| Revision as of 20:41, 8 August 2006 editDuncharris (talk | contribs)30,510 edits don't remove sourced content← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:20, 8 August 2006 edit undoJoe Carter (talk | contribs)123 edits Added category "=Organizations in the Christian Right"Next edit → | ||
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| The FRC is associated with James Dobson's ] and ]. | The FRC is associated with James Dobson's ] and ]. | ||
| Edgar Prince, founder of the private military contractor and security firm ], provided the financial resources to start the Family Research Council. <ref></ref> | |||
| Private military contractor, ] founder, who comes from a powerful Michigan Republican family and social circle, and his father, Edgar, helped ] start the Family Research Council. According to a report prepared for ] by the ], in all of Erik Prince's political funding generosity since 1989, he has never given a penny to a Democrat running for national office. Company president Jackson has also given money to Republican candidates. Joseph Schmitz-the former ] turned general counsel to Blackwater's parent, The ]-lists on his resume membership in the ], a ] formed before the First Crusade. Like Prince, he comes from a right-wing family; his father, former Congressman John Schmitz, was an ultraconservative ] director who later ran for President. Joseph Schmitz was once in charge of investigating private contractors like Blackwater, but he resigned amid allegations of stonewalling investigations conducted by his department. He now represents one of the most successful of those contractors. | |||
| == Politics and Policies == | == Politics and Policies == | ||
| The FRC policies are in general those of the ]: | The FRC policies are in general those of the ]: | ||
| * FRC campaigns for an increase in ]-only ], |
* FRC campaigns for an increase in ]-only ], particularly in state schools. | ||
| * Opponents of a vaccine for ] (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer, favoring abstinence to prevent HPV.<ref> October 18, 2005</ref> Representative of the FRC Bridget Maher had commented that vaccinating young women or children against the virus ] "could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a licence to engage in ]."<ref> Debora MacKenzie, NewScientist.com 18 April 2005 </ref> It is frequently mentioned during their abstinance-only education campaigning. | |||
| * Supports the widespread use of a vaccine for ] (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer, but opposes making the vaccine mandatory as a condition of public school attendance. <ref></ref> | |||
| * They have had minimal involvement in the ] legal incident or evolution controversy, commenting only briefly on the matter while maintaining a neutral stance. | * They have had minimal involvement in the ] legal incident or evolution controversy, commenting only briefly on the matter while maintaining a neutral stance. | ||
| * Frequently campaign to outlaw pornography, especially internet pornography and broadcast-TV. Actively opposed the introduction of a ] ], and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the ]. | * Frequently campaign to outlaw pornography, especially internet pornography and broadcast-TV. Actively opposed the introduction of a ] ], and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the ]. | ||
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| ===The SpongeBob SquarePants controversy=== | ===The SpongeBob SquarePants controversy=== | ||
| In January of ], the FRC hosted a banquet in ] in connection with the second inauguration of ]. Dobson, speaking at the FRC banquet, criticized a ] that featured ] and other cartoon characters. The video was distributed by the ]. Although the video made no reference to ], Dobson denounced the We Are Family Foundation for supporting ]. He subsequently denied the widespread reports that he was criticizing SpongeBob SquarePants on the ground that the cartoon character (who holds hands with his best friend, ]) was gay. Both Dobson and the FRC, however, pointed to the incorporation of the video in a curriculum promoting tolerance |
In January of ], the FRC hosted a banquet in ] in connection with the second inauguration of ]. Dobson, speaking at the FRC banquet, criticized a ] that featured ] and other cartoon characters. The video was distributed by the ]. Although the video made no reference to ], Dobson denounced the We Are Family Foundation for supporting ]. He subsequently denied the widespread reports that he was criticizing SpongeBob SquarePants on the ground that the cartoon character (who holds hands with his best friend, ]) was gay. Both Dobson and the FRC, however, pointed to the incorporation of the video in a curriculum promoting tolerance for homosexuality. | ||
| ⚫ | ==Personnel== | ||
| ==] Coalition Members== | |||
| ⚫ | *] - President | ||
| ⚫ | *] - Executive Vice President | ||
| ⚫ | *] - Vice President for Government Affairs | ||
| ⚫ | *] - Vice President for Communications | ||
| *] - Vice President for Administration | |||
| *] - Vice President for Development | |||
| *] - Vice President for Academic Affairs | |||
| ==Organizations in the ]== | |||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| ⚫ | ==Personnel== | ||
| ⚫ | *] - President | ||
| ⚫ | *] - Executive Vice President | ||
| ⚫ | *] - Vice President for Government Affairs | ||
| ⚫ | *] - Vice President for Communications | ||
| *] - Lobbyist | |||
| ==Notes and references== | ==Notes and references== | ||
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| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| * '''' discusses controversies surrounding the group's president. | |||
| * a pod for ] that discusses the Family Research Council's position on sex education | * a pod for ] that discusses the Family Research Council's position on sex education | ||
Revision as of 21:20, 8 August 2006
Family Research Council (FRC) is a Christian conservative non-profit lobbying organization, formed in the United States by James Dobson in 1981 and incorporated 1983. The group was designed to be a conservative lobbying force on Capitol Hill. In the late 1980s the group officially became a division of Dobson's main organization Focus on the Family, but in 1992 IRS concerns about the group's lobbying led to an administrative separation. Its function is to promote what it considers to be traditional family values. The current president is Tony Perkins.
The Family Research Council has been publicly involved in promoting socially conservative views on many issues, including divorce, homosexuality, and abortion. The Church Report ranks FRC first in the category of Christian political organizations.
