FRC 10/11/2013

| | October 11, 2013 |alink Values Voters Bring Hope to Washington When your day begins with hearing from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Mark Levin, and Dr. Ben Carson - all before noon - it can only mean one thing: The 8th annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., is in full swing. This morning's speakers brought an atmosphere of fresh hope into a city wrapped in stalemate. A still partially shutdown government couldn't stop the enthusiasm of conservatives from across America as over 2,000 registered attendees gathered here at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Senator Lee reminded the audience that the government's biggest ally is found in the family. "To be truly pro-growth, we must be pro-family," he said. Senator Cruz implored President Obama hear the people on ObamaCare, noting, "The fundamental problem in Washington is that Washington is not listening to the American people." Senator Paul took on the global persecution of Christians saying, "American tax dollars should never be spent to prop up a war on Christianity. But that's what's happening now across the globe. As Christians, we should take a stand and fight against any of your tax dollars funding any persecution of Christians." Senator Rubio cautioned the audience that, "We can't stop talking about the importance of our values and our culture. We can't stop talking about them because the moral well-being of our people is directly linked to their economic well-being." Senator Scott challenged us that in order to restore America, "we must first get back to fiscal sanity." Mark Levin urged us to "embrace the Constitution, embrace our history [...] listen to George Mason, and Madison, and Franklin, and the others, and take our country back." Dr Ben Carson capped off the morning by exhorting attendees that " it's time - it's really time for the people - we, the people of America, to stop being afraid of the government and to put it in its place." And that's just a review of the first morning! The action continues into Friday evening and all day Saturday. Join us online (#VVS13 was a nationally trending topic on Twitter today!) and watch the live webcast and on-demand recordings of this year's speakers at ValuesVoterSummit.org. Shepherding Protections for Chaplains Last night, the Senate finally agreed unanimously to an amended version of a House-passed resolution calling on the Department of Defense to allow all contracted military employees who provide religious services to be able to carry out their work during the ongoing partial government shutdown. Last weekend, reports surfaced of contracted chaplains, religious support staff, and Catholic priests being blocked from carrying out services or even accessing military bases to volunteer their time for our troops. After a week of pressure from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), other Senate Republicans, and the grassroots, Senate Democrats joined the House in calling on the Secretary of Defense to allow contracted chaplains to minister to our men and women in uniform. With week two of the shutdown coming to a close, it is even more important that DOD recognize the role religious support staff play in supporting the "morale and well-being" of our members of the Armed Forces and their families. * On Friday's edition of "Washington Watch with Tony Perkins," Fox News' Todd Starnes joins me to spotlight the religious liberty panel he is leading at the Values Voter Summit. Former Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum discusses the latest issues in government and promotes a movie he's been involved with. Also, we are honored to have Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk to talk about the recent attacks on his faith and values at Lackland Air Force Base. Log on to TonyPerkins.com to listen.