Same -Sex "Marriage"- PLEASE PRAY WITH ME (every day untill the decision is revealed around mid-June) THAT THE SUPREME COURT WILL VOTE TO UPHOLD THE 2 LAWS REVIEWED SUPPORTING A TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.. PRAY that the Court will resist any pressure to MAKE new law based on "cultural trends." PRAY as though the very future of the institution of the family is at stake because it is. PRAY! - for the sake of possibly millions of children, and for our country if it is to continue to be shown any more favor by our Heavenly Father, who I promise you will be very displeased if homosexual marriage is legalized; "GOD IS NOT [TO BE] MOCKED..." - (Gal. 6:7) - Stan [Be sure to check out my brief essay at post #478.]
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR SAEED (Iranian-born AMERICAN pastor) who just started an 8 year sentence for helping the underground churches in Iran) If you have not already, please join over 500,000 (was recently250,000) who have signed the petition for Pastor Saeed's release and tell your friends about it. http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-from-iranian-prison-sentence As the Lord leads, please pray: *For Pastor Abedini as he endures one of Iran’s most deadly prisons, potentially beaten and abused regularly, simply because of his Christian faith. *For the pastor’s wife and family and the Holy Spirit’s comfort upon them. * For God to visit his tormenters and all in his cell with him with supernatural dreams of the risen Christ, and use the pastor's actions and words to draw them to repent and turn to Christ; that God would use the pastor's time in that prison to spark a genuine spiritual revival that will bring scores of Iranians to Christ..*For the growing world pressure to finally obtain the pastor’s release. LATEST Update - April 15 - 1)".. During the weekly prison visit today, Pastor Saeed's family reported that his physical condition is worsening - seeing first-hand the marks and symptoms left by the recent beating. These beatings and the internal injuries are causing Pastor Saeed frequent fainting spells. Iranian officials are telling Pastor Saeed it could be an additional two months before he will receive medical treatment. Such a delay is inhumane and a gross violation of Iran’s international obligations. ...In addition to refusing to give Pastor Saeed the medical care he needs, it now appears authorities are stepping up their physical abuse and psychological torture. Pastor Saeed reported that cellmates, who appear to have connections to the Iranian intelligence police, recently threatened they would suffocate Pastor Saeed in his sleep, making his death look like an accident. The daily threat that his life could be taken by his internal injuries or by the hands of cellmates, weighs heavily on Pastor Saeed. (http://aclj.org/iran/beatings-intensify-american-pastor-saeed-condition-worsens-in-iranian-prison PRAY that Pastor Saeed might finally receive the medical treatment he needs. 2) More than 550,000 people from 180 countries have signed the petition to Save Saeed. Your voice has moved the U.S., the European Union, and many others to call for his release. Go to Save Saeed.org and add your name to those sending letters to him.
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR SAEED (Iranian-born AMERICAN pastor) who just started an 8 year sentence for helping the underground churches in Iran) If you have not already, please join over 500,000 (was recently250,000) who have signed the petition for Pastor Saeed's release and tell your friends about it. http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-from-iranian-prison-sentence As the Lord leads, please pray: *For Pastor Abedini as he endures one of Iran’s most deadly prisons, potentially beaten and abused regularly, simply because of his Christian faith. *For the pastor’s wife and family and the Holy Spirit’s comfort upon them. * For God to visit his tormenters and all in his cell with him with supernatural dreams of the risen Christ, and use the pastor's actions and words to draw them to repent and turn to Christ; that God would use the pastor's time in that prison to spark a genuine spiritual revival that will bring scores of Iranians to Christ..*For the growing world pressure to finally obtain the pastor’s release. LATEST Update - April 15 - 1)".. During the weekly prison visit today, Pastor Saeed's family reported that his physical condition is worsening - seeing first-hand the marks and symptoms left by the recent beating. These beatings and the internal injuries are causing Pastor Saeed frequent fainting spells. Iranian officials are telling Pastor Saeed it could be an additional two months before he will receive medical treatment. Such a delay is inhumane and a gross violation of Iran’s international obligations. ...In addition to refusing to give Pastor Saeed the medical care he needs, it now appears authorities are stepping up their physical abuse and psychological torture. Pastor Saeed reported that cellmates, who appear to have connections to the Iranian intelligence police, recently threatened they would suffocate Pastor Saeed in his sleep, making his death look like an accident. The daily threat that his life could be taken by his internal injuries or by the hands of cellmates, weighs heavily on Pastor Saeed. (http://aclj.org/iran/beatings-intensify-american-pastor-saeed-condition-worsens-in-iranian-prison PRAY that Pastor Saeed might finally receive the medical treatment he needs. 2) More than 550,000 people from 180 countries have signed the petition to Save Saeed. Your voice has moved the U.S., the European Union, and many others to call for his release. Go to Save Saeed.org and add your name to those sending letters to him.
