In This IssueIn This Issue
• Today's Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Naked Truth and Islam
• The Race in Massachusetts
• Obama and the Economy
• House Health Bill would Fund Abortion
• Update: Christmas Bomber
• Iran in the News
• The Good News Corner
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, January 13, 2010
" . . . my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10)
Today's Daily Brief
1. Haiti earthquake: thousands feared dead - UK Telegraph
Frantic rescue efforts are underway to free people trapped in the rubble after a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean nation of Haiti.
- Father, restore the loss of the nation of Haiti and lay Your hands upon all the people in their agony. Comfort the distressed and bring Haiti to their knees in repentance before the mighty God of heaven. In Jesus Name.
- "Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Your face to shine; and we shall be saved." (Psalm 80:7)
2. U.S. Chamber warns of 'double-dip' recession because of Dem policies - The Hill
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue warned the U.S. faces a double-dip recession because of the taxes and regulations under consideration by the Democratic Congress and President Barack Obama.
- Father, we come before Your throne to plead for your grace over this tax issue and ask that tax cuts are not allowed to expire for the rich and the poor. This Egyptian-like burden will be too heavy for our people to endure. Give grace and mercy to America. In Jesus Name.
- "By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage." (Exodus 13:14)
3. Trade Deficit Jumps in November to Highest Level in 10 Months - Fox News
The U.S. trade deficit jumped to the highest level in 10 months as an improving U.S. economy pushed up demand for imports. However, exports rose as well, boosted by a weaker dollar, supporting the view that American manufacturers will be helped by a rebounding global economy.
- Father, the economists are looking for strong gains in exports to help manufacturers and the overall economy in 2010, and we plead with You for a mighty outpouring of blessing upon America this year. In Jesus Name.
- "O God, You are terrible out of Your holy places: the God of Israel is He that gives strength and power unto His people. Blessed by God." (Psalm 68:35)
4. Taxpayers to pay for Fannie, Freddie aid - Washington Times
A recent move by the Treasury Department to remove $200 billion caps on assistance to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac eliminates any doubt that taxpayers will pay for all their losses for the next three years and appears to be a major step toward formally nationalizing the housing enterprises, analysts say.
- My God, stay the hand of the enemy by putting the powerful blood of Jesus over this issue. We cry out to our God in heaven to overrule the implementation of this recent move of the Treasury Department. Rise up, oh Lord, and defeat this. In Jesus Name.
5. Big in Capitol, Reid Stumbles in Nevada - Wall Street Journal
In the nation's capital, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is on the brink of pushing through a national health program that Democrats rank alongside the creation of Social Security and Medicare. In Nevada, that very achievement is imperiling his re-election prospects.
- God, in Jesus Name, we call forth the heavenly host of the angels of the Lord to fight this major battle and pull it down rendering it useless by destroying it. In Jesus Name.
- "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)
6. Obama Wants Record $708B for Wars - Fox News
President Barack Obama will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to fight wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on top of a record $708 billion for the Defense Department next year, The Associated Press has learned -- a request that could be an especially hard sell to some of the administration's Democratic allies.
- Lord God, man cannot serve God and money for he will either love the one and hate the other. The love of money and the power of it is destroying our country. Take this power out of the hands of all those who will use money to destroy our nation. In Jesus mighty Name.
- "Trust in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. For He brings down them that dwell on high." (Isaiah 26:4-5)
7. Sarkozy says world currency disorder unacceptable - Reuters
Disorder among world currencies has become unacceptable and France intends to make it a major subject of its presidency of the G8 and G20 in 2011, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.
- Father, this is the beginning of nations using one world currency, which is a sign of the beginning of the end. Hold this under the mighty hand of God until the set time has come. Let it not be put in place by man but by God only. In Jesus Name.
- "I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and He gave ear unto me." (Psalm 77:1)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." (Isaiah 27:6)
1. Exposed: Secret talks to carve up Israel, again - World Net Daily
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are negotiating indirectly via the U.S., Jordan and Egypt to outline a future Palestinian state that would encompass Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Middle East security and diplomatic officials told WND.
2. Jordan wants Dead Sea Scrolls back from Israel - Ynet News
Jordan has complained to the United Nations in a bid to acquire the Dead Sea Scrolls from Israel, saying the Jewish state seized the ancient texts during the 1967 Six-Day War, an official said on Monday.
3. PA leader Abbas spurns US effort to revive Mideast talks - Ynet News
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday spurned a new US effort to revive Mideast peace talks, sticking to his position that he will not resume negotiations unless Israel freezes settlement construction.
