Dear Friend, Here's the latest edition of Right Wing Watch Online, People For the American Way's new every-few-weeks electronic newsletter on the Religious Right political movement. We monitor every aspect of the Religious Right's work, and maintain video and print libraries of the their television and radio broadcasts, direct mail, newsletters, books and more. The purpose of this newsletter is to share some of the highlights in relatively raw form -- that is, we'll tell you what they're saying and doing in their various communications, and you can draw your own conclusions. Please feel free to forward this newsletter far and wide. If you're reading this because it was forwarded to you, you'll find subscription information at the very end. The newsletter is free. (Directions on how to unsubscribe are at the end as well.) --------------------------------------------------------- RIGHT WING WATCH ONLINE, #1.4 A. In the Mail 1) Concerned Women for America -- the NEA 2) Family Research Council -- youth initiatives 3) American Family Association -- HOPE '97 tour 4) Jerry Falwell -- back on the road 5) The Christian Coalition's upcoming events B. On the Airwaves 1) Paul Weyrich -- Ralph Reed's resignation 2) Ralph Reed -- Alabama rally 3) Michael Schwartz -- impeaching the President 4) James Dobson -- environmental education 5) Jerry Falwell -- "Ellen" coming out C. On the Net 1) Alabama Rally for the Ten Commandments D. A Useful Fact RIGHT WING WATCH ONLINE, Issue 1.4 (5/2/97) The last few weeks have seen a mishmash of messages in the Religious Right's direct mail. Some groups have focused on tried-and-true fundraising subjects, including attacking the National Education Association, the Clinton Administration and environmental education. A few took the opportunity to announce new initiatives to their members. And the most ear-jolting quote of the month involved nothing less than a call for the execution of the President, on grounds of treason. A. IN THE MAIL... 1) Concerned Women for American is launching a "special national grassroots campaign" to reintroduce and pass an amendment to the D.C. Appropriations Bill to deny the National Education Association its tax-exempt status. According to CWA, the NEA's "power over public schools poses perhaps the single greatest threat to the moral, spiritual, and academic development of our children and grandchildren." [CWA letter, 3-97] 2) The Family Research Council's monthly letter for March details several initiatives aimed at youth including a new "student leadership center" at FRC to provide an internship experience for college-age students and a new service to produce high school level research materials to counter the "anti-family books and articles on current issues," now available to students. FRC says it "is determined to advance that cause [pro-family] not only today in Washington but for as many generations as the good Lord affords us on this earth." 3) The Rev. Don Wildmon's American Family Association's tells its supporters this month that "Acceptance or indifference to the homosexual rights movement will result in society's destruction by allowing civil order to be redefined and by plummeting ourselves, our children and grandchildren into an age of godlessness. Indeed the very foundation of Western Civilization is at stake." AFA says it has recently started its "HOPE '97 tour," a joint project with Kerusso Ministries. The tour started in Phoenix with a rally and a series of seminars, and is intended to "counter the growing proliferation of pro-homosexual philosophy in every area of our culture including business, education, entertainment, media, politics and the church." They promise rallies in 15 U.S. cities, ending in October in Washington, D.C. 4) Jerry Falwell, who disbanded his Moral Majority in 1989 saying, "The religious right is solidly in place," sent out a fundraising letter in March announcing he's "going back on the road calling America back to God." He sees seven looming "disasters" facing America, unless Americans "wake up and turn this nation around morally and spiritually." The disasters range from increased violence, national sovereignty surrendered to international control, and loss of the traditional family. He warns, "The American dream will become a nightmare." To prevent these disasters, Falwell's plans include "God Save America" rallies across the nation, voter registration drives, a weekly fax hotline, and more intense lobbying efforts. 5) The Christian Coalition is in the mail with its promotion of its annual "Road to Victory" conference, this year with a new twist. Instead of one big blowout in Washington, the group plans three road trips -- to Atlanta on September 12 and 13, to St. Louis on October 10 and 11, and to Long Beach on November 7 and 8. (Last year's event conflicted with Rosh Hashanah; this year's St. Louis event conflicts with Yom Kippur.) In a letter signed by Pat Robertson -- and not by the outgoing Ralph Reed -- the Christian Coalition promises workshops on vouchers, "judicial activism," casino gambling (beating it, not winning at it), abortion, and "becoming a Good Samaritan." (That was as close as the Christian Coalition has come to making any reference, no matter how passing, to its "Samaritan Project" in its direct mail.) Pictured on the enclosed promotional brochure: Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed (September 1 resignation notwithstanding), Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Kay James, House Budget Chairman Rep. John Kasich (R-OH), and Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK). Mindful that Road To Victory Conferences are also meeting places for right-wing watchers, we publish their toll-free reservation line: 1-800-226-6505. Speaking of the Christian Coalition, conspicuous by its absence from the group's mail is any promotion of its upcoming Baltimore "Conference on Racial Justice and Reconciliation." Our right-wing watchers on the Christian Coalition's Maryland mailing list have received no notice of the May 10 event, scheduled for an upscale Baltimore hotel by day and an African American church by night. B. IN THE MEDIA... 