In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The First 100 Days
• Obama's War On Energy
• Army War College Suspends Zuhur
• Islam Claiming Jesus Is Muslim
• Good News Corner
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, March 11, 2009
"For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." (Psalm 50:10)
The Daily Brief
1. Sen. Patrick Leahy Sets Up Bush War Crimes Hearing - Traditional Values Coalition
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing last week to build the case for prosecution of war crimes against Bush officials. The title of the hearing, "Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry," is anything but non-partisan. The underlying objective is to catch Bush officials over alleged war crimes while under oath so they be prosecuted by Obama's Department of Justice (DOJ). "I'm doing this not to humiliate people or punish people, but to get the truth out so we don't make the same mistakes again," says Leahy.
• Please pray for a balanced approach to this matter, and for God's will to be done in any related hearings that may be scheduled on the Hill. Intercede that this hearing and any building of a "case" will be treated with the kind of respect and responsibility the tax payers deserve. Pray that our leaders time, energy, and our money will not be spent on witch hunts with ulterior motives.
• Honest weights and scales are the Lord's; All the weights in the bag are His work. (Proverbs 16:11)
2. U.S. choice for top intelligence analyst withdraws - Reuters
The candidate for a top U.S. intelligence post withdrew from the running on Tuesday after angering some in Congress with remarks on Israeli "oppression" of Palestinians, and about China. The office of Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said in a statement that Charles Freeman, who had been picked to head the National Intelligence Council, had asked not to proceed. Blair had accepted Freeman's decision with regret, the statement said.
• Father, we lay the choice for a top intelligence analyst at your feet for confirmation. We ask that no wickedness be found in him. We ask for a godly man of wisdom and prudence to be nominated, step up, and rise up to do Your will, regardless. He will need the wisdom of Solomon and the strength and courage of Joshua. We keep him in our prayers, Lord. Only You can build a man completely for the work you prepared for him. Prepare him for Your work of keeping our country safe by Your standards.
• If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use and prepared unto every good work. (1 Timothy 2:21)
3. Senate Approves $410 Billion Spending Bill - Worthy News
WASHINGTON -- The Senate Tuesday approved a $410 billion spending bill for 2009, handing the Democrats a legislative and fiscal victory but putting them on the defensive regarding earmarks and the deficit. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president will sign the bill, but will also unveil new rules for congressional earmarks, the individual items inserted by lawmakers for their home states. "I think it is safe to assume that tomorrow [Wednesday] we'll have more on our concern for the appropriations and the spending process moving forward," Mr. Gibbs said, adding that during "the president's tenure in Washington, dozens of those bills will come to his desk and.. there will be some new rules of the road." The 62-35 vote on the key procedural vote, including support from eight Republicans, reflected relatively strong backing for the long-delayed bill, which funds the government for the rest of fiscal 2009, which began Oct.1. Passage came on a voice vote after a barrage of criticism that the measure was too expensive and contained billions of dollars in earmarks.
This first annual spending measure of the new Democratic era showed an 8% increase over last year and reflected new priorities. For example, the bill funnels more money to health care, including a $335 million boost for the Food and Drug Administration. The "omnibus" spending bill was crafted last year with input from both parties, and Democratic leaders had expected swift passage. But it was debated amid the financial crisis and negotiations over government rescue packages, and Republicans seized on the bill as another example of Democratic excess. On the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) charged Tuesday that the bill showed "no recognition whatsoever of the current economic climate," and that "this bill costs far too much for a government that should be watching every dime."
• Father, at a time when so many Americans are struggling, and so much uncertainty is lingering, we need to address the dollars and sense of these earmarks. Americans have no stomach for the millions that have gone and are going to cricket relief in Utah, or the 25 million to Nancy Pelosi's home town for swamp land. Please teach our leaders to direct their concerns first and foremost to the American people's basic need and account for it with the kind of integrity that this country was built upon.