4. Netanyahu: Israel will never share Jerusalem with Palestinians - Ha'aretz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that Israel would never cede control of united Jerusalem nor retreat to the 1967 borders, according to a bureau statement.
5. Lieberman: Israel doesn't want confrontation with Turkey - Ha'aretz
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday said Israel doesn't want a confrontation with Turkey, but that it won't tolerate anti-Semitic remarks and incitement against Jews.
The Naked Truth and Islam
When the president in June extolled the virtues of Islam during his Cairo Speech, he conveniently left out the one most important contribution it has made to the world--violence, death and destruction. From the time of Mohammed in the early 600's to present, Islam has warred against Jews and Christians, and sometimes against its own. Mohammed, who Islamic tradition holds was a descendent of Ishmael, and Islam surely are fulfillment of the prophecy found in Genesis 16:12 of Ishmael, "And he will be a wild man, his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
Islam has contributed to thousands of years of violence against humankind, beginning with Ishmael through his descendants and through to this present day by followers who hold Ishmael as the centerpiece of an ill founded political system using religion as its recruitment tool. Think about it. The entire airline industry has been retooled because of Islamic terrorism. Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Liberation Organization made airline hijacking popular in the 1960's and from 1968 through 1977, there were 414 hijackings. Today, there are fewer hijackings--al Qaeda on September 11, 2001 the most notable--but travelers around the world are forced each day to bow to Islam by going through extensive security.
Our lives are drastically different because of Islam and its terror. Now, because another Islamist tried to blow himself up on a plane, we are faced with more privacy rights being taken away by governments around the world. A friend of mine traveling from Florida to Maryland, for example, was subjected to one of the newest invasion of privacy tools--the nude scan. It scanned his image, sent the image to a control room somewhere, where security people searched the image for irregularities. They radioed back to the security guard that my friend had something in his left pocket. He was asked to show what it was--his drivers license. In his right pocket were credit cards, but the scanner missed those.
Because of Islam, anyone who uses mass transportation is subject to extensive searching and invasion of privacy. Anytime that security is heightened because of the threat of Islam, Islam has won the battle. Islam is in control, now down to the naked facts. The question is, 'When will the world, and Americans in particular, wake up to the fact that their personal privacy is being taken away by Islam?' There is no political system in the world that has enjoyed such success in controlling the masses at a mere threat or hint of violence. Perhaps it is time to recognize that the true religion of Islam is militancy and fascism and act accordingly.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
The Race in Massachusetts
As we mentioned yesterday, the Massachusetts Senate race has tremendous implications. It continues to dominate the headlines today after last night's debate. Republican Scott Brown is good on economic issues and he opposes the socialized medicine bill now pending in the Senate. In the debate, Brown was strongly opposed to giving terrorists constitutional rights, and he supports the surge of reinforcements into Afghanistan. He is less solid on values issues, but significantly better than the radically pro-abortion Democrat.
Polling on the race has varied wildly. Some polls suggest the Democrat has a large lead. Others suggest the race is a dead heat. As is always the case, turnout will decide the race, and there is some evidence that conservatives and Independents are energized, while liberals are demoralized. But in a state that gave Obama a 26-point margin of victory, the Left simply has a larger base of support to draw upon. That's why even a Brown loss by five points or less would be seen as a moral victory and a warning for liberals coast-to-coast.
Democrats are obviously worried. Alarms are going off throughout the leftwing blogosphere. MoveOn.org is scrambling to save Ted Kennedy's seat. Political operatives from the DNC have been dispatched to Boston. And the Democrat is running a thoroughly negative campaign - a clear sign of desperation. Money does not appear to be a problem for Brown - he raised well over one million dollars yesterday. . .
But his victory might not stop socialized medicine. Massachusetts Democrats have already signaled that should Brown win, they will delay the certification process as long as possible so that Harry Reid can schedule a final vote before Brown could be sworn in. (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; 1/12/10; excerpts)
Obama and the Economy
Obama's War On Economic Growth
Nearly every day here in Washington there are new leaks or trial balloons floated out of the White House on economic ideas under consideration by the Obama Administration. Virtually every idea has a common characteristic - they will make economic growth and job creation less likely.
Obama is always eager to disparage and tax successful industries. Today's news is that Obama plans to hit big U.S. banks with a new tax in order to raise funds to reduce the deficit. Remember when Democrats wanted to impose windfall profits taxes on "Big Oil"? Well, bankers aren't held in high esteem right now. Thus they are a tempting target for the Obama socialists who hope they can exploit the populist mood around the country by kicking bankers around and using tax policy as a political weapon, rather than as a tool for economic growth.
It's true that banks got a taxpayer bailout, but the major banks already paid that money back to the Feds - with interest! Banks aren't the reason the bailout program is $120 billion in debt. The auto union bailout and AIG are! Surely you didn't think Obama would go after Government Motors - I mean General Motors.
Just a few weeks ago, Obama summoned the bankers to the White House and demanded that they give out more loans to stimulate the economy. (Never mind that overzealous lending contributed to the housing crisis.) But now he wants to get billions of dollars of more taxes out of them, which means they will have less to loan. Fewer loans means less money for small businesses, which drive job creation.
My point is simply this: Don't let this crowd of leftists in the White House distract you with cheap class warfare and anti-capitalist rhetoric. It is their higher taxes, deficit spending and over regulation that is destroying America's middle class. (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; 1/12/10)
House Health Bill would Fund Abortion
Despite the pro-life victory in the House which passed the Stupak-Pitts anti-abortion funding amendment, the Senate passed their version of "health care reform" which includes government funding for plans that cover elective abortion. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) inserted a pseudo- compromise on abortion funding which would still violate the Hyde amendment principles by funding private insurance plans that cover abortion and require tax payers to pay for this abortion coverage.
Please contact your Representative and ask them to support the House "Stupak-Pitts" language which passed with the support of 64 Democrats in the House. Speaker Pelosi is in closed-door negotiations with Senator Harry Reid to rewrite a "compromise" health care bill to iron out the differences between the House and Senate bill. E-mail your Representative and urge them "to oppose any health care bill that does not include the Stupak-Pitts language to ban government funding of abortion."
Call/Email your Representative and ask him/her to support the Stupak anti-funding provision passed in the House, and reject the Reid "compromise" in H.R. 3950.
Sincerely,
Tony Perkins, President
Family Research Council
Update: Christmas Bomber
Terror suspect's father may testify before Senate committee
A Senate committee has asked the father of the Christmas Day bombing suspect to testify, a spokesman for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed Monday. Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, the father of the bombing suspect, warned the U.S. embassy in Nigeria he was concerned his son, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was becoming radical. The 23- year-old Nigerian allegedly tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it headed into Detroit on Christmas Day. "Congress is wrestling with the specific questions of the Christmas Day bombing plot and the broader questions of how Yemen has become a touchstone for radicalization," committee spokesman Frederick Jones said. "Mr. Mutallab, who identified his own son as an extremist and threat to the United States, has an important story to tell, and the committee would like to hear from him." It was unclear whether the father has agreed to appear. (Detroit News)
Iran in the News
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Head: 'We Have the Right to Enrich Uranium to 100%
In a January 9, 2010 interview on Iranian TV, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi said that Iran had the right to enrich uranium to 100%, but that it nevertheless preferred to purchase the nuclear fuel it needed from other countries. It should be noted that uranium enriched to 90% or higher is used only for military purposes, in the construction of nuclear weapons. According to International Atomic Energy Agency regulations, uranium for peaceful purposes may be enriched to no more than 5%, with prior authorization from the agency. Additionally, with the IAEA's authorization, uranium enriched to 19.75% can be used to operate research reactors for medical purposes, like the one in Tehran (this type of uranium can be purchased from countries that operate enrichment facilities).[MEMRI] Read more.
American General: Bombing Iran Is Possible
In an interview with the CNN television network, General David H. Petraeus, the general in charge of the Middle East region and Persian Gulf, said that "it would be irresponsible if the Central Command was not thinking about a variety of options and was making plans for a wide range of possible actions." Petraeus refused to specify which "possible actions", but stressed that alternative plans were being made by Washington in case attempts to curb the Iranian nuclear program through diplomacy or sanctions fail. "Certainly you can bomb Iran's nuclear facilities," he said, "but the level of impact will vary depending on the offensive operation and type of armament used to carried out the attack," he said. (Israel National News) Read more.
The Good News Corner:
Marriage is Good for Men and Women
Married people are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse, according to researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Researchers looked at 34,000 people in 15 countries and also found mental health disorders increase when a marriage ends through divorce, separation or even death.
Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project, said that while marriage is a religious issue, it's also a human institution. "There's a large body of research that suggests that marriage plays an important role in elevating the social and emotional welfare of adults in the United States and around the world," he said.
"A variety of cultures and religions lift up marriage because they recognize that marriage provides an important measure of social and economic support to adults and of course to kids as well." (CitizenLink; 12/22/09)
