Pelosi Gets Fiscal Religion Over Boehner Hiring Attorney to Defend Gay Marriage Ban

Published April 23, 2011

| FoxNews.com

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi isn't known as a small-government advocate. But she and members of her camp have sounded more like fiscal conservatives ever since House Speaker John Boehner hired a law firm for up to $500,000 to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal law banning gay marriage.

"The hypocrisy of this legal boondoggle is mind-blowing," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement to the Washington Post this week. "Speaker Boehner is spending half a million dollars of taxpayer money to defend discrimination. If Republicans were really interested in cutting spending, this should be at the top of the list."

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement that the California Democrat's "newfound concern for saving taxpayers money is encouraging."

"We hope it means we can count on her support for reducing DOJ's budget to recoup any costs incurred by the House so that taxpayers will bear no added cost for the administration's refusal to defend the laws of the United States," he said.

The contract with former Bush administration solicitor general Paul Clement was made after President Obama instructed the Justice Department in February not to defend the law he called unconstitutional. The department said other groups can do so, prompting House Republicans to pick up the slack.

Before the cost of the contract was revealed, Pelosi and Boehner exchanged several letters, turning the issue into a political football.

Pelosi sent Boehner a letter last month asking how much it would cost taxpayers for Clement's law firm to defend at least 12 DOMA cases.

Boehner responded in a letter to Pelosi on Monday, saying the Justice Department should reimburse the House for court costs. He also said he shares Pelosi's concerns over the cost of defending the law in court and intended to "redirect" some of the department's money to the House as repayment.

But Boehner, who is traveling in Pakistan, didn't say how much money was at issue or how he would force the department of repay the House.

Pelosi sent Boehner another letter the same day, pressing him further to reveal the cost of the contract. She also argued that Congress shouldn't enter into "this lengthy and costly litigation," citing one lawsuit that the House plans to fight: a "gay widow" who was forced to pay $360,000 in estate taxes because DOMA prevented her from legally filing for a martial tax benefit.

"This case is a prime example of the injustice perpetuated by DOMA on millions of American families," Pelosi wrote.

When the contract was released -- showing that Clement would work for $520 an hour with a $500,000 cap that could be raised if both sides agreed in writing and received approval from the House Administration Committee -- Pelosi still wasn't satisfied.

In her second letter to Boehner Wednesday, she says the contract still left a number of unanswered questions.

Since Democrats were not informed of the expense approved by House Republicans on a bipartisan legal advisory board, she wants to know whether there was a call for bids, how the $500,000 fee and $520-per-hour rate were established, and what restrictions will be imposed on the lobbying practices of Clement's law firm to avoid any conflicts of interest.

The ball is back in Boehner's court.

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Pro teams adding religion to promotional fan days

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics will hold Jewish Heritage NIght at the ballpark this year.

EnlargeCloseOakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics will hold Jewish Heritage NIght at the ballpark this year.

But some religious and secular groups don't think such fan day promotions are appropriate.

For example, the Muslim advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wants equal time for other religions.

"The ultimate test of this kind of policy would be to have a Muslim Family Day — and gauge the public reaction to it," says spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. "Given the heightened state of anti-Muslim sentiment in our society, I have a feeling there would be some objections to that."

With more seats to fill during the course of a 162-game season than other sports, Major League teams are at the forefront.

The San Francisco Giants are planning Fellowship (Christian), Jewish Heritage and LDS Family (Mormon) nights for the 2011 season, says spokeswoman Staci Slaughter.

"We welcome everyone to the ballpark."

The Oakland A's will hold their first Jewish Heritage Night, says Steve Fanelli, executive director of ticket sales. Attendees get an A's yarmulke.

The club would only turn away groups that "promote violence," Fanelli says."We need to ensure their message doesn't conflict with our goals of setting up a fan-friendly environment."

Cast Your VoteOther baseball teams are involved:

• The Florida Marlins will hold their first Inspirational Forum after a game, with outfielder Chris Coghlan discussing his devotion to his faith.

• The Kansas City Royals will hold their third Faith & Family Day.

• The Colorado Rockies will hold their fifth Faith Day for all faiths this season

• And the Philadelphia Phillies stage their fourth Jewish Heritage Night.