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http://blog.heritage.org/2013/05/08/who-is-saeed-abedini/
Although Secretary of State John Kerry has said that “the best outcome for Mr. Abedini is that he be immediately released,” the United States’ virtual embassy to Iran does not feature Abedini’s story. Meanwhile, Abedini’s most vocal support has come from average Americans—not the U.S. government. An online petition for his release has more than half a million signatures.
The U.S. is currently targeting Iran with economic sanctions and is in a diplomatic standoff to prevent the country from further pursuing its goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Abedini’s fate may seem like a distraction to some, but the freedom of Abedini and thousands of persecuted and imprisoned Iranian citizens should be the centerpiece of America’s diplomatic approach to Iran—for both moral and material reasons.
Iran continues to unjustly imprison a number of its citizens for their political or religious beliefs, including a number of students arrested during the 2009 national protests against the Iranian regime. At the time, the Obama Administration squandered an opportunity to support the cause of freedom in any meaningful way. While the American government is not legally responsible for the people of Iran, the U.S. State Department is responsible for protecting the safety and interests of American citizens abroad. In this regard, Abedini’s case has been a failure.
What can our government do? The answer to that question is illuminated by what the U.S. government has already done [in the past], even when far weaker militarily and less influential diplomatically than it is today. Take for example the U.S. response to violence against American citizens in the Middle East in the 19th century. In 1858, Walter Dickson and his family, all U.S. citizens, were living as Christian missionaries in the Ottoman-controlled city of Jaffa. Amidst tense relations with certain local Muslims, Dickson and his family had been brutally attacked. The incident took on an unmistakably anti-American, anti-Christian dimension when the Ottoman authorities revealed their intent to be lenient on the Dicksons’ attackers. In a quick response, the U.S. Mediterranean Naval Squadron sailed into the port of Jaffa, hoping that visible American force would have a “salutary effect” on the Ottoman officials. As hoped for, local officials then carried out an appropriate punishment on the Dicksons’ attackers, signaling that American citizens would not be helpless victims of lawlessness in that city—regardless of local justifications.
This act was in keeping with other U.S. actions of the time. Since 1815, in addition to protecting maritime trade, the U.S. Navy has sought to protect the rights of American citizens abroad. At times, the Navy actually landed troops in foreign territory where American property or U.S. citizens were threatened by intimidation, public violence, or an open revolt. Such cases occurred frequently throughout the 19th century, especially in Latin and South America.
In light of ongoing coordinated military and diplomatic actions in defense of America’s commerce and citizens, it is little wonder that American commerce expanded and the private activities of Americans abroad increased rapidly. Foreign—including potentially hostile—governments understood that America would not suffer its citizens to be harmed. While the U.S. military was not constitutionally obligated to protect American citizens and property abroad, the Founders and early U.S. statesmen understood that doing so was desirable and benefitted overall U.S. foreign policy.
Today, abandoning Abedini serves no goal of U.S. statecraft, whereas vigorously pressing for his release would highlight the widespread injustice of the Iranian regime and give America another point of leverage in the ongoing negations with Tehran over its continuing nuclear program. In fact, by failing to take a public and principled stand on Abedini’s fate, the world’s superpower and waning defender of the free world is undercutting its influence and setting a bad precedent for future Americans in peril overseas. It is yet another example of America’s current leaders opting for American decline, instead of protecting American interests.
