In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• News about "DADT"
• Monday: A dark day for religious freedom
• News from the FDA
• Admiral Mullen: Seeing Facts from Israeli Perspective
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, June 30, 2010
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31: 6)
The Daily Brief
1. G-8 'fully believes' Israel will attack Iran, says Italy PM - Ha'aretz
World leaders "believe absolutely" that Israel may decide to take military action against Iran to prevent the latter from acquiring nuclear weapons, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Saturday.
- Lord, we stand on Your Word that Israel is the apple of Your eye, and that You are the fortress and refuge of Your people.
- "For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My Glory." (Isaiah 66:18)
2. A) 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Mexico - Fox News
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck southern Mexico early Wednesday, shaking buildings in Mexico City, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
B) Hurricane Alex Churns Toward Mexico, Texas Coasts - ABC News
Hurricane Alex churned westward through the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday, far from oil spill cleanup efforts but on a collision course with Mexico and the southern Texas coastline.
- Lord, as the Southern border of the US and Mexico has been the crux of conflict in the Western Hemisphere - from illegal immigration, to terrorists, to drug trafficking - we stand in the gap and ask for Your intervention for the salvation of souls. We pray for Your mercy in the midst of wrath, that You would relent of destruction.
- "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17)
3. Oren: Iran may unleash wave of terrorist violence - Ynet News
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren warned Tuesday night that Iran might unleash a wave of terrorist violence in the Middle East in retaliation for the tough new sanctions that passed the US Congress last week.
- Lord, we pray that every plan made by our enemies would fall to the ground and be dispelled.
- "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord." (Isaiah 54:17)
4. Senate Confirms Petraeus as Afghanistan War Commander - NewsCore
The Senate Wednesday approved Gen. David Petraeus' nomination to be the new top commander in Afghanistan following the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal last week.
- Lord, we ask for wisdom, and the Presence of Your Holy Spirit within and around General Petraeus as he begins this most difficult task. We pray for Your anointing which breaks the yoke. May the plans you give him be Your plans, and may the anointing of God be attached to them for maximum effectiveness.
- "The Righteous One knows what is going on in the house of the wicked; He will bring disaster upon them." (Proverbs 21:12) NLT
5. Stocks Drop on Growth Fears - Wall Street Journal
The second quarter's biggest worries took an unwelcome curtain call on Tuesday, hitting global markets.
- Lord, as intercessors, we know that our economy is currently built on sand. We see the waves of potential storms hit our financial markets like a roller coaster out of control. We pray for Your intervention, Your mercy, Your help in time of trouble. You are Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, and we place our hope in You.
- "The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." (Psalm 37:18-19)
6. Mosab Hassan Yousef Will NOT Be Deported!
American judge agrees to grant asylum to ex-Israeli spy - Jerusalem Post
US asylum will be granted to the son of a Hamas founder who became a Christian and an Israeli spy after he passes a routine background check, an immigration judge ruled Wednesday.
Mosab Hassan Yousef received the news during a 15-minute deportation hearing after a US Department of Homeland Security attorney said the government was dropping its objections.
The agency denied Yousef's asylum request in February 2009, arguing that he had been involved in terrorism and was a threat to the United States. Attorney Kerri Calcador gave no explanation for the government's change of heart.
- Thank God that men's ways are not His ways. This explains it all. Lift up a joyous praise as we have been interceding for some time before the Father's Throne on behalf of Mosab Hassan Yousef and his work. Please continue praying for this friend of Israel who understands the Creator's heart Intercede over his safety and ministry, for God is not finished with His son, "the son of Hamas," Mosab Hassan Yousef.
- O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? (2 Chronicles 20:7)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
Why should the nations say, "Where is now their God?" But our God is in the heavens - He has done whatsoever He has pleased. (Psalm 115:2,3)
1. Kassam destroys factory in Negev - Jerusalem Post
A Kassam rocket was fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning, damaging a factory in the Sdot Negev Regional Council area.
2. Russian FM: Talking to Hamas important - Ynet News
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that his country was doing the right thing in its direct talks with the Hamas organization.
