Freedom Writer - September 1995

_Religious_Right_update_

Flip flips Jane Roe

Dallas, TX – Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of the 1973 _Roe_v._Wade_ 
case in which the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion, became a 
born-again Christian this August. The Rev. Flip Benham, head of Operation 
Rescue (OR), befriended McCorvey and convinced her to accept Jesus.

"All I'm doing is watching out for Norma's salvation and Norma's ass, 
and it's just that simple," McCorvey told reporters.

While the conversion is a symbolic coup for Operation Rescue, it is 
also a public relations nightmare. After her water immersion baptism 
by Benham, McCorvey was led away by her lesbian lover. Then she told 
reporters that she believes a woman has a right to an abortion in 
the first trimester, "but I think it should be illegal after the second 
abortion."

Benham met McCorvey after his organization moved in next door to A 
Choice for Women, a Dallas clinic where she was employed as marketing 
director. She has since left that position and now works for Operation 
Rescue.

"You won't be seeing Norma for awhile," Benham said during an appearance 
on Pat Robertson's "700 Club." "We're going to intensively disciple 
her." In other words, OR will attempt to brainwash McCorvey in an 
effort to bring her thinking around to views acceptable to them. Benham 
is also convinced he can get her to leave her partner of 26 years.

Reed meets with Dole

Washington, DC – Ralph Reed recently met with Senator Bob Dole and 
outlined the Christian Coalition demands for any welfare bill. The 
Senate is expected to debate welfare reform in early September. The 
Christian Coalition's demands are:

_
Family cap prohibiting the use of federal funds to give additional 
cash benefits to mothers who have additional children while on welfare.
Denial of cash benefits to unmarried teen mothers to discourage young 
women from having children out-of-wedlock.
Illegitimacy ratio providing additional funds for those states that 
have succeeded in  reducing the number of out-of-wedlock births without 
increasing the birth rate.
Require paternity establishment for potential AFDC recipients.
Funding for abstinence education programs under Maternal Child Health 
Program.
_

Currently, nine senators stand firm with the Christian Coalition on 
welfare reform. They are: Ashcroft (R-MO), Burns (R-MT), Coats (R-IN), 
Coverdell (R-GA), Craig (R-ID), Faircloth (R-NC), Gramm (R-TX), Kyl 
(R-AZ), and Smith (R-NH).

Opposition research?

Colorado Springs, CO – According to a Russ Reid Company survey, more 
than one-third of the adults who donate to Operation Rescue also give 
money to Planned Parenthood, and 20 percent of these same donors contribute 
to the National Organization for Women. One theory, suggested by Christian 
Coalition's Mike Russell, credits the crossover to people who want 
to monitor opposition groups. _(From__The_Pastor's_Weekly_Briefing_, 
August 18, 1995.)_

Wildmon joins Buchanan campaign

McLean, VA – The Rev. Donald Wildmon, founder and president of the 
Tupelo, Mississippi-based American Family Association, has joined 
the Buchanan for President campaign as its national co-chairman. Pat 
Buchanan said he was "honored by the support of such a fine American," 
a respected friend who had "stood up to and exposed Hollywood's assault 
on traditional values when few others would."

In recent years Wildmon has been criticized for his alleged anti-Semitism. 
"Only a relatively small handful of people determine what Americans 
can and will see on network television," he wrote in his book _The_
Home_Invaders_. "These people are overtly hostile to the Christian 
faith."

"Hollywood and the theater world is heavily influenced by Jewish people.... 
Of the people who are responsible for our films...sixty-two percent 
identified themselves as Jewish," Wildmon wrote.

Coors cares

Golden, CO – The Coors Brewing Company now offers benefits to domestic 
partners of its employees, including gays and lesbians. Considering 
the history of the company, and the ultra-right political stance of 
members of the Coors family, the move came as a surprise to many. 
Coors funds groups such as the Heritage Foundation, Paul Weyrich's 
Free Congress Foundation, Network Empowerment Television, Pat Robertson's 
Regent University, and Bob Simond's Citizens for Excellence in Education.

The Revolutionary Force of America

Laurel, MS  – "The question is not 'Will America have another Revolution?' 
The question is 'WHEN'?" Those words grace the front piece of a brochure 
by a new group called the Revolutionary Force of America, based in 
Laurel, Mississippi.

Founded by Richard Headrick and his wife Gina, the Revolutionary Force 
of America intends to "build a fleet," joined by "other fleets God 
has raised up, and together we become an armada, a floating army."

"Your physical support by praying, becoming active in voting for God's 
candidates and by speaking out about issues that concern us will allow 
us to make a real difference in what happens in our government."

The Headricks own  Headrick Companies, a sign manufacturing and outdoor 
advertising firm in Mississippi. They employ tractor-trailer rigs 
with sides that open up to sell "American-made products" and travel 
to auto races, rallies, air shows, etcetera.

"We will soon reach a point where we are large enough to command attention, 
where politicians will know that the Revolutionary Force of America 
is the combined voice of thousands of Americans all over the nation, 
demanding attention and action," the Headricks said. The group claims 
six state offices, with members in 14 states. But, "we are just beginning," 
they warn. 	

God and country in Branson

Branson, MO – There's too much of that old-time religion in Branson, 
Missouri, America's country music mecca, according to travel writer 
Arthur Frommer. Frommer, author of such books as _Europe_on_$5_A_Day_, 
has just released _Branson!_, a guidebook to the town taken over by 
the Religious Right.

Frommer writes about being "horrified" by "intensely political, extremely 
right-wing viewpoints" in Branson shows, and calls country entertainers 
hypocrites for living lives that do not reflect the values in the 
gospel songs they sing. 

A Nashville-area correspondent for _The_Freedom_Writer_ attended a 
Christian Patriot's conference in Branson two days after the April 
19th Oklahoma City bombing. Conference speakers included Larry Pratt 
of Gun Owners of America, who spoke on the Biblical mandate to arm, 
and Pete Peters of Scriptures for America.

As cited in the May 8 edition of _Time_ magazine, our correspondent 
reported, "I mingled with a lot of people there, and there was not 
one shred of sympathy for what happened in Oklahoma." Some of the 
550 in attendance felt that the carnage was understandable retaliation 
for the 1993 government raid in Waco, Texas, he said. 

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