7/1/2009 - July 2009 SLI Newsletter

July 2009

Dear Friends and Supporters,

For any of us who are involved with charitable or nonprofit organizations, we know contributions are down significantly, both for the large and the small. We continue to see diminished giving to SLI. Of course, for the summer months, it is always lower.

This does not mean we are discontinuing any of our activities. Because we do not charge attorney’s fees, we do not have high staff budgets, though we do have normal operating expenses. We are continuing to answer requests for assistance and provide information on a multitude of issues.

One of the issues we have been looking at lately was the passage of a law, Act No. 2009-571, which places in the Alabama Code authority for public schools to deal with bullying. Bullying has become an epidemic in schools across the nation. However, one of the concerns is whether the statute will advance the homosexual agenda. The new law permits the State Board of Education and local boards to develop lists of student characteristics which might cause bullying. It appears in some states the homosexual lobby has used this to legitimize homosexual education and rights in schools. As we research this, we will need to weigh it against protection of students’ rights.

The Governor’s Task Force on Gambling is continuing its work. Many towns in the 18 counties with amendments permitting bingo are passing ordinances setting up casinos. These towns are charging high license fees. None of the 18 amendments were written to profit government, they were written to help charities. This is abuse of the law. We also believe there is another facet of Indian gambling which must be addressed. This month’s Educational Update presents something that has just developed this year, which we believe needs to be investigated.

As you can see, we are continuing our work. But, we must find ways to cut back. One of those ways is to reduce the number of persons on our mailing list. After this newsletter, we will purge our mailing list of all persons who have not contributed to SLI during the last 24 months. We know some are unable to give and we do not wish to deprive you of our information. Therefore, if you are not able to give, please contact us and we will keep you on the mailing list. One other exception would be for public or elected officials who do not feel they can support an advocacy organization. We know who those persons are and we will retain them on our list. Therefore, if you do not fall into one of these categories, this will be your last newsletter. If you have not made a contribution in the past 24 months, we very much hope you will make, at least, a nominal contribution this month in order to help us financially and for you to continue receiving our information.

For those who give on a regular basis, we appreciate your continuing to do so during these difficult financial times. Please keep us on your giving and prayer lists. We very much need both. We are very grateful for your support.

Yours very truly,

A. Eric Johnston

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