Free Republic

[Partial excerpt; read the original online] The Christian Coalition, the onetime powerhouse of the religious right founded by Pat Robertson, is struggling to stay afloat. The group’s annual revenue has shrunk to one- twentieth of what it was a decade ago – from a peak of $26 million in 1996 to $1.3 million in 2004 – and it has left a trail of unpaid bills from Texas to Virginia. Among the creditors who have sued the coalition for nonpayment are landlords, direct-mail companies, lawyers and at least one former employee seeking back pay. It has even come to this: The...

A Christian Coalition of America ex-official's lawsuit for $123,500 in unpaid compensation has put nepotism of the coalition's president and the acrimonious divorce of her daughter center stage in Virginia courts. The coalition, once a powerful national voice for traditional family values founded by televangelist Pat Robertson, contests the claim filed by Tracy E. Ammons of Alexandria on grounds his compensation was funneled through a consulting company belonging to his ex-wife, now the coalition's vice president for communications. Roberta Combs, the coalition's president since Mr. Robertson stepped down nearly three years ago, hired her daughter, Michele Ammons, as national events...

Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York liberal who supports gay and abortion rights, is teaming up with an unlikely ally as he takes on annoying spam e-mails - the Christian Coalition. For Schumer, the pragmatic alliance makes sense to tap the conservative group's formidable clout on Capitol Hill. For the Christian Coalition, it's a chance to broaden its appeal to the political mainstream. The two are planning a joint effort, to be announced Thursday, that will push legislation to reduce the amount of junk e-mail called spam, especially pornographic come-ons that now clog so many e-mail accounts. "I sort of...