• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot!
• Today's Legislative Focus
• Hamas Leader Speaks the Truth!
• In Israel: Holocaust Remebrance Day
• Titanic Preacher Gave Life for Gospel
• Worship with Us Today!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Wednesday, April 18, 2012
"And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD." (Psalm 27:6)
Please pray For Chuck Colson
Earlier today, Prison Fellowship Ministries provided an update on the condition of my good friend Chuck Colson, who recently suffered a brain hemorrhage. Here is an excerpt of the message from Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministries:
"It is with a heavy, but hopeful heart that I share with you that it appears our friend, brother, and founder will soon be home with the Lord. Chuck's condition took a decided turn yesterday, and the doctors advised Patty and the family to gather by his bedside. I know that his greatest desire beyond seeing Jesus is that the work he and all of us have been called to will continue. As Chuck would say, 'Remain at your posts and do your duty -- for the glory of God and His kingdom.'"
Please join Carol and me in praying for Chuck, his wife, Patty, and his family. (Gary Bauer; April 18, 2012)
The Daily Brief
1. Secret Service prostitution scandal roils DC - Fox News
A prostitution scandal involving the Secret Service has grown in scope, with the disclosure that U.S. agents and military personnel had been with at least 20 women foreign nationals in hotel rooms before President Barack Obama arrived in Colombia for a summit with Latin American leaders. Rep. Peter King, R-NY, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said it appeared the agency actually had "really lucked out." If the women were working for a terrorist organization or some other anti-American group, King said, they could have had access to information about the president's whereabouts or security protocols while in the agents' rooms. "This could have been disastrous," said King.
- Lord, we come to You in repentance this day. We repent for the sickening sins of our people - for the sickness of sin has permeated us and we act like a rebellious nation. Forgive us in mercy through the Blood of Jesus. May we turn back to You and Your righteousness. Lord, how we yearn for You to be esteemed in America throughout the ranks of its citizens. May the Church of Jesus Christ courageously arise in righteousness as a testimony to Your greatness. We pray Lord, that godly behavior will be the desired and popular behavior in our nation, especially among those in leadership! In Jesus' Name we pray.
- " A little leaven, leavens the whole lump... For you brethren have been called to liberty, only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh...For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh... Now the works of the flesh are evident which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness..." (Galatians 5:9,13,17,19)
2. Romney cites 'vast left wing conspiracy' - CNN
Speaking to a right wing radio host Tuesday, likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney repurposed a phrase from Hillary Clinton, citing a "vast left wing conspiracy" brewing in the media and liberal advocacy organizations to derail his campaign. Romney's choice of words echoes Clinton's assertion in 1998 that a "vast right wing conspiracy" was behind the sexual harassment charges her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was facing at the time. Romney said dealing with journalists, many of whom he said were biased, was a perpetual problem for Republicans.
- Father, we come to You in Jesus' mighty Name asking You to stop the mouths of those in the media who perpetrate lies and spin tales for their own gain. May the voices of Truth ring loud and clear across our land to a nation that has ears to hear - whose hearts hate lying - and love Truth.
- "But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in Him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced." (Psalm 63:1)
3. Trayvon Martin's killer showed signs of injury: neighbors - Reuters
Neighbors of George Zimmerman say he had bandages on his nose and head the day after he shot dead Trayvon Martin, supporting statements by the neighborhood watch volunteer that he was beaten in a confrontation with the black Florida teenager.
- Lord, thank You for a set of laws in our nation that allows Americans a Constitutional right to protect themselves - while Americans do not have a right to put a bounty on a man's head - even more so before facts are secured. The fact that we have barely seen a current media picture of the man who accosted George Zimmerman, with his fierce countenance and tattoo covered body, but only pictures of an innocent looking 11 year old Trayvon, makes it evident that media is seeking to sway and provoke the public. Lord, we pray that You would bring to light the accurate details of this case; we pray that lawful justice will prevail without divisions and partiality based upon the superfluous matter of a person's skin color - In Jesus' Name.
- " You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's." (Deuteronomy 1:17) " The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him." (Proverbs 18:17)
4. Iranian nuclear scientists were present at failed North Korean missile launch, says source - Ha'aretz
A dozen Iranian nuclear experts visited North Korea last week to observe its failed rocket launch on Friday, South Korean state news agency Yonhap's Washington correspondent reported on Sunday. Pyongyang has claimed that the launch was meant to place a communications satellite in space, but the U.S., Japan, South Korea and other nations view it as part of North Korea's attempt to advance its military ballistic missile capacity.
