By Bryan Fischer, Idaho Values Alliance

The bona fides of the Idaho Human Rights Commission, which claims to be all about equal treatment for everyone, are abut to be put to the test.

The IHRC brought a bill this past session, sponsored by Republican Sen. Tim Corder, which would have threatened severe punishment to any employer who would make non-normative sexual behavior or cross-dressing in issue in employment decisions.

What the HRC has yet to address, to my knowledge, is how it will handle a complaint issued against a lesbian who is being charged with sexual harassment on the job.

We are about to find out.

Janet Crapo, a former city employee in Hauser, a 670-person lakeside town in northern Idaho, has filed a formal complaint with the IHRC, accusing a member of the City Council, Carmen Miller, of recruiting her for a city job and then retaliating against her when she declined Miller’s lesbian advances.

The two met at a fitness class, and Crapo was soon offered a job by Miller, who said the job would be terrific as long Crapo would “play the game,” a phrase which Miller refused to clarify.

Shortly after Crapo took the job, Miller began visiting her at work, bringing lunch to her or offering to take her out. She began showing Crapo pictures of herself in a bikini during a body-building competition in Hawaii.

The harassment, according to the complaint, included home phone calls, questions about sexual orientation and other sexually inappropriate comments.

Said Crapo, “I was so uncomfortable being around Ms. Miller, I would come home from work and cry or tell my husband that I did not want to go back because I was so uncomfortable.”

She complained to the then-mayor and the city council president, apparently to no effect.

The employee, a married mother of two, finally quit her job after 15 months of such treatment, writing in her letter of resignation that she could not “handle the stress any longer due to the harassment.”

The HRC, which gets almost $1 million a year of your tax money to push the homosexual agenda in Idaho, claims on its website that, “Our commission works toward ensuring that all people within the state are treated with dignity and respect in their places of employment.”

Janet Crapo is about to discover whether “all people” includes heterosexuals who are sexually harassed by homosexuals.

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From Bryan Fischer, Idaho Values Alliance

The Club for Growth each year conducts a comprehensive examination of every lawmaker’s voting record on economic matters and pro-growth policies.

In Idaho’s congressional delegation, Rep. Bill Sali received the “Defender of Economic Freedom” award from CFG for a voting record of 98 out of 100, and ranked 9th in the House of Representatives overall.

Said Club for Growth president Pat Toomey, of the six Senators and 49 Representatives who received the award for a score of 90 or more, “These top-scoring members of Congress are staunch defenders of American taxpayers. Their votes are critical to lowering taxes, cutting wasteful spending, and promoting economic growth for all Americans.

Sen. Larry Craig and Sen. Mike Crapo graded out in the 70s, with Craig’s 76 ranking him 22nd among all senators and Crapo’s score of 70 putting him in 26th place.

Rep. Mike Simpson brought up the rear, with a grade of just 47, placing him in 162nd place among members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The ratings are based on congressional votes on key economic issues, such as making the Bush tax cuts permanent, repealing the death tax, cutting government spending, entitlement reform, free trade, tort reform, replacing the current tax code, school choice and reforming government regulation.

The Club For Growth – Congressional Scorecard

The Club For Growth – Senate Scorecard

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From David Ripley, Idaho Chooses Life

Well over two hundred people turned out last night to join in the struggle to enact an anti-coercion law in Idaho. The revised legislation (HB654) now awaits action by the full House of Representatives.

If enacted, the law would be the first in the nation to make the coercion of an abortion a crime.
Last night’s Legislative Reception also featured the presentation of the Friend for Life Award to two distinguished public servants.

Sen. Mike Crapo was honored for his long and untarnished defense of preborn children, going back to his days in the Idaho State Senate, where he led efforts to enact HB625. For the current legislative session, Sen. Crapo has received a 100% rating from the Family Research Council for his votes on such crucial policy questions as taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, Embryonic Stem Cell Research and allowing foreign aid monies to be used to pay for abortions in other nations.

The award was presented to Crapo by Idaho Speaker of the House Lawerence Denney, who received the honor in 2001.

In accepting the award, the organization’s highest, Sen. Crapo pointed to the crucial November elections and the necessity of electing a president who would appoint persons to the federal bench with a strict constructionist approach to the Constitution.

Idaho Chooses Life also honored state Senator Russ Fulcher for his long defense of preborn children and his leadership in securing a Parental Consent Law for Idaho families.

“It is a great blessing to have a person like Russ Fulcher in the Senate,” said David Ripley in presenting the award. “Russ brings tremendous integrity and skill to the battle for preborn children.”

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From David Ripley, Idaho Chooses Life

Senator Mike Crapo and Congressman Bill Sali both received 100% scores for 2007 from the Family Research Council. Sali’s score was based upon 16 key pro-family votes during the 1st Session of the 110th Congress.

Congressman Mike Simpson received an 81% from FRC because he only voted with the organization thirteen-of-sixteen times. They report that he missed three key votes, 2 of which involved attempts to undermine President Reagan’s “Mexico City Policy”. (This principle, first enacted by Reagan, prohibits the use of federal dollars from going to organizations that perform abortions in foreign countries; e.g., Planned Parenthood International.) Simpson also missed a vote on legislation which would guarantee that Christian organizations could access Head Start dollars.

The FRC Guide may also be misreporting Simpson’s opposition to the expansion of CHIP – the Children’s Health Insurance Program. They show both Sali and Simpson opposing this measure, which would use federal dollars to pay for abortions in some 17 states; our understanding is that Sali and Simpson have strong disagreements about this expansion and the impact on families and the nation’s moral health. if we’re correct, Simpson’s score should actually be 75%.

Senator Larry Craig received the lowest score in the delegation, 71%. He was dinged for missing two key votes on international funding of abortions.

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An opinion piece by Idaho State University Professor David Adler ran in the Sunday edition of the Idaho Falls newspaper with an excellent suggestion for disgraced and embattled Senator Craig.

Prof. Adler is considered left-leaning by most standards, but is extremely well-versed in the Constitution. To some, that may seem a contradiction in terms. But interestingly, Prof. Adler often agrees with libertarians and conservatives on such issues as opposing the Patriot Act.

But back to the Sunday paper. Professor Adler observes that the tenuous position Craig insists on retaining in the Senate is not helping Idaho. However, there is one thing Craig could do to assure the state does not lose out in the long run: strategize to place Idaho’s junior senator, Mike Crapo, into the seat he (Craig) is vacating on the Appropriations Committee.

Adler continues that even if he remains in his seat on that important committee, Craig is unlikely to have the good will of his fellow senators, which is so necessary for securing the money Idaho needs.

If he’s really trying to do what’s best for Idaho, Craig should offer to resign from the Senate and close the door on an uncomfortable scandal if and only if Crapo is allowed to take his place on the Appropriations Committee.

Adler points out that if this were done, GOP leadership in the Senate would be appeased, Idaho would be spared further embarrassment and an influential committee assignment would be secured for Senator Crapo.

Plus, as Professor Adler observes:

Craig’s request would represent a high act of personal sacrifice, but he would be remembered for placing the state’s interests ahead of his own. Crapo, moreover, would be viewed as soldier volunteering for duty on the front lines.

It’s a win-win proposal.

Contact both Senator Craig and Senator Crapo today and urge them to press forward with Professor Adler’s excellent proposal.

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From David Ripley, Idaho Chooses Life

Idaho’s Lt. Governor, James Risch, announced his candidacy for the United States Senate on Tuesday. He will run for the seat now held by Sen. Larry Craig.

Governor Risch was introduced Tuesday morning by Sen. Mike Crapo – who will also serve as a co-Chairman of the Risch Campaign.

During his long public career, Risch has amassed a sterling pro-Life record. He was recognized earlier this year by Idaho Chooses Life for his long service to Idaho’s preborn citizens, and given our “Friend for Life” Award. Past recipients include Congressmen Helen Chenoweth-Hage and Bill Sali.

Many prominent Republicans, including Governor Butch Otter, attended the press conference. This strongly suggests that Risch will not face a serious challenge for the Republican nomination next May.

Risch will, however, face Democrat Larry LaRocco in the 2008 General Election.

LaRocco has long been committed to defending the “right” to an abortion. We anticipate, therefore, that abortion will be a defining issue in this crucial contest.

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From Bryan Fischer, Idaho Values Alliance

Unable to break the Republican-led filibuster that blocked passage of an effort to remove some U.S. troops from Iraq by next spring, Sen. Harry Reid withdrew the defense spending bill to which the hate-crimes measure had been attached.

Reid’s spokesman said it could be a “long time” before the senator brings the defense bill back to the floor, which also then could put an indefinite hold on the hate-crimes bill.

