In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The First 100 Days
• Senate Committee Confirms Sebelius
• Miss California Stands Her Ground
• The Good News Corner
Greetings!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, April 22, 2009
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil . . ." (Isaiah 5:20a)
" . . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
The Daily Brief
1. A) Obama Pledges 'Full Support' to CIA, Defends Release of Interrogation Memos - Fox News
President Obama assured the CIA that he will vigorously protect the security and identities of its members after his administration last week released classified memos on interrogation techniques.
(B) Barack Obama to meet CIA agents to calm anger over 'torture' memos - London Telegraph
President Barack Obama is to make his first visit to the Central Intelligence Agency in an attempt to calm an uproar among America's spies over his release of secret memos about interrogation techniques.
(C) Obama's Intelligence Director Admits Interrogations Uncovered 'High-Value Information' - AP
Even as President Barack Obama ignited an explosive debate on torture by suggesting that Bush administration officials could be prosecuted, his own national intelligence director conceded that harsh methods had yielded valuable insights into al-Qaida. Now the administration faces being bogged down in a divisive political debate that could hamper its war effort.
• Father, we ask that You make seeing eyes blind to the people who may be at risk from this release of information. We call forth Your protection for them, for our nation, and ask that You bring a revelation of wisdom to the President about placating the enemies of America.
• "Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without a cause." (Psalm 25:2)
2. Feds Confirm Spike in Crime During Economic Downturn - Fox News
Although violent and property crime rates are down when compared to the recession of the 1990s, officials say recent violence is worrying and may be an indicator of more to come.
• Lord, we ask that You intervene to bring faith to those being affected by this difficult economic time. We ask for a move of Your Holy Spirit to give hope, job opportunities, and restoration for what has been lost.
• "The God of my strength, in Him I will trust, My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge, My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies." (2 Samuel 22:3,4)
3. Freddie Mac Official Found Dead in Apparent Suicide - AP
David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of money-losing mortgage giant Freddie Mac was found dead at his home Wednesday morning in what police said was an apparent suicide.
• Father as the economic pressure mounts on all executives, we ask that You will move in power over all of them, exchanging governmental control for faith in You. We pray for Your comfort over the family of Mr Kellerman, that faith in You will replace despair.
• "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him." (Isaiah 53:5)
4. Senate Proposal Could Put Heavy Restrictions on Internet Freedoms - Fox News
The days of an open, largely unregulated Internet may soon come to an end.
A bill making its way through Congress proposes to give the U.S. government authority over all networks considered part of the nation's critical infrastructure. Under the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the president would have the authority to shut down Internet traffic to protect national security.
• Lord, as the current administration continues to grab power away from ordinary citizens, we pray that You will stop this plan to control the Internet. We ask that You preserve this freedom, and stop it from falling into the hands of those who may have ulterior motives.
• "The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile. Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and out of Your law, that You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked." (Psalm 94:11-13)
5. DHS Chief Napolitano: Illegal Immigration Is Not a Crime - Newsmax
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stunned many listeners during an appearance on CNN when she asserted that illegal immigration is really not a crime.
• Lord the leaders of our nation must have the protection of America at the forefront of their actions, but it is clear that the current administration has an erroneous view of that protection. We ask that You cause truth to be revealed, and raise up righteous leaders who will govern according to Your principles.
• "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil." (Isaiah 5:20a)
6. ACLU to Tennessee Schools: Stop Blocking Gay Web Sites or Face Lawsuit
- Fox News
The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening to sue Tennessee public school officials if they do not stop restricting students' access to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Web sites on school computers.
• Lord, we cry out to You and ask that You stop the ACLU from accomplishing their plan in this lawsuit. Lord, preserve the right of schools to block perversion from their children!
• "Whoever walks blamelessly shall be saved. But he who is perverse in his ways will fall at once." (Proverbs 28:18)
7. Group suing military seeks top chaplain's ouster - AP
A group with a federal lawsuit in Kansas alleging widespread religious discrimination within the military called April 8 for the Army to court-martial its chief of chaplains, Doug Carver. But a spokesman said the Army respects soldiers' right to worship freely "at all times and in all locations." The Military Religious Freedom Foundation sought Maj. Gen. Douglas Carver's ouster on the day Carver designated for prayer and fasting for chaplains. It also was the start of Passover, observed with a ritual meal, or Seder, by Jews.
• Lord, as this faithful man is being attacked, we pray for protection. We know that You will provide peace and the knowledge that he is doing good in Your name.
