In This Issue:
· The Daily Brief· The Middle East in Focus
· Christian Coalition Voters' Guides Available
· The Economy in Crisis
· Children At Risk
· Election Money
· Another Obama Scandal
· Californians Pray for Marriage
Greetings!
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The Daily Brief Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
" . . . the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger." (Job 17:9)
The Daily Brief
1. Update: US Cuts Rate- US, IMF Open New Liquidity Windows - AFP
The US Federal Reserve sliced its key interest rate another 0.5 percentage points to 1.0 percent Wednesday, as signs emerged of thawing credit markets around the world.
· Father, as the US desperately searches for a way through this economic crisis, we ask Your mercy over our nation and Your people. Our only right standing with You is the Blood of Your Son Jesus, and so we come boldly before Your throne to ask for wisdom, grace, and mercy to guide us through this time.
· "Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
2. Nebraska Plans to Amend "Safe Haven" Law - Washington Post
Deciding he could wait no longer to address what has become a state embarrassment, Gov. Dave Heineman (R) said Wednesday, that he will call a special legislative session to amend Nebraska's loosely worded "safe haven" law, which in just a few months has allowed parents to abandon nearly two dozen children as old as 17.
· Lord, grant all the states wisdom in the search to balance the safety of unwanted children with responsibility and accountability for the parents.
· "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and His children shall have a place of refuge." (Proverbs 14:26)
3. Ex-CIA Expert: Obama Took Millions in Illegal Foreign Donations - NewsMax.com
Newsmax investigation of Obama/Biden campaign contributors has discovered dozens who appear to lack U.S. citizenship or residency-a violation of federal law. But that may only be the tip of the iceberg. Some donors work for foreign governments, and others are quite open about being citizens of countries like Nigeria, Pakistan and Canada.
· Lord, we pray that this information be brought into the general media and properly reported. We ask that an immediate investigation be launched, and that Your justice will prevail.
· "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." (Matthew 7:17)
4. Obama Goes Prime Time- McCain Goes After Obama - Washington Times
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama plunked down $4 million for a campaign-closing television ad Wednesday night, and summoned voters to "choose hope over fear and unity over division" in Tuesday's election. Republican John McCain derided the event as a "gauzy, feel-good commercial," paid for with broken promises.
· Lord, it is in You that we place our trust, not in the money being spent by this campaign, not by the advertisements, polls or news media.
· "And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:47)
5. LA Times Refuses Release Tape of Obama Praising Controversial Activist - Fox News
The Los Angeles Times is refusing to release a videotape that it says shows Barack Obama praising a Chicago professor who was an alleged mouthpiece for the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was a designated terrorist group in the 1970s and '80s.
· Lord, we pray that You will cause the LA Times to release this tape prior to election day, that all hidden secrets will be exposed.
· "People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they're deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don't believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils." (Proverbs 26:23-24) NLT
6. American Muslims Urged to turn Out in Big Numbers on Election Day - CNSNews.com
An Islamic advocacy group is urging American Muslims to respond to "anti-Muslim hysteria" by turning out in large numbers at the polls on Election Day. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is not endorsing any candidate, but in its get-out-the-vote message, it criticizes a few Republicans and no Democrats.
· Father, we pray that You will bring Your church to the polls in record numbers, and may they vote with Your wisdom, not with a lack of knowledge. We pray that they will not reject You at this critical time.
· "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;" (Hosea 4:6a)
The Middle East in Focus
The Middle East in Focus This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE: "When LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come [lit: the last generation]: and the people which shall be created shall praise LORD." (Psalm 102:16-18)
1. Quartet leaders to arrive in Egypt on Nov. 8 - Int'l Herald Tribune
A senior Palestinian official says the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will meet in Egypt, arriving there Nov. 8, to assess progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
2. First-Temple era water tunnel found in Jerusalem - Jerusalem Post
A water tunnel dating back to the First Temple era - but that might have been used even earlier, during King David's conquest of Jerusalem - has been uncovered in the ancient City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.
3. Supreme Court approves site for Jerusalem's Museum of Tolerance - Jerusalem Post
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, that Jerusalem's Museum of Tolerance can be built at its planned site in central Jerusalem despite opposition from Islamic officials.
