Plus, Mike Pence stands for faith. Thursday, October 1, 2020 To: Friends & Supporters From: Gary Bauer Washington Monument Reopens The Washington Monument reopened today. It has been closed to the public for the past six months due to the coronavirus. But as of this morning, eight visitors at a time can once again take the elevator to the observation deck 500 feet up at the top. This is the third time in recent years that the Washington Monument has been reopened. It was damaged in an earthquake in 2011 and was closed for two years for repairs. And in 2016 it was closed for three years to add security enhancements and to replace a faulty elevator. So, the monument has been closed for a good part of the past decade. And what a decade it has been! While we may be celebrating the reopening of the Washington Monument today, just a couple of weeks ago the mayor of Washington, D.C., proudly accepted a commission's recommendation that all monuments to people like George Washington be removed or publicly labeled for all the bad things they ever did. This is the same George Washington who delivered his first inaugural address just a few blocks from Ground Zero. In that address, Washington declared that God delivered our nation victory from the greatest empire on the face of the earth. Washington also warned that the "smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained." I think we will find that the physical structure of the Washington Monument was a lot easier to fix than the cracks in the hearts of our children, created by an educational establishment that has twisted our history and turned our heritage against us. Faith Under Fire The left is clearly gearing up to attack Judge Amy Coney Barrett over her faith. While that was largely expected, given her confrontation with Sen. Dianne Feinstein three years ago, a weekend Politico column leaves no doubt that Barrett's faith will feature prominently in the left's smear campaign. The article focuses extensively on Barrett's association with Trinity School, a private Christian school in South Bend, Indiana. Barrett served on the school's board for two years. Of particular concern to the left is the school's "values statement," which outlines its commitment to Christian education and teaching. Among other things, the statement declares that the school's beliefs "are rooted in a particular Christian understanding of marriage and sexuality. We understand marriage to be a legal and committed relationship between a man and a woman." And that is unacceptable to the left. In spite of constant demands for tolerance, so-called "progressives" have no tolerance for anyone who believes in traditional Christian teaching on marriage. They are so intolerant of Christians that they believe such religious views are disqualifying for public service, even though the Constitution specifically prohibits "religious tests" for public office. That was the essence of Sen. Feinstein's attack in 2017. It was the same anti-religious bigotry that led Bernie Sanders to attack a Trump appointee to the Office of Management and Budget. And it was the same anti-religious bigotry that led progressive senators to attack another judicial nominee for his membership in the Knights of Columbus. Do you see a pattern here? Today, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell went to the Senate floor today and blasted progressive senators for their clear pattern of intolerance. Standing For Faith This week, Vice President Mike Pence fired off a letter to the governor of Nevada, taking him to task for discriminating against churches. As you may know, Gov. Sisolak has allowed casinos to operate at 50% capacity, but he has limited churches to no more than 50 people regardless of their capacity. In his letter, Pence wrote: "While I am pleased you are interested in protecting entertainment and tourism jobs, your decision to prioritize blackjack and slot machines over places of worship is offensive to millions of Americans. I hope you will reconsider, and extend the same courtesy to churches, synagogues, and mosques that you have offered to casinos across the State." Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley is continuing its legal fight to be treated equally with other Nevada businesses. And the governor is reportedly considering relaxing current restrictions. Schumer's Big Plans New York Senator Chuck Schumer has big plans if he is lucky enough to become Senate Majority Leader next year. During an interview on MSNBC last night, host Joy Reid pressed Schumer to commit to ending the filibuster and expanding the number of states in the union. Schumer eagerly replied: "I would. Believe me, on D.C. and Puerto Rico . . . I'd love to make them states. And as for the filibuster, I'm not busting my chops to become majority leader to do very little or nothing. We are going to get a whole lot done. And as I've said, everything, everything is on the table." MAKE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION NOW As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to American Values are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. 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