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GOP Congressman Wants Troops Out of Iraq Associated Press June 13, 2005 RALEIGH, N.C. - A Republican congressman who voted for the Iraq war said Sunday that "we've done about as much as we can do" in the country and that the reason for invading Iraq has proven false. Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina will be among the lawmakers introducing legislation this week calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops in Iraq. "When I look at the number of men and women who have been killed - it's almost 1,700 now, in addition to close to...

Republican lawmakers urge shift in Iraq plans Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:58 PM ET By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican congressman called for a deadline to pull U.S. troops from Iraq, while some other members of President Bush's party urged on Sunday that his administration come to grips with a persistent insurgency and revamp Iraq policy. Rep. Walter Jones, a North Carolina conservative, said on ABC's "This Week" that he would offer legislation this week setting a timetable for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. "I voted for the resolution to commit the troops, and I feel that we've...

A Republican congressman who voted for the Iraq war said Sunday that "we've done about as much as we can do" in the country and that the reason for invading Iraq has proven false. Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina will be among the lawmakers introducing legislation this week calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops in Iraq. "When I look at the number of men and women who have been killed - it's almost 1,700 now, in addition to close to 12,000 have been severely wounded - and I just feel that the reason of going...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A Republican congressman who voted for the Iraq war said Sunday that "we've done about as much as we can do'' in the country and that the reason for invading Iraq has proven false. Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina will be among the lawmakers introducing legislation this week calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops in Iraq. "When I look at the number of men and women who have been killed -- it's almost 1,700 now, in addition to close to 12,000 have been severely wounded -- and I just feel that...

WASHINGTON -- The military announced the killing of four more U.S. soldiers on Sunday, pushing the American death toll past 1,700. The news comes as police found the bullet-riddled bodies of 28 people -- many thought to be Sunni Arabs -- buried in shallow graves or dumped streetside in Baghdad. GOP Congressman Wants Iraq Timetable A Republican lawmaker who voted for the Iraq war now says he supports a timetable for the United States to withdraw. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., told ABC's "This Week" that the U.S. has done about as much as it can do in Iraq. He said...

Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr.--a conservative Republican from North Carolina--voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. So it jarred all the more yesterday when Jones turned his fury on Richard N. Perle, the Pentagon adviser who provided the Bush administration with brainpower for the Iraq war. Jones, who said he has signed more than 900 condolence letters to kin of fallen soldiers, pronounced himself "incensed" with Perle. "It is just amazing to me how we as a Congress were told we had to remove this man..... but the reason we were given was not accurate," Jones told Perle...

Pastors or other church leaders could use their pulpits to endorse political candidates under a controversial bill backed by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. Currently, if churches make endorsements they can jeopardize their tax-exempt status. "This bill will finally lift the fear and anxiety from houses of worship that seek to speak out on issues that affect the local community and our nation," Brownback said during a recent Capitol Hill press conference. The bill would allow pastors and ministers to endorse candidates, but churches still would be prohibited from spending money on a candidate's campaign if they want to retain...

Returning freedom of speech to our nation's Houses of Worship.HR 235 was introduced to liberate clergy from the muzzle imposed by the absolute ban on all speech that may be regarded as "political," and thereby enable them to speak out on all vital and moral and political questions of the day. It will free houses of worship from the fear and anxiety and uncertainty created by the threat that the IRS will impose financial penalties or revoke tax-exempt status altogether. KEY POINTSTo Understanding the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act Above all else, HR 235 is about recognizing the...

A U.S. House Republican wants religious leaders to be able to use their pulpits to endorse political candidates and he has introduced legislation that would do just that through a change in the tax code. Church leaders, in order to protect their tax-exempt status, are currently prohibited by law from taking sides in a political debate. But North Carolina Republican Rep. Walter Jones' bill - the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act of 2005 -- would change the Internal Revenue Service code. Similar legislation may be sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback. "Whatever God...

Saturday, January 22, 2005, Pitt County Right to Life Chairman, Judy Eagle, gathered together with Pro-Life activists and Right to Life chairmen from the surrounding counties for a Prayer Breakfast at the Golden Corral on Greenville Boulevard. This occasion marked the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade court decision which legalized abortion. Since then, approximately 44 million American babies have perished by “choice.” Jere Royall, Director of Community Impact at the North Carolina Family Policy Council in Raleigh, addressed the Pitt County group. Royall discussed the importance of sanctity of marriage, family life, abstinence outside marriage, and the preciousness...

Before Congress left town Friday for its Fourth of July recess, Rep. Bill Thomas of California pulled off one of his patented legislative assassinations. Washington's most cunning parliamentarian, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Thomas eradicated the Freedom of Speech in Churches Act without openly opposing it. In the process, he fired an early shot in a destructive civil war looming for Republicans. The bill would stop the Internal Revenue Service from using existing statutes to muzzle clergymen who talk politics in their churches. That stoppage is pressed by Christian conservatives, who say they have been discriminated against by federal...

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has agreed to speak at this summer’s Conservative University conference, Accuracy in Academia (AIA) has announced. A former civics teacher, state legislator, and U.S. Department of Education official in the Reagan administration, Rep. Tancredo was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 1998. He represents the citizens of Colorado’s Sixth Congressional District. A hero to conservatives, Rep. Tancredo is widely regarded as the leading immigration-reform advocate in Congress. Less publicized—but of great interest to AIA—are his efforts on the educational front. In response to the decline of history standards in American public schools, Rep. Tancredo has...

(CNSNews.com) - The same-sex marriages taking place in Massachusetts can happen in other states, too - even states that bar homosexual "marriage," some lawmakers and conservative groups are warning their constituents. "Many North Carolinians are under the impression that what's happening in Massachusetts has no relevance to them because North Carolina passed legislation prohibiting homosexual marriage," said Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) in a press release issued Monday. "Unfortunately, this couldn't be farther from the truth," Jones said. Jones said liberal activists have made it clear they will use the Massachusetts court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage to "overthrow" the...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A group of conservative Republicans in Congress is pushing a bill that would safeguard the right of U.S. military academies to say grace before meals. The bill comes after a civil-liberties group warned that lunchtime grace at the Naval Academy may be unconstitutional. It's also the first legislative response to federal court rulings striking down mealtime prayer at the Virginia Military Institute as a violation of church-state separation. Annapolis is the only federal academy where a chaplain leads grace before a meal with mandatory attendance. West Point doesn't offer a mealtime prayer; the Air Force Academy pauses...

Here in Louisiana Saturday, the Democrats won another important and hotly contested race, mainly because African-American churches supported the Democratic candidate. The well-funded conservative campaign waged by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Suzie Terrell could not overcome the illegal use of black churches by the incumbent Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu. Landrieu learned how to use these ministers and their church assets just as nearly every Democrat has done when running for office over the last 40 years. Landrieu won 52% to 48%, an impressive showing, given the fact that a very popular Republican President and his party pulled out all the...