November 1, 2004

 

Office of the President

Steven W. Fitschen

 

The battle for the Ten Commandments has moved to the Supreme Court!  And you and I must be there!

 

Dear Friend of Freedom,

 

            You and I must not sit idly by while every vestige of our religious heritage is stripped from the public square!

 

            Atheists and other secularists continue to attack Ten Commandments displays all across the country . . . and unfortunately, too many times they win and the Ten Commandments lose.

 

            Now, you and I have the chance to turn two of these losses into victories.  That’s why I need to hear from you today to know that you are standing with us.

 

            The first brief we will file will be with the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.  In this case, an atheist sued the town of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, demanding that it remove a Ten Commandments monument that has stood for 38 years.

 

            The district court declared the monument unconstitutional.  So did a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit.  BUT, Plattsmouth has asked the entire Eighth Circuit to reconsider that decision . . . AND the Eighth Circuit has agreed to do so!

 

            While such a decision is not unheard of, it is highly unusual AND it’s a very encouraging sign!

 

            And that’s where you and I come in — we must act immediately to help Plattsmouth convince the Eighth Circuit to change its mind.

 

Please stand with us in this battle.  We need your prayers and we need your financial support.

 

As soon as we heard the news that the entire court would re-hear the case, we contacted the court and told it that we wanted to file a brief supporting the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments.  We knew that the rules of the Eighth Circuit do not specifically allow us to do this.  (The rules would allow us to help Plattsmouth in a regular three-judge panel situation.  But the rules are silent about outside help when the entire court re-hears the case.)

 

At first, the court did not even know what to do about our request . . . BUT ULTIMATELY IT CALLED US BACK TO SAY “YES”!  What an opportunity!

 

And we MUST NOT miss it!  Please help us take advantage of this chance to defend the Ten Commandments — please send your very best gift today!

 

And as soon as we finish this brief, we must start on the second brief — this time in the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  This case was filed by a man who thinks that because he is offended, everyone else must be forced to stop acknowledging our religious heritage.

 

A few years ago, he sued to force the city of Elkhart, Indiana to remove a 46-year-old Ten Commandments monument from the lawn of its Municipal Center.  The lower federal courts agreed with his demands and the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

 

Now he has gone even further.  Now he has sued Elkhart County to remove a small framed copy of the Ten Commandments from inside the County Administration Building.  The Ten Commandments are part of a larger display that includes, among other things, copies of the National Motto, the National Anthem, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Magna Carta.

 

We must not let this man destroy our right to display even a small copy of the Ten Commandments along side these other important documents . . . as if the Ten Commandments mean nothing to this country!

 

Please let me hear from you today.  We desperately need your prayers and we desperately need your financial support.

 

Both of these cases and both of our briefs are incredibly important.  We simply must have the resources to step up to the plate.

 

I know I can count on you for your prayerful and financial support.  You have been there for us — and for religious liberty – so many times before.

 

                                                                        Thanking you in advance,

  

                                                                        Steven W. Fitschen

                                                                        President

 

P.S. The first brief will be out the door before you even get this letter.  The second one must be filed by June 16.  And in between, we must file a brief in the New Jersey same-sex marriage case.  I am “staffing up” for the summer even though donations often fall off at this time of year.  We are going forward with all the work that the Lord has put on our plate and we are trusting all of our friends and supporters — including you — to do their very best.  Please let me hear from you today!  Thanks.