- Lord, we pray that You will prevent any information garnered from this failed mission from being used to strengthen N. Korea or Iran's offensive weapon programs and their harm-filled agendas, in Jesus' name!
- "Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered." (Proverbs 11:21)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatever He has pleased." (Psalm 115:1-3)
1. FM slams Abbas on day of Netanyahu, PA meeting - Jerusalem Post
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not interested in reaching a peace agreement with Israel. Speaking during a visit to Cyprus, he said that the Palestinians spend time blaming Israel rather than working to solve their own internal problems.
2. Netanyahu, Fayyad to meet in Jerusalem - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Jerusalem on Tuesday for the highest-level meeting between the two sides in nearly 20 months, and the first ever meeting between the two men.
3. Barak: No promises made to refrain from attacking Iran - Jerusalem Post
Israel has not made any commitment to Washington that it will not attack Iran's nuclear facilities during during its negotiations with the West, Defense Minister Ehud Barak emphasized Tuesday morning.
The Daily Jot!
GSA and Secret Service scandals reflection of America
News stories are focusing on dual government scandals revealed in the General Services Administration and the Secret Service where taxpayer money--your hard earned money--was spent on lavish parties and prostitutes. GSA's Public Buildings Commissioner Robert Peck was fired after spending some $823,000 on a Las Vegas conference in violation of agency rules. He told AP that he didn't know that taxpayers would be billed for his lavish parties. Now the Secret Service prostitution scandal has grown where 11 Secret Service agents and 10 military personnel hosted some 21 women and prostitutes in their rooms--at taxpayer expense--during the president's recent trip to Columbia.
On April 14, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney refused to answer questions about the Secret Service scandal, referring members of the media to the Secret Service. Subsequent media efforts to gain information at the Secret Service office were met with no comment or no return of calls. The man who occupies the Oval Office, Carney later said on April 17, would be "angry" if the allegations are proven true. Carney also said that the president "has confidence in the Director of the Secret Service." That view is not being held on Capital Hill where Congressmen are grilling officials about the possible security compromises of having hookers in secret service hotel rooms, with security plans in plain sight.
The GSA scandal, which occurred in 2010, has been known at GSA and other parts of the Administration since at least July 2011. At that time GSA's deputy administrator emailed agency officials saying that there was no substantive agenda, expenses for clown suits, bicycles, tuxedos and a mind reader were not appropriate expenses. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, according to AP, made the email public. Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Ca., said "The Obama administration has not been upfront with the American people about how long they've known about lavish spending abuses at GSA." Congressman John Mica, R-Fl., said the stonewalling and lavish spending is "just the tip of the iceberg."
These scandals reflect poorly not only on the federal government and the president, but also on Americans. The deeper problem is that these Secret Service and military personnel, as well as GSA executives and employees involved, felt entitled to abuse their positions. These are deep rooted cultural, character and moral issues surfacing. The leadership at the top is not holding people accountable to moral and ethic standards. We the People also have been lax in not only instilling these qualities in our children, but also demanding them of our leaders. Proverbs 29:2 says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." Could this be a result of the growing unpopularity of Biblical standards within our culture?
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
Today's Legislative Focus
From The Madison Project
www.madisonproject.com
Fellow conservative patriots,
Congress is back from its two-week Easter recess and will be in a rush to pass many pieces of legislation before they wane into lame duck status later this year. We are committed to providing full coverage of the important issues for conservatives so you can take preemptive action.
For Liberty,
The Honorable Jim Ryun
Chairman of the Madison Project
The Week of April 16-20
Detainees/National Defense Authorization Act
And . . . the Right to Habeas Corpus Act
Last year's annual defense reauthorization act engendered some pungent divisions within the conservative coalition. Every conservative who subscribes to the three-legged model of Reagan conservatism supports the idea of tough measures to combat foreign terrorists, while maintaining and preserving our civil liberties at home. However, ambiguous language in the 2012 defense law led many conservatives to believe that the military would have the authority to suspend habeas corpus and indefinitely detain Americans who are suspected of engaging in terrorism for Al Qaeda - even on American soil.
Other conservatives contended that the 2012 law contained no such expansion. They argued that failure to pass this law would undermine the 2001 use of force law, which grants the president the power to "use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons" involved in the September 11 attacks "in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
In order to clear up the confusion and gratuitous infighting within our coalition, Reps. Scott Rigell (R., Va.) and Jeff Landry (R., La.) plan to introduce the Right to Habeas Corpus Act this week. This bill will explicitly clarify that "nothing in the Authorization for Use of Military Force . . . [2001] or the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 shall be construed to deny the availability of the writ of habeas corpus in a court ordained or established by or under Article III of the Constitution for any person who is detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force."
This is a great unifying bill designed to ensure that our military and intelligence agencies will have wide latitude in fighting our foreign enemies, while preserving basic habeas corpus rights at home.
Hamas leader admits 'Palestinian' identity is invented
US Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has come under a lot of fire for saying that the "Palestinians" are an invented people. Most have ridiculed Gingrich by pointing out there are clearly millions of Arabs living in so-called "Palestine." But Gingrich wasn't talking about the physical presence of those people today, but rather the national identity they have adopted and the fact that most immigrated to the land not so long ago.
In a televised address on Al-Hekma TV last week, Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad basically backed up Gingrich's assessment, acknowledging that the roots of most "Palestinians" are elsewhere in the Middle East, and that the Palestinian label is only a thin veneer. Those pushing for a Palestinian state try to paint the Palestinian Arabs as somehow distinct from the Arabs round-about, and therefore in need of their own state. Not so, said Hammad.
"Every Palestinian, in Gaza and throughout Palestine, can prove his Arab roots - whether from Saudi Arabia, from Yemen, or anywhere. We have blood ties." More than that, Hammad stated that the true regional background of most "Palestinians" is not in "Palestine." "Brothers, half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis," exclaimed the Hamas minister.
Hammad's remarks were undoubtedly never intended for a Western audience. Rather, he was pleading with Egypt and other neighboring states to supply Hamas-ruled Gaza with free fuel, which Hammad said Hamas would use "in order to continue to wage Jihad."
Israel Today Tuesday, April 03, 2012; Ryan Jones
Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remebrance Day
Tonight we began the annual observance know as Yom HaShoah . . . Holocaust Remembrance Day. Every year this day is a somber time to remember the huge suffering and losses of the Jewish people under the Nazi program for Jewish extinction. This evening I watched the ceremonies at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial and Museum) on television, as our nation's leaders honored the victims, as well as the survivors and heroes. During the ceremonies, there is always a promise spoken that we will never again allow that horror to take place.
This year, with Iran poised and passionate for our extinction, that promise takes on a new urgency and relevancy. The Jewish people cannot count upon the civilized nations of the world to prevent such an atrocity. The nations have proven themselves to be all too compromised, too unsympathetic, and too bent upon pleasing Israel's enemies. They often love the lies spoken against Israel more than the truth. As the hearts of the nations grow more cold and anti-Semitic, the likelihood of a full-on attack against Israel becomes more likely. Israel must look to YHWH alone for her survival. The Jewish people must come together in unity, to meet this rising threat of another Holocaust.
Please join me in prayer surrounding this Holocaust Remembrance Day. The observance will continue until sunset tomorrow evening. At 10:00 AM tomorrow, sirens will sound throughout the country, as the nation joins in a somber standstill for two minutes. As the sirens sound, we all pause to honor the victims, to grieve the slain, and to remember the horrors, so that we do not allow such a thing to happen again.
Please pray for a blanket of holy comfort to fall from heaven upon those who mourn. Pray for courage to come upon all those, whose hearts are failing in fear . . . those, who are observing a similar progression of developments in the world now, as those, which took place at the time of Hitler. Pray for divine wisdom upon Israel's leaders, as they have to deal with these constant threats of annihilation. Pray for the strength of YHWH to come into our hearts, minds, and bodies, as we prepare for soon coming attacks. Finally pray for righteous people to again arise to stand with Israel. Pray that the popular lies and the deranged history being spread across the earth, regarding Israel, would be overturned with the truth.
