'Save America' campaign launched

U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, Alan Keyes and Rick Scarborough

A 70-week "Crusade to Save America" has been launched by a team of evangelists and activists who say they hope to mobilize Christians for the 2008 election.

U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas., and more than 750 people appeared for a kickoff rally in Lufkin, Texas, for the campaign, which is featuring Ambassador Alan Keyes, Rick Scarborough and Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt.

The three plan to visit 70 cities between the 4th of July, 2007, and the elections in November 2008 to mobilize churches, pastors and social conservatives "to take back our government."

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Scarborough, head of Vision America, said the goal is to reach up to 2 million "values voters" to promote faith-based choices at the polls.

He noted that in 2004, social conservatives were the largest voting block and re-elected President Bush and increased their influence in Congress. But he said in 2006, social conservatives stayed home, and Congress and several key elections were lost.

He cited the issue of taxpayer-funded destruction of embryos for research in Missouri and defeat of pro-life legislation in South Dakota.

Keyes said his race often leads people to ask his opinion on 2008 presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Obama fails because of his record on abortion votes, he said, according to a report in the Lufkin Daily News.

"When Obama was a state senator, his committee blocked a bill that would protect living children already born from being discarded as fetal waste. That's not abortion, that's infanticide, and Barack Obama voted to kill those living babies," the newspaper reported Keyes said. "The Bible says God hates evil-doers. Christians should hate what God hates too."

He also said there can be no separation of church and state, because one does not exist without the other, and America cannot exist without Christians.

"If you love America, you've got to get involved in politics. ... Without you, America dies," he said.

Former Navy Chaplain Klingenschmitt testified about standing up for his right to pray publicly 'in Jesus name' and helping overturn a Navy prayer policy that required "non-sectarian government-sanitized prayers." By enduring an 18-day hunger strike and requesting his own court-martial, he gained support from 85 percent of Americans and was eventually vindicated by Congress.

"God bless you in Jesus name. Can I say that here?" he said.

"My story proves that if one man can stand up for religious liberty, we can take back our government and restore religious liberty. Thanks be to God, now all chaplains are free again to pray publicly 'in Jesus name' even in uniform," he said.

As WND reported, Congress rescinded the same Navy prayer policies that were enforced against Klingenschmitt at court-martial, but Navy officials refused to grandfather the legislative change back to his case, so he lost his career and pension.

Klingenschmitt continues to fight for reinstatement and has launched a petition drive to get back his uniform.

Gohmert was applauded by the crowd for leading opposition on Capitol Hill to "hate crimes" legislation. He warned that if the Senate approves the legislation already passed by House Democrats, pastors will be directly punished for preaching against the sin of homosexuality and accused of inciting violence as a co-defendant, if any "nut" in the crowd later commits a crime.

"They will come after your sermon notes and your congregation and accuse you of hate speech crimes, just for quoting your Bible in church," Gohmert warned.

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