Alabama Senate stuck in long-running filibuster (opposes Christian Coaliti

[Robbien]

Filibusters have kept the Alabama Senate from passing or killing a single bill since the lawmakers returned from their spring break March 29. Thursday marked the end of the second week of a filibuster over a bill that would require groups to disclose their sources of money when they run ads or public brochures to try to influence an election or referendum.

For 1 1/2 weeks, Republican opponents of the bill held the Senate microphone, saying the bill was an unconstitutional attempt to intimidate donors to the Christian Coalition and keep the organization from publishing ratings of legislators and voter guides before elections.

On Thursday, Democratic proponents, who lack the votes to cut off the opponents' filibuster, took the microphone and complained about the Christian Coalition.

"I'm a deacon in probably the most conservative church in Alabama - the Church of Christ. ... Yet I've never made more than a 'D' on the Christian Coalition's scorecard because they skew the questions," Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, said.

A proponent of the bill, Senate President Pro Tem Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, said attorneys from both sides are meeting, and he hopes a compromise can be reached next week.

One-third of the legislative session remains for the Senate to finish with the disclosure bill and address the two state budgets.

http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050407/APN/504071058

[Dhalgren]

1. If what they are doing (the Christianist Coalition) is God's work,

why are they afraid of everyone knowing it? If Coca-Cola wants to give money to the XXX-Coalition and they are ashamed of it, maybe they shouldn't be donating? This makes me sick - but I am glad the Alabama Dems are fighting for it!

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

3. Let your light so shine...

The Christian Coalition ought to be reveling in the fact that they're doing god's work. The fact that they want to keep secrets suggests to me that perhaps they're doing work for someone else. Now, let's see. Who could it possibly be? Could it be...

SATAN?!

[xxqqqzme]

2. The not-Christian Coalition

doesn't have a PAC 2 use 2 spread hate & dis-information?

[Frances]

4. Does anyone know where the

Crhistian Coalition stands on the privatization of Social Security?

[Robbien]

5. Privatization is high on their list of priorities

The main social conservative groups exist mainly to persuade rank-and-file social conservatives to support an agenda to which they have no natural allegiance. High on the Christian Coalition's list of its top legislative priorities, for instance, are cutting taxes (No. 2) and privatizing Social Security (No. 4), two issues that did not receive heavy emphasis in the Sermon on the Mount.

From Getting Religion GOP Style
http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/articles/2005/04/06/news/opinion/editorial02.txt

[Frances]

6. Thank you for the link

I am printing several copies for my friends

Do you have any good ideas for how to get across to people that the Christian Coalition wants to privatize Social Security?

[Robbien]

7. Well, give them the copy of the priority list from the Christian Coalition

http://www.christiancoalition.com/issues.cfm

Social Security privatization ranks higher than abortion, gay rights, stem cell and so on. There is a list of 20 items of which privatization ranks 4th. Its clear it is pretty important to them.