• "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division." (Luke 12:51)
[Editorial note: Chaplain Carver is a personal friend of this ministry. We ask you to hold him in special prayer, that he be granted the mind of Christ in this hour, and that the darts and arrows being thrown against him would fall to the ground. We thank the Lord for the promise of His word, because it is written: "When a man's ways are pleasing in His sight, He causes even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Proverbs 16:7) Amen.]
8. FDA Approves Plan B for 17-Year-Olds - AP
Official says FDA will allow teens to get the Plan B birth control pill without a doctor's prescription.
• In this hour of increasing evil -- a tsunami of evil -- cry out for the protection of our children. Pray that a lawsuit will come forth to BLOCK this wicked move, until it can be heard in a higher court; and pray that THAT court will render a righteous verdict on this policy, and cancel it. Pray!
• "This far and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stopped." (Job 38:11)
9. Venezuela Acquires Russian Missiles, Announces New Military Unit
- Fox News
President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuela has acquired Russian-made surface-to-air missiles and announced the creation of an elite military unit trained to use the new weapons.
• Father, may Your wisdom fall upon all of our leadership to see the danger inherent in Venezuela and other Latin American countries which hate America. We ask Your protection, even with the Angelic Host, from the Russian missiles and the anti-American plans of Hugo Chavez.
• "Do not fear, for those who are with us, are more than those who are against us." (2 Kings 6:16)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate Him flee before Him." (Psalm 68:1)
1. Obama: Ahmadinejad's Israel Remarks Hurt Iran - VOA News
U.S. President Barack Obama said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denunciation of Israel undermines Iran's position in the world.
2. Israel wants to buy US missile defense system - AP
Defense Minister Ehud Barak hopes to buy a U.S. missile defense system to protect Israeli towns from short-range rockets and mortar fire, defense officials said Tuesday.
3. Barack Obama invites Middle East leaders to Washington - London Telegraph
Barack Obama has called on Israel and the Palestinians to 'step back from the abyss' and renewed his support for the creation of a Palestinian state.
4. Obama aims to push peace through settlement freeze and normalization - Ha'aretz
The United States is interested in promoting the peace process through a series of confidence-building gestures between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Arab states, a senior American official who declined to be named told Haaretz.
5. Al-Qaida No. 2 urges followers in Iraq to liberate Jerusalem - Ha'aretz
Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on Monday urged the group's followers in Iraq to break the borders of neighboring countries and liberate Jerusalem from Israel.
6. Iran Leader Sparks Walkout at UN Over Israel - ABC News
Dozens of Western diplomats walked out of a U.N. conference and a pair of rainbow-wigged protesters threw clown noses at Iran's president Monday when the hard-line leader called Israel the "most cruel and repressive racist regime."
The First 100 Days
DAY 93
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." (Proverbs 21:1)
1. Official: FDA to Approve Plan B for 17-Year-Olds
An official said the agency will announce Wednesday it's complying with a federal judge's ruling last month that Bush administration appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to allow over-the-counter access only for women 18 and older.
2. Hayden: Chain of Interrogations Yielded Bulk of Intelligence Knowledge
The former head of the CIA told FOX News last year that five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, 60 percent of the knowledge of the U.S. intelligence community about Al Qaeda came from enhanced interrogation techniques.
3. Holder: Justice Department Will 'Follow the Law' in Probing Interrogation Tactics
Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated his position a day after President Obama opened the door for potential prosecution against the lawyers who drafted memos that justified harsh interrogation tactics.
4. Leahy Pushes Commission to Probe Interrogations, Finds Little Support
Democrats defend the call for probes into the drafting and use of harsh interrogation techniques, a day after President Obama opened the door for potential prosecution of those lawyers who justified the tactics in legal memos.
5. Obama Risks Security With Image Campaign, Republicans Warn
President Obama cites the need to restore America's "moral bearings" in abolishing harsh interrogation tactics and opening the door for prosecution against those who justified them.
6. Obama to Host Afghan, Pakistan Leaders Next Month
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will meet separately with Obama and all three leaders will then sit down together in Washington on May 6 and 7, the official said.
7. FEMA Nominee Pledges to Improve Agency's Response to Disasters
In testimony prepared for his confirmation hearing Wednesday, Craig Fugate said the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes would no longer be the benchmark for performance under his watch at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (All articles from Fox News)
Senate Committee Confirms Sebelius
Senate Tills Ground for Sebelius's Confirmation
Despite the mounting grassroots opposition to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius's (D-Kans.) nomination, most members of the Senate Finance Committee threw their constituents overboard and plowed full-speed ahead on the President's controversial choice for HHS Secretary. Despite failing to pay all of her taxes and hiding her lucrative political and financial relationship with late-term abortionist George Tiller, Sebelius is one step closer to full confirmation. As part of the 15-8 vote, the Governor enjoyed support from two Republicans: Senators Pat Roberts (Kans.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine).