• The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. (Proverbs 11:3)
4. Sex-ed Grant Axed - The Orange County Register SANTA ANA
Planned Parenthood shouldn't receive county funding for its health outreach programs because it also performs abortions, the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday. The board voted unanimously to suspend a contract with the nonprofit organization, after an hours-long debate about abortion rights and county contracting policies. The $291,788 contract in question does not pay for abortion services. "I think abortion is a moral issue," said Supervisor Chris Norby before voting to kill the funding. "I don't believe the county should be funding abortion, and I don't believe the county really should be involved in funding an organization who performs about 35 percent of the abortions in the country."
• Praise God for this victory! Please continue to pray for these public officials. Pray for many more wise and godly decisions by to be made concerning this matter of taxpayer funded abortions. Pray that sex education will not be given to the hands of the wicked. Ask God to roll out the red carpet for the unborn through mighty acts and merciful deeds for His name sake. Praise God, as these abortions are no longer funded, that these sturdy little ones, whom God likens to arrows, may now come forth.
• Children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. (Psalm 127:3-4)
5. UN demands answers on Iran arms ship - Worthy News
Iran and Syria have until next week to explain to a United Nations sanctions committee how they were involved with a ship detained off Cyprus in January found to be loaded with explosives believed to be bound for Gaza.
The ambassadors of France and Britain described the episode at a Security Council meeting held Tuesday in New York as a "gross violation" of existing resolutions banning Iranian arms exports.
"The United Kingdom looks forward to the committee receiving explanations from Iran and Syria as to why the shipment was permitted by Iran as the reported state of origin and as to the involvement of Syria as the reported state of destination," said British envoy John Sawers.
Both countries are required to respond within ten working days, according to a statement from Japanese ambassador Yukio Takasu, who chairs the Security Council committee set up in 2006 to oversee Iran sanctions. The committee determined February 6 that Iran was in violation of existing sanctions but has not taken any punitive action.
• Praise and ask God to bring process to move to completion. As these grievances are taken to task, ask the Lord to reveal all violations and indiscretions.
• Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. (Isaiah 28:17)
6. Another Key Politician to Run Against - Worthy News
TEHRAN -- A former Iranian prime minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi, announced his presidential candidacy Tuesday, becoming the third influential politician to challenge President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in elections set for June 12.
Mousavi is a critic of Ahmadinejad's economic stewardship and a proponent of Iran's nuclear program. He is considered a problem-solver and is a strong backer of Iran's system of government, in which Shiite Muslim clerics oversee policies of elected officials. His critics say that he has been away from politics too long and that his economic views are too socialist.
• Pray and know, yet again, as emerging leaders take the world's center stage. that God has His watchful Eye on the affairs of this world He created. In the process of restoring the earth back to God, it will never seem like there is enough man power. But just as the Lord raised Gideon to mobilize a large army, and cut it back to three hundred soldiers, He mobilizes a few to pray and do the work of the many.
• Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9) It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by righteousness. (Proverbs 16:12)
7. U.S., U.K. Plan Trade Package for G-20 - Worthy News
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. and the U.K. are putting together a global plan to provide several hundred billion dollars in trade financing to fight the sharpest contraction in global trade since the Great Depression. Government officials in both countries said the initiative will be unveiled on April 2 at the London summit of the leaders of the world's biggest economic powers. It's unclear how much detail will be worked out by then.
Under the proposal, the funds would come from the Group of 20 countries, which include industrialized nations and big developing countries. These countries would spend about half of the money to increase funding of their own trade-finance agencies, which help to underwrite exports. The other half would go to the World Bank, regional development banks and the International Monetary Fund to help finance exports from the world's poorer nations, which often ship to the U.S. and Europe. "We have a framework that calls for everyone working together," a senior U.S. official said. On Friday and Saturday, G-20 finance ministers and central bankers will meet to pave the way for the heads of government.
• Lord, as the complexities of one big pot of money being distributed by 20 countries take place, we are reminded that the country that serves you will always prosper. Please pray that countries will learn of You, God and keep covenant with You to bring prosperity to their homelands. Pray that these meetings will produce only what the will of the Lord is, and that His promise of intervention, through our fervent intercession, is enough to sway the issues toward financial soundness and true hope.
• Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalm 33:12)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Thus says the Lord GOD; I am not doing this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you profaned among the gentiles, where you went. And I will sanctify My great name . . . and the gentiles shall know that I am LORD, says the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you [Israel] before their eyes." (Ezekiel 36:22-33)
1. U.S., Israel Disagree on Iran Arms Threat - Washington Post
Iran has not produced the highly enriched uranium necessary for a nuclear weapon and has not decided to do so, U.S. intelligence officials told Congress yesterday, an assessment that contrasts with a stark Israeli warning days earlier that Iran has crossed the "technological threshold" in its pursuit of the bomb.
2. Netanyahu said to be mulling 'mega-portfolio' for rival Shalom - Jerusalem Post
Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu has begun trying to repair his relationship with party rival MK Silvan Shalom, and is in the process of building a "mega-portfolio" in an effort to appease him, sources close to Netanyahu said Tuesday.
3. 'It will be difficult to stop Iran' - Jerusalem Post
It would be difficult to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and hard to tell which combination of carrots and sticks might convince Iran's leaders to abandon that goal, the US Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, told the Senate Tuesday.
4. Netanyahu's vow to Syria: Israel won't provoke war - Ha'aretz
Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to Syria before last month's election promising that a government under him would "not provoke war" and would be interested in "seriously and genuinely exploring" a peace process.
5. UN: Israel-Lebanon border hasn't been this stable in decades - Ha'aretz
Southern Lebanon and northern Israel have experienced their longest period of stability in decades despite the worst violations of a 2006 cease-fire during the recent war in Gaza, the United Nation's special coordinator for Lebanon said Tuesday.
The First 100 Days
DAY 51
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." (Proverbs 21:1)
1. Carville Fires Back at Limbaugh Over Who Wants Which President to Fail
James Carville fired back at radio host Rush Limbaugh Wednesday, who earlier in the day took the Democratic strategist to task for saying of President Bush in 2001, "I certainly hope he doesn't succeed."
Carville told CNN that unlike Limbaugh, who recently said he wants President Obama to fail, Carville retracted his own missive -- uttered to a group of reporters on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 -- just minutes later, when he learned of the terrorist attacks on America.
"Thank God that I had the good sense to realize that the United States was at war and that changed everything, Carville said. "Once I found out that the country was at war, I said: Whatever I said, disregard it; it's inoperative."
2. Congress Reviews Potential National Security Threat in Disappearance of Somali Youths
The FBI and counterterrorism officials say the young men appear to be going to Somalia to fight occupying Ethiopian forces but no one can be sure they won't be radicalized and return to the United States.
3. Obama, Geithner Receive Failing Grades in Latest Survey
In stark contrast with Obama's popularity with the public, a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll gave him a 60% approval rating -- but a majority of the 49 economists polled are dissatisfied with the administration's economic policies.
4. Key Democrat Prepares for Another Possible Stimulus Package
Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., said Wednesday he has directed committee staffers to begin "preparing options" and ideas if another bill to revive the ailing economy becomes necessary.
(All articles from Fox News)
Obama's War On Energy
On Monday, March 2, hundreds of global warming protestors came to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against Capitol Hill's coal-fired power plant. The same day, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was scheduled to address the environmental activists at a Capitol Hill rally. Evidently, Mother Nature didn't get the memo. A major snow storm forced the cancellation of Pelosi's flight back to Washington, and temperatures hovered around freezing throughout the day, well below the average for early March.
On the same day, Discovery News reported that yet another study found that "global temperatures have flatlined since 2001." The scientists are stumped. Kyle Swanson of the University of Wisconsin said, "This is nothing like anything we've seen since the 1950s. Cooling events since then had firm causes . . . This current cooling doesn't have one." The study's author suggests that the cooling trend "could continue for up to 30 years."
This is particularly noteworthy because Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was on Capitol Hill last week testifying in defense of the Obama Administration's planned tax hikes, including its $650 billion carbon cap-and-trade tax scheme intended partly to combat global warming. During his testimony, Geithner attacked the energy industry for causing global warming and said that the Obama Administration wanted to "change incentives" (manipulate tax policy) for the good of the country.
The Detroit News published an editorial yesterday warning, "President Barack Obama's proposed cap- and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions is a giant economic dagger aimed at the nation's heartland - particularly Michigan. [This tax] will drive up the cost of nearly everything and will amount to a major tax increase for American consumers."
