THEISTWATCH FOR JUNE 23, 1995 Contents: Washington, D.C. - FOSTER KNOCK-OUT IS POLITICAL G
THEISTWATCH FOR JUNE 23, 1995
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Contents:
Washington, D.C.--FOSTER KNOCK-OUT IS POLITICAL GAIN FOR
DOLE
North Carolina--ALIMONY LEGISLATION IGNITES 'BIBLE LAW'
DEBATE
World--THEISTWATCH SHORT SHOTS
Cyberspace--TW READER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
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FOSTER KNOCK-OUT IS POLITICAL GAIN FOR DOLE
Was Nominee Sacrificed To Court The Religious Right?
by Conrad F. Goeringer
In the wake a yesterday's Senate vote which derailed
the nomination of Dr. Henry Foster for Surgeon General,
analysts are now saying that the real winner turned out to
be Majority Leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole (R-
Kan.).
A move to end debate and a filibuster by Senator Phil
Gramm of Texas failed on Thursday by a vote of 57-43. Sixty
votes were needed to cut off the debate, a procedure known
as cloture. This means that Foster's nomination will not
reach the Senate floor for a full vote. President Clinton
has already tapped the Nashville obstetrician for a new job
directing a government program to combat teen pregnancy.
Ironically, Foster appeared to have the 51 votes
needed for confirmation; but it was political maneuvering
by Dole taking advantage of the Gramm filibuster which
carried the day. Both Dole and Gramm have been desperately
trying to shore up their credentials with the Republican
Christian right-wing, courting groups such as the Christian
Coalition. The Coalition and its allies were major players
in last November's congressional elections, which saw the
GOP gain control of both the U.S. House and Senate for the
first time in forty years.
While Gramm is a fiscal conservative, he is distrusted
by some religious leaders "because of his perceived lack of
fervor on abortion and other social issues," according to
Reuters news service. The Foster nomination was his
opportunity to change that image. Early in the confirmation
process, the Texas Republican threatened a filibuster if
necessary.
But Dole, taking advantage of Gramm's position,
managed to end the Senate debate quickly, without giving
the Texas Senator much opportunity to stay in the media
limelight. Time Magazine's Karen Tumulty said of Dole's
strategy: "It's brilliant. He's won on both counts; it
looks like he was fair in bringing this to a vote, and he's
engineered it so there's no chance Foster can succeed."
It was the reluctance to end debate that closed the
door on the Foster nomination. Democrats made an overnight
lobbying pitch to four key GOP senators, John Warner of
Virginia, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Ted Stevens of Alaska
and Mark Hatfield of Oregon. While they might have
supported Foster on a nomination vote, they were wary of
tampering with the Senate cloture process. Dole succeeded
in creating impression that the Senate (thanks to its
Thursday vote) simply couldn't resolve the nomination
question.
Reuters quoted Patrick Mahoney, director of the
Christian Defense Committee, as praising Dole: "This vote
on Doctor Foster was more of a vote on the leadership
ability of Senator Dole than the qualifications of Henry
Foster." Mary Ellen Bork of the Catholic Campaign of
America remarked that "Gramm has been very slow to realize
the importance of social issues. Dole was consistent and
very fair in the way he dealt with Foster."
Some senators, described as willing to support Foster
in private, "decided not to vote for him for fear of
embarrassing Dole and handing Gramm a victory," according
to Reuters.
Polls show that Dole has a commanding lead over eight
other contenders for the GOP presidential nod. After
yesterday's vote, he accused President Clinton of
deliberately trying to "divide the American people over the
issue of abortion." But the emotion and vehemence on both
sides of the Foster nomination suggest that abortion is an
issue with which all candidates will have to contend in
the 1996 elections and beyond.
ALIMONY LEGISLATION IGNITES 'BIBLE LAW' DEBATE IN N.C.
