5th commandment

      ---------------------- Forwarded by Elena Kagan/OPD/EOP on 06/18/99 11:28
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Bruce N. Reed
06/17/99 08:28:42 PM
Record Type:    Record

To:      Karen Tramontano/WHO/EOP
cc:      Jose Cerda III/OPD/EOP, Elena Kagan/OPD/EOP
Subject:         5th commandment

Jose checked the Catholic Web page, and Thou shalt not kill IS the 5th
Commandment, so John gets the VP's award for Faith-Based Person of the
Week.

Here's a longer Q&A for the 10 Commandments question:

Q.  will the President support the amendment passed by the House to let
schools post the 10 Commandments?

A. If the House were serious, they would have remembered the Fifth
Commandment -- Thou Shalt Not Kill -- and voted to make it harder for
criminals to buy guns.

[Longer answer if pressed: Our administration has worked hard to expand
religious liberty and make religious expression easier in the workplace
and in the schools, consistent with the First Amendment.    (We developed
guidelines on religious expression for every school, and the President
signed an executive order on religious expression in the federal
workplace.)   But the Supreme Court struck down a law just like this one in
Kentucky.   If Congress is serious about reducing youth violence, they'd
pass common-sense measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands instead of
feel-good measures that will be struck down instantly in court.]

One other general point for John to make in the morning, since the vote
will be so late: Back in '92 we made a lot out of the "midnight pay
raise". This time, John should stress the point that Congress voted on
this in the dark of night, trying to hide from the American people. This
vote won't stand the light of day.