In This Issue:• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• U.S. Cybersecurity Official Resigns
• American Government Website "Ignores Jews"
• Iranian Exiles Demand Protection
• Victory Against Terror Attack in Kuwait
• Obama's 'Wild Misrepresentations'
• The Daily Jot
• The Good News Corner
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, August 12, 2009
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth." (Job 19:24)
The Daily Brief
1. To a Friendly Crowd, Obama Assails Health Care Foes - Yahoo
Braced for a fight he never got, President Barack Obama went on the offensive in support of his health care plan Tuesday, urging a town hall audience not to listen to those who seek to "scare and mislead the American people."
- What recent president has advised Americans citizens to not listen to other citizens? Is there such a president? Are there people who seek to "scare and mislead the American people," especially on this topic of health care? In the White House? Pray that Americans do not heed the words of the president, for he seems determined to have this health care plan passed by Congress without question. Pray for the president's salvation in Jesus Christ so that he can realize God's plan for this nation.
- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalm 33:12)
2. AARP: Obama Got It Wrong - AP
President Obama went too far when he said the seniors lobby had endorsed the legislation pending in Congress, the group's chief officer said Tuesday. A group usually seen as one of Barack Obama's allies in the health care debate -- AARP -- says the president went too far Tuesday when he said the seniors lobby had endorsed the legislation pending in Congress. AARP is sensitive to the issue because polls show that Medicare beneficiaries are worried their health care program will be cut to subsidize coverage for the uninsured.
- Praise the Lord that one of the very liberal lobbying organizations no longer fully supports the president's health care plan and have the courage to publicly correct him. Offer gratitude to the Lord that He uses all strategies to answer our prayers. If you are a member of the AARP, thank them for their stand.
- "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:" (Joshua 24:14a)
3. Will Americans Follow Orders to Take Flu Shots? - WorldNetDaily
Alarmist language over possible outbreaks of swine flu as well as a series of moves by the federal government are fueling fears federal agents will soon be forcing citizens to be vaccinated - prompting one political party to launch a pre-emptive defense against any such effort.
- Since a number of people have died, not from the flu but from the vaccine which is still in the development and testing stages, questions have arisen about its use as a "crisis" by the powers that think the world cannot sustain its population. Pray that no laws are passed, obligating Americans to take the flu vaccine against their will. Ask the Lord to hold back any epidemic of swine flu.
- "If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)
4. Soaring Deficit May Defy Forecasts - USA Today
Stagnant unemployment, shrinking tax revenue and a struggling economy threaten to quadruple the size of last year's federal budget deficit, raising more questions about the timing of costly proposals to overhaul health care.
- Call upon the Lord in His mercy to stabilize our economy so that Americans can continue with their lives, safely contributing to the Lord's work, being all the more generous in gratitude to the Lord. Ask Him to remove from office those whose plans will destroy our economic power and increase our debt.
- "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath but righteousness delivers from death." (Proverbs 11:4)
5. In Moscow: Medvedev Introduces Bill to Use Army Abroad - BBC
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has introduced a bill to parliament that would allow the country's armed forces to intervene beyond Russia's borders.
- Russia is really rattling her sabres, threatening the world around her. What does this action portend for Israel? for the USA? Pray that the Lord will intervene in the passage of this bill in the Russian parliament. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray that Russia will be forced to hang up her sabres.
- "Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces." (Exodus 15:6)
6. Russia Charges US Is Rearming Georgia - VOA News
A top Russian diplomat says the United States is quietly rearming the Georgian military, and he warns the U.S. move will force Moscow to react.
Last Tuesday, August 9, President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev spoke by telephone about reducing tensions in Georgia. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also telephoned Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Biden stressed the need to avoid actions that could further destabilize the region.
Moscow has warned it will use "all available force" to protect the pro-Russian populations of South Ossetia and a second breakaway territory, Abkhazia.
Russian forces swept into Georgia one year ago this month, on August 7, 2008, following Georgian attempts to regain control of breakaway South Ossetia by force. Read more.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-05-voa21.cfm
- Please make this report a matter of serious prayer. This is one anniversary we prefer to ignore; pray that the Russians will do the same. Pray for the safety of the people of the nation of Georgia; and pray for PEACE to prevail in this region. Pray!
- "The effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
7. UK Government to Install Surveillance Cameras in Private Homes - Tech Radar
The United Kingdom Government's Children's Secretary Ed Balls has announced a controversial new CCTV monitoring scheme, in which thousands of problem families are to be monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Pray that this use of surveillance cameras is never applied to homes in the USA. Notice again that a "crisis" has been communicated for a specific purpose - seemingly good on the surface. This procedure is an invasion of personal privacy. Pray for the British citizenry to protest against this invasion.
- "Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; he swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing." (Proverbs 29:34)
8. Muslim radicals behead Christian orphan workers - WorldNetDaily
Four Christians working in Somalia to provide services to orphans have been executed by beheading by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked group who told their families that is the penalty for apostasy. The report on the outrage comes from International Christian Concern, which said the executions took place sometime after the kidnapping of the Christians July 27, but it only discovered the tragedy recently.
A Somali church leader who monitors the persecution against the Somali church described the latest beheadings as a desperate attempt to "purify" Somalia by eliminating all Christians from what the al-Qaida-linked terror group considers an Islamic republic.
- Pray for the families of these four Christian martyrs, who probably are Christians themselves. Pray comfort and protection for the families. Pray for the church leader who follows persecution. Have these members of the Islamic group no consciences at all? How deceived they are. Ask the Lord to intervene in their lives to receive salvation in Jesus Christ. The blood of these martyrs cry out. Pray that they have not died in vain.
- "And all who watch for iniquity shall be cut off. Who make a man an offender by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught." (Isaiah 29: 20b, 21)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, the LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel. (Malachi 1:5)
1. Analysis: New faces of an unreformed, hard-line Fatah - Jerusalem Post
Many of the newly-elected members of Fatah's Central Committee may be younger than their ousted predecessors, but that does not necessarily mean that they are more reform-minded or less corrupt.
2. Fatah vote gives boost to Abbas - Jerusalem Post
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has emerged victorious from the elections for Fatah's Central Committee, as almost all his preferred candidates won seats in the key decision-making body.
3. Netanyahu downplays threat of war - Jerusalem Post
While Israel is prepared for all emerging threats in the Middle East - including Hizbullah, and Iran's nuclear program - there are "no winds of war blowing" along the northern border, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday during a visit to the Hatzerim Air Force Base, east of Beersheba.
4. Jerusalem, Washington debate: Is Ariel a settlement bloc? - Jerusalem Post
Jerusalem and Washington are currently discussing whether Ariel constitutes one of the settlement blocs where - under a compromise agreement being worked out - construction that has already begun can continue, diplomatic sources told The Jerusalem Post Tuesday.
5. Congress urges Obama to press Arabs, ease up on Israel - ICEJ News
71 Senators sign letter to White House calling for 'normalization' Seventy-one US Senators have signed a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to be more vocal in his efforts to encourage Arab states to normalize relations with Israel, the latest indication that even Democrats in Congress are concerned he has leaned too hard on Israel to freeze settlements.
6. Most U.S. Jewish Obama Backers Oppose His Israel Policies - Jerusalem Post
American Jewish Democrats are breaking with the Obama administration over its policies in Israel, according to the results of a survey designed by a former pollster for president Bill Clinton.
- Praise the Lord that Jews who voted for the president are re-assessing their choice because of his actions, words, and policies towards Israel. Again, pray for salvation in Jesus Christ for the president so that he sees Israel with God's eyes. Without God in this equation, the president brings judgment and harm upon the USA. Cry out for mercy!
- "And He will spread out His hands in their [the prideful] midst . . And He will bring down their pride together with the trickery of their hands." (Isaiah 25:11)
U.S. Cybersecurity Official Resigns
Another U.S. Cybersecurity Official Resigns
The director of a government cybersecurity program that helps protect civilian agency networks and coordinates cybersecurity warnings with industry is stepping down, the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed. Mischel Kwon, director of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, submitted her resignation last week. Kwon will stay on with US-CERT until September, when she joins EMC's RSA cybersecurity division as VP of public sector security solutions. Though she has a new job, The Washington Post reported that Kwon's colleagues attributed her departure partly to frustration with "bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of authority to fulfill her mission." Kwon's departure marks the third cybersecurity official to step down during the Obama administration's tenure, and the third who has cited a lack of empowerment as one of the reasons for resigning. (Information Watch)
- Pray that the one of the Lord's choosing be appointed to fill tihs critical slot. NOW, more than ever, we need to be assured that our online communications remain intact and secure from enemy forces!
- "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
American Government Website "Ignores Jews"
- "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you." (Genesis 12:3)
- "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1)
The Web site for the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem ignores Jews and the state of Israel while providing news and services geared primarily toward Arabs and Palestinians.
"This disclosure is almost beyond belief," stated Harvey Schwartz, chairman of American Israeli Action Coalition. "It is as if the United States is totally denying the existence of Israel or Israelis. We do not believe that this is in accordance with the will of the American people."
The Coalition sent around e-mail blasts pointing out the consulate website maintains an Arabic section but not a Hebrew one and that almost the entire website is dedicated to helping Palestinian causes and no Jewish community needs. (Reported by: Intercessors for America) [World Net Daily]
Iranian Exiles Demand Protection
Iranian Exile Group Demands U.S. Military Protection for Camp
An Iranian exile group accused the Obama administration Tuesday of betraying written U.S. promises to protect several thousand of its members confined in a camp north of Baghdad that was recently stormed by Iraqi forces. The group, the Paris-based Mujahideen-e Kalq, demanded that the U.S. military immediately reassert control over the facility, Camp Ashraf, until it can be replaced by an international force under the aegis of the United Nations or at least a U.N.-commanded observer team to monitor the Iraqis. "We must underline that the responsibility of the United States in this matter, moral as well as legal, is overwhelming," said Francois Serres, a French jurist who heads a committee of European lawyers and human rights activists representing the exiles and promoting their campaign for recognition. (Washington Post)
- Pray that the Obama administration will hear, and honor, the pleas of tihs group for protection.
- "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
Victory Against Terror Attack in Kuwait
Kuwait foils plan to attack refinery, official says
Detained members of an al Qaeda-linked group planned to attack Kuwait's Shuaiba oil refinery during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a security official said on Wednesday. Kuwait, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, said on Tuesday it had foiled a plan by a six-member al Qaeda-linked network to bomb the Arifjan U.S. Army camp, the state security building, and "important facilities," but gave no further details on the other potential targets. "The group planned to attack Shuaiba during Ramadan," the security official told Reuters. Ramadan, a lunar month, is due to begin around August 22. The aging 200,000 barrels per day Shuaiba plant is the smallest of the OPEC member's three refineries, which have a combined capacity of around 930,000 bpd. Members of the cell, led by a surgeon at one of the U.S.-allied Gulf state's hospitals, had confessed to planning attacks aimed at pressuring the United States to remove Kuwait-based troops, al-Anbaa newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources it said were familiar with the investigation. (Reuters)
- Offer praise for this GOOD NEWS!
- "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
Obama's 'Wild Misrepresentations'
Obama hosted a townhall meeting yesterday afternoon that seemed more scripted than some of the soap operas that his broadcast was competing with. Not surprisingly, the meeting was carefully choreographed--so much so that the President couldn't find a single person to disagree with him. Apparently his was the only townhall in the entire country where there wasn't at least one voter opposed to a government takeover of health care.
Unlike the millions of concerned citizens packed into local gymnasiums and city halls, this event was replete with a select group of White House cheerleaders. Even the little girl, who famously asked why the other side is so "mean," turned out to be the child of an Obama donor, who is important enough to have already met the First Family and Vice President Joe Biden at a previous fundraiser. Coincidence? As Michelle Malkin pointed out, there are no coincidences in this administration. What was more amazing than all this premeditation is how the President accused groups like FRC of engaging in "wild misrepresentations" while engaging in a series of incredible distortions himself.
The whoppers (lies) he told ranged from fudging the plan's list of supporters to the details of the plan itself. At one point he told the crowd, "We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors." That was news to the AARP, who disputed the endorsement immediately after the townhall concluded. Tom Nelson, AARP's chief operating officer, told reporters, "Indications that we have endorsed any of the major health care reform bills . . . are inaccurate."
Obama also claimed, "Under the reform we're proposing, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." But an independent study commissioned by the Heritage Foundation actually found that 88.1 million people would be shifted out of their current employer-based plan. . .
Of course, Obama's biggest misrepresentation was his insistence that he doesn't back a single-payer system. "I have not said that I was a single-payer supporter," he told yesterday's audience. Maybe he hasn't said it as President, but last August, candidate Obama told an Albuquerque townhall, "If I were designing a system from scratch, I would probably go ahead with a single-payer system." The bottom line, Mr. President, is that if you portray yourself as an honest man, it helps if you keep your facts straight. (Family Research Council)
The Daily Jot
Lying to Establish Socialist Beachhead Through Healthcare Ruse
The plans by the man who occupies the Oval Office to institute socialism in the United States hinges on socialized medicine because it is the one area that can exercise complete control over a person's life--over your life--if it is passed. That is why this single issue is so important--it is not about healthcare, it is all about deceiving people into giving up their individual liberties that socialism may become institutionalized in the United States. And when people question these very principles that are written into the healthcare legislation under consideration by Congress, those in charge of the socialist revolution get very upset. They try to change the debate to racism and other "isms" and when that doesn't work, they lie.
One of the biggest lies was told by the president, himself. At a New Hampshire town meeting, He said, "So this is what reform is about. For all the chatter and the yelling and the shouting and the noise, what you need to know is this: If you don't have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform. If you do have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. And we will do this without adding to our deficit over the next decade, largely by cutting out the waste and insurance company giveaways in Medicare that aren't making any of our seniors healthier."
Lie number one: If you don't have health insurance, you will have affordable quality options. The government provided insurance benefits will be chosen and required by the Health Choices Commissioner. The "options", therefore, are government options, not citizen chosen options.
Lie number 2: No insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. Throughout the legislation, government councils, committees, even counselors if you are a parent or a senior citizens determine the type of care you will receive and whether you are caring for yourself and your children properly.
Lie number 3: It won't add to the deficit over the next decade.
On June 15 the independent non-partisan Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas W. Elmendorf issued this analysis: "According to our preliminary assessment, enacting the proposal would result in a net increase in federal budget deficits of about $1.0 trillion over the 2010-2019 period." If one can obtain elected office by deception, it stands to reason that people can be deceived into believing healthcare reform is their most dire need. When in reality it is a Trojan horse for socialism. 2 Timothy 3:13 says, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." The only choice here is freedom or socialism.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
The Good News Corner
Cord-Blood Bank Opens Possibilities
Cord Blood America Inc. plans to open a multimillion-dollar facility in Las Vegas to store umbilical cord blood---which is rich in non-controversial adult stem cells.
Jennifer Lahl, founder and national director at The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network said umbilical cord blood can be stored for years and used to treat diseases and conditions.
"This is a brand-new field, and certainly it's a wonderful, precious resource," she said. "It's a win-win. People on all sides of the political and religious divide can come together and say this is good for everybody."
She said only about 10 percent of umbilical cord blood is saved. (CitizenLink)
