of a local civil rights worker.  Pickering has been endorsed by many blacks in his home state, including civil rights leader Charles Evers. According to Human Events (2-25-02), they are "intent on stopping President Bush from nominating conservatives to the U.S. Supreme Court, and have seized on the ...nomination of Charles Pickering as a chance to practice the vicious techniques they used top stop Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987, and also to send a message of intimidation to the White House."

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