From: doug@cc.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell)
Subject: Pat Robertson's ACLJ presents skewed poll
Organization: Bush in 92 ? NOT!
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 14:07:20 GMT

These appeared on Youngstown Free-Net.  The original article was in
the "Family Magazine" Sig, which is run by Focus On The Family.  The
followup was posted to the general-discussion area (the kiosk) of
Youngstown Free-Net, since the Family Magazine sysops discontinued
the discussion area of their sig after deciding they didn't want to
give an open forum to dissent from their views.

[ Article crossposted from yfn.kiosk ]
[ Author was Kelley Miller (ae642@yfn.ysu.edu) ]
[ Posted on Tue, 15 Sep 1992 13:44:13 GMT ]


The American Center for Law and Justice, Pat Robertson's legal group
who's sole purpose is to act as foil to the American Civil Liberties
Union, has published a poll concerning the average american attitude
toward various subjects.  This poll is badly and obviously slanted.
Here is a copy of this poll, as posted in the YFN Family Magazine,
along with my comments on this poll.


 
>
>                                                            
>                   CENTER SURVEY CONFIRMS                  
>                      AMERICAN OPINION                     
>                       ON KEY ISSUES                       
>                                                           
>       Recently the American Center for Law and Justice    
>    sent out thousands of "American Opinion Surveys" to    
>    Americans who were randomly selected from conserva-    
			 ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^
>    tive and traditional mailing lists.                    
      ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^
 If the ACLJ had been interested in a truly representitive sample
 of American opinion, they would have chosen a random sampling
 of ALL people, not just a sampling of persons who were in all
 likelyhood predisposed to agree with the views presented by the
 polsters.    	

>                                                           
>       The survey included 13 questions.  Over 30,000      
>    people responded.  The results, which follow, confirm  
>    that most Americans agree with the Center's positions  
	   ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^
 This should read "...most Americans who are conservitive and
 subscribe to traditional family falues...", as that is where
 the sampling came from.

>    on the key issues facing our nation.                   
>                                                           
>         * 98.6% agreed that private prayer in public      
>           schools should not be denied.                   
 
 Note the wording here.  The fact is that private prayer is NOT
 denied in public school.  Organized prayer is.  I would venture
 a guess that the figure is accurate for a wider sampling of the
 American public, but it does NOT address the issue of organized
 school prayer.

>                                                           
>         * 98.8% agreed that public school students        
>           should not be prevented from holding Bible      
>           studies or having Bible Clubs during non-       
>           classroom times.                                

 Again, look at the wording.  There is no mention of whether these
 clubs should be allowed to meet at school or not, just whether they
 should be allowed to meet during NON-CLASSROOM time.  If the gerund
"in school" had been included, I suspect the figure would have been
 lower.  

>                                                           
>         * 92.0% agreed that religious art and musical     
>           expression is part of our national heritage     
>           and should not be censored.                     

 This comment suggests there is an effort to censor religious
 art and music.  I know of no such effort.  In fact, I believe that
the figure cited above could very well represent the portion of the
 American public which is against censorship of any kind.

>                                                           
>         * 90.1% agreed that all human life is sacred      
>           from conception to natural death, and abor-     
>           tion and euthanasia should not be permitted     
>           or sanctioned by law.                           
>                                                           
 Concidering the ACLJ's sourse for this poll, I am suprised that
 this figure is not even higher.  Again, though, the figure is not
 representitive of the general populace, but of a group specially
picked to be predisposed to this line of thinking.


>         * 97.9% agreed that homosexual practice must      
>           not be elevated to a civil right nor should     
>           their relationships be given special recog-     
>           nition as a legitimate lifestyle or family      
>           unit.                                           

 Again, look at the wording.  This suggests that the gay rights
 movement is about special rights or preferential treatment, which
 is untrue.
 In addition, a recent Time Magazine poll indicates that a majority
 of Americans (represented by a random sampling taken from voter
 registration lists) support equal rights and protection under the
 law.

>                                                           
>         * 98.6% agreed that the growing assault against   
>           the traditional family must be stopped.         
 
 Here the poll suggests that there is an organized effort to 
 distroy or undermine the traditional family.  This is not so.
 While it is true that many groups are working to extend the term
 "family" to non-traditional groups (such as single parent families,
 extended families, and families headed by gay or lesbean couples,
 which groups such as Focus On The Family and Coilition for Family
 Values violently opposes), there is no evidence which would suggest
 that these movements wish to harm the so called "traditional" family.


>                                                           
>         * 98.3% agreed that the exploitation and abuse    
>           of women, men and children through porno--      
>           graphy is morally and socially wrong.           

 While I agree with this statement IN PRINCIPLE, the implication
 that pornography by definition, exploits and abuses men and women
 (I do agree that child porn is exploitive and abusive).  While I'm
 sure that there is some porn which does this, I believe that in most
 cases the participents are concenting adults who are fully aware of
 what they are doing, and have concented to do so.


>                                                           
>                                                           
>         * 95.1% agreed that the public display of re-     
>           ligious symbols on public property does not     
>           represent and "establishment of religion" as    
>           described in the First Amendment.               

 Here is yet another example of selective wording, which makes a
 serious impact on the meaning.  Note there is no indication of
 these symbols being paid for by tax payer money.

>                                                           
>         * 98.8% agreed that efforts to eliminate God      
>           and morality from the public arena represent    
>           a serious threat to our nation's future.        

 Again, this implies that there is an active attempt to eliminate
 these things.  I don't believe anyone (well..perhaps a vocal few)
 want to eliminate God from the public spotlight.  The only attempt
 has been to prevent the government from deciding what "God" is, and what
 morality is.
>                                                           
>         * 98.4% agreed that Americans must have the       
>           freedom to demonstrate, speak freely and        
>           exercise their First Amendment rights.          

This may be the only sample in this poll which is accurate, while
not being worded ambiguously.

>                                                           
>         * 97.6% agreed that the ACLU must be challenged   
>           as to its claims of being truly concerned with  
>           civil liberties and the protection of our con-  
>           stitutional rights.                             

 While the ACLU has taken up some causes I find personally
distasteful, I think the same could be said of the ACLJ, as
they have stated their agenda clearly (see "American Center
for Law and Justice", the Family Magazine)

>                                                           
>         * 94.6% agreed that the recent trend toward       
>           "political correctness" on college campuses     
>           and in the media reflects a dangerous intole-   
>           rance of traditional values.                    

 Here is presented no definition of "political correctness".
 

>                                                           
>         * 97.3% agreed that religious discrimination      
>           and harassment in the workplace must be ex-     
>           posed and punished.                             

 Again, a statement which presents facts not in evidence.  Can
anyone present a single example of a theistic person being harrassed
or discriminated against in the workplace?

>                                                           
>         For complete survey results, please write:        
>                                                           
>            American Center for Law and Justice            
>                   Post Office Box 64429                   
>                  Virginia Beach, VA 23467                 
>                                                           
>                   Source:  Law & Justice                  
>                                                           
>
>-- 
In closing, I am highly sceptical of any poll which cites a consistant
95%+ agreement rating for 13 items.  This is an obvious attempt to sway 
opinion by presenting skewed information.
-- 
*...your Friendly Neighborhood Atheist // "Assembly of God???  Strange.. *
*      the KelleyMan:Kelley L. Miller // I was not aware that the diety  *    
*                  ae642@yfn.ysu.edu // was available in source form..." *
****************Know God...No peace.  No God...Know peace.****************

Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc