Subject: If you subscribed to c.c.watch...
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 00:12:47 -0500

You may have received e-mail from "c.c.watch" before, but that was just the
tip of the iceberg!

If you had been a subscriber to the "c.c.watch" newsletter you would have
received the following report last Monday morning in your mail box. E-mail
box that is. The "c.c.watch" newsletter has now made the transition from
print to an electronic news service.  Paid subscribers now receive all of
their "c.c.watch" information by e-mail--news, updates, analyses, commentary,
etc. on Pat Robertson, his many enterprises, and his fellow travelers (like
James Dobson, Paul Weyrich, etc.)  This cutting edge political
information--at the core of the "radical religious right" movement in
America--is delivered to subscribers' e-mail boxes in a timely fashion, 3-4
times a week, wherever they are, and in manageable doses! No more searching
through periodicals, TV broadcasts and webpages for information that is just
not easy to find. Take a look for yourself.

THE PAT ROBERTSON EMPIRE: What's New and Exciting? (1/7/96)

1. The Christian Coalition (CC) leaped whole hog into the budget fray last
Thursday night by sending an action alert fax from its DC office--"GRASSROOTS
CALL TO ACTION: WE MUST WIN THE PUBLIC RELATIONS BATTLE OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON
IN ORDER TO WIN THE BALANCED BUDGET BATTLE IN WASHINGTON."   The message
parroted the party line thrown out all week by paterfamilias Pat Robertson on
The 700 Club (and reinforced by Tom Delay of Texas on Thursday's broadcast)
that President Clinton is driven by the polls and won't yield unless public
opinion turns against him. Pat urged his viewers to call the White House and
Congress. The CC urged its followers to "go on the offensive" with letters to
the editor, attending congressional town hall meetings, press conferences,
call-ins to radio talk shows, press releases, and meeting with elected
officials. Targeted for phone calls were "conservative Democrats"--Bevill
(AL), Browder (AL), Cramer (AL), Lincoln (AR) Dooley (CA), Condit (CA),
Harman (CA), Lipinski (IL), Hamilton (IN), Roemer (IN), Baesler (KY), Minge
(MN), C. Peterson (MN), Montgomery (MS), Taylor (MS), Danner (MO), Skelton
(MO), Andrews (NJ), Traficant (OH), Brewster (OK), Spratt (SC), Clement (TN),
Tanner (TN), Gordon (TN), Edwards (TX), Geren (TX), R. Hall (TX), Stenholm
(TX), Orton (UT), Payne (VA), and Sisisky (VA). MESSAGE: Balance the budget
and include the $500 per child tax credit.

2. The Christian Broadcasting Company has acquired Christian World News, "a
weekly half-hour TV program which covers news and features on the church's
activity around the world." It is produced weekly and aired on FamilyNet.
Its founder is Stan Jeter, who is a CBN news senior producer. The
acquisition was touted as support for CBN's global evangelism campaign, World
Reach--a 5-year program to convert 500 million worldwide begun last October
"using TV programming, literature, video and film teams, and 'media paks'
containing video, audio and printed materials." One such vehicle was "Micah's
Christmas Treasure," an animated film produced in Shanghai, China, and aired
on the Family Channel on December 22; it was broadcast around the world in 10
different languages. Last Wednesday, Pat reported that in the past few weeks,
1.1 million Albanians--one-third of the population--had come to Christ due to
similar CBN activity in December. On December 29th, Mr. Robertson said that
World Reach "may be the greatest news story of the year."

(In this same vein, Robertson's Regent University plays host to "Penetrating
the 10/40 Window" on March 10-13.  The Unreached Peoples Consultation is
entering its sixth year! The Seven Strategic Alliance Tracks for stepped-up
evangelization are: Buddhist Peoples [Tibetan/Mongolian/Siberian], China,
Indonesia, Southeast Asia [Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos], Uzbekistan, India, and
Fourth World Peoples [Drug Addicts, Street People, Prostitutes]. For more
information call 804/579-4525)

3. No deal! The Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News reported on December 20th
that International Family Entertainment, Inc., "continuing its plunge into
Asia," had agreed to buy the majority interest in Pakistani Mobile
Communications, Ltd. from Motorola Inc. But last Friday, IFE said that it had
deferred its decision. The deal, contingent upon approval from the Pakistani
government, would have gone through a newly-formed IFE subsidiary called
Mobilink Partners, Inc.--and had been considered risky as the Pakistani cell
phone company serves fewer than 10,000 customers in an unstable nation of 130
million people. Yet, Pat Robertson had called the deal "an exciting financial
opportunity" and had said that "the economies of wireless transmission as an
alternative to wired services are appealing." Recently IFE agreed to invest
millions in two Hong Kong-based companies that distribute television programs
to China and other Asian countries.

4. Folks on The 700 Club mailing list received a "Holiday Appeal" in November
with a simulated handwritten note from Mr. Robertson and his wife Dede asking
for contributions to Operation Blessing.  Subsequent appeals were made on
television by Robertson asking for money to make up about an $300,000
shortfall towards the goal--which, he said on December 12--was to be matched
3 or 4 times. The CBN public relations department said that most likely those
funds  would be matched by local churches that helped distribute food, etc.
Subsequent calls by "c.c.watch" to the OB public relations person for
clarification were not returned.

5. Meanwhile, the CBN "campus" was glowing all through the holiday season
after the "Grand Illumination" on December 2nd of 450,000 lights, a tree and
a live nativity scene. 700 Club co-host Terry Meeuwsen was the featured
performer, but Pat Robertson himself read The Christmas Story. It cost extra
to "experience the joy of an old-fashioned horse and carriage ride" through
the grounds. 700 Club members also received a Christmas card trimmed in gold
leaf from the Robertsons, who were pictured on the front with their poodle.
How much does all THAT cost?

6. On December 24th, CC Executive Director Ralph Reed and senior White House
adviser George Stephanopoulos appeared on "Meet the Press" to talk about
values in America. Tim Russert asked his guests to evaluate the moral climate
in America. Mr. Stephanopoulos, who is from a very religious Greek Orthodox
family and has a Masters in Religion from Oxford, replied: "I don't think
it's for me to judge." One might say that THIS is what the Election of 1996
is all about.

7. Everyone should watch The 700 Club for her/himself, especially the first
segment, the so-called "Newswatch Today"--which is more like "Pat's theories,
pet peeves and grinding axes." YOU DECIDE whether Pat Robertson & Company are
using the news to promote their agenda. And whether Mr. Robertson should be
held accountable for deliberately tying his socio-political views to
salvation and miracles--while sowing seeds of mistrust and discontent in
areas like the Bosnia peace mission and Israeli peace process. Perhaps he
should be asked to choose between politics and evangelism--or lose both his
credibility and tax-exempt status. The 700 Club's focus this week, all week,
is "America's Two Destinies" and is the basis of a full-fledged CBN telethon.
While you watch, remember that Pat Robertson is the founder and president of
the Christian Coalition.

PS-- "Christian Coalition Sends Dual Messages on Israel," a letter to the
Editor of The New York Times by Paula Xanthopoulou, Editor of "c.c.watch" was
published on Saturday, January 7th.

Copyright 1996 Public-Spirited Enterprises
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