Kelly J. Shackelford
President, CEO and Chief Counsel (since 1997)
(LI) Liberty Institute
(P.O. Box 9078, Pueblo, CO 81008-9978)
www.libertyinstitute.org
Restoring Religious Liberty in America
Dear Sir,
[10-14-2013 letter] You may be wondering why I've attached a
nickel to this letter. I did it to emphasize fact that will affect your life
and the future of America:
Wealthy organizations like the ACLU, the
Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for
Separation of Church and State, American Atheists, and liberal government
officials across America don't give a
nickel about your religious freedom.
In
fact, they are spending more than $100 million per year to destroy your freedom
in courts across America, from local jurisdictions up to the U.S. Supreme
Court.
And
as I will explain, their well-funded plan to destroy your religious freedom
won't slow down in the months ahead. In fact, under President Obama, these attacks on
our religious liberty are going to dramatically increase.
But there is a way to defeat this
Goliath.
Liberty
Institute—the legal organization in America dedicated exclusively to defending and restoring
religious freedom in America—can multiply every nickel you donate six times
fighting the ACLU and its allies.
That
multiplied impact is one reason Liberty Institute has won 99% of its cases
against giants like the ACLU . . . despite having only a fraction of their
budget!
I'll
explain the rest of our strategy for victory in a moment. But before I do, I'm
asking you to send a donation of $25 or more to help Liberty Institute as we
prepare to go to court to defend hundreds of attacks on your religious freedom.
Our goal is to raise $1 million in the next 45 days.
And
remember, every dollar is multiplied six times to field the top lawyers in America to go eyeball-to-eyeball with the ACLU and other
radical groups to defend your religious freedom.
My
name is Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of Liberty Institute since 1997.Never
in my 24 years of defending religious liberty—which includes standing before
the U.S. Supreme Court—have I seen Americans so close to losing our religious
freedom.
Losing our religious freedom? In America? Yes. Consider the record:
• Liberty Institute is battling the ACLU's
attempt to tear down the famous 29-foot Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross in San Diego, California. If they succeed, they will use the precedent to tear
down, sandblast, or erase religious symbols in every nook and cranny of America, including the Ten Commandments on the wall of the
courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court!
• Liberty
Institute recently defended a high
school valedictorian who was threatened with prison by a federal judge for
planning to mention Jesus during her graduation . . . and a teacher who was
fired for giving a student a Bible at the student's request!
• We
recently fought the Obama Administration
when the federal government told a pastor he could not pray in the name of
Jesus at a Memorial Day service—and then banned the mention of God from
veterans' funerals!
• We defended elementary school children at
a U.S. Court of Appeals who were harshly reprimanded for handing out candy
canes with a religious message to classmates at Christmas . . . and giving
Christmas pencils saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season."
• We've fought local bureaucrats and judges across
the country who have shut down Bible studies and even
padlocked small churches (they love to pick on the "little guy" to
set national precedents for muzzling free speech for everyone).
Please understand,
these are not rare cases. The list
could go on for pages (in fact, we have just published a 189-page online book, UNDENIABLE: The
Survey of Hostility to Religion in America, documenting the escalating war
on religious freedom, including in the Armed Forces).
These
incidents include: An 8-year-old Christian girl who was publicly humiliated by
her teacher for writing "Jesus Loves Me" on her artwork.
A young Christian boy who was physically lifted out of
his chair by his teacher for praying silently before he ate his lunch.
Legal cases like these are a warning
that your religious freedom will be won or lost primarily in courtrooms, not at
the ballot box. It is a fatal mistake
to think elections will stop the ACLU and radical liberals in court.
Unless
we win in the courts, our religious freedom will fall to the wealthy
radicals—including militant atheists, liberal extremists, and entrenched
bureaucrats—who seek to impose a secular tyranny on America. They seek
freedom from religion, not freedom of religion. They truly believe
religious freedom is dangerous, and they want to shove your faith and freedom
into a dark corner of society and remove its influence.
But
to win in the courts . . . our side needs a winning strategy. Good intentions
are not enough. Too much is at stake. And a winning strategy is what Liberty
Institute offers. That's why we have an unmatched winning record (99%) battling
for these freedoms.
It
doesn't work anymore to fly in a staff attorney from a distant location. An "out
of towner" doesn't know the judges, the
community, or the critical "inside" insights. This puts our side at a
disadvantage. Liberty does things differently.
We have created a national network of
the best private attorneys in each area nationwide who love religious liberty. When religious freedom is attacked anywhere in America, these
top-notch, local, Liberty-affiliated attorneys move wisely. They have the
pulse of the local scene. They know the judges, know the best arguments to
make, and know how things are done. This network gives Liberty a real "home
field advantage" in court!
