• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot!
• Today at the Supreme Court (Part One)
• Today at the Supreme Court (Part Two)
• IPT Alert #1
• IPT Alert #2
• IPT Alert #3
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
• Who We Are
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Tuesday, March 27, 2012
". . . The court was seated, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:10c)
The Daily Brief
1. Obama implores North Korea to 'pursue peace,' urges against nuclear weapons for Iran - Fox News
In a direct challenge to North Korean leaders, Obama implored them "to have the courage to pursue peace" while warning of the wrath of the world if they don't. Failure, he said Monday, would mean a future without dignity, respect or hope for its people.
- Lord, we pray against the deeds of wickedness. Keep us from the snares and traps of the workers of iniquity. In the name of Jesus, our Protector, we pray. Amen.
- For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. (Psalm 141:5)
2. South Korea prepares to shoot down North Korean rocket - UK Telegraph
South Korea is preparing to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it strays into the South's territory during a launch planned for next month, the defense ministry said on Monday.
- Lord, we pray that Koreans who do not know You will be drawn to You, and saved from their destruction. In the Name of Jesus, our Savior, we pray. Amen.
- You turn man to destruction, and say, "Return, O children of men." (Psalm 90:3)
3. Obama: Still time for diplomacy with Iran - Jerusalem Post
Obama said on Sunday there was still time to resolve the Iranian nuclear standoff through diplomacy but that the window for such a solution was closing.
- Lord, we pray for a peaceful solution with Iran. You are the Prince of Peace. We ask for Your leadership in the problems with Iran. In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace, we pray.
- For the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
4. Officials: Iran helping Assad to put down protests - Jerusalem Post
Iran is providing a broad array of assistance to Syrian President Bashar Assad to help him suppress anti-government protests, from high-tech surveillance technology to guns and ammunition, US and European security officials say.
- Lord, we ask for truth and justice to come forth regarding protests - not only in Syria - but all over the world where protests are taking place. You, Lord, know the truth of this turmoil. We ask for that truth to be revealed in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)
5. Tomorrow at the Supreme Court: Day Three of Arguments about Affordable Care Act - CHPP; Concerned Women for America
On Wednesday, the last two arguments will be heard by the Supreme Court about the legality of the Affordable Care Act: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
In the morning, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the justices will address the question: "If the mandate is found to be unconstitutional, is it severable, meaning, will the rest of the law survive?"
Saying that it should survive: Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler (30 min.) and H. Bartow Farr (30 min.)
Arguing that it should be completely struck down: Paul Clement (30 min.)
In the afternoon, the Court will hear arguments about this question: "Whether the expansion of Medicaid is unconstitutional?" -- from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Arguing for constitutionality: SG Verrilli (30 min.)
Arguing against constitutionality: Paul Clement (30 min.)
- Continue to hold this historic case before our Lord in prayer, not only now, but in the days to come. Hearing these arguments is only the first part of this process; the justices will then retire to their private quarters in the weeks ahead to begin writing their opinions on each of the four issues heard this week.
We also ask prayers of AGREEMENT that this entire law be found unconstitutional and therefore struck down. Thank you.
- "For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer." (I Peter 3:12)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." (Psalm 121:7,8)
1. Israel severs ties with UN Human Rights Council - Jerusalem Post
Following its decision Monday to cut off all ties with the UN Human Rights Council, the Foreign Ministry must now draft guidelines regarding what this entails and how long the ban will be in effect, a diplomatic source said Monday.
2. Israeli flags burnt in Morocco rally - Ynet News
Several days prior to the Global March to Jerusalem, thousands of Moroccans took part in a mass rally in Rabat "in support of Jerusalem." Israeli diplomat David Saranga, who was in the city for a conference, was taken out of the building through a side door as demonstrators protested his presence there, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. Palestinian flags were flown and Israeli flags were burned during the march.
3. Iron Dome deployed in central Israel - Ynet News
Israel's Air Force has started deploying an Iron Dome battery in several locations in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, including Holon, for training purposes and adjustment to the region.