1) Paul Weyrich provided viewers of his "Direct Line" program on National Empowerment Television with the following opinion of the Ralph Reed resignation: "Reed positioned the Christian Coalition as too cozy with the Republican party. As a result, the Christian Coalition was unable to exercise the moral authority of an independent voice....Where the objectives of the Christian Coalition and the Republican party coincided, the Christian Coalition was its most effective ally; where the objectives diverted, the Christian Coalition showed that it was Republican first, Christian second." 2) Christian Coalition Live, the group's monthly show on Paul Weyrich's National Empowerment Television, featured a long segment on the recent Alabama rally to "Save the Ten Commandments." Ralph Reed, Christian Coalition Executive Director, interviewed Alabama Governor Fob James who said, "The Congress should, in my opinion, impeach several of the justices on the Supreme Court right now." Governor James mockingly dismissed criticism of Judge Moore's revelation that he invites citizens to lead prayers in his courtroom provided that they're not Muslim or Buddhist. Says the governor: "I would not hesitate to invite anyone I wanted to say a prayer." The program included a lengthy excerpt from Reed's speech at the rally, in which he offered the following warning for those who believe in church-state separation: "We say to the ACLU: 'You've gone this far and no further.' You will not drive faith in God out of our homes, out of our churches, out of our synagogues, out of our courtrooms, and out of our public schools ever again!" 3) The attacks on President Clinton show no signs of letting up; indeed, more right-wing groups are taking up the impeachment chant. Mike Schwartz, a cohost of Capitol Watch, a daily program on Free Congress' National Empowerment Television has gone one step further. Schwartz is upset over Long Beach, California's proposal to lease a former U.S. naval station to a shipping company owned by the Chinese government. Though the deal was approved by the city's Harbor Commission and other local officials, Schwartz blames President Clinton. Schwartz: "I'm not interested in impeachment, this is treason. When you put a hostile foreign military base on American soil--our enemies--people that want to kill my sons and my daughters--forget impeachable, that is executionable..." 4) James Dobson's Focus on the Family featured a discussion on environmental education on his April 7th show. The program included Becky Norton Dunlop, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources who said that the environmentalists "are using our children to really break down our culture." She went on to say: "These people that you're talking about, the people who are running government today and environmental extremists and radicals, they believe that government has to control every aspect of people's lives... and [that] we must have more governmental programs to control everything from environmental issues to how many children should we be having." Dobson described the environmental movement as part of his civil war of values and warned that "those who gain the upper hand in this civil war of values get the right to decide what the curricula will be for those children, so they're both the prize to the winner and the keys to victory and we've got an example here in the environmental movement of that effort to manipulate the minds of children." 5) Jerry Falwell hit the airwaves this month to oppose the ABC-TV show "Ellen" because the main character's coming out. On Janet Parshall's America, a syndicated daily talk radio show, Falwell said, "The worst part of it all is that children who watch television will be encouraged to experiment. They have no knowledge of what the homosexual lifestyle is all about.... The children experiment. The experimentation leads to a habit-forming kind of thing and pretty soon, a lifestyle and a destiny." Falwell also wondered about Michael Eisner, head of Disney which owns part of ABC: "Eisner, I'm not sure why, I'm told he's a family man, but he said that possible 40% of his employees at Disney World are gays and lesbians. Well, with the population nationally one to two percent, then obviously he must recruit." C. ON THE NET... 1) The official Alabama state government website (www.state.al.us/whatsnew) promoted and provided information for those who were interested in attending the Alabama rally to support the Ten Commandments. They have not posted much follow-up information with the exception of Gov. Fob James' speech at the rally, so other websites have stepped into the breach. The Christian Family Network (www.cfnweb.com), an Ohio-based Religious Right group led by Don Jackson, offers their first-person account of the event complete with pictures of the rally and the speakers. They also link to the Christian Reader (www.christianity.net) which includes a glowing biographical piece on Judge Roy Moore who has refused to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom. D. A USEFUL FACT FROM THE NEWSWIRE... Gary Bauer's new PAC, the Campaign for Working Families raised $600,000 in the past three months. Executive Director Peter Dickinson said the goal is to raise $1.5 million by year-end. Both the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal have run stories speculating that Bauer may be Reed's successor as unofficial spokesperson for the Religious Right. ======================================== To subscribe to Right-Wing Watch Online, send e-mail to MAISER@PFAW.ORG with no subject and thefollowing text in the body: SUB RWW To unsubscribe, follow the steps above, but use UNSUB RWW in the message body. ======================================== People For the American Way 2000 M Street #400 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 467-4999 www.pfaw.org