How will it affect you? Dr. Margo Thorning, chief economist of the American Council for Capital Formation, told Fox News this week that the Obama carbon tax will cost between "$700 to $1,400 per family, per year. . ." (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; March 5, 2009; edited)
Army War College Suspends Zuhur
The U.S. Army War College has suspended the author of two monographs which critics viewed as apologia for Hamas. Sherifa Zuhur has been suspended 10 days without pay, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Zuhur allegedly threatened to air complaints about her feelings of mistreatment to the Arab Times, an Arab- American newspaper, and she already complained to the Middle East Studies Association. That constituted "a clear threat to attempt to damage the U.S. Army War College's reputation with malicious claims and misinformation for which you can offer no support," an email from her supervisor informing her of the suspension said.
The Chronicle story describes an incident in which Zuhur claimed a college chairman burst into her office and thrust a letter at her so forcefully that she passed out. A witness disputed her account, especially her claim of fainting. In a letter, Zuhur said the school was trying to "torture" her for making the accusation. Zuhur was notified about the suspension by Douglas C. Lovelace Jr, director of the college's Strategic Studies Institute: "I have never before dealt with such blatant examples of disrespect and contempt for one's supervisors and support staff," he wrote. "Nor have I encountered the level of obstreperousness you display in my 40 years as a supervisor."
Perhaps this behavior should prompt renewed scrutiny on Zuhur's scholarship. In a monograph published in December by Strategic Studies Institute, Zuhur argued that Hamas had walked away from its Charter's call for Israel's destruction and was ready for long-term peace. Among Zuhur's recommendations were calls for the U.S. and Israel to negotiate with Hamas and recognizing what Zuhur called "Hamas' political and strategic development" instead of demonizing the group. (IPT News)
• Please pray for a spirit of truth to convict Ms. Zuhur of her allegiance to Islam which leads her so far away from the truth and responsibilities of her job. Also pray for the employers at the Army War College that they will exercise wisdom in the people they hire to work at the college. Pray for the salvation in Jesus Christ for Ms. Zuhur. Deception has its tentacles everywhere.
• "Let the words of Christ dwell richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Col. 3:16)
Islam Claiming Jesus Is Muslim
The One World Religion--Islam Claiming Jesus Is Muslim
Islam in the United States is making the case that it is the universal religion. The Council on American Islamic Relations, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the infamous Holy Land Foundation terrorist money laundering trial, is conducting a campaign that claims anyone who submits to god is Muslim. During the month of January in several southern cities, the campaign posted billboards and bus signs claiming Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed were Muslim. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel the signs read: "ISLAM: The Way of Life of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad."
The Sun Sentinel reports that Altaf Ali, director of CAIR's South Florida chapter, said, "We owe it to our fellow Americans to let them know that Islam stands for peace. Muslims are here and Muslims are part and parcel of the United States." Ali said the ad accurately describes Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Ali claims, "A Muslim is anyone who submits their will to God. By that definition Abraham and all the prophets are Muslim because they submitted their will to God." These signs and others like them were placed in Portland, Oregon, San Antonio, Texas, and TampaBay and Orlando, Florida. WorldNetDaily has reported that CAIR also has a campaign to put materials in American libraries that promote Sharia Law.
Dr. Gary Cass, one-time right hand man for the venerable D. James Kennedy, now heads the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. Cass says this is "a brazen attempt to label Christianity a false faith which ostensibly began when the followers of Jesus corrupted his "Islamic" teachings! Nothing could be further from the truth. Islam is not the religion of Jesus. In fact, Islam denies that Jesus is the Son of God." Cass says, "Now we're confronted by a devilish undertaking so malicious and so evil that we absolutely must defeat it here and now. Because not only is CAIR slandering our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by claiming He was a Muslim, they are trying to win converts to Islam through their lies about Jesus!"
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
Good News Corner
Quotes from Ronald Reagan (Part One)
Remember this guy . . . We may never see another like him.
Every phrase below is a gem!
1. "Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose."
2. "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
3. "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
4. "'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong."
[Tomorrow: Part Two!]