So we have been given a reprieve for now on a bill that would eventually criminalize thought, endanger religious liberty and freedom of speech, and violate the sacred principle of justice that every victim should have the equal protection of the law.

Thank you for your calls to Sen. Craig and to Sen. Crapo in opposition to the hate crimes measure. Your voice was heard! We will keep you posted if efforts are made to revive this dangerous piece of legislation.

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From Bryan Fischer, Idaho Values Alliance

It will soon be time to ask you to contact both Sen. Craig and Sen. Crapo to express your opposition to the “hate crimes” legislation (S. 1105) soon to be voted on by the U.S. Senate. This bill represents the greatest current threat to religious liberty and free speech rights in America, and will essentially result in the criminalization of Christianity if enacted.

“Hate crimes” laws are almost exclusively used to criminalize speech which opposes the normalization of homosexuality. Proponents of the legislation yesterday attacked conservative Christians who oppose it as “right-wing fundamentalists” with “often-bigoted agendas,” increasing the odds that they are the first ones they’d go after should the bill go into law. (What else is a “hate crimes” bill for, if not to stop “bigoted” people?)

One supporter said it was “bothersome to me that some African-American preachers” oppose this bill, because it makes everyone think that black churches are “homophobic.” (What else is a “hate crimes” bill for, if not to stop “homophobic” people?)

‘Hate Crimes’ Bill Opposed by ‘Religious Zealots,’ Activists Say

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OK, I went to the wonderful Idaho Falls 4th of July parade yesterday, and – yes – to the mortification of my family, I heckled some politicians from the curb. But first, a tiny bit of background.

On June 28, the Idaho Falls city council voted a pay raise for Mayor Jared Fuhriman, from $66,000 to $75,000 per year. The “good ol’ girls” on the council, Ida Hardcastle and Karen (“Booze in the Zoo”) Cornwell, conspired to bring the raise to pass. The Idaho Falls newspaper quotes from the meeting:

“Our current mayor has a family and is much younger than you and I, Ida,” Cornwell said jokingly to Hardcastle.

In Fuhriman’s defense, the paper noted:

“Fuhriman, a 46-year-old father of seven, kept his head down during the discussion.”

Oh, all right, now I feel better about the 14% pay raise. But wait – Fuhriman also kept his head down while the issue of allowing liquor in the Idaho Falls zoo was discussed. In fact, at a city council meeting when I asked him about the position of the Bonneville Youth Development Council (of which he is a prominent member) on liquor, he mumbled his answer and – kept his head down. And he kept his head down while the vote was taken and “booze in the zoo” was approved by the council without his vote.

Maybe when the Mayor puts his head down, it’s a signal that the families and taxpayers of Idaho Falls are about to be misled and defrauded. After all, the Mayor is a father of seven – we thought he would stand up for family values (in addition to his own, that is).

So, yesterday Mayor Jared Fuhriman proudly drove a shiny loaner car at the head of the 4th of July parade. (My husband warned, “Be careful!”) After exactly .29 seconds of consideration I yelled, in the general direction of the mayor, “GIVE BACK THE PAY RAISE!” To which the Mayor responded – by keeping his head down.

Now think back to the illegal alien amnesty argument in the US Senate. Idaho’s senior senator, Larry Craig, has long been in favor of “guest worker” programs, or amnesty. He recently cast votes designed to advance the terrible bill. A number of interested observers, including yours truly, have concluded that he is not planning to run for re-election, as this view of illegal aliens is not too popular in Idaho. In fact, most Idahoans view Craig as a traitor of sorts.

It should be noted that Idaho’s junior senator, Mike Crapo (usually hesitant to take any kind of a stand, except to call for a compromise), took the opposite view. He is, of course, planning to run for his senate seat again.

I wasn’t expecting any of or congressional representation to make an appearance in the parade, so imagine my surprise when Larry Craig rode by sitting in the “Jr. Miss” position in the back of a convertible (sans pearls and strapless gown, thankfully). I couldn’t help myself. I screamed, “SEND THE ILLEGALS HOME! SEND THE ILLEGALS HOME!” Once again, the family cringed. And Larry had the good grace to ignore me while registering the sentiment.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the parade, including the opportunities to deliver my political messages in person. However, for the remainder of the parade, I confined my utterances to “Go Hillcrest” (my children’s high school) and “PLAY! PLAY!” to the bagpipe corps. Still, I feel better now that I have confessed my not-so-festive comments to politicians.

