Faith and Values Award Gala
The theme of the 13th Annual MOVIEGUIDE????? ® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to Hollywood is ??¢â???¬?????the Passion and the Power,??¢â???¬ which will be held February 24 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Calif.
Affectionately known as the Teddy Bear Awards because of the crystal ??¢â???¬?????Teddy Bear??¢â???¬ statuettes passed out during the ceremony, the Awards Gala will feature the $50,000 John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Prizes for Inspiring Movies and TV. The Epiphany Prizes are given to the most spiritually uplifting movie and television program of the year that resulted in a great increase in man??¢â???¬â???¢s love or understanding of God.
In addition to the Epiphany Prizes for the most inspirational movie and television program of 2004, the Awards Gala will feature awards for the ten best family films, the ten best films for mature audiences, and the grace awards for the most inspirational acting in movies and T.V. in 2004.
Founded by Dr. Ted Baehr and the Christian Film & Television Commission, the Awards Gala honors exceptional movies and TV programs with family-friendly, morally uplifting, redemptive, and pro-Christian content.
The Annual Report to Hollywood is an economic analysis that shows studio executives and producers that movies with family friendly, morally uplifting, redemptive, and pro-Christian content make the most money at the box office, regardless of their ratings.
Limited seating is available for the Awards Gala. For more information visit the www.movieguide.org or for information on how to buy tickets and support the Gala call 1-800-577-6684.
Conservatives Pack Immigration Conference
Nearly 200 conservatives turned out for the ??¢â???¬?????American Immigration Crisis??¢â???¬ conference sponsored by the American Cause, December 4 at the McLean Hilton. HUMAN EVENTS Editor Terence P. Jeffrey served as moderator for the forum that featured a number of informative presentations by grass roots immigration-reform activists. The theme of the conference, ??¢â???¬?????Preserving a Nation: The Battle to Secure America??¢â???¬â???¢s Border,??¢â???¬ focused largely on the problems that stem from the current flow of illegal immigration into the U.S.
Author and syndicated columnist Patrick Buchanan was the featured speaker in the first of several panel discussions. Buchanan highlighted some of the historical watershed events in U.S. immigration policy and noted that the scale of the current problems (the lack of assimilation of new immigrants and ethnic and cultural balkanization) pose an unprecedented threat to our nation??¢â???¬â???¢s survival. He specifically pointed to the legacy of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965 as a major flaw in controlling legal and illegal immigration levels. Buchanan pointed to ??¢â???¬?????Operation Wetback,??¢â???¬ (??¢â???¬?????Try that one today!??¢â???¬ ) the Eisenhower Administration??¢â???¬â???¢s initiative of repatriating illegal Mexican immigrants from the U.S. southwest in 1954, as a period when American public officials had the will and determination to deport illegal aliens.
Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies noted that current U.S. immigration policies were formulated in the early 1900s, even though ??¢â???¬?????its not 1910 any more.??¢â???¬ He noted that the current trends of multiculturalism and transnationalism as well as national security concerns require new reforms in U.S. immigration policies.
T. J. Bonner of the National Border Patrol Council said that on a single day about 10,000 illegal aliens cross the border. On average, about 3,000 are apprehended. Bonner stressed the importance of not rewarding illegal behavior, ??¢â???¬?????don??¢â???¬â???¢t build the fence and leave the gate wide open.??¢â???¬
Howard Foster, a Chicago, Ill.-based attorney with Johnson and Bell, emphasized the significance of using the RICO statute to sue companies that continue to violate U.S. immigration laws. Foster successfully filed a class-action suit against Tyson Foods under federal racketeering laws and is currently seeking a reversal in a suit against the Zirkle Fruit Co. for hiring illegal immigrants and under-cutting the wages of the company??¢â???¬â???¢s employees. Foster found that 70% of Zirkle??¢â???¬â???¢s apple-orchard employees failed to provide matching identification to confirm their citizenship status.
Rep. Steve King (R.-Iowa) stressed the importance of immigration reform in his keynote address, citing as examples the problem of providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens and removing the ??¢â???¬?????jobs magnet??¢â???¬ from employers who rely on cheap labor.
King noted, ??¢â???¬?????I do believe in an immigration policy that is proactive; that is designed to enhance the economic, the social, and the cultural well-being of the United States of America. . . . Why don??¢â???¬â???¢t we go shopping and pick off the shelf the best ones we can get???¢â???¬
Glenn Spencer of American Patrol Report demonstrated the effectiveness of pinpointing illegal immigration traffic in real time with the use of unmanned vehicles (UMVs) to monitor illegal border crossings. The use of this technology is being explored by the Border Patrol.
For more information on the American Cause, visit their website: www.theamericancause.org.
