EAGLE COUNCIL XXXVII MEETS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mark your calendars and book your flight to Washington, D.C. because you don’t want to miss EAGLE COUNCIL 2008. With a lineup of unforgettable speakers and the latest information on conservative, pro-family issues, including the globalist agenda, this 3-day conference will take place on September 26-28. For more information, please visit the Eagle Forum website and click on Eagle Council. You must be a member of EF to attend.


BIBLE STUDY CLASS OPTIONAL FOR SCHOOLS
Texas high schools will not be required to offer an elective Bible course to their students under a Bible study bill approved by the Legislature last year, Attorney General Greg Abbott decided. While his legal opinion said schools must include some coverage of the Bible’s impact on history and literature in their curriculum, they do not have to offer a separate Bible course unless the local school boards choose to do so. The attorney general’s opinion affirmed the authority of the State Board of Education to approve curriculum standards for “enrichment” courses such as the elective Bible class.

Source: The Dallas Morning News, 8/29/08


ABBOTT TAKES MOMENT OF SILENCE FIGHT TO FEDERAL APPEALS COURT
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is taking the fight to uphold a student’s right to observe "a moment of silence" after the recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The case was sent to the appellate level after a federal district judge ruled in favor of the state. The appellate case is related to a lawsuit filed by a couple with children in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, who challenged a state law that grants students a moment of contemplation for silent prayer or patriotic observance after saying the pledge of allegiance. The couple appealed when a court ruled in favor of the state and the moment of silence law.

Solicitor General James Ho will represent the state in the appeal “The plaintiffs' argument turns the First Amendment on its head,” said Ho. “Their reasoning would condemn any law that prevents discrimination against religion by expressly protecting the right of students to pray — including numerous federal and state laws that protect students against religious hostility.”

Five years ago, the Texas Legislature made changes to the moment of silence law, stipulating the recitation of the pledge would precede the moment of silence, which can then be used for “prayer” or “any other silent activity” that does not interfere or distract other students. “The state of Texas will work diligently to defend the law and uphold the district court’s decision, which ruled that Texas’ moment of silence statute is entirely constitutional,” Attorney General Abbott said.

Source: Dallas Business Journal, 8/5/08.


RIDDLE CRITICIZES PARKS & WILDLIFE OVER BORDER FENCE VOTE
Texas State Representative Debbie Riddle, one of the state's most outspoken opponents of illegal immigration, criticized the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission for their lack of cooperation with the federal government on the construction of a fence along the Texas-Mexico border. "While bureaucrats are arguing and stalling over minutia, the tax-paying people of Texas are taking it in the teeth," Riddle said. "The negative impact that our open borders have on public health, on our crime rates, and on our state's budget are real, and the more we delay enacting solutions, the more we are forcing the citizens to pay, not just in dollars, but in peace of mind."

In a story originally reported by the Austin-American Statesman, the commission defended their decision to refuse to sell a 2 1/2 acre state-owned corridor to the feds by saying that construction of the border fence on that land could have negative impacts on fish and wildlife in the immediate area. Riddle said she believes the commission's decision represents a misinterpretation of their mission. "The number one priority for all levels of government should be the safety of our citizens," Riddle said. "Surely, the commission is able to see that they have a duty to place the health and safety of the people of Texas over the perceived and hypothetical risks to the population of fish in a two-acre area," Riddle said.

The state legislature will reconvene in January, at which time Riddle said she will consider legislation that requires the commission to cooperate with the border fence plan.

Source: Texasinsider, 8/5/08

SPEAKER ELECTION LAW IS REVERSED
A federal judge threw out a state law that bans advocacy groups from spending money to campaign and lobby for selection of the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. U.S. Judge Sam Sparks sided with the ACLU of Texas, the Free Market Foundation and the Texas Eagle Forum political action committee—an unlikely alliance of groups that came together as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “This is a great victory for the broad coalition of clients we represented who were bonded by their common interest in protecting the freedom of political speech,” said Laurence VanDyke, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. The Texas speaker’s race is crucial in several House races this year, following failed attempts to oust Republican Speaker Tom Craddick in the 2007 legislative session.

Source: The Dallas Morning News, 8/26/08