3. Palin: Obama administration selling out Israel - Ynet News
Sarah Palin on Sunday painted President Barack Obama's administration as a cowering giant intent on surrendering the nation's mantle as a superpower and willing to sell out its allies.
4. War crimes suit filed against Barak, Livni in Belgium - Ynet News
After similar circumstances last week prompted the last-minute cancellation of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's trip to Paris, another court case was filed against the Barak and a series of other senior Israeli officials for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead.
The Daily Jot
The Kagan Six--"Progressive" does not mean "cheaper insurance"
McClatchy news reports that Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was asked if she was a "legal progressive." She replied, "I honestly don't know what that label means." Later, Kagan admitted that she had been a Democrat all her life and that "my political views are generally progressive." It takes no imagination to know that Kagan is a liberal. Her views from supporting homosexual rights to abortion to lamenting that socialism was vanishing in America are all very leftist. But nothing she has said in response to questions from Senators is more revealing than the six words, "my political views are generally progressive."
It would stand to reason that the man who occupies the Oval Office would appoint a like minded person to the Supreme Court. After all, the entire Administration's political appointees carry more than a fair share of Islamists, radical socialists, and incompetent bureaucrats. But in the Kagan Six--the six words--"my political views are generally progressive"--the world sees very clearly the entire embodiment of this Administration. Kagan has been very coy in presenting herself to the Senate confirmation hearing. She said she "honestly" didn't know what a "legal progressive" label means. But she openly admits that she is a political progressive.
In the Kagan Six belief, every American should stand in opposition to not only Kagan, but everyone and anyone who would try for office of any kind, elected or appointed. Trouble is, most Americans think "progressive" is a cheaper way to buy insurance. A political progressive, to put it bluntly, is a Democrat with communist political views. More government, environmental controls, same sex marriage, universal health care, proportional representation, government owned housing, government mandated wages, government control of private enterprise, social justice are all tenets of the political "progressive." These are people who make liberal Democrats look like mainstream conservatives.
When these people say they want to change America, it is code for making America into a humanist socialist state. The president himself recently said, "One of the interesting things that's happened over the last 18 months as president is for some reason people keep on being surprised when I do what I said I was going to do." He mentioned healthcare reform and promotion of the homosexual agenda in the military as two examples. Many Christians hit the unsubscribe button when they read such characterization of this Administration. But as Jesus said, you cannot serve two masters. Here, it is either humanism or God. As Joshua said in Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
Kagan: ACOG in the Abortion Wheel?
Some Senators may sleep through Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings, but Americans can't afford to. A lifetime of influencing national policy is at stake, and this Senate has one chance to get it right. If they don't, our country will spend decades cleaning up the legal rubble from a woman whose past words and actions make clear she has the temperament of an impassioned activist, not an impartial jurist that is fitting for the nation's highest court. During her testimony thus far, the former Harvard Law Dean has explained what would most impact her decision-making: international law and Elena Kagan. Forget the U.S. Constitution. According to Kagan, it can bend to "new conditions, to new circumstances, to changes in the world."
And speaking of the world, Kagan says that's who would inform her interpretation of American law. During an exchange with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), yesterday, Kagan said, "judges should look to good ideas wherever they can find them." Sen. Grassley seemed startled. When he pressed her about using international law as an inspiration, Kagan started backing off. "...I think... a judge [could] read the decision of a foreign court to... learn about how different people might approach and have thought about approaching legal issues..." "Which foreign countries would you suggest we look to for good ideas?" Sen. Grassley asked. "Oh, Senator Grassley, I--I guess I would say again what I started with, which is you can look to good ideas wherever they come from. [In a recent brief], we noted a number of foreign precedents regarding what other nations do with respect to the immunity of foreign officials. So, you know... I think having an awareness of what other nations are doing, you know, might be--might be useful."
The second bombshell dropped from one of the few documents that the Clinton Library agreed to make public. (Another 65,000-75,000 documents, including emails, are still being withheld.) When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Nebraska's partial-birth abortion ban in 2000, the decision was fueled, by some degree, by a statement made by ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists). In it, the group announced its sudden support for the procedure, writing that the partial-birth procedure "may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman." What no one knew at the time is that the first draft of ACOG's statement said the exact opposite. The organization planned to say that it "could identify no circumstances under which the [partial-birth] procedure... would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman."