By Conrad F. Goeringer
The sanctity of marriage and what can happen at a
drive-in burger joint are hot topics in the North Carolina
legislature. Last week, that state's Senate approved an
amendment which weakened a House-approved alimony reform
measure. According to the Raleigh News and Observer (June
14), Republican supporters of the amendment had to duck
charges that they were being unfair to women, insisting
they were merely upholding the sanctity of marriage.
It's all about cheating. Under existing law, the
"dependent spouse" is awarded alimony payments only if it
is proved that the partner committed adultery. And a
"dependent spouse" (usually a woman in North Carolina) is
barred from alimony for life if he or she has an affair,
regardless of the partner's conduct. The new bill "requires
a judge to consider marital misconduct by both parties," so
that the "dependent spouse" is barred from getting alimony
only if they have committed "more than one act of illicit
sexual behavior."
That math was too much for senators like Ham Horton, a
GOP solon from Winston-Salem, who invoked the Old Testament
and charged that the original amendment, in effect, gave a
spouse one free act of adultery.
"When we as a society condone adultery even once, we
strike at the cornerstone of marriage and the family," said
Ham. State Senator Don Kincaid of Lenoir agreed and charged
that the bill would somehow tear families apart and
encourage divorce. And Senator Dan Simpson warned that
passing the bill "was one step from making free love
legal", according to the News and Observer. "We shouldn't
change our laws to violate the Ten Commandments," he said.
State Senator Bob Shaw wondered about the definition
of an "illicit sex act." News and Observer reported the
furious debate this way: "If a couple fooled around in a
car, then went to McDonald's, then got back in the car and
fooled around again . . . would that constitute more than
one illicit sex act?" Senator R.C. Soles of Tabor City
mused "If they stopped for a Big Mac, then I would
certainly count that as two acts."
Conservative Christians a powerful force in this state
which elects Jesse Helms and other luminaries opposed the
bill which permitted one alimony-free sex act. In the end,
the overall legislation (one of a group designed to make
divorce laws more equitable for women) passed by a 40-7
margin. But for some Solons in the North Carolina
Statehouse, even a quick Happy Meal is cause for concern.
THEISTWATCH SHORT-SHOTS
by Conrad F. Goeringer
Alabama is earning a reputation as home to more than
the powerhouse "Crimson Tide" football team. With
widespread poverty, illiteracy, and now a not-so-new social
experiment to bring back prison chain gangs, Alabama can
also boast widespread belief in god, the Bible, and Satan.
According to polling done by the Mobile Press Register and
the University of South Alabama, a majority of residents
there believe the Good Book to be the infallible word of
Gawd. They also believe that heaven and hell are actual
places; 86 percent likewise believe that Satan is real. 53
percent agreed with the statement that "Every word of the
Bible comes straight from God and is completely free of
error." Another 38 percent said that "The Bible is inspired
by God, and may contain some historical and scientific
errors."
And they vote!
***************
A senior Bishop in Ireland has a solution to reverse
years of decline in enrollment for the Roman Catholic
priesthood. Let 'em marry, says Bishop Brendan Comiskey of
County Wexford. While he agrees that such a proposal will
probably not become a reality under Pope John Paul II who
is a big fan of ecclesiastical celibacy, Comiskey insists
that mother church should begin "seriously considering" his
proposal before it runs out of priests.
***************
Inquiring minds want to know what's the latest with
Jim and Tammy? Jim Bakker got out of prison in December of
last year and, according to his lawyer who's quoted in
Parade Magazine, "is living quietly on a small, rented farm
near Hendersonville, N.C., and writing a book he hopes will
be of encouragement to others who have suffered great
losses." Tammy Faye Bakker is now Tammy Faye Messner,
having married the guy who built so much of the giant
"Heritage USA" Christian theme park that was a keystone in
Jim's once-thriving televangelist empire. Seems Tammy has
plans to get back into the preaching, uh, "business," and
has taped a pilot for a talk show featuring a stand-up
comic (who ISN'T her ex-husband). May we expect a guest
appearance by Beavis and Butthead?