History
According to the organization's website, "the Family Research Council (FRC) champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society".
"The idea of the Family Research Council originated at the 1980 White House Conference on Families. Among the conferees, James Dobson stood out because of his rare combination of Christian social values and academic and professional credentials. A practicing clinical psychologist and noted author, Dobson had recently transitioned into radio broadcasting and also launched a nonprofit, family service organization. He felt that the time was ripe to establish an organization that would drive the national debate on family issues. In 1983, the Family Research Council incorporated as a nonprofit educational institution in the District of Columbia; its founding board included Dobson and two noted psychiatrists, Armand Nicholi Jr. of Harvard University and George Rekers of the University of South Carolina," it states.
"Under the leadership of Jerry Regier, a former Reagan Administration official at the Department of Health and Human Services, FRC began to link policy makers with researchers and professionals from a variety of disciplines. Gary Bauer, a domestic policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan, succeeded Regier in 1988 and by the mid-1990s the organization had grown into a $10 million operation with a nationwide network of support...", it states.
The FRC is associated with James Dobson's Focus on the Family and William J. Bennett.
Edgar Prince, founder of the private military contractor and security firm Blackwater USA, provided the financial resources to start the Family Research Council.
Politics and Policies
The FRC policies are in general those of the Christian Right:
- FRC campaigns for an increase in abstinence-only sex education, particularly in state schools.
- Supports the widespread use of a vaccine for human papilloma virus (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer, but opposes making the vaccine mandatory as a condition of public school attendance.
- They have had minimal involvement in the intelligent design legal incident or evolution controversy, commenting only briefly on the matter while maintaining a neutral stance.
- Frequently campaign to outlaw pornography, especially internet pornography and broadcast-TV. Actively opposed the introduction of a .xxx domain name, and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the FCC.
- Strongly pro-life.
- Opponents of "gay rights" in general - including repeal of sodomy laws (both heterosexual and homosexual), legal recognition (In either 'homosexual marriage' or 'civil partnership' form) for domestic partners, discussion of homosexuality in schools and hate crime legislation.
In the May 30, 2005 edition of Harper's Magazine, Chris Hedges in Soldiers of Christ II writes that the Family Research Council sponsors radio broadcasts the Dominionist movement and that Perkins, president of the Family Research Council appears in videos promoting the dominionist message that "America’s culture was hijacked by a secular movement"
In their report Funding the Culture Wars the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy lists the Family Research Council as one of the leading organizations funding the activities of the Christian right. Along with the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council is identified as an dominionist organization by TheocracyWatch, which says that the Congressional scorecard of the Family Research Council illustrates its success and the strength of dominionists in Congress.
The FRC publishes frequent e-mail updates, usually in the form of three short articles. These can also be viewed on their website. These articles typically take the form of advocacy for a conservative Christian perspective on current political and social issues.
Controversy and criticism
Racism allegations
The Southern Poverty Law Center has linked the Family Research Council to racism through the activities of its president Tony Perkins. In the April 26, 2005 issue of The Nation magazine journalist Max Blumenthal wrote that Family Research Council president Tony Perkins has longstanding ties to racist organizations, including a deal with white supremacist David Duke to share his mailing list. "Four years ago, Perkins addressed the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), America's premier white supremacist organization, the successor to the White Citizens Councils, which battled integration in the South. In 1996 Perkins paid former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his mailing list. At the time, Perkins was the campaign manager for a right-wing Republican candidate for the US Senate in Louisiana. The Federal Election Commission fined the campaign Perkins ran $3,000 for attempting to hide the money paid to Duke."
The SpongeBob SquarePants controversy
In January of 2005, the FRC hosted a banquet in Washington, D.C. in connection with the second inauguration of George W. Bush. Dobson, speaking at the FRC banquet, criticized a video that featured SpongeBob SquarePants and other cartoon characters. The video was distributed by the We Are Family Foundation. Although the video made no reference to sexual orientation, Dobson denounced the We Are Family Foundation for supporting gay rights. He subsequently denied the widespread reports that he was criticizing SpongeBob SquarePants on the ground that the cartoon character (who holds hands with his best friend, Patrick Star) was gay. Both Dobson and the FRC, however, pointed to the incorporation of the video in a curriculum promoting tolerance for homosexuality.
Personnel
- Tony Perkins - President
- Chuck Donovan - Executive Vice President
- Tom McClusky - Vice President for Government Affairs
- Charmaine Yoest - Vice President for Communications
- Paul Tripodi - Vice President for Administration
- Paul Fitzpatrick - Vice President for Development
- Robert Morrison - Vice President for Academic Affairs
Organizations in the Christian Right
Notes and references
- The Church Report Top 20 List of Political Christian Organizations URL accessed May 12, 2006.
- FRC Monthly Support Newletter
- Family Research Council Statement Regarding HPV Vaccines
- Funding the Culture Wars: Philanthropy, Church and State By John Russell January 2005
- the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
- The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party TheocracyWatch, Last updated: March 2006; URL accessed April 29, 2006.
- Taking Over the Republican PartyTheocracyWatch, Last updated: February 2005; URL accessed April 29, 2006.
- "Dominionist Influence in The U.S. Congress", TheocracyWatch, Last updated: December 2005; URL accessed April 23, 2006.
- Blumenthal, Max, "Justice Sunday Preachers", The Nation, April 26, 2005
External links
- Family Research Council home page
- List of issues in which the FRC has sought involvement
- "That's Unfortunate" a pod for Current TV that discusses the Family Research Council's position on sex education