Yes, Independence Day is a wonderful time to celebrate our freedoms (those that remain) and commemorate the founding of the greatest nation ever to grace the face of the earth. And it’s a great time to exercise our First Amendment rights, which are, at present, still respected in Idaho.

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From Bryan Fischer, Idaho Values Alliance

As a firm believer in the Judeo-Christian tradition, I believe that God has a redemptive purpose for each nation. In other words, God in his providence assigns certain purposes to individual nations, purposes which assist him in his overall plan and purpose for the world.

(What I have to say in this portion of the update will not resonate with everyone, and is directed specifically to those who, as I do, embrace the Scripture and believe that it is the revelation of God to man.)

Israel is clearly one example of such a nation. Even a casual reading of the Old Testament indicates that God made the sons of Israel his chosen people in order to manifest himself to them and reveal to them his standards for living. This was in order that Israel in turn might share that knowledge with the nations of the world. The surrounding nations were to be drawn to Israel’s God as they observed how prosperous, peaceful, and secure a nation could be that reverenced him and obeyed his statutes.

According to the ancient prophets, other nations of the ancient world also served God’s purposes, in some cases even by coming against Israel militarily to discipline the wayward nation for turning its back on him.

I believe the United States similarly has a redemptive purpose, and while we may disagree in some particulars, most people of faith believe that part of that redemptive purpose involves being the “shining city on a hill” that the Puritans and Ronald Reagan spoke of so eloquently, a metaphor drawn directly from the teachings of Jesus and the vision he set before his followers.

America’s destiny is to offer to the world an example of what a nation can be when its public life is shaped by the spirit and ideals of Christianity, and whose values and standards for life are drawn from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Central to fulfilling that divine purpose is preserving a strong sense of national unity, so that we demonstrate to the world the harmony that is possible when the people of a nation share certain ideals, such as the grounding of individual liberty in the rights granted to us by our Creator, and the grounding of individual responsibilities in the truths revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai 3,500 years ago.

It naturally then will be the heart of such a people to welcome strangers to its shores, so that they may be drawn up into those values, embrace them, assimilate willingly into their newly adopted culture, and assist us in spreading that vision to the rest of the world. It should always be the heart of the American people to receive the distressed and those hungering for liberty and spiritual freedom.

But also central to fulfilling this redemptive purpose, in my judgment, is that such open-hearted welcome be carried out in an orderly and well-managed way, to ensure that our process of assimilating newcomers is effective in enabling them to adopt the values that made America their destination of choice in the first place.

If well-managed immigration leads to integration and assimilation, our integrity as a nation is preserved, and our ability to carry out God’s redemptive purpose for our nation is enhanced.

But if immigration policies allow newcomers to fundamentally alter the cultural values that have made America the envy of the world, and results in the Balkanization of American society instead of preserving its unity, not only will our children and grandchildren suffer as a result, we will lose our capacity to carry out the unique redemptive purpose God has assigned to our people.

It is my judgment that uncontrolled immigration is threatening our national unity, fundamentally altering the DNA of our culture, and dimming the light of our “city on a hill.”

Thus I believe that regaining a sure and secure control of our borders as the first order of business is sound public policy for many reasons. Uncontrolled immigration not only threatens our national security, our national identity, our public health and our national stability, it also interferes with our ability to carry out God’s redemptive purpose.

The U.S. Senate will vote tomorrow on whether to keep alive the current “comprehensive” immigration bill, which I believe is bad for America because it weakens the rule of law by rewarding illegal behavior (it is, in my judgment, an amnesty bill), provides no meaningful assurance that newcomers will assimilate into American life, and will allow newcomers to transform American values rather than being transformed by them.

Without passing any judgment on the motives of those who support the comprehensive immigration bill, I feel compelled to oppose it for a host of reasons, not the least of which is its negative impact on America’s God-given role on the world stage.

It is particularly important that our senators hear from their constituents today. Sen. Crapo voted against reviving this bill yesterday, while Sen. Craig voted to keep it alive. Both will have another and even more important vote to cast tomorrow, and there is still an outside possibility that Sen. Craig may be persuaded to change his mind and vote against this “amnesty” bill.

If you think this bill is poor public policy, for whatever reasons, please call and urge our senators to vote “No” on “comprehensive immigration” in tomorrow’s procedural vote. One thing we all agree on is that much is at stake here, and regardless of where you stand on this issue, your senators represent you and need to hear from you today.

You may reach Senators Craig and Crapo at 202-224-3121.

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