4. Poll: Right-wing gains give Netanyahu best chance to form next gov't - Ha'aretz
If elections were held today, the right-wing camp would garner 61 Knesset seats while 58 would go to the center-left. The numbers are close, but the political difference between the blocs is much greater, and favors the right as of now, according to a Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted last night.
5. A Rare Hebrew Seal Discovered in Archaeological Excavations - Israel Antiquities Authority
In archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out at the behest of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, in the northwestern part of the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, a rare and impressive Hebrew seal was discovered that dates to the latter part of the First Temple period. The seal was found in a building that is currently being uncovered, which dates to the seventh century BCE - to the time when the kings Manasseh and Josiah reigned.
An image of a warrior shooting an arrow is depicted on the seal, which belonged to a Hebrew person by the name of Hagab. The owner of the seal probably held a military position, possibly that of army commander of the Kingdom of Judah. (Read more.)
Christian Coalition Voters' Guides Available
JUST 5 DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION . . .
Christian Coalition Voters' Guides Available Dear pro-family American, In just six days we will be going to the polls - and the result will impact how we live for years to come. · Will there be a liberal super-majority in the US Congress? · Will we have a President who is likely to appoint liberal activist judges to our courts?· Will our taxes be raised?· Will our values come under attack?These are important questions, and we can help the people we know make educated decisions by making sure they have the facts.
That's why Christian Coalition voter guides are so important. They cut through all of the political rhetoric and simply demonstrate where the candidates stand on important faith and family issues. We have voter guides available for the presidential race, as well as the most competitive races for Congress all across the country. We also have a Spanish version of our presidential guide available.
CLICK HERE to access the Christian Coalition voter guide download page now! From there you can download and print them out on your desktop printer, copy and share with others, or forward via email. [See the brown section on the left- hand sidebar, marked "Action Alert," to download the voter guides.]
THE ECONOMY IN CRISIS
For all the headlines below, we lift up this prayer today: Lord, we join together in thanking You for Your grace in this time of financial questions and we pray for Your continuing peace over the spirits of the people of this nation.
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," so that we confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)
1. Exxon Mobil: Biggest profit in U.S. history - CNN
Largest U.S. oil company surges past analyst estimates to post net income of $14.83 billion.
2. Economy Contracts 0.3% in Third Quarter - Fox News
The U.S. economy contracted in the third quarter, marred primarily by the weakest consumer spending in nearly three decades, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. It marks the first of what many economists say will be two or more quarters of negative growth. Two consecutive negative-growth quarters are needed for economists to officially declare a recession.
3. Report: AIG Burning Through Fed's $123B in Loans - Fox News
American International Group (AIG: 1.63, +0.08, +5.16%) may have gotten $123 billion in emergency loans from the Federal Reserve, but the New York Times reported on Thursday that the company was using up that money so quickly it was raising questions about whether some of the shortfall might have been lurking in its books all along, "hidden by irregular accounting."
4. Russian Stocks Surge Nearly 20% - Market Watch
Russian stocks surged on Thursday, with the RTS index jumping nearly 18% and the MICEX index rising by more than 19%, with investors cheering international measures to provide funds to emerging markets and expecting more measures to be announced by Moscow.
Children At Risk
My friends, if you need a reminder about what is at stake in this election, go right now to www.citizenlink.org and listen to Dr. James Dobson's broadcast on same-sex "marriage" and socialism. Dr. Dobson's guests were David and Tonia Parker and Ravi Zacharias. For those not familiar with David Parker's story, he spent a night in jail and was hauled before a court in handcuffs for trying to protect his five- year-old son from homosexual indoctrination in the Massachusetts public schools after that state's Supreme Court ordered same-sex "marriage" by judicial fiat.
That is what is at stake in six days - our children. Unelected judges are redefining our cherished values, threatening religious liberty and allowing militant activists to indoctrinate your children in the name of "diversity." I know every parent would risk going to jail to defend their kids. But I am praying that millions of people will go to the polls to defend their values on November 4th so that won't be necessary!
To listen to this broadcast. go here. (Source: Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; Oct. 29, 2008)
Election Money
In this time of economic stability we hear much in this presidential campaign about how we need more money to go to the poor and the middle-class. This concept has come from both campaigns and has become the rallying cry of the American people. We have also seen a $700 billion rescue loan (bail-out) that passed Congress after being pushed on an American public that originally disliked the idea. There is one source of cash that could have been better spent in this election season, the campaigns of the presidential candidates.