***************
If "Mass For the Shut-In" isn't your pace, perhaps you
should try the "Psychic Friends Network," the 900 number
infomercial rated #1 in the country by those in the know.
Try some late-night channel surfing (especially after 12)
and you'll probably come across self-proclaimed psychic
Linda Georgian schmoozing it up with 60s-70s pop star
Dionne Warwick. This 30-minute pitch airs 300 times a week
across the nation's cable networks, outperforming
heavyweights like Sy Sperling's Hair Club for Men or those
never-sharpen knives which slice oranges and cut through
bricks.
The star of the show is Linda Georgian who looks like
she stepped off the set of "Dallas," and whose distinctive
voice was described by Working Woman magazine as "so nasal
it could peel paint." Linda is selling psychic friendship
at $3.99 a minute for an average ten-minute session (with
your very own "personal psychic"). She also claims to read
"auras," which mystics describe as some otherwise invisible
band of light surrounding the body, and psychologists link
to
neurological disorders and schizophrenia. She insists
that she has a cadre of 66 guardian angels working overtime
to keep her focused on everything from her diet to her
burgeoning psychic business. The lady describes herself as
a "psychic Oprah" and has authored such weighty tomes as
"Your Guardian Angels" and the soon-to-be released
"Communicating With The Dead: Reaching Friends And Loved
Ones Who Have Passed On to Another Dimension of Life."
(Guess they don't need the 900 number). A third book is
planned for 1996, titled "Creating Your Own Future."
"Psychic Friends Network" and similar television fare like
"Kenny Kingston's Psychic Hotline" seem to meet a need not
filled by sleazoid, now mainstream, daytime talk shows a la
Richard Bey, Rickie Lake and even the mellowing Oprah
Winfrey.
When not emersing themselves in the fictional problems
of soap-opera stars, or witnessing the excesses of Women
Who Haven't Told Hubby That They're Lesbians, the 900
psychic customers have somebody to talk to even if it isn't
free or even cheap. There's reassurance about the future,
about that "special someone" who's going to step into their
lives and "make it all right," even about those angels who
god put there to catch us when we slip on the existential
banana peels of life.
Linda's word is spreading, too. There are more and
more "Psychic Friends" apparently, who require the
energies of 1,500 self-proclaimed psychic visionaries who
answer the continual flood of calls. Linda still does
readings herself, though, and charges less than $3.99 per
minute it actually works out to $75 for a 30-minute
session. Hey, that's cheaper than talking to Johnny Cockran
these days.
And news reports insist that Linda Georgian is
negotiating with Four Points Entertainment to tape a talk
show pilot. Four Points isn't saying anything about this
one way or another they're too busy with other productions like
the "American Gladiators" program where people in
spandex and helmets wallop each other with foam-covered
paddles in an athletic contest that looks like it came out of a
Fellini movie. Linda Georgian also says that she'd
like to have Billy Graham on her show (he's obviously not
right for American Gladiators.)
But if there's anything to the "Psychic Friends
Network," why do these wonderful, New Age gurus have to
wait for YOUR call? Why don't they just call you instead,
right before you pick up the phone? Maybe it's because of
the disclaimer that's flashed at the end of every Psychic
Friends Network infomercial, when Linda and Dionne are done with
the schmoozing the one that says "For Adults and
Entertainment Only."
TW READER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
From: ann.nunn@sstar.com
To: theistwatch-l@atheist.org
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 95 08:51:46 -0500
Subject: Prayers in la schools
TH> Conrad Goeringer
Greatly enjoy your news messages; much of the information is NOT
printed in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Are you aware that the Louisiana Legislature has recently passed,
and the Governor has signed, a bill permitting student initiated
prayer in public schools? I have a copy of the bill; should I
copy it and send it e-mail or should I xerox it and send it snail
mail?
This is a snake which needs to be killed in the shell.
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank