In This Issue• Today's Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• Sotomayor: Jurist or Policymaker?
• Marriage is Safe in California
• A Commentary from Gary Bauer
• Prophetic Acceleration Around The World
• The Good News Corner
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, May 27, 2009
"Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching God." (Isaiah 58:2)
Today's Daily Brief
1. Sotomayor reversed 60% by high court - Cross Action News
With Judge Sonia Sotomayor already facing questions over her 60 percent reversal rate, the Supreme Court could dump another problem into her lap next month if, as many legal analysts predict, the court overturns one of her rulings upholding a race-based employment decision.
Three of the five majority opinions written by Judge Sotomayor for the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and reviewed by the Supreme Court were reversed, providing a potent line of attack raised by opponents Tuesday after President Obama announced he will nominate the 54-year-old Hispanic woman to the high court.
• As endeavors to go forward with an agenda to continue making policy rather than enacting the use of judicial integrity, and as war is declared on gun owners by this pick, pray that not one stone will be left unturned in the vetting process of this nominee. Intercede for transparency on every level and for wisdom in questioning the rationale here. Pray for one who will uphold the Constitution and not skirt or re-write it.
• Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." (Nehemiah 5:13)
2. Unemployment 20% higher in Democrat strongholds - WorldNetDaily
Unemployment in April remained 20 percent higher in states won by Democratic candidate Barack Obama in last fall's presidential election than in states won by Republican candidate John McCain, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics released yesterday. Nationwide, the unemployment rate went from 8.5 percent in March to 8.9 percent in April.
WND previously reported that if unemployment numbers in the states won by Obama do not begin improving soon, the Democratic Party may face the prospect of 2010 mid-term election losses in both governor races and in Congress.
A national telephone survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports has found significant Democratic Party losses and Republican Party gains over the past year in a generic congressional ballot.
• As this Bureau presents the facts, ask the Father for wisdom for the generations to learn and know what they are getting, before they decide on it. Pray that they, who voted for "jobs" and got something very different, might learn that blindness is not a badge to wear to the political arena. Ask God to give the masses discernment and a bi-partisan, working relationship. Pray that His spirit would rule, and come forth to bless and heal our land. Intercede for all who, in pain and heartache, struggle to make ends meet and find work to provide for their families. Intercede that they might call on God, their only true provision, and that He would answer them graciously and generously.
• Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint. (Proverbs 25:19)
3. Conservative Christians Praise Calif. High Court Ruling on Prop. 8 - Cross Action News
The court ruled 6-1 that the amendment was not an illegal constitutional revision by the people nor unconstitutional.
According to the ruling, the justices rejected complaints by Proposition 8 challengers "that it is just too easy to amend the California constitution through the initiative process."
"It is not a proper function of this court to curtail that process; we are constitutionally bound to uphold it," the ruling said.
• As we lavish praises on our God, who upholds and establishes His truth in the earth while we continue to press in and pray for this process to be sustained and carried forth across our country, ask the Father for intestinal fortitude so as to not let down our guard when it comes to His ruling on this subject. Thank God for the California Court System which has honored it's own constitution and suppressed every argument against it.
• He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. (Psalm 37:6-7)
4. Obama to visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt to discuss peace, Iran - Cross Action News
U.S. President Barack Obama will meet Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in Riyadh next week to seek his support over the nuclear standoff with Iran and reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Obama will visit Riyadh on June 3 in a surprise addition to his scheduled three-day trip to Egypt, Germany and France, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, is a staunch U.S. ally in the region and potentially a key player in the drive for a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which Obama has declared a top foreign policy priority.
The Obama administration has embraced the 2002 Arab peace initiative, a proposal authored by Saudi Arabia that offered Israel normal ties with all Arab states in return for a full withdrawal from the lands it seized in the 1967 Middle East war, creation of a Palestinian state and a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees.
Gibbs dismissed the idea the Saudi stop was added to persuade Arab states to make conciliatory gestures to Israel.
• Father, we note that, even as Mr. Obama plans to deliver his speech in Egypt to the Moslem world, he also plans to visit the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. In this unusual agenda, we "pray without ceasing" that the heart of the president be moved to do what is best for the US and Israel. Intercede that the president will only support that which will ultimately bring a supremely healthy dawning of foreign policy to the spot light in which we find ourselves. Decree that God will bring their plot to nothing and that the United States will be steered away from what the Saudis call a "just solution" and away from appeasing those who ultimately desire the division and therefore the destruction of Israel.
• And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. (Nehemiah 4:15)
5. Chrysler faces D-Day as GM nears bankruptcy - Worthy News
Chrysler faces its day of judgment Wednesday as a bankruptcy court judge rules on a sale of its key assets to give the ailing automaker a fresh start in a partnership with Italy's Fiat.
If Judge Arthur Gonzalez approves the fast-track plan, a new Chrysler could emerge within days, according to President Barack Obama's administration, which is spearheading the plan and providing emergency funding.
The developments with Chrysler are seen critical for General Motors, which is also living off government loans and scrambling ahead of a June 1 deadline imposed by the Obama administration that will likely lead to a bankruptcy filing.
• Father, as squeezed corporations are finding it harder and harder to own up and stand on their own, renew a right spirit in the whole of this country. As the president brings solutions that prove out to be enslaving, deliver us from every futile and menacing plan. Pray for American businesses, that the wisdom of Daniel and the heart of Joseph would surround them. Ask that our "big government" leaders would find godly character and righteous anger standing in their way, to deliver our economic situation from downfall. Ask for the backbone of America to be aligned and straightened for redemption, to withstand the evils of bad business and corrupt government policies. In righteousness, declare and decree the power of God over the works of His adversary in our land.
• Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards." And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. (Nehemiah 5:5)
6. N. Korea Warns of Strike Against S. Korea, U.S. - Fox News
North Korea launched a tirade Wednesday against world powers threatening to punish it for conducting its second nuclear test, saying it is not afraid of sanctions and calling South Korea's decision to join an operation to prevent the spread of weapons a declaration of war.
The North also has reportedly restarted its weapons-grade nuclear plant. It staged a rally in its capital, Pyongyang, on Tuesday to celebrate the test. The isolated communist regime said through its official news agency that it would respond with military action if South Korea tries to stop or search any of its ships as part of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative.
• Father, as nations have pressured and pulled away from committed protection for Israel and have threatened to divide her, so they are threatened. Pray, first and foremost, for repentance for us as a nation concerning any and all unsound political maneuvers we have engaged in. As North Korean, as well as other thugs, thumb their noses at world leaders and UN resolutions, touting nuclear weapons, pray that our leadership also acknowledges the spiritual reality check that exists. Ask the Father not only for the safest resolution possible, but that these incidents will be used to pry open the hearts of men to cry out in obedience to Him. Let it be said that God's S.O.S. mercy intercessors and crisis intercessors went to their knees to ask for the mercy and protection of God to be shown forth at this time, for all people, for His glory and His name sake. Decree that, by God's unfailing grace and mercy, the Comforter will be seen and displayed world-wide. Intercede for a point of turning, especially for His Church to rise up and for wise and obedient actions on Capitol Hill!
• But you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. (Joshua 23:9) And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24:6)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel." (Jeremiah 8:11)
1. Abbas to press Obama on settlements - Jerusalem Post
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday he would focus on Israel's refusal to stop the building of settlements when he holds talks with US President Barack Obama later this week, Reuters reported.
2. Israeli teams to negotiate Iran, Palestinian issues with US - Ynet News
Israel is poised to establish two negotiating teams to work with the US on issues regarding the Palestinians and Iran, according to an Israeli delegation to London headed by Minister Dan Meridor.
3. Livni brands road map peace plan as 'bad' for Israel - Ha'aretz
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni on Tuesday called the road map peace plan "bad" for Israel, in the wake of Foreign Minster Avigdor Lieberman's repeated statements in support of the United Nations-backed initiative.
4.Dennis Ross vs. Obama: No link betwen Iran, Mideast peace - Ha'aretz
Dennis Ross, the U.S. Secretary of State's special adviser on Iran, says in a new book that the United States will not make progress toward peace in the Middle East with the Obama administration's new plan.