The amount of money that has been spent is mind- boggling. According to the FEC website, all presidential candidates together have raised $1.54 billion dollars ($1,540,773,326 to be exact) as of October 15, 2008. Of that money, $1.45 billion has been spent. Barack Obama has raised $521.8 million and spent $498.0 million. As of October 15 he has $63.4 million cash on hand minus his debt. John McCain has raised $368.8 million and spent $308.6 million. He has $64.9 million on hand minus his debt. Where does that money come from? Since the 2000 presidential campaign season, George Soros of the Soros Fund Management has given $3.16 million to various political organizations and Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance has given $2.7 million. These two men gave over $2 million to MoveOn.com alone. An examination of self-identified journalists shows that they gave $150,159 to groups that were specifically Democratic and $20,425 to groups whose titles included some variation of the word Republican. The total for the journalists does not include any money given to specific candidates or various other advocacy groups, only to groups with specific party nomenclature.
This examination of the money trail does not take into account the widely spread practice of large donors giving equal amounts in their spouses' and children's names. How much more money is flowing from the households of these large donors as well. We must consider whether the people purporting to speak for the poor should use some of the obscene amounts of money raised toward programs that would help the poor and not just toward getting elected. With this much money flowing, what do these donors expect in return? For more information visit www.fec.gov where you can find the specifics of what money has been given and who has been giving it.
(Submitted by Kelly Bemis; Assistant Editor, The Daily Brief)
Another Obama Scandal
Don't hold your breath, folks, but maybe, just maybe the media are beginning to do their jobs. With just six days left before the election, I noticed an article on page two of the Washington Post that was mildly critical of Barack Obama. Evidently, Barack Obama's campaign, which has raised record sums of money after Obama broke his early promise to accept public financing, has another fundraising scandal on its hands. We have reported that Obama has had to return tens of thousands of illegal donations from the Gaza Strip and has raised an extraordinary amount of money from fictitious donors. Today's Post report also noted the example of Mary Biskup, a retiree who has never donated a dime to Obama. But according to Obama's own FEC report, Biskup donated $174,800 to Barack Obama's campaign, even though individual donors are limited to a maximum of $4,600 to a single candidate for both the primary and general elections. (Perhaps the folks at ACORN are also handling Obama's fundraising!)
Well, today the Washington Post reports that the Obama campaign has been accepting contributions from pre-paid credit cards, like the kind you can buy at a 7-11 or any convenience store. The problem with accepting these cards, as the Post explains, is that they are untraceable and "could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity." Where is the Barack Obama the media endorsed six months ago? Barack was supposed to be the post- partisan candidate of change who was going to rise above the rancor and lead us into in the promised land of milk and honey, hope and unity. He was going to bring peace to the world and even stop the rise of the oceans. He promised a clean campaign. He promised to accept public financing and to be free of the corrupting influence of big money.
Instead, after going through the longest campaign in history, all I see is a far left Chicago liberal who bought his house with help from a convicted felon, who worshipped in the church of a crazed pastor who cursed our country and whose friendships include way too many anti-American radicals and terrorist sympathizers. And now, far from offering us hope, he is offering us socialism, and his campaign is riddled with scandals. In all seriousness, my friends, this really is no laughing matter. The Left means to change America in ways you can't imagine, and it intends to destroy the conservative, pro-family movement. And from the antics of ACORN to the highly questionable and illegal fundraising practices of the Obama campaign, the ends evidently justify the means. . .
(Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; Oct. 29, 2008; excerpt)
Californians Pray for Marriage
Dr. Dobson Joins in Prayer for Protection of Marriage
SUMMARY: Family advocates from across the nation are expected to travel to California to join in day of prayer and worship.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people with gather at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium for corporate prayer and fasting for the protection of traditional marriage and the soul of our nation. Family advocates from across the nation are expected to travel to California to be a part of the day of prayer and worship. Joining them will be Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family. "It is not a festival, it is a fast," Dr. Dobson said on today's radio broadcast. "It's a day of concerted prayer from 10 o'clock in the morning till 10 o'clock at night."
TAKE ACTION
If you live in California, please vote "Yes" on Prop. 8. Visit ProtectMarriage.com for more information.