And
what's more, many of the top-notch attorneys Liberty engages—attorneys from prestigious law firms who
normally charge up to $1,200 an hour—work for free because they volunteer their
services on our religious freedom cases. Liberty gets $6 in pro bono (free) legal work for every $1
donated by people like you. It all translates into big wins.
• Liberty
successfully defended the famous
Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial Cross when atheists and the ACLU tried to tear
it down.
• Liberty
successfully stopped a federal judge
from censoring a graduation prayer.
• Liberty stopped the Obama administration from removing God from the
funerals of our fallen veterans.
Victories
such as these are why Liberty Institute is enthusiastically endorsed by
national leaders like Sen. Rick Santorum
. . . Dr. James Dobson . . . Gov. Mike Huckabee . . . Gov. Rick Perry . . . and other leaders
who are concerned that religious freedom is under fire. I was humbled when Sen.
Santorum recently said:
"I
support the work of Liberty Institute and would strongly urge you to do
likewise. They are a tremendous organization who works tirelessly in their
efforts to challenge the persecution of religious believers. Like a David facing Goliath, Liberty Institute is facing down the giants of religious
persecution and succeeding!"
But
to keep winning, we need to find more Americans who will stand with us to
defend and restore religious freedom.
I'm asking you to be one of them.
I'm
asking you to be one of them. In the next 45 days, we need to raise $1 million
to help win cases such as saving the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial cross. These
include more than 40 ongoing cases representing numerous churches, individuals
and students whose religious freedom is being threatened.
That
is why I'm asking you to send a contribution today of $25 . . . $50 . . . $100
or more to defend your religious liberty. Don't forget, every donation is
matched by as much as six times that much in pro bono (free) legal counsel by
the best religious liberty attorneys in the country. May I hear from you today?
The
attacks on your religious freedom are growing with each passing day. To stop
the ACLU and its allies, we need new friends like you.
Remember,
religious freedom is the first freedom mentioned in the Bill of Rights. If religious freedom falls . . . all other freedom will fall, since
all freedom comes from God.
Please
give whatever you can to Liberty Institute. It is an investment in the very
future of our nation. May God bless you (LI, P.O. Box 9078, Pueblo, CO 81008-9978).
With
sincere gratitude,
Kelly
J. Shackelford
President/CEO
and Chief Counsel
P.S. Please
send your contribution of at least $25 to help Liberty Institute defend the
famous Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial cross and other veterans memorials . . .
and the religious rights of students, pastors, and others under attack by the
ACLU and its allies. If you would like to give online, go to Libertylnstitute.org/give. But
please take action to defend and restore religious freedom today. Thank you!
2001 West Plano Parkway, Suite 1600 • Plano, Texas 75075 • Phone: 97 2.941 .4444 • Fax: 972.423.6162 • www.LibertyInstitute.org
********************
WHAT CONSERVATIVE LEADERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LIBERTY INSTITUTE
"I support the work of
Liberty Institute and would strongly urge you to do likewise. They are a
tremendous organization who works tirelessly in their efforts to challenge the
persecution of religious believers. Like a David facing Goliath, Liberty
Institute is facing down the giants of religious persecution and
succeeding!" – Rick Santorum, former Senator, U.S. presidential candidate
"The ACLU fears Liberty
Institute. And for good reason. Liberty Institute and
Kelly Shackelford are at the forefront of the intensifying battle to preserve
our religious freedom. I've known of their work for years, and today it's
important than ever–indeed, it is essential?" – Mike Huckabee, former governor,
Fox News and radio host
"When secularist
radicals have attacked students in our state, or government officials who
simply wanted to pray in public, Liberty Institute was there to fight and win
the legal battles. They are the best. Students, churches, and people of faith
depend on them to stop those who would silence faith." – Rick Perry,
governor of Texas
"Liberty Institute's
one-of-a-kind legal strategy is indispensable to the survival of religious
freedom in America. I urge friends of faith, family and freedom to
support their work:" – Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council
"You have chosen to
devote yourself to the defense of not only religious liberty but the family and
righteousness in the culture, and you are a hero of mine:" – Dr. James
Dobson, Host, Family Talk
Please help Liberty Institute reach its $1
million goal in the next 45 days! Remember, for every $1 you give, $6 worth of
top legal counsel is unleashed to defend your religious freedom in courts
across America!
2001 West Plano Parkway, Suite 1600 • Plano, Texas 75075 • Phone: 97 2.941 .4444 • Fax: 972.423.6162 • www.LibertyInstitute.org