What changed between the first and final versions? Well, the science certainly didn't--but the level of White House involvement did. Once Elena Kagan, the President's rabidly pro-abortion policy aide, saw the language, she sent around a frantic internal memo calling the report a "disaster" and urged the White House to intervene. It did. Using language that Kagan handwrote, ACOG released a statement endorsing partial-birth abortion, which ultimately persuaded the Supreme Court to rule in its favor. In a calculated decision to protect one of the most gruesome procedures in America, Elena Kagan deliberately circumvented the scientific process to advance her agenda. How can this impassioned activist be an impartial jurist? She wasn't bound by the law on Harvard's campus (where she banned military recruiter s in protest of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell")--and in ACOG's case, she wasn't bound by science either. Elena Kagan has trampled every obstacle standing in the way of her pro-abortion, pro-homosexual agenda. And if the Senate votes to seat her on the highest court in America, the U.S. Constitution will be next. (Family Research Council)
News about "DADT"
California Judge Agrees to Hear Challenge to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT)
SUMMARY: 'Once again, gay activists want to use the courts to impose social change rather than leaving this issue to the democratic process.'
A new front just opened Monday in the political tug-of-war over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- a Clinton-era policy prohibiting people who are openly gay or lesbian from serving in the military. U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips in Riverside, Calif., agreed to hear a case that challenges the military policy. The lawsuit was filed by the Log Cabin Republicans, a fiscally conservative, gay-activist group within the Republican Party.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for CitizenLink, is concerned the proceedings could become a show trial -- with the underlying intent to solidifying the concept that gay members of the military are a victimized class and in need of special protections. "Once again, gay activists want to use the courts to impose social change rather than leaving this issue to the democratic process," said Hausknecht. "There never seems a lack of judges who will jump at the chance to legislate from the bench."
Robert Maginnis, senior fellow for national security with the Family Research Council, doesn't make much out of this case, as he believes Congress will succeed in repealing the policy well before the November election -- and before the court can rule. "The real decision's going to be made by the Congress," said Maginnis, "and then we have a fight after that -- if, in fact, they do repeal."
Either way, this case puts the Obama administration in a precarious position, as it is on record supporting the repeal. This case will force the solicitor general's office of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to defend the policy in federal court. Although it's not clear how strong that defense will be, given the White House position.
Interestingly, Elena Kagan, the solicitor general and an outspoken critic of the DADT policy, , is now the president's nominee for the Supreme Court. Kagan was forced to defend her position today during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
As dean of the Harvard Law School, Kagan said of the DADT, "I abhor the military's discrimination recruitment policy. I consider it a profound wrong, a moral injustice of the first order."
"That does not encourage me," said Hausknecht. "Kagan's political views seem to take precedence over her official duties. For example, her official defense of the federal Defense of Marriage Act -- a law passed in 1996 protecting marriage -- was tantamount to a full surrender on the issue. "That makes me wonder how strongly she will defend a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law," said Hausknecht.
The trial begins Tuesday, July 13.
TAKE ACTION
Tell your lawmakers to vote "No" on any legislative or procedural move to repeal the law on homosexuals in the military. (Source: CitizenLink)
Monday: A dark day for religious freedom
Last week, we sent you a special email asking you to pray for the U.S. Supreme Court Justices as they decided whether or not to accept our important free speech case. Thank you for your prayers!
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear our case, Morgan v. Plano ISD , where we represent a number of students who were not allowed to express their faith at school.
Sadly, by not hearing this case, the Court left chaos around the country with courts disagreeing with one another on the standard of protection for students, including when a child wants to invite a friend to church.
We now go back to the lower courts in the Morgan v. Plano ISD case on the specific violations of the students' freedoms, and we believe we will win once the facts of the case are completely revealed.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Christian Legal Society (CLS), in CLS v. Martinez , cannot require that its leaders be Christians, meaning that religious clubs on college campuses nationwide may be subject to leaders who may not even share their faith.
These are serious setbacks to religious freedom, but the war is not over! Monday's actions remind us of the need to remain vigilant in every aspect of society, but especially to guard our religious freedom.
Liberty Institute is committed to restoring these liberties and defending the constitutional rights of students across the country to express their faith.
Thank you for supporting Liberty Institute. We will never give up the fight for religious freedom.
God bless you,
Kelly Shackelford
President/CEO
The Liberty Institute
News from the FDA
FDA COMMITTEE APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL "EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE"
The Food and Drug Administration is one step closer to approving an 'emergency contraceptive' that life advocates say can cause an early abortion. A federal advisory panel voted unanimously last week in favor of approving the drug Ulipristal -- also called "ella" -- for U.S. distribution. The FDA usually follows the panel's recommendations.
The debate is over how the drug operates. Unlike Plan B -- the current "morning-after pill" on the market -- ella contains a chemical similar to RU-486, the abortion pill. Ella blocks progesterone -- making the uterus hostile to the new human embryo if fertilization has taken place or starving the embryo if implantation has happened.
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said women who are already pregnant could buy the drug and unknowingly abort the preborn child their carrying. "The FDA is being asked to make it easily available," she told Fox News. "Women will buy the drug thinking that it is a morning-after pill when, in fact, it is an abortion pill."
No word yet when the FDA will make its final decision on making the drug available. (Citizen Link)
- Even though this step has occurred in this FDA Committee, another step lies ahead: approval by the full agency. Please pray for the Food and Drug Administration asking the Father to move upon their hearts to, in the end, deny access to this pill. Ask for health and morality to return to our government and that God would again, in every way, establish Himself as our Stronghold, our Gatekeeper, and the Doorkeeper of our country on every front.
- As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. (Zechariah 9:11-12)
Admiral Mullen: Seeing Facts from Israeli Perspective
U.S. army chief: I always try to see challenges from Israeli perspective
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said Sunday emphasized that the relationship between his army and the Israel Defense Forces, adding: "I always try to see the threats and the challenges from an Israeli perspective." "The leadership of [IDF] Chief of Staff [Gabi] Ashkenazi has made a positive difference in our relations, yet our challenges remain," Mullen said, after meeting Ashkenazi on a surprise visit to Israel. Mullen and Ashkenazi held two meetings, one personal and the other extended, during the prior's short work visit. "We discussed the threats and challenges facing us," Ashkenazi said following the meeting. "I view Admiral Mullen as a true friend and partner." Senior military staff - including Ashkenazi's deputy, Maj. Gen. Benny Ganz, Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, Strategic Planning Directorate head Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, Israel Navy commander-in-chief Eliezer Marom, and Military Attaché to Washington, Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni - took part in the extended meeting to discuss military cooperation and mutual security challenges. (Ha'aretz) Read more.
The Good News Corner
Sunday is the CALL2FALL
The Unique Role of God's People -- God holds His people, those who claim Jesus as Savior and Lord, uniquely responsible for our nation's condition. We are sent to be salt and light (Mt 5:13). He calls us to holiness (Heb 12:14); to proclaim the message of repentance and faith (Mt 4:17; 28:18-20), and gives us power through prayer. He expects us to humble ourselves, to pray for our nation, to seek His face and to turn from our own wicked ways (2 Chr 7:14). That is why Tony Perkins and FRC have launched the Call2Fall.
God Will Intervene to Heal Our Land if We Meet His Conditions -- Please join us and enlist your pastor and friends; some will respond even at this late date. Many understand that we face an emergency. Call2Fall is a step toward a church-wide response to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Individuals whose churches do not participate can still do so with a prayer group or their family. Point your pastor and friends to the Call2Fall Website, read the Blog and study the rich content yourself, then join believers across America in Call2Fall this Sunday! (Source: FRC Prayer Targets)
-- To join the Call2Fall, go here.
Worship with Us Today!
"He Will Carry You" By Lynda Randle
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, I know that He will carry you.