Beginning today, American diplomats should champion the immediate and unconditional release of United States citizen Saeed Abedini.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Although Secretary of State John Kerry has said that “the best outcome for Mr. Abedini is that he be immediately released,” the United States’ virtual embassy to Iran does not feature Abedini’s story. Meanwhile, Abedini’s most vocal support has come from average Americans—not the U.S. government. An online petition for his release has more than half a million signatures.
The U.S. is currently targeting Iran with economic sanctions and is in a diplomatic standoff to prevent the country from further pursuing its goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Abedini’s fate may seem like a distraction to some, but the freedom of Abedini and thousands of persecuted and imprisoned Iranian citizens should be the centerpiece of America’s diplomatic approach to Iran—for both moral and material reasons.
Iran continues to unjustly imprison a number of its citizens for their political or religious beliefs, including a number of students arrested during the 2009 national protests against the Iranian regime. At the time, the Obama Administration squandered an opportunity to support the cause of freedom in any meaningful way. While the American government is not legally responsible for the people of Iran, the U.S. State Department is responsible for protecting the safety and interests of American citizens abroad. In this regard, Abedini’s case has been a failure.
What can our government do? The answer to that question is illuminated by what the U.S. government has already done [in the past], even when far weaker militarily and less influential diplomatically than it is today. Take for example the U.S. response to violence against American citizens in the Middle East in the 19th century. In 1858, Walter Dickson and his family, all U.S. citizens, were living as Christian missionaries in the Ottoman-controlled city of Jaffa. Amidst tense relations with certain local Muslims, Dickson and his family had been brutally attacked. The incident took on an unmistakably anti-American, anti-Christian dimension when the Ottoman authorities revealed their intent to be lenient on the Dicksons’ attackers. In a quick response, the U.S. Mediterranean Naval Squadron sailed into the port of Jaffa, hoping that visible American force would have a “salutary effect” on the Ottoman officials. As hoped for, local officials then carried out an appropriate punishment on the Dicksons’ attackers, signaling that American citizens would not be helpless victims of lawlessness in that city—regardless of local justifications.
This act was in keeping with other U.S. actions of the time. Since 1815, in addition to protecting maritime trade, the U.S. Navy has sought to protect the rights of American citizens abroad. At times, the Navy actually landed troops in foreign territory where American property or U.S. citizens were threatened by intimidation, public violence, or an open revolt. Such cases occurred frequently throughout the 19th century, especially in Latin and South America.
In light of ongoing coordinated military and diplomatic actions in defense of America’s commerce and citizens, it is little wonder that American commerce expanded and the private activities of Americans abroad increased rapidly. Foreign—including potentially hostile—governments understood that America would not suffer its citizens to be harmed. While the U.S. military was not constitutionally obligated to protect American citizens and property abroad, the Founders and early U.S. statesmen understood that doing so was desirable and benefitted overall U.S. foreign policy.
Today, abandoning Abedini serves no goal of U.S. statecraft, whereas vigorously pressing for his release would highlight the widespread injustice of the Iranian regime and give America another point of leverage in the ongoing negations with Tehran over its continuing nuclear program. In fact, by failing to take a public and principled stand on Abedini’s fate, the world’s superpower and waning defender of the free world is undercutting its influence and setting a bad precedent for future Americans in peril overseas. It is yet another example of America’s current leaders opting for American decline, instead of protecting American interests.
Beginning today, American diplomats should champion the immediate and unconditional release of United States citizen Saeed Abedini.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
" Pastor Saeed Spends Birthday in Solitary," CBNNews.com, May 08, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/May/Pastor-Saeed-Spends-Birthday-in-Solitary/
"...On May 19, churches across the United States and around the world are being urged to join in a day of prayer for Pastor Saeed. ***Find out how you can pressure Iran with letters to Saeed at SaveSaeed.org."
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