Faith and Freedom Network

Today was a major victory for people of faith and traditional values.

The Washington State Supreme Court refused to rule against the institution of marriage. To view the Court's ruling, click here.

Even though the marriage issue has become highly politicized, a slim majority (5 to 4) of the judges voted to uphold traditional marriage.

I believe this decision is in direct response to the fervent prayer and faithful work of people of faith.

Thank you to all of you in the Faith & Freedom Network and glory and thanks to God for His faithfulness.

I am reminded of the verse in Proverbs 21:1 (NIV) that says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord."

God bless you.

__________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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Just minutes ago, in a decision anticipated for 16 months, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld traditional marriage.

Gary Randall said from Olympia, "The basic decision came down to the fact that the Supreme Court felt that by limiting marriage to opposite sex, they sustained the ability to procreate."

He continued to say, "We consider this a decisive victory that upholds the values of the faith community."

Click here to read the Supreme Court Decision in PDF format.

After 16 months of deliberation, the Washington State Supreme Court has said they will announce their ruling on traditional marriage tomorrow.

We see three possible outcomes; the Supreme Court will uphold traditional marriage (DOMA), the Supreme Court will strike down traditional marriage (DOMA), the Supreme Court will send the issue to the Legislature.

If the Supreme Court strikes down traditional marriage, Washington will become the 2nd state in the nation to offer same-sex marriage and the first to extend the benefit to those outside of the state.

Gary Randall, President of Faith & Freedom, and other staff members will be in Olympia tomorrow covering the events for our Faith & Freedom Network.

Once again we are reminded of the importance of our judicial system in society. In order to inform and educate voters, Faith & Freedom will be releasing, within the next two weeks, a first-ever judicial voter's guide. The voter's guide will be available both on our website and through direct mail.

If the Supreme Court strikes down traditional marriage or refers it to the Legislature, Faith & Freedom is prepared to mount a sustained campaign to defend or restore traditional marriage in our public life.

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It is clear that the Washington Supreme Court is beginning to feel the heat. Faith & Freedom has been calling for the justices to release their ruling for some time. We have suggested that they may be holding back for political reasons. Ironically, Gov. Gregoire agrees with us. Let’s hope that they find the clarity and courage to release their ruling soon.

Keep in mind there are two highly qualified candidates running for seats on the Washington Supreme Court. Faith & Freedom will be distributing a Voters Guide specifically addressing the judicial races within the next couple of weeks. It will be available on our website.

The Associated Press released the following article yesterday.

Washington high court justice says gay marriage ruling imminent
7/19/2006, 5:41 p.m.
By GENE JOHNSON
The Associated Press

Click here to read the article.

_________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pledge Protection Act. The act seeks to remove cases involving the Pledge of Allegiance from the jurisdiction of federal courts.

As you will recall, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2002 that the words “under God” in the Pledge were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court later overturned the decision, stating that atheist Michael Newdow did not have standing to bring the case to the Court.

With 90 percent of Americans believing that “under God” should stay in the Pledge, it’s refreshing to see Congress exercising its own Constitutional authority to check the power of judges who are simply trying to advance their own personal agenda, using the power of the judicial to do so.

Thank you, Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO. Rep. Akin sponsored the Bill.

______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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“In God We Trust,” was formally adopted as the U.S. National motto 50 years ago on July 30, 1956.

The reason it was adopted was because it embodies the essence of America from its very inception.

John Quincy Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

Last week the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution affirming, “In God We Trust” as our national motto.

Please contact the U.S. Representatives from your state and encourage them to also take up and pass this concurrent resolution.

Click here to find your state U.S. Representative.

________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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Not since Scottish researchers cloned Dolly the sheep has there been any discussion about stem cell research and cloning by members of Congress.

Monday, they will begin discussion, with a vote on three Bills on Tuesday, according to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has publicly broken with President Bush and spoken in favor of embryonic stem cell research.

Three Bills will be considered with no amendments allowed for any of the bills. It will take 60 votes out of 100 to pass any one of these bills.

The Bills are:

Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 (Click title to view Bill).
H.R. 810
Sponsored by Michael Castle, R-Del.

This legislation would require federal funding of research using stem cells obtained by destroying human embryos. This version has already passed the House.

Please OPPOSE this Bill, it is unnecessary and will kill human beings for research purposes. There is a good ethical alternative that is successful: adult stem cells.

Fetus Farming Prohibition Act (Click title to view Bill).
S. 3504
Sponsored by Sens. Rick Santorum, R-PA, and Sam Brownback, R-Kan.

This Bill would make it a federal crime for a researcher to use tissue from a human baby who has been gestated in a woman’s womb – or an animal womb – for experimentation.

Please SUPPORT this Bill because some scientists have already gestated animals for research and would like to gestate human beings up to some point where they could harvest the tissues they want.

Your support of this Bill will stop this unethical practice before it progresses to human harvesting.

Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act (Click title to view Bill).
S. 2754
Sponsored by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-PA, and Arlen Spector, R-PA

This Bill would encourage scientists to seek ethical stem cell alternatives.

SUPPORT this bill.

Please express your support and opposition to these Bills by contacting your U.S. Senators before the vote on Tuesday, July 18.

Tell them NO on H.R. 810, YES on S. 3504 and YES on S.2754.

Click here to contact your U.S. Senator.

_____________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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Massachusetts' Supreme Court ruled yesterday, 7-0, that gay activists have no legal footing to keep citizens from voting on a resident-initiated state constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

This past January, an organization called, GLAD - Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders - filed a lawsuit challenging the Massachusetts' Attorney General's certification of the amendment.

Analysts agreed that because of the way the amendment was worded, the judges had no other choice but to vote as they did. If they had done anything else, they would have essentially said they were the sole "ruler" of Massachusetts.

While this was another win for traditional marriage, it was also another lesson in how far activists judges will go to advance their personal agendas. As they relunctunly voted to send the matter to the voters (they essentially had no other choice because of the way the amendment was worded) they were actually encouraging the gay activists to file a law suit, once the amendment is passed by the voters. They even spelled out the grounds of the lawsuit.

This, once again, emphasizes the challenge that lies ahead as secularists seek to redefine marriage and the family and strip every vestige of our Christian heritage from society.

____________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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The Georgia Supreme Court and the New York Supreme Court both ruled in favor of traditional marriage today.

The Georgia Court decided unanimously that the ban on same-sex marriage that had been approved by 76% of Georgia voters did not violate the state’s single-subject rule for ballot measures.

State officials argued that Georgians knew what they were voting on when they overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure.

New York’s Supreme Court also turned back an attempt by gay and lesbian activists to win recognition of same-sex marriage. The New York Court said the state constitution “does not compel recognition of marriages between members of the same sex.” They said, “Whether such marriages should be recognized is a question to be addressed by the legislature.”

One would hope that this could help bring some clarity and courage to the Washington State Supreme Court as they “consider” some of these same matters.

N.Y. Court Upholds Gay Marriage Ban
New York Times

Georgia's gay marriage ban upheld
C.N.N.

_______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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