MLB spokesman Matt Bourne says baseball has "confidence in our clubs to conduct ballpark promotions that are appropriate in tone and content."

Other leagues are promoting similar fan nights.

• The NBA's Golden State Warriors will hold their first Jewish Heritage night Sunday, including a Q&A with Israeli basketball player Omri Casspi.

• The NHL's Florida Panthers had a Jewish night this year.

• The NFL's St. Louis Rams held Christian Family Day in 2009.

Teams have pushed ethnic heritage days for years. But religion? That's problematic, answers Blair Scott, spokesman for American Atheists. It's not illegal, but Scott believes it's unethical.

"They're out to make a buck. They're taking advantage of people's religiosity to make that buck. "

Scott doubts he'll ever see "Atheist Day" at stadiums.

"When you have a Super Bowl party in the atheist community, two people show up. We don't tend to be big sports fans."

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Religion, rights and the workplace clash in Muslim teacher case

By Mustafa Ozer, AFP/Getty Images

Muslim pilgrims perform the final walk around the Kaaba (Tawaf al-Wadaa) at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on November 16, 2010.

EnlargeCloseBy Mustafa Ozer, AFP/Getty Images

Muslim pilgrims perform the final walk around the Kaaba (Tawaf al-Wadaa) at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on November 16, 2010.

The local school board refused, but the Justice Department stepped in last December and sued on behalf of Khan, saying she was denied "reasonable accommodation" to perform a duty of her faith.

USA TODAY EDITORIALThis should not be a court battleSince then, a number of questions have arisen about the hajj and whether the Justice Department should have backed the teacher.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, which I'm not," Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show last Friday. "Teachers have summers off. ... Muslims are urged to travel to Mecca at least once in their lives. Not during a specific time frame, like the end of the school marking period."

On Tuesday, at a Senate hearing on the civil rights of American Muslims, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., accused the Justice Department of taking "the wrong case."

"Can she go on the hajj during the summer?" the senator asked Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights, who testified at the hearing. "Is there a requirement that she go for the three weeks that she chose during the middle of the school year?"

According to Islamic scholars, making the hajj during summer vacation would have required Khan, 29, to postpone her trip for nearly a decade.

The hajj commemorates the trials of the biblical patriarch Abraham, who Muslims consider a prophet, and takes place over five days during the 12th month of the Islamic year. The date of the annual pilgrimage shifts because Islam is guided by a lunar calendar; last year, 2.8 million Muslims from around the world traveled to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, Nov. 14-18.

Asking a Muslim to move the pilgrimage to summer is like asking a Christian to celebrate Christmas in July, says Sayyid Syeed, who directs interfaith and community affairs for the Islamic Society of North America.

Muslims can travel to Mecca throughout the year, but these trips are not considered a fulfillment of the hajj obligation.

"If she waits, and she gets sick and dies, how will she be able to explain why she did not do it? There is a compelling passion to go as soon as possible," said Syeed.

Along with believing in monotheism and Muhammad's prophecy, praying five times daily, giving alms, and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, every Muslim is required to make the pilgrimage at least once. About 20,000 Americans complete the hajj yearly, according to Syeed.

According to the hadith, a collection of teachings by Prophet Muhammad and his companions, Muslims who do not make the hajj should not be considered Muslim.

Muhammad also said that those who have the health and "means" to undertake the journey but fail to do so "die on the branches of ignorance," said Shaykh Abdool Rahman Khan (no relation to Safoorah Khan), the resident scholar at the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park, Ill.

Before airplanes and boats, Muslims would set out by foot or camel on a trip that might take years and prove perilous. In many parts of the world, Muslims save for a lifetime before they have enough money to make the trip.

Their relative affluence puts pressure on young American Muslims to perform the hajj as soon as possible, even with lives crowded by family and work obligations.

"In American society, perhaps, people are confused about whether they should give up everything because (Islamic tradition) says so, or whether they can apply their own wisdom," Khan said.

Muhammad was referring to more than finances when he said all Muslims who have the "means" must perform the hajj as soon as possible, he said.

"You have to look at a variety of factors: Do you have enough security in what you are doing with your job and your family?" Khan said. "Practicing religion is not ignoring everything else. You have to balance it all."

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