Sotomayor: Jurist or Policymaker?
After weeks of speculation, the President made an official announcement on the replacement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, naming federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as his first nominee for America's highest court.
The President has said in the past that his chief criterion for a Supreme Court nominee is not legal experience, but life experience. He said in 2007 that he's looking for a man or woman "who's got... heart." That's Obama-speak for a judicial activist who is willing to put her individual feelings and opinions above the rule of law. Much has been written today about Sotomayor's childhood and her ability to rise above the financial hardships of an immigrant family. However, a compelling personal story doesn't qualify someone to be a Supreme Court justice--legal credentials do. And in the eyes of some Democrats, those are lacking in Sotomayor's case.
According to the New Republic, the Left has its doubts about the President's nominee after 17 years on the bench. Those who have worked with her "expressed concerns about her temperament, her judicial craftsmanship, and most of all, her ability to provide an intellectual counterweight to the conservative justices, as well as a clear liberal alternative." In the words of a former clerk at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals where Sotomayor presides, she was considered "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench."
On social issues, she has an undefined record--a fact that the White House will try to use to its advantage in her confirmation battle. Although there is no clear ideological pattern to her rulings on life, faith, and marriage, it doesn't take a leap of logic to understand where she stands on our issues. As legal reporter Stuart Taylor recently wrote, "[Sotomayor's] thinking is representative of the Democratic Party's powerful identity-politics wing." The common denominator of her decisions thus far is her belief that the court's role is not reviewing the law but rewriting it.
In a 2005 panel discussion at Duke University Law School, she said that the "Court of Appeals is where policy is made." This should be particularly troubling to the American public because, unlike the appellate court on which Sotomayor currently sits, decisions by the Supreme Court are not reviewable by a higher court or an elected body like Congress. In other words, Sotomayor would be free to act as an unaccountable legislator on the nation's highest court with lifetime job security! As moving as her personal story may be, Sotomayor's "empathy" for certain subgroups is no substitute for upholding the U.S. Constitution.
The common thread between today's two biggest stories--Sotomayor's nomination and the Proposition 8 ruling--is that both have their roots in judicial activism. In California, the high court redefined marriage, giving voters no recourse but to amend their Constitution. What will this activist give us? (Family Research Council; May 27, 2009)
Marriage is Safe in California
Marriage advocates breathed a sigh of relief today as the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 and left the definition of marriage in California's Constitution as decided by 7 million voters in the November election. Today's ruling closes the door on the latest challenges to marriage in California. If gay activists wish to legalize same-sex "marriage" now, they will have to go to the people.
"California's Constitution gives its citizens the right of self-governance, and we are pleased that the court resisted demands to strip the right of the people to amend the state constitution," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. "Even this widely recognized liberal court understands that overturning Proposition 8 would represent a repudiation of the state Constitution it is sworn to uphold."
Ron Prentice, chairman of the ProtectMarriage.com executive committee, said his group will now shift its focus to continuing to protect marriage and strengthen family values. "We will turn our attention to public education and outreach so citizens come to better understand and appreciate the many benefits that traditional marriage provides for society and our families," he said.
"The institution of marriage as we have always understood it has served California and our broader society since the nation was founded. We look forward to working with young people, churches, ethnic communities and all of California with an ongoing discussion about the benefits of traditional marriage."
The court upheld the legality of approximately 18,000 same-sex "marriage" licenses issued last year before Prop. 8 passed. (CitizenLink; May 26, 2009)
A Commentary from Gary Bauer
Axis of Evil 2, Teleprompter 0
Things are not going well for the TOTUS - the Teleprompter of the United States - and its owner, B. Hussein Obama. Ever since the two of them first started running for president, and in the days since they took office, they have promised a new foreign policy built on negotiation, not confrontation, with thugs around the world. Europe applauded. The media squealed in delight. The pundits fell down in worship. Champaign corks popped at the U.N. Everyone agreed that this was a much more "enlightened" approach than the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld Neanderthal foreign policy.
Unfortunately, no one bothered to check with the thugs. This weekend, as we remembered those who have died for our freedom on foreign battlefields, Iran's Hitler wannabe, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Kim Jong-Il, the North Korean psychotic known by his slaves as "Dear Leader," decided that they should speak up.
