In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• Climate Change And Our Sovereignty
• The Obama "War" Against the Right
• Hate Crimes Is Coming
• H.R. 3827: Gay Adoption Bill
• Sad News from the Supreme Court
• The Good News Corner
Greetings!
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The Daily Brief - Thursday, October 22, 2009
"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (2 Chronicles 20:12)
The Daily Brief
1. A) Feds plan big pay cuts at bailout firms - Washington Times
The Obama administration plans to order companies that received huge U.S. government financial bailouts last year to cut sharply the compensation of their highest-paid executives, according to a person familiar with the decision.
B). Pay Czar Acted Alone To Cut Executive Pay - Fox News
Obama's 'compensation czar' did not seek presidential approval with plan ordering companies getting the most from $700B bailout to slash compensation for CEOs.
- Father, it once again appears as if there is confusion within the Obama administration on "plans" to deal with the issues set before them. If the house is divided, it will not stand. We ask that You would move to change hearts and bring about true wisdom for our leaders.
- "The city of confusion is broken down" (Isaiah 24:10a)
2. Tests Show Swine Flu Spreading from Schools - Reuters
Results of tens of thousands of flu tests indicate that the pandemic H1N1 virus is spreading from school-aged children to the rest of the U.S. population, makers of the tests say.
- Lord, we beseech You for mercy over the children of America. We plead the Blood of Jesus over our population, and stand in the gap for our people against this destruction.
- "Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the perilous pestilence." (Psalm 91:3)
3. Senate Defeats Costly Medicare Fix - The Washington Times
The Senate on Wednesday blocked an expensive change to the way doctors are paid under Medicare over concern about the mounting deficit, in what Republicans called the first defeat for President Obama's health care plan.
Democratic leaders had sought the 10-year, nearly $250 billion bill as a fix to the long-term Medicare problem, but without proposing a way to pay for it, they lost support from moderate Democrats, signaling that cost could become a significant hurdle to a reform bill.
- Father, we thank you for this defeat. We ask that You would intervene to stop the healthcare bill in all its forms.
- "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor." (Psalm 140:12)
4. 23 states report higher unemployment in September - AP
Unemployment rose in 23 states last month as the economy struggled to create jobs in the early stages of the recovery.
- Father, once again we ask Your mercy over the American workforce, and Your assistance to the families who are struggling without jobs.
- "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your Name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me." ( Psalm 142:7)
5. Obama Nominee to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Argued 'Gay Sex Is Morally Good' - CNS News
Chai R. Feldblum, nominated by President Barack Obama to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has argued that homosexual sex is "morally good" and that government should foster all types of domestic partnerships, including "non-sexual" ones.
- Lord, we pray that You will intervene to prevent Chai Feldblum from obtaining this position. We pray for righteous leaders who will lead with wisdom.
- "Let them be appalled because of their shame" (Psalm 40:15a)
6. 300-Plus Arrests Made in 'Project Coronado' Drug Cartel Raids - AP
More than 300 suspects have been arrested in a series of drug raids across the country that law enforcement officials say is the largest single strike at a Mexican drug cartel operating in the United States.
- Lord, we thank you for this drug raid, and pray that You will continue to root out the Mexican drug cartels who have made inroads into America.
- "He shall redeem their life from oppression and violence;" (Psalm 72:14a)
7. Hate Crimes Bill
The cloture vote on the Conference Report to DOD Authorization (which contains the Hate Crimes Bill as an amendment) will take place today at 11:45am (10:45am central). Unless God intervenes, cloture will happen, meaning any debate is ended. They will still have to come back and actually vote on the bill, which will likely be next week according to one Senator's office.
- Father, You alone know the hearts of Your people, and the freedoms that we have enjoyed to speak freely on issues of righteousness. We pray that You would preserve that freedom to speak in America. Yet, if not, we will continue to speak Your truth in response to Your directions.
- "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge." (Acts 4:19b)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem." (Zech. 14:2a)
1. Solana: Palestinian state in 1967 borders - Ynet News
EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana said the European Union's goal is to establish a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders.
2. American UN envoy to Israel: Relaunch Mideast talks now - Ha'aretz
The Obama administration's ambassador to the United Nations told Israelis on Wednesday that it is not enough just to pay lip service to peace and urged the government to immediately relaunch negotiations, without preconditions, aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state.
3. IAF strikes warehouse, tunnels in Gaza - Jerusalem Post
IAF strikes targeted a building in the southern Gaza Strip and two smuggling tunnels early Thursday morning, in response to rocket fire into Israeli territory the previous day.
4. Egypt pushing Hamas to sign truce deal - Ynet News
Egypt continues to push forward with last ditch efforts to convince Hamas to sign the reconciliation agreement with rival Palestinian faction Fatah.
5. Major U.S.-Israel missile defense exercise 'not in response to any world events' - World Tribune
Israel and the United States are conducting their largest missile defense exercise that will feature a simulated attack by Iran.
Climate Change And Our Sovereignty
There is a YouTube video burning up the Internet, and judging from your messages, it has a quite a lot of folks very concerned - and rightly so. The speaker is Lord Christopher Monckton, a science advisor to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He is warning Americans to oppose the Copenhagen treaty that President Obama will likely sign. If you have not seen this video, click here.
The treaty is as bad as Lord Monckton describes, but we are optimistic that it can be stopped. A treaty does not become legally binding when a president signs it. It must be submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification, which requires a two-thirds super-majority vote. We don't believe Obama can get that many votes -- yet. Democrats currently have 60 votes in the Senate. (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; Oct. 21, 2009)
The Obama "War" Against the Right
Even neutral political observers are beginning to "get it." Today in Politico, an influential Washington D.C. newspaper, two of their top analysts reported on the Obama White House strategy to marginalize and destroy the conservative movement that has thrived in recent decades. Below are some excerpts from a story by Mark Allen and Jim Vandehei.
"Obama is setting loose top White House officials to undermine conservatives in the media, business and lobbying worlds. With a series of private meetings and public taunts, the White House has targeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Rush Limbaugh and now, with a new volley of combative rhetoric in recent days, the insurance industry, Wall Street executives and Fox News.
"All of the techniques are harnessed to a larger purpose: to marginalize not only the individual person or organization but also some of the most important policy and publicity allies of the national Republican Party. The campaign underscores how deeply political the Obama White House is in its daily operations - with a strong focus on redrawing the electoral map and discrediting the personalities and ideas that have powered the conservative movement over the past 20 years.
"Privately, [White House] officials have talked with relish for months of the potential to isolate the GOP as a narrow party of white, Southern conservatives with little appeal to independent-minded voters."
Now some of you may react to this story by saying, "Duh - of course they are trying to destroy conservatism." But many Americans still don't get it. They are upset by Obama's policies but still like him personally. They remember his repeated campaign pledge to bring the country together. They remember his campaign theme that there aren't "Blue" state Americans and "Red" state Americans, but just plain Americans.
He raised the hopes of millions that the bitter partisanship of recent years, which came almost entirely from the radical MoveOn.org, Code Pink, ACORN Left, could be overcome. His rhetoric swayed many young people and female voters to turn out and vote for him. But instead of national reconciliation and bi- partisanship, Obama is wielding the power of the White House like a bludgeon to destroy values, economic and media conservatives.
Their operatives lied to smear Rush Limbaugh as a racist. They have threatened business leaders with regulatory punishment if they don't fall in line behind socialist schemes. They have singled out various industries and professions - insurance, pharmaceuticals, doctors, banking, energy and food - for demonization in order to convince Americans that our problems are caused by business instead of Big Government.
This is a time for all of us to close ranks. You don't have to be a Rush Limbaugh listener to know that if they destroy him, they hurt all of us. If they can intimidate Fox News, we all suffer. If American business is destroyed, working class Americans will have a lower standard of living. If they can get you to aim all your anger at the GOP, instead of at the Left, they know Obama will continue to control Congress and get re- elected in 2012.
We have to toughen up, put on our armor and get these socialists out of office. That means we have to win elections! (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; Oct. 21, 2009)
Hate Crimes Is Coming
Rally the Troops--Hate Crimes Is Coming
Get out your pen, Mr. President. Back on August 17 you made this promise to our veterans: "[I]f Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with... waste, I will veto it." Seven hundred seventy-eight earmarks later, the Defense Authorization bill is still standing. Why? Because House and Senate leaders aren't above playing politics with national security.
In a slap to the face of our servicemen and women, they attached "hate crimes" legislation to the final defense bill, forcing Congress to choose between expanding hate crimes or making our military go without. Unfortunately, House liberals had plenty of help from the GOP in sabotaging the bill. When it was put to a vote, nine Republicans refused to remove hate crimes from the Defense Authorization bill: Bill Cassidy (La.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Todd Platts (Penn.), Charles Dent (Penn.), Greg Walden (Ore.), Judy Biggert (Ill.), Anh Cao (La.), Michael Castle (Del.), and Dave Reichert (Wash.). These Republicans are serving as the enablers for a radical social agenda that could ultimately silence Christians and use the force of government to marginalize anyone whose faith is at odds with homosexuality.
Now that Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has filed cloture on the conference report, it could be less than 24 hours before the Senate votes on the final legislation. Before they do, we need your help. Contact your senators and urge them to fight for our freedom--and the soldiers defending it. Remind them that this is not an inconsequential vote. Expanding hate crimes puts America in lock step with the stated agenda of homosexual activists who will turn next to the so-called Employment Non-discrimination Act, followed by the repeal of the ban on homosexuality in the military and then the Defense of Marriage Act. More than 100,000 people have signed our petition opposing hate crimes as a violation of the First Amendment. Add your name today by visiting www.fighthatecrimes.com before the government makes you decide between your faith and your rights. (Family Research Council; Washington Update, Oct. 21, 2009; excerpt)
H.R. 3827: Gay Adoption Bill
H.R. 3827: Gay Adoption Bill Would Infringe on States' Rights
U.S. Rep. Pete Stark. D-Calif., has introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R. 3827), which opens the door for gay adoption. Stark cited the number of kids in foster care as a reason for allowing homosexual and unmarried couples to adopt.
Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said H.R. 3827 would restrict federal funds from states that preserve adoption or foster programs for married moms and dads. (Focus on the Family; CitizenLink)
- Pray that H.R. 3827 dies in committee, never seeing the light of day on the floor of the House of Representatives.
- "This far you shall come and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stopped!" (Job 38:10)
Sad News from the Supreme Court
U.S. Supreme Court refuses appeal of Israeli terror victim
The Supreme Court will not let parents of an American teenager killed in a terrorist attack in Israel collect damages from a man accused of funding Hamas. The court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal from the parents of David Boim, a 17-year-old killed in a 1996 drive-by shooting in Beit El on the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, which has jurisdiction on the West Bank, tried one man and sentenced him to 10 years in the case. Another escaped and later died in a suicide bombing, according to Boim attorneys. Boim's family, who moved to Israel from New York City, had sued several U.S.-based Islamic fundraising groups and Mohammed Abdul Hamid Khalil Salah, saying they contributed money to Hamas and should be held responsible for civil damages in their son's death. Read more. (Haaretz)
- May God yet have mercy on our nation . . . somehow. The High Court of Heaven would surely render a different verdict in this case. Ask the Lord to comfort the parents of David Boim, even after these many years.
- "The just Lord is in the midst thereof; He will not do iniquity: every morning does He bring His judgment to light, He fails not: but the unjust knows no shame." (Zephaniah 3:5)
The Good News Corner
High Court Keeps Names of Marriage Advocates Private
The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the names and addresses of Ref. 71 petitions signers in Washington state to be kept private. Ref. 71 will allow voters to decide if the state should expand domestic partnerships to be marriage in all but name.
James Bopp, lead counsel for Protect Marriage Washington, said the ruling shields supporters of marriage from harassment and threats.
"The Supreme Court took a large step forward in protecting the rights of citizens who support a traditional definition of marriage to speak freely," he said. "No citizen should ever have their personal property destroyed or receive death threats for exercising their right to engage in the political process."
Personal attacks were seen in California last year after voters approved Prop. 8, the constitutional amendment that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Names of petition-signers there were released to the public.
Lawyers for Washington have argued that the state's Public Records Act demands names be released. Bopp said gay-activist groups were also pushing for the names.
"Homosexual activists asked for those names," he said, "so they could publish them on the Internet and encourage people to contact them and have a 'personal and uncomfortable' conversation with them." (Focus on the Family; CitizenLink)