While Snowe is no surprise given her pro-abortion voting record, Roberts, whose record is consistently pro-life, ignored the outpouring of anger after new revelations surfaced that Sebelius built her entire career with money from the abortion industry. Roberts is emblematic of the Republican Party's pattern of pursuing politics instead of principle--a decision that's left them squarely in the minority.
Although Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he will try to fast-track the nomination on the floor, FRC will continue to work with Senate leaders, encouraging them to find their backbone at this crucial moment. FRC Action made a splash in Roll Call, one of the largest Hill publications, with an ad today calling on Senators to stand up for the American people. To see the ad or a video message that I made outside of Tiller's clinic last Sunday, visit www.frc.org.
(Source: Family Research Council)
• Pray that a mighty chorus of opposition will be raised against this nomination. Pray that Senators will begin to question the integrity of Sebelius and her alliance. Pray that God's people in our nation not lose heart or become faint as we work together to see God's standard of righteousness raised up over our nation.
• "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Gal. 6:9)
Miss California Stands Her Ground
An Example Of Hate Speech Persecution In America
In an interview with the entertainment media, Miss California Carrie Prejean said, "That's what's so great about being an American. We are able to have our own opinions and freely speak them." But if you aren't politically correct, you will be harshly discriminated against, especially if you speak against the sexual immorality of same sex marriage. Miss Prejean was in the final questioning to win the Miss USA pageant when homosexual judge Perez Hilton asked her if every state should follow Vermont and legalize same sex marriage. Prejean stood her ground and responded, "I believe a marriage should be between a man and a woman." And she lost the title because of it.
The openly homosexual Hilton told Access Hollywood, "The way Miss California answered her question cost her the crown without a doubt!" Hilton told talk show host Larry King that she lost because she gave a bad answer and that the judges expected her to be politically correct, "Miss USA should be all inclusive. She should be my Miss USA. And when she answered that question that way, it was instantly divisive and alienating to gays and lesbians and friends and supporters." News.com reported that on a video blog on his website Hilton said, "She lost not because she doesn't believe in gay marriage, she lost because she's a dumb b----!"
My attempt to confirm the quote on Hilton's website resulted in a virus attack on my computer with spyware where it affects your computer and then you have to pay a ransom to the software owner to remove the virus. It isn't surprising because Hilton's website formerly was named "pagesixsixsix.com". Miss California's answer continues to be characterized by Hilton, now with disparaging remarks about her family being stupid because they believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. The very hate that Hilton claims those have toward homosexuals is the hate he is transposing on Miss California and her family for speaking what they believe.
The Miss California example is very important because it showcases how free speech will be censored by the homosexuals if hate speech bills are passed. Of course, any bill that regulates religious free speech is unconstitutional. Romans 1speaks of these people "who changed the truth of God into a lie." Romans 1:26, 27 says, "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another." This is the unholiness of the homosexual movement and why it should not be allowed to receive government granted special treatment.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
The Good News Corner
The Dominican Republic Votes for LIFE
[We received this news in our office today, and we rejoice at the report below. Praise God!]
Dear Friends of the Preborn,
Last night, I received a late-night phone call from Rosa Antonio in the Dominica Republic. The news? The Dominican legislature voted 160 to 32 to outlaw abortion right in their new Constitution!
Planned Parenthood and the UN fought long and hard to try and defeat this provision in the new Constitution. President Obama even sent two entourages over the last two months to try and convince the Dominicans to remove the provision and legalize abortion in their nation. But the Dominican legislature spurned their proddings and now, not only is there statutory law which outlaws abortion, but now it is outlawed in the Constitution itself!
We cannot thank the Lord enough for this outcome!
Please remember Gene and Rebecca Antonio and all their homeschooled children in your prayers. They worked tirelessly to try and make sure that what America embraced many years ago, does not come to the nation they now live and minister in. Many of the legislators know them all by name, as do many in the press.
May we live our lives for Him who died in our stead!
Pastor Matt Trewhella
Miss ionaries to the Preborn
[Note from CHPP:
We are greatly encouraged by this report. May today's GOOD NEWS inspire and strengthen all of us who are working to influence our legislators through our prayers and our actions to vote for laws that are pleasing to our Lord. And yes, let's remember to surround Gene and Rebecca Antonio with our own prayers for protection, too. Amen.]
