DARN THOSE SHI'ITE THEOCRATS!:

Religious Groups Reap Federal Aid for Pet Projects (DIANA B. HENRIQUES and ANDREW W. LEHREN, 5/13/07, NY Times)

Religious organizations have long competed for federal contracts to provide social services, and they have tried to influence Congress on matters of moral and social policy — indeed, most major denominations have a presence in Washington to monitor such legislation. But an analysis of federal records shows that some religious organizations are also hiring professional lobbyists to pursue the narrowly tailored individual appropriations known as earmarks.

A New York Times analysis shows that the number of earmarks for religious organizations, while small compared with the overall number, have increased sharply in recent years. From 1989 to January 2007, Congress approved almost 900 earmarks for religious groups, totaling more than $318 million, with more than half of them granted in the Congressional session that included the 2004 presidential election. By contrast, the same analysis showed fewer than 60 earmarks for faith-based groups in the Congressional session that covered 1997 and 1998.

Good thing the GOP has stacked the Court.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 13, 2007 12:00 AM