Kim Jong-Il detonated an underground nuclear bomb equal to 28,000 tons of TNT and followed it up with a "side order" of missile tests. Ahmadinejad, not quite in the nuclear club yet, detonated a verbal bomb by announcing that he has no intention of negotiating with Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton or anyone else about his weapons program. Instead, Ahmadinejad insisted he was only willing to discuss world affairs with Obama and the teleprompter at the United Nations. And to demonstrate his intent to be a world power, he sent several Iranian warships into international waters.
Press reports indicate that President Obama was awakened at midnight so he could be informed of North Korea's provocation. But I fear he sleeps still - in a few days he will leave for Cairo, Egypt, to deliver yet another apology-for-America speech and hold out an olive branch to the "Muslim world." Eventually, either Obama or the teleprompter has to wake up. I'm betting on the teleprompter. (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; May 26, 2009)
Prophetic Acceleration Around The World
But America Leads the Race Toward the End Times
Headlines around the world would suggest that end times prophecies are accelerating at an exponential rate compared to other times in history. North Korea is destabilizing the world with several missile tests and nuclear bomb blasts, and says that it is no longer bound by the 1953 armistice that ended the hostilities of the Korean War. Iran, one of the members of the Ezekiel end time prophecy of nations that come against Israel, is on a sure path toward nuclear weapons, and is also destabilizing the Middle East by sending warships into international waters. Russia, also a member of the Ezekiel prophecy, is using none of its influence to mitigate these actions
In the United States, the forces of evil are busy trying to destroy the nation morally and economically. The White House nominated for the Supreme Court a Latino woman, Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor has said in the past that "In the Court of Appeals is where policy is made." She has also said that a wise Latino woman "would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Her appointment most certainly points to judicial activism rather than strict interpretations of the Constitution. This means that individual rights will be eroded in favor of global policy.
On the good news side, The California Supreme Court decided 6 to 1 to uphold a ban on same sex marriage voted into place by California citizens. But homosexuals threw an immediate temper tantrum by taking to the streets and protesting. They vowed to put the measure on the ballot again in an effort to overturn the previous decisions by the voters. Already, several other states have legalized same sex marriage. Every society in the history of the world that normalized homosexual relations is no longer in existence, beginning with the first--Sodom and Gomorrah--destroyed by God for its sexual depravity.
But the White House is working on a project that may well prove to be the destruction of America as we know it. Zechariah 12:3 says, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered against it." The Palestinian Media Center reports that the man who occupies the Oval Office (OOO) has assured the Palestinian Authority that the US will advocate that East Jerusalem become the capital of a new Palestinian state. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed "A united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem was and will always be ours. It shall never be divided and disunited again." The lines of prophecy are being drawn in the sands of the Middle East and America is crossing them.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
The Good News Corner
Most in U.S. Oppose Judicial Activism, Support Abortion Regulations
Americans United for Life (AUL) has sent a letter to all 100 U.S. senators, urging them to consider a new poll in light of the Supreme Court vacancy.
Nine in 10 Republicans and more than 8 in 10 Democrats agreed with the following: "When considering a new Justice for the United States Supreme Court, I would prefer that my United States senators look for a man or woman who will interpret the law as it is written and not take into account his or her personal viewpoints and experiences."
Eighty-two percent of the 800 respondents strongly opposed or somewhat opposed a nominee for the Supreme Court who supports late-term abortion. A similar majority --- 71 percent --- strongly or somewhat opposed a nominee who favors using tax dollars to pay for domestic abortions.
Dr. Charmaine Yoest, AUL President and CEO, wrote:
"Senators, we urge you to take these clear findings into consideration before you vote on the president's nominee and recognize that the majority of your constituents --- regardless of political party --- fervently oppose any type of judicial activism that would rescind common sense laws on abortion and its regulations."
The poll also revealed that more than half of respondents either strongly or somewhat supported allowing states --- not the federal government --- to decide how to regulate abortion.
The poll was conducted by The Polling Co. (Josh Montez, CitizenLink, May 22, 2009)