In Him,
Kathleen
The Good News Corner:
Titanic Preacher Gave Life for Gospel
The Preacher aboard the Titanic Who Sacrificed His Life so that Others Could Have Eternal Life
Teresa Neumann (April 18, 2012)
"Immediately after the tragedy, the White Star Line in Liverpool, England placed a board outside its office with only two classes of passengers reading, KNOWN TO BE SAVED and KNOWN TO BE LOST. The owners of the Titanic had simply reaffirmed what John Harper already knew. There are people who know Christ and will spend eternity with God in Heaven and many others who will not."
(Taylors, SC)-Many "Titanic" stories have been surfacing as the world commemorates its epic sinking 100 years ago. But one account, of Pastor John Harper, a widowed preacher and pastor from England who was on his way to preach at Moody Church in Chicago, truly stands out.
A fellow pastor once said of Harper, "He was a great open-air preacher and could always command large and appreciative audiences. He could deal with all kinds of interrupters, his great and intelligent grasp of Bible truths enabling him to successfully combat all assailants."
According to a Baptist News report, Harper had been traveling with his young daughter aboard the Titanic when it hit an iceberg and began to sink. After leading his daughter to a lifeboat, the report notes that Harper chose to provide the masses with more chances to know Christ. "[He] ran person to person, passionately telling others about Christ and was heard shouting, 'women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats.'"
Up until the last minute, the report notes, Harper pleaded with people to give their lives to Jesus. He even, reportedly, gave his lifejacket to a man who rebuffed the Gospel, telling him, "You need this more than I do."
Even as he struggled to survive in the frigid water, the preacher was said to have swam about sharing the Gospel with as many fellow swimmers as possible.
Click on this link to read more about this courageous man of God and how one man was able to tell a meeting of Titanic survivors four years after the tragedy, "I am the last convert of John Harper."
Source: Douglas W. Mize - Baptist Press News
Reported by: Breaking Christian News
For us, 100 years after the Titanic, may we be as zealous as Harper was with every opportunity to share Christ with the perishing.
"Rescue the Perishing"
In Honor of Pastor John Harper
To view the lyrics of this classic hymn, go here.
To listen to the melody, go here.
AMEN.
Worship with Us Today!
Hinei Ma Tov Umanaim
Paul Wilbur
Lyrics are from Psalm 133:1 which reads, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
Worship the Lord here . . .
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot!
• Today's Legislative Focus
• Hamas Leader Speaks the Truth!
• In Israel: Holocaust Remebrance Day
• Titanic Preacher Gave Life for Gospel
• Worship with Us Today!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Wednesday, April 18, 2012
"And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD." (Psalm 27:6)
Please pray For Chuck Colson
Earlier today, Prison Fellowship Ministries provided an update on the condition of my good friend Chuck Colson, who recently suffered a brain hemorrhage. Here is an excerpt of the message from Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministries:
"It is with a heavy, but hopeful heart that I share with you that it appears our friend, brother, and founder will soon be home with the Lord. Chuck's condition took a decided turn yesterday, and the doctors advised Patty and the family to gather by his bedside. I know that his greatest desire beyond seeing Jesus is that the work he and all of us have been called to will continue. As Chuck would say, 'Remain at your posts and do your duty -- for the glory of God and His kingdom.'"
Please join Carol and me in praying for Chuck, his wife, Patty, and his family. (Gary Bauer; April 18, 2012)
The Daily Brief
1. Secret Service prostitution scandal roils DC - Fox News
A prostitution scandal involving the Secret Service has grown in scope, with the disclosure that U.S. agents and military personnel had been with at least 20 women foreign nationals in hotel rooms before President Barack Obama arrived in Colombia for a summit with Latin American leaders. Rep. Peter King, R-NY, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said it appeared the agency actually had "really lucked out." If the women were working for a terrorist organization or some other anti-American group, King said, they could have had access to information about the president's whereabouts or security protocols while in the agents' rooms. "This could have been disastrous," said King.
- Lord, we come to You in repentance this day. We repent for the sickening sins of our people - for the sickness of sin has permeated us and we act like a rebellious nation. Forgive us in mercy through the Blood of Jesus. May we turn back to You and Your righteousness. Lord, how we yearn for You to be esteemed in America throughout the ranks of its citizens. May the Church of Jesus Christ courageously arise in righteousness as a testimony to Your greatness. We pray Lord, that godly behavior will be the desired and popular behavior in our nation, especially among those in leadership! In Jesus' Name we pray.
- " A little leaven, leavens the whole lump... For you brethren have been called to liberty, only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh...For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh... Now the works of the flesh are evident which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness..." (Galatians 5:9,13,17,19)
2. Romney cites 'vast left wing conspiracy' - CNN
Speaking to a right wing radio host Tuesday, likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney repurposed a phrase from Hillary Clinton, citing a "vast left wing conspiracy" brewing in the media and liberal advocacy organizations to derail his campaign. Romney's choice of words echoes Clinton's assertion in 1998 that a "vast right wing conspiracy" was behind the sexual harassment charges her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was facing at the time. Romney said dealing with journalists, many of whom he said were biased, was a perpetual problem for Republicans.
- Father, we come to You in Jesus' mighty Name asking You to stop the mouths of those in the media who perpetrate lies and spin tales for their own gain. May the voices of Truth ring loud and clear across our land to a nation that has ears to hear - whose hearts hate lying - and love Truth.
- "But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in Him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced." (Psalm 63:1)
3. Trayvon Martin's killer showed signs of injury: neighbors - Reuters
Neighbors of George Zimmerman say he had bandages on his nose and head the day after he shot dead Trayvon Martin, supporting statements by the neighborhood watch volunteer that he was beaten in a confrontation with the black Florida teenager.
- Lord, thank You for a set of laws in our nation that allows Americans a Constitutional right to protect themselves - while Americans do not have a right to put a bounty on a man's head - even more so before facts are secured. The fact that we have barely seen a current media picture of the man who accosted George Zimmerman, with his fierce countenance and tattoo covered body, but only pictures of an innocent looking 11 year old Trayvon, makes it evident that media is seeking to sway and provoke the public. Lord, we pray that You would bring to light the accurate details of this case; we pray that lawful justice will prevail without divisions and partiality based upon the superfluous matter of a person's skin color - In Jesus' Name.
- " You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's." (Deuteronomy 1:17) " The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him." (Proverbs 18:17)
4. Iranian nuclear scientists were present at failed North Korean missile launch, says source - Ha'aretz
A dozen Iranian nuclear experts visited North Korea last week to observe its failed rocket launch on Friday, South Korean state news agency Yonhap's Washington correspondent reported on Sunday. Pyongyang has claimed that the launch was meant to place a communications satellite in space, but the U.S., Japan, South Korea and other nations view it as part of North Korea's attempt to advance its military ballistic missile capacity.
- Lord, we pray that You will prevent any information garnered from this failed mission from being used to strengthen N. Korea or Iran's offensive weapon programs and their harm-filled agendas, in Jesus' name!
- "Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered." (Proverbs 11:21)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatever He has pleased." (Psalm 115:1-3)
1. FM slams Abbas on day of Netanyahu, PA meeting - Jerusalem Post
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not interested in reaching a peace agreement with Israel. Speaking during a visit to Cyprus, he said that the Palestinians spend time blaming Israel rather than working to solve their own internal problems.
2. Netanyahu, Fayyad to meet in Jerusalem - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Jerusalem on Tuesday for the highest-level meeting between the two sides in nearly 20 months, and the first ever meeting between the two men.
3. Barak: No promises made to refrain from attacking Iran - Jerusalem Post
Israel has not made any commitment to Washington that it will not attack Iran's nuclear facilities during during its negotiations with the West, Defense Minister Ehud Barak emphasized Tuesday morning.
The Daily Jot!
GSA and Secret Service scandals reflection of America
News stories are focusing on dual government scandals revealed in the General Services Administration and the Secret Service where taxpayer money--your hard earned money--was spent on lavish parties and prostitutes. GSA's Public Buildings Commissioner Robert Peck was fired after spending some $823,000 on a Las Vegas conference in violation of agency rules. He told AP that he didn't know that taxpayers would be billed for his lavish parties. Now the Secret Service prostitution scandal has grown where 11 Secret Service agents and 10 military personnel hosted some 21 women and prostitutes in their rooms--at taxpayer expense--during the president's recent trip to Columbia.
On April 14, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney refused to answer questions about the Secret Service scandal, referring members of the media to the Secret Service. Subsequent media efforts to gain information at the Secret Service office were met with no comment or no return of calls. The man who occupies the Oval Office, Carney later said on April 17, would be "angry" if the allegations are proven true. Carney also said that the president "has confidence in the Director of the Secret Service." That view is not being held on Capital Hill where Congressmen are grilling officials about the possible security compromises of having hookers in secret service hotel rooms, with security plans in plain sight.
The GSA scandal, which occurred in 2010, has been known at GSA and other parts of the Administration since at least July 2011. At that time GSA's deputy administrator emailed agency officials saying that there was no substantive agenda, expenses for clown suits, bicycles, tuxedos and a mind reader were not appropriate expenses. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, according to AP, made the email public. Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Ca., said "The Obama administration has not been upfront with the American people about how long they've known about lavish spending abuses at GSA." Congressman John Mica, R-Fl., said the stonewalling and lavish spending is "just the tip of the iceberg."
These scandals reflect poorly not only on the federal government and the president, but also on Americans. The deeper problem is that these Secret Service and military personnel, as well as GSA executives and employees involved, felt entitled to abuse their positions. These are deep rooted cultural, character and moral issues surfacing. The leadership at the top is not holding people accountable to moral and ethic standards. We the People also have been lax in not only instilling these qualities in our children, but also demanding them of our leaders. Proverbs 29:2 says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." Could this be a result of the growing unpopularity of Biblical standards within our culture?
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
Today's Legislative Focus
From The Madison Project
www.madisonproject.com
Fellow conservative patriots,
Congress is back from its two-week Easter recess and will be in a rush to pass many pieces of legislation before they wane into lame duck status later this year. We are committed to providing full coverage of the important issues for conservatives so you can take preemptive action.
For Liberty,
The Honorable Jim Ryun
Chairman of the Madison Project
The Week of April 16-20
Detainees/National Defense Authorization Act
And . . . the Right to Habeas Corpus Act
Last year's annual defense reauthorization act engendered some pungent divisions within the conservative coalition. Every conservative who subscribes to the three-legged model of Reagan conservatism supports the idea of tough measures to combat foreign terrorists, while maintaining and preserving our civil liberties at home. However, ambiguous language in the 2012 defense law led many conservatives to believe that the military would have the authority to suspend habeas corpus and indefinitely detain Americans who are suspected of engaging in terrorism for Al Qaeda - even on American soil.
Other conservatives contended that the 2012 law contained no such expansion. They argued that failure to pass this law would undermine the 2001 use of force law, which grants the president the power to "use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons" involved in the September 11 attacks "in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
In order to clear up the confusion and gratuitous infighting within our coalition, Reps. Scott Rigell (R., Va.) and Jeff Landry (R., La.) plan to introduce the Right to Habeas Corpus Act this week. This bill will explicitly clarify that "nothing in the Authorization for Use of Military Force . . . [2001] or the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 shall be construed to deny the availability of the writ of habeas corpus in a court ordained or established by or under Article III of the Constitution for any person who is detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force."
This is a great unifying bill designed to ensure that our military and intelligence agencies will have wide latitude in fighting our foreign enemies, while preserving basic habeas corpus rights at home.
Hamas leader admits 'Palestinian' identity is invented
US Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has come under a lot of fire for saying that the "Palestinians" are an invented people. Most have ridiculed Gingrich by pointing out there are clearly millions of Arabs living in so-called "Palestine." But Gingrich wasn't talking about the physical presence of those people today, but rather the national identity they have adopted and the fact that most immigrated to the land not so long ago.
In a televised address on Al-Hekma TV last week, Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad basically backed up Gingrich's assessment, acknowledging that the roots of most "Palestinians" are elsewhere in the Middle East, and that the Palestinian label is only a thin veneer. Those pushing for a Palestinian state try to paint the Palestinian Arabs as somehow distinct from the Arabs round-about, and therefore in need of their own state. Not so, said Hammad.
"Every Palestinian, in Gaza and throughout Palestine, can prove his Arab roots - whether from Saudi Arabia, from Yemen, or anywhere. We have blood ties." More than that, Hammad stated that the true regional background of most "Palestinians" is not in "Palestine." "Brothers, half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis," exclaimed the Hamas minister.
Hammad's remarks were undoubtedly never intended for a Western audience. Rather, he was pleading with Egypt and other neighboring states to supply Hamas-ruled Gaza with free fuel, which Hammad said Hamas would use "in order to continue to wage Jihad."
Israel Today Tuesday, April 03, 2012; Ryan Jones
Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remebrance Day
Tonight we began the annual observance know as Yom HaShoah . . . Holocaust Remembrance Day. Every year this day is a somber time to remember the huge suffering and losses of the Jewish people under the Nazi program for Jewish extinction. This evening I watched the ceremonies at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial and Museum) on television, as our nation's leaders honored the victims, as well as the survivors and heroes. During the ceremonies, there is always a promise spoken that we will never again allow that horror to take place.
This year, with Iran poised and passionate for our extinction, that promise takes on a new urgency and relevancy. The Jewish people cannot count upon the civilized nations of the world to prevent such an atrocity. The nations have proven themselves to be all too compromised, too unsympathetic, and too bent upon pleasing Israel's enemies. They often love the lies spoken against Israel more than the truth. As the hearts of the nations grow more cold and anti-Semitic, the likelihood of a full-on attack against Israel becomes more likely. Israel must look to YHWH alone for her survival. The Jewish people must come together in unity, to meet this rising threat of another Holocaust.
Please join me in prayer surrounding this Holocaust Remembrance Day. The observance will continue until sunset tomorrow evening. At 10:00 AM tomorrow, sirens will sound throughout the country, as the nation joins in a somber standstill for two minutes. As the sirens sound, we all pause to honor the victims, to grieve the slain, and to remember the horrors, so that we do not allow such a thing to happen again.
Please pray for a blanket of holy comfort to fall from heaven upon those who mourn. Pray for courage to come upon all those, whose hearts are failing in fear . . . those, who are observing a similar progression of developments in the world now, as those, which took place at the time of Hitler. Pray for divine wisdom upon Israel's leaders, as they have to deal with these constant threats of annihilation. Pray for the strength of YHWH to come into our hearts, minds, and bodies, as we prepare for soon coming attacks. Finally pray for righteous people to again arise to stand with Israel. Pray that the popular lies and the deranged history being spread across the earth, regarding Israel, would be overturned with the truth.
In Him,
Kathleen
The Good News Corner:
Titanic Preacher Gave Life for Gospel
The Preacher aboard the Titanic Who Sacrificed His Life so that Others Could Have Eternal Life
Teresa Neumann (April 18, 2012)
"Immediately after the tragedy, the White Star Line in Liverpool, England placed a board outside its office with only two classes of passengers reading, KNOWN TO BE SAVED and KNOWN TO BE LOST. The owners of the Titanic had simply reaffirmed what John Harper already knew. There are people who know Christ and will spend eternity with God in Heaven and many others who will not."
(Taylors, SC)-Many "Titanic" stories have been surfacing as the world commemorates its epic sinking 100 years ago. But one account, of Pastor John Harper, a widowed preacher and pastor from England who was on his way to preach at Moody Church in Chicago, truly stands out.
A fellow pastor once said of Harper, "He was a great open-air preacher and could always command large and appreciative audiences. He could deal with all kinds of interrupters, his great and intelligent grasp of Bible truths enabling him to successfully combat all assailants."
According to a Baptist News report, Harper had been traveling with his young daughter aboard the Titanic when it hit an iceberg and began to sink. After leading his daughter to a lifeboat, the report notes that Harper chose to provide the masses with more chances to know Christ. "[He] ran person to person, passionately telling others about Christ and was heard shouting, 'women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats.'"
Up until the last minute, the report notes, Harper pleaded with people to give their lives to Jesus. He even, reportedly, gave his lifejacket to a man who rebuffed the Gospel, telling him, "You need this more than I do."
Even as he struggled to survive in the frigid water, the preacher was said to have swam about sharing the Gospel with as many fellow swimmers as possible.
Click on this link to read more about this courageous man of God and how one man was able to tell a meeting of Titanic survivors four years after the tragedy, "I am the last convert of John Harper."
Source: Douglas W. Mize - Baptist Press News
Reported by: Breaking Christian News
For us, 100 years after the Titanic, may we be as zealous as Harper was with every opportunity to share Christ with the perishing.
"Rescue the Perishing"
In Honor of Pastor John Harper
To view the lyrics of this classic hymn, go here.
To listen to the melody, go here.
AMEN.
Worship with Us Today!
Hinei Ma Tov Umanaim
Paul Wilbur
Lyrics are from Psalm 133:1 which reads, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
Worship the Lord here . . .