4. Two million set for 'March on Jerusalem' Friday, organizer claims - Times of Israel
Two million Arab and international protesters will march toward the borders of Israel and take part in activities designed to highlight Jerusalem's Arab character on Friday, the event organizer claims.
The Daily Jot!
How much more flexible can one get?
The man who occupies the Oval Office has told the Russian President that he needs less pressure from the Russia's leader Vladimir Putin on giving up American missile defense systems to the Russians. The US president made the remarks when he thought the microphone was turned off. In a near whisper, He said, "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space." Russian President Dmitri Medvedev: "Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you. The American president: "This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility." Medvedev: "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
This occupier of the Oval Office has created a hostile environment for the United States by reckless policies both domestically and internationally. The facts are--and they are available for anyone to look up on the internet from reliable sources--that his political cronies have benefited from hundreds of millions of tax dollars from failed "green" energy companies to Wall Street bailouts to nationalized health care, weakening the US economy. He has embarked on a strategy to help terrorist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda overthrow governments in the Middle East and establish Islamic laws and constitutions, creating a hostile environment and driving gasoline prices to near record highs.
The loyal opposition called the Republican Party has been inept at stopping any of this. In fact, it has given a new meaning to loyal opposition--that it is loyally opposed to those who elected its members. The GOP leadership has taken the art of compromise to new levels. Even at this latest whisperings by the president that he will give in to the post-communist socialists in Russia on missiles if he is reelected, there is hardly a whimper from the opposition. Republican Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Michael Turner from Ohio demanded an explanation in a letter to the Commander in Chief. He raises a good point that this president is all too eager to share information with Russia, but in a letter, really?
The problem here is that American citizens are in a real fix. We have strayed so far from the principles of good citizenship and good government that there is no longer accountability, either by ethics, morals or the ballot. They have assumed the role of the ruling elite. We need an Exodus 18:21 movement to choose as our leaders "able men, such as fear YHVH, men of truth, hating covetousness." Yeshua said that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So it is in this off-the-mic discussion. "On all these issues," our president said. That means everything will accelerate if he is reelected. He has been pretty flexible in his promise of remaking America. Americans will see true flexibility if we do not seek the Lord in choosing our leaders.
Today at the Supreme Court (Part One)
Justice Kennedy among skeptical voices at court's healthcare debate
Supreme Court justices lobbed tough questions at the U.S. solicitor general defending the healthcare law's insurance mandate in the second day of oral arguments in the case.
Several of the court's conservatives appeared skeptical of the government's argument that requiring consumers to purchase health insurance or face a fine is constitutional, including Justice Anthony Kennedy, the possible swing vote on the court.
Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. faced aggressive questions from Kennedy, as well as the court's other conservative justices, in the second of three days of oral arguments in the landmark case.
Tuesday's arguments on the mandate are the pivotal point in this week's debate, and the questions focused on the government's argument that requiring consumers to purchase health insurance or face a fine is constitutional.
The day started off rough for Verrilli, who stumbled over his introductory remarks even before the justices launched into their questioning. At multiple points during his hour-long appearance, the court's liberal justices stopped Verrilli and paraphrased his arguments in their own terms, often more efficiently.
Attorney General Eric Holder was spotted in the audience at Tuesday's hearing, seated next to White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.
If the court's liberal wing is united in support of the mandate, they would only need to peel off one more justice to secure a majority. Kennedy is the court's traditional swing vote, and supporters of the healthcare law have also said they might win over Justice Antonin Scalia or Chief Justice John Roberts.
But all three were skeptical of Verrilli's arguments.
Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, argued the court has a "very heavy burden of justification" for requiring that people purchase insurance. He also identified the insurance mandate as the first time the government has used its regulatory powers to force citizens to buy a product.
"That changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in a very fundamental way," Kennedy said. . .
The court's conservative justices pressed Verrilli to explain why, if the mandate is constitutional, the government couldn't also mandate a host of other purchases, from vegetables to cars to burial insurance. He again said the mandate is tailored to the unique problem of how healthcare is paid for - an argument that has worked in lower courts but met strong resistance on Tuesday.
"It's good for you in this case to say 'Oh, it's just insurance.' But once we say that there is a market and Congress can require people to participate in it, as 9 some would say - or as you would say, that people are already participating in it - it seems to me that we can't say there are limitations on what Congress can do under its commerce power," Roberts said.
The tough questioning was enough for Jeffrey Toobin, a legal analyst and staff writer for The New Yorker, to predict that the healthcare law appeared likely to be struck down.
"This law looks like it's going to be struck down," Toobin said Tuesday on CNN. "I think this law is in grave, grave trouble." (The Hill) Read more.
Prayer Request:
Even though, according to Jeffrey Tobin, it looks like the court may rule against the Affordable Care Act, now is not the time to let up the pressure in prayer, but rather to increase the impact of our intercession. As the old saying goes: "It's not over 'til it's over."
Be sure to lift up the hearts of all the justices before the Throne of Grace today, for the LORD will turn the hearts of kings (and princes) wheresoever He desires, if we but ask. Continue to petition the High Court of Heaven for mercy for the American people, that this unjust law will indeed be struck down. Amen.
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1 NKJV)
"Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses. " (Proverbs 21:1, The Message)
Today at the Supreme Court (Part Two)
ObamaCare On Trial: Day Two
Today the justices of the United States Supreme Court took on the centerpiece of ObamaCare: the individual mandate. When Judge Roger Vinson struck down ObamaCare in February 2011, he wrote that in defending the law the administration had "asserted again and again that the individual mandate is absolutely 'necessary' and 'essential' for the Act to operate as it was intended by Congress."
Attempting to predict the outcome of a case based upon oral arguments can be dangerous. But if today's questions are any indication of how the justices will decide, the individual mandate appears to be on life support. According to various reports, the court's four liberals predictably defended the law, while the mandate came under intense fire from the court's conservative wing.
But what must have the Obama White House nervous was the line of questioning from Justice Anthony Kennedy. A moderate with no definable ideology, Kennedy is often the deciding vote on the deeply divided court.
The New York Times reports that Kennedy did not wait to criticize the mandate and began questioning the government's attorney, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., "only minutes into the argument." At one point, Justice Kennedy said the government had a "heavy burden of justification." He later added, "Here the government is saying that the Federal Government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act . . . and that changes the relationship of the Federal Government to the individual in the very fundamental way."
Kennedy's line of questioning led one well-known observer of the high court to write, "It is essentially clear that the four more liberal members . . . will vote in favor of the mandate. But there is no fifth vote yet." Liberal legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, appearing on CNN after today's hearing, was in panic mode. Toobin said:
"This was a train wreck for the Obama Administration. This law looks like it's going to be struck down. I'm telling you, all of the predictions, including mine, that the justices would not have a problem with this law were wrong. I think this law is in grave, grave trouble."
No one should be celebrating yet. A decision isn't expected until the summer, and Kennedy later in today's session seemed to be bending. Nonetheless, today's hearing was encouraging. (Gary Bauer)
IPT Alert #1
Missing Nukes Fuel Terror Concern as Obama Drawn to Seoul
The second global conference ever on nuclear material that has escaped state control is drawing Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Nuclear violators Iran and North Korea won't be there. The legacy of the Soviet Union's breakup, inadequate atomic stockpile controls and the proliferation of nuclear-fuel technology mean the world may be awash with unaccounted-for weapons ingredients, ripe to be picked up by terrorists. About 50 heads of state will attend the Nuclear Security Summit on March 26-27 in Seoul. Iran and North Korea, which are in violation of United Nations resolutions requiring them to halt their nuclear work, are among countries excluded from the summit because of organizers' desire to reach consensus. So are potential transit countries such as Moldova and Lebanon that smugglers may target to move nuclear material. (The Investigative Terror Project) Read more.
IPT Alert #2
French shooter was on U.S. "no fly" list
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The French Islamist gunman suspected of murdering seven people who was killed in a shootout with police on Thursday was on a "no fly" list maintained by U.S. authorities, two American officials said. The officials would not disclose precisely when the militant, Mohammed Merah, was placed on the U.S. watch list, but they said his name was added some time ago. Merah, suspected of shooting three French paratroopers, three young children and a rabbi, was killed during an exchange of gunfire with police who besieged his apartment in the French city of Toulouse. U.S. and French authorities said Merah, who was of Algerian origin, had traveled to Afghanistan around 2010 to obtain training from Islamic militants. He had spent time with militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border before being captured and returned to France. At some point after his capture, two other U.S. officials said, Merah was held in custody by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Precise details of how and when this occurred and what happened to him next are still unclear. (Read more)
IPT Alert #3
At CIA, a convert to Islam leads the terrorism hunt
For every cloud of smoke that follows a CIA drone strike in Pakistan, dozens of smaller plumes can be traced to a gaunt figure standing in a courtyard near the center of the agency's Langley campus in Virginia. The man with the nicotine habit is in his late 50s, with stubble on his face and the dark-suited wardrobe of an undertaker. As chief of the CIA's Counter terrorism Center for the past six years, he has functioned in a funereal capacity for al-Qaeda. Roger, which is the first name of his cover identity, may be the most consequential but least visible national security official in Washington - the principal architect of the CIA's drone campaign and the leader of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. In many ways, he has also been the driving force of the Obama administration's embrace of targeted killing as a centerpiece of its counter terrorism efforts... He presides over a campaign that has killed thousands of Islamist militants and angered millions of Moslems, but he is himself a convert to Islam. (Washington Post) Read more.
The Good News Corner:
In Israel: Gilad Shalit is "well on the way to recovery"
The former hostage Gilad Shalit is well on the way to recovery after his ordeal, reveals his friend and adviser, Amos Levitov.
If anyone is able to understand what is going through the head of released hostage Gilad Shilat, that man is Amos Levitov.
He was a prisoner of war in Egypt from 1970 until his release after the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Levitov now lectures about the psychological consequences his own captivity had for him and he is one of the team helping Shalit to re-adjust to life as a free man in Israel. And the good news is that Shalit is doing just fine.
Levitov, who was in the UK this week as a guest of Magen David Adom to give a series of lectures, says that Shalit has adopted a much healthier approach than he himself did when he was released.
"I didn't want to talk about my trauma but from the moment Gilad landed in Israel he hasn't shut up. He speaks and speaks and speaks."
He adds that Shalit, who was held hostage for five years by Hamas in Gaza, has benefited from an agreement with the media not to harass him while he gets used to his freedom.
"The newspapers have agreed not to photograph him, not to interfere with his life and so far they have done this quite nicely. Physically, he is doing well. He has had an operation to remove shrapnel from his elbow and he is beginning to recover sensation in two of his fingers. Apart from that, he has vitamins and he has sunshine. He will be OK."
Levitov is also able to reveal how Shalit survived his five-and-a-half-year ordeal. "Gilad wasn't interrogated severely. It was a very short interrogation, and he wasn't hit or tortured by his captors. After a short time he received a radio and he managed to hear what was going on in Israel. It helped him very much to discover that all of Israel was behind him and doing everything possible to get him released."
He adds that Shalit managed to build a relationship with some of his captors. "After a year he was given a TV. He is a football maniac so most of the day he would watch football on TV. His guards also loved football so that provided a point of contact. At one point they took some wax and managed to make a kind of ball and they played football with it."
Levitov adds that despite his long years of captivity, Shalit's treatment at the hands of was not as brutal as some might have imagined. "I understand that he was able to cook for himself for much of his time in captivity, and that he even sat on the floor playing chess with one of his guards." (The Jewish Chronicle) Read more.
Worship with Us Today!
"Morning Has Broken"
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the Word
Listen here:
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot!
• Today at the Supreme Court (Part One)
• Today at the Supreme Court (Part Two)
• IPT Alert #1
• IPT Alert #2
• IPT Alert #3
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
• Who We Are
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Tuesday, March 27, 2012
". . . The court was seated, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:10c)
The Daily Brief
1. Obama implores North Korea to 'pursue peace,' urges against nuclear weapons for Iran - Fox News
In a direct challenge to North Korean leaders, Obama implored them "to have the courage to pursue peace" while warning of the wrath of the world if they don't. Failure, he said Monday, would mean a future without dignity, respect or hope for its people.
- Lord, we pray against the deeds of wickedness. Keep us from the snares and traps of the workers of iniquity. In the name of Jesus, our Protector, we pray. Amen.
- For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. (Psalm 141:5)
2. South Korea prepares to shoot down North Korean rocket - UK Telegraph
South Korea is preparing to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it strays into the South's territory during a launch planned for next month, the defense ministry said on Monday.
- Lord, we pray that Koreans who do not know You will be drawn to You, and saved from their destruction. In the Name of Jesus, our Savior, we pray. Amen.
- You turn man to destruction, and say, "Return, O children of men." (Psalm 90:3)
3. Obama: Still time for diplomacy with Iran - Jerusalem Post
Obama said on Sunday there was still time to resolve the Iranian nuclear standoff through diplomacy but that the window for such a solution was closing.
- Lord, we pray for a peaceful solution with Iran. You are the Prince of Peace. We ask for Your leadership in the problems with Iran. In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace, we pray.
- For the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
4. Officials: Iran helping Assad to put down protests - Jerusalem Post
Iran is providing a broad array of assistance to Syrian President Bashar Assad to help him suppress anti-government protests, from high-tech surveillance technology to guns and ammunition, US and European security officials say.
- Lord, we ask for truth and justice to come forth regarding protests - not only in Syria - but all over the world where protests are taking place. You, Lord, know the truth of this turmoil. We ask for that truth to be revealed in the name of Jesus. Amen.
- For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)
5. Tomorrow at the Supreme Court: Day Three of Arguments about Affordable Care Act - CHPP; Concerned Women for America
On Wednesday, the last two arguments will be heard by the Supreme Court about the legality of the Affordable Care Act: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
In the morning, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the justices will address the question: "If the mandate is found to be unconstitutional, is it severable, meaning, will the rest of the law survive?"
Saying that it should survive: Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler (30 min.) and H. Bartow Farr (30 min.)
Arguing that it should be completely struck down: Paul Clement (30 min.)
In the afternoon, the Court will hear arguments about this question: "Whether the expansion of Medicaid is unconstitutional?" -- from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Arguing for constitutionality: SG Verrilli (30 min.)
Arguing against constitutionality: Paul Clement (30 min.)
- Continue to hold this historic case before our Lord in prayer, not only now, but in the days to come. Hearing these arguments is only the first part of this process; the justices will then retire to their private quarters in the weeks ahead to begin writing their opinions on each of the four issues heard this week.
We also ask prayers of AGREEMENT that this entire law be found unconstitutional and therefore struck down. Thank you.
- "For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer." (I Peter 3:12)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." (Psalm 121:7,8)
1. Israel severs ties with UN Human Rights Council - Jerusalem Post
Following its decision Monday to cut off all ties with the UN Human Rights Council, the Foreign Ministry must now draft guidelines regarding what this entails and how long the ban will be in effect, a diplomatic source said Monday.
2. Israeli flags burnt in Morocco rally - Ynet News
Several days prior to the Global March to Jerusalem, thousands of Moroccans took part in a mass rally in Rabat "in support of Jerusalem." Israeli diplomat David Saranga, who was in the city for a conference, was taken out of the building through a side door as demonstrators protested his presence there, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. Palestinian flags were flown and Israeli flags were burned during the march.
3. Iron Dome deployed in central Israel - Ynet News
Israel's Air Force has started deploying an Iron Dome battery in several locations in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, including Holon, for training purposes and adjustment to the region.
4. Two million set for 'March on Jerusalem' Friday, organizer claims - Times of Israel
Two million Arab and international protesters will march toward the borders of Israel and take part in activities designed to highlight Jerusalem's Arab character on Friday, the event organizer claims.
The Daily Jot!
How much more flexible can one get?
The man who occupies the Oval Office has told the Russian President that he needs less pressure from the Russia's leader Vladimir Putin on giving up American missile defense systems to the Russians. The US president made the remarks when he thought the microphone was turned off. In a near whisper, He said, "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space." Russian President Dmitri Medvedev: "Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you. The American president: "This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility." Medvedev: "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
This occupier of the Oval Office has created a hostile environment for the United States by reckless policies both domestically and internationally. The facts are--and they are available for anyone to look up on the internet from reliable sources--that his political cronies have benefited from hundreds of millions of tax dollars from failed "green" energy companies to Wall Street bailouts to nationalized health care, weakening the US economy. He has embarked on a strategy to help terrorist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda overthrow governments in the Middle East and establish Islamic laws and constitutions, creating a hostile environment and driving gasoline prices to near record highs.
The loyal opposition called the Republican Party has been inept at stopping any of this. In fact, it has given a new meaning to loyal opposition--that it is loyally opposed to those who elected its members. The GOP leadership has taken the art of compromise to new levels. Even at this latest whisperings by the president that he will give in to the post-communist socialists in Russia on missiles if he is reelected, there is hardly a whimper from the opposition. Republican Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Michael Turner from Ohio demanded an explanation in a letter to the Commander in Chief. He raises a good point that this president is all too eager to share information with Russia, but in a letter, really?
The problem here is that American citizens are in a real fix. We have strayed so far from the principles of good citizenship and good government that there is no longer accountability, either by ethics, morals or the ballot. They have assumed the role of the ruling elite. We need an Exodus 18:21 movement to choose as our leaders "able men, such as fear YHVH, men of truth, hating covetousness." Yeshua said that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So it is in this off-the-mic discussion. "On all these issues," our president said. That means everything will accelerate if he is reelected. He has been pretty flexible in his promise of remaking America. Americans will see true flexibility if we do not seek the Lord in choosing our leaders.
Today at the Supreme Court (Part One)
Justice Kennedy among skeptical voices at court's healthcare debate
Supreme Court justices lobbed tough questions at the U.S. solicitor general defending the healthcare law's insurance mandate in the second day of oral arguments in the case.
Several of the court's conservatives appeared skeptical of the government's argument that requiring consumers to purchase health insurance or face a fine is constitutional, including Justice Anthony Kennedy, the possible swing vote on the court.
Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. faced aggressive questions from Kennedy, as well as the court's other conservative justices, in the second of three days of oral arguments in the landmark case.
Tuesday's arguments on the mandate are the pivotal point in this week's debate, and the questions focused on the government's argument that requiring consumers to purchase health insurance or face a fine is constitutional.
The day started off rough for Verrilli, who stumbled over his introductory remarks even before the justices launched into their questioning. At multiple points during his hour-long appearance, the court's liberal justices stopped Verrilli and paraphrased his arguments in their own terms, often more efficiently.
Attorney General Eric Holder was spotted in the audience at Tuesday's hearing, seated next to White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.
If the court's liberal wing is united in support of the mandate, they would only need to peel off one more justice to secure a majority. Kennedy is the court's traditional swing vote, and supporters of the healthcare law have also said they might win over Justice Antonin Scalia or Chief Justice John Roberts.
But all three were skeptical of Verrilli's arguments.
Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, argued the court has a "very heavy burden of justification" for requiring that people purchase insurance. He also identified the insurance mandate as the first time the government has used its regulatory powers to force citizens to buy a product.
"That changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in a very fundamental way," Kennedy said. . .
The court's conservative justices pressed Verrilli to explain why, if the mandate is constitutional, the government couldn't also mandate a host of other purchases, from vegetables to cars to burial insurance. He again said the mandate is tailored to the unique problem of how healthcare is paid for - an argument that has worked in lower courts but met strong resistance on Tuesday.
"It's good for you in this case to say 'Oh, it's just insurance.' But once we say that there is a market and Congress can require people to participate in it, as 9 some would say - or as you would say, that people are already participating in it - it seems to me that we can't say there are limitations on what Congress can do under its commerce power," Roberts said.
The tough questioning was enough for Jeffrey Toobin, a legal analyst and staff writer for The New Yorker, to predict that the healthcare law appeared likely to be struck down.
"This law looks like it's going to be struck down," Toobin said Tuesday on CNN. "I think this law is in grave, grave trouble." (The Hill) Read more.
Prayer Request:
Even though, according to Jeffrey Tobin, it looks like the court may rule against the Affordable Care Act, now is not the time to let up the pressure in prayer, but rather to increase the impact of our intercession. As the old saying goes: "It's not over 'til it's over."
Be sure to lift up the hearts of all the justices before the Throne of Grace today, for the LORD will turn the hearts of kings (and princes) wheresoever He desires, if we but ask. Continue to petition the High Court of Heaven for mercy for the American people, that this unjust law will indeed be struck down. Amen.
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1 NKJV)
"Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses. " (Proverbs 21:1, The Message)
Today at the Supreme Court (Part Two)
ObamaCare On Trial: Day Two
Today the justices of the United States Supreme Court took on the centerpiece of ObamaCare: the individual mandate. When Judge Roger Vinson struck down ObamaCare in February 2011, he wrote that in defending the law the administration had "asserted again and again that the individual mandate is absolutely 'necessary' and 'essential' for the Act to operate as it was intended by Congress."
Attempting to predict the outcome of a case based upon oral arguments can be dangerous. But if today's questions are any indication of how the justices will decide, the individual mandate appears to be on life support. According to various reports, the court's four liberals predictably defended the law, while the mandate came under intense fire from the court's conservative wing.
But what must have the Obama White House nervous was the line of questioning from Justice Anthony Kennedy. A moderate with no definable ideology, Kennedy is often the deciding vote on the deeply divided court.
The New York Times reports that Kennedy did not wait to criticize the mandate and began questioning the government's attorney, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., "only minutes into the argument." At one point, Justice Kennedy said the government had a "heavy burden of justification." He later added, "Here the government is saying that the Federal Government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act . . . and that changes the relationship of the Federal Government to the individual in the very fundamental way."
Kennedy's line of questioning led one well-known observer of the high court to write, "It is essentially clear that the four more liberal members . . . will vote in favor of the mandate. But there is no fifth vote yet." Liberal legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, appearing on CNN after today's hearing, was in panic mode. Toobin said:
"This was a train wreck for the Obama Administration. This law looks like it's going to be struck down. I'm telling you, all of the predictions, including mine, that the justices would not have a problem with this law were wrong. I think this law is in grave, grave trouble."
No one should be celebrating yet. A decision isn't expected until the summer, and Kennedy later in today's session seemed to be bending. Nonetheless, today's hearing was encouraging. (Gary Bauer)
IPT Alert #1
Missing Nukes Fuel Terror Concern as Obama Drawn to Seoul
The second global conference ever on nuclear material that has escaped state control is drawing Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Nuclear violators Iran and North Korea won't be there. The legacy of the Soviet Union's breakup, inadequate atomic stockpile controls and the proliferation of nuclear-fuel technology mean the world may be awash with unaccounted-for weapons ingredients, ripe to be picked up by terrorists. About 50 heads of state will attend the Nuclear Security Summit on March 26-27 in Seoul. Iran and North Korea, which are in violation of United Nations resolutions requiring them to halt their nuclear work, are among countries excluded from the summit because of organizers' desire to reach consensus. So are potential transit countries such as Moldova and Lebanon that smugglers may target to move nuclear material. (The Investigative Terror Project) Read more.
IPT Alert #2
French shooter was on U.S. "no fly" list
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The French Islamist gunman suspected of murdering seven people who was killed in a shootout with police on Thursday was on a "no fly" list maintained by U.S. authorities, two American officials said. The officials would not disclose precisely when the militant, Mohammed Merah, was placed on the U.S. watch list, but they said his name was added some time ago. Merah, suspected of shooting three French paratroopers, three young children and a rabbi, was killed during an exchange of gunfire with police who besieged his apartment in the French city of Toulouse. U.S. and French authorities said Merah, who was of Algerian origin, had traveled to Afghanistan around 2010 to obtain training from Islamic militants. He had spent time with militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border before being captured and returned to France. At some point after his capture, two other U.S. officials said, Merah was held in custody by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Precise details of how and when this occurred and what happened to him next are still unclear. (Read more)
IPT Alert #3
At CIA, a convert to Islam leads the terrorism hunt
For every cloud of smoke that follows a CIA drone strike in Pakistan, dozens of smaller plumes can be traced to a gaunt figure standing in a courtyard near the center of the agency's Langley campus in Virginia. The man with the nicotine habit is in his late 50s, with stubble on his face and the dark-suited wardrobe of an undertaker. As chief of the CIA's Counter terrorism Center for the past six years, he has functioned in a funereal capacity for al-Qaeda. Roger, which is the first name of his cover identity, may be the most consequential but least visible national security official in Washington - the principal architect of the CIA's drone campaign and the leader of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. In many ways, he has also been the driving force of the Obama administration's embrace of targeted killing as a centerpiece of its counter terrorism efforts... He presides over a campaign that has killed thousands of Islamist militants and angered millions of Moslems, but he is himself a convert to Islam. (Washington Post) Read more.
The Good News Corner:
In Israel: Gilad Shalit is "well on the way to recovery"
The former hostage Gilad Shalit is well on the way to recovery after his ordeal, reveals his friend and adviser, Amos Levitov.
If anyone is able to understand what is going through the head of released hostage Gilad Shilat, that man is Amos Levitov.
He was a prisoner of war in Egypt from 1970 until his release after the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Levitov now lectures about the psychological consequences his own captivity had for him and he is one of the team helping Shalit to re-adjust to life as a free man in Israel. And the good news is that Shalit is doing just fine.
Levitov, who was in the UK this week as a guest of Magen David Adom to give a series of lectures, says that Shalit has adopted a much healthier approach than he himself did when he was released.
"I didn't want to talk about my trauma but from the moment Gilad landed in Israel he hasn't shut up. He speaks and speaks and speaks."
He adds that Shalit, who was held hostage for five years by Hamas in Gaza, has benefited from an agreement with the media not to harass him while he gets used to his freedom.
"The newspapers have agreed not to photograph him, not to interfere with his life and so far they have done this quite nicely. Physically, he is doing well. He has had an operation to remove shrapnel from his elbow and he is beginning to recover sensation in two of his fingers. Apart from that, he has vitamins and he has sunshine. He will be OK."
Levitov is also able to reveal how Shalit survived his five-and-a-half-year ordeal. "Gilad wasn't interrogated severely. It was a very short interrogation, and he wasn't hit or tortured by his captors. After a short time he received a radio and he managed to hear what was going on in Israel. It helped him very much to discover that all of Israel was behind him and doing everything possible to get him released."
He adds that Shalit managed to build a relationship with some of his captors. "After a year he was given a TV. He is a football maniac so most of the day he would watch football on TV. His guards also loved football so that provided a point of contact. At one point they took some wax and managed to make a kind of ball and they played football with it."
Levitov adds that despite his long years of captivity, Shalit's treatment at the hands of was not as brutal as some might have imagined. "I understand that he was able to cook for himself for much of his time in captivity, and that he even sat on the floor playing chess with one of his guards." (The Jewish Chronicle) Read more.
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