PRAYER REQUESTS:
"Muslims Bomb Christian Homes, Church in Egypt," - CBNNews.com; Aug. 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Muslims-Bomb-Christian-Homes-Church-in-Egypt/ [CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT IN PRAYER as they increasingly have become the targets of Islamic extremists during this uncertain time in one of the largest Arab countries in the Middle East.] Angry Muslims tossed gasoline bombs into a Christian church and four Christian homes in southern Egypt over the weekend, wounding 15 people. Officials say the incident began Sunday, when two
families started fighting after a Muslim tried to stop a Christian neighbor
from building a speed bump in front of her home. Tensions between Egypt's
Muslim and Christian communities have been high ever since Islamist President
Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power last month.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Detained American's Health Dwindles in N. Korea Prison," - CBNNews.com; Aug. 9, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Detained-Americans-Health-Dwindling-in-N-Korea-Prison/ UPDATE: N. Korea Transfers Jailed Missionary to Hospital, CBNNews.com; August 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/N-Korea-Transfers-Jailed-Missionary-to-Hospital-/ Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary detained in North Korea for the past nine months, has been transferred from a labor camp to a hospital.
Meanwhile, in the United States, his family is stepping up calls for his release. On Saturday, hundreds of people attended a vigil for Bae in Seattle, Wash. Bae was a tour guide who encouraged prayer for the reunification of South and North Korea. He was arrested in November 2012 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. His sister, Terri Chung, said Bae suffers from diabetes, an enlarged heart, liver problems, and back pain. "What if something happens to Kenneth - he goes blind or his heart gives up or his body just gives out," she said. "He's in a really weak state. He's got to be in a bad state for them to have transferred him." In recent letters, Bae urged his family to speak out more for his release.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
“Abandoned” For Christ" -
Franklin Graham is the latest to join the chorus of voices calling for U.S. State Department and White House officials to take a more vocal role in protesting the Iranian imprisonment of American pastor Saeed Abedini. September 26 will mark the one year anniversary of Abedini’s imprisonment for allegedly “endangering the national security” of Iran.
Graham pointed out that, in contrast to Iranian accusations, “Pastor Saeed was in Iran trying to help children. With the permission of Iran’s government, he was working to build an orphanage. But his humanitarian mission led to an arrest on bogus charges and nearly a year of inhumane treatment, simply because he loves Jesus Christ.”...
Behind the scenes, more than 600,000 people around the world have signed a petition sponsored by ACLJ in support of pastor Abedini. A concerted movement this past May brought together Christians from many nations to set aside Pentecost to pray for Abedini. On June 13, demonstrations were held at Iranian embassies in at least six countries to protest Abedini’s treatment. And, on July 29, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks spoke on the floor of the House to urge other Congressmen to join him in “adopting” Pastor Abedini through the bipartisan Defending Freedoms Project.
Saeed’s response…and yours
Through his family living in Iran, Pastor Abedini has been made aware of these efforts on his behalf, and is grateful. “I heard that the persecution, my arrest and imprisonment has united churches from different denominations, from different cities and countries. That the churches have united together in prayer to put one request (my freedom) on one day (Pentecost) before God,” he wrote in a letter.
The story of Saeed Abedini, the jihad against Syrian Christians, the attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the ongoing desecration of churches in Nigeria and India should cause every American to reflect on the blessings of freedom still enjoyed in this nation.
PRAY: For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- Go to SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.
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"Government Watchdog to Investigate Planned Parenthood Funding" - by Sarah Torre, Aug. 7, 2013; http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/07/government-watchdog-to-investigate-planned-parenthood-funding/ [PRAY that the Congress can pass legislation that will effectively hold Planned Parenthood accountable for the overly generous taxpayer money they are given.]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to investigate the use of federal funds by Planned Parenthood [1].
The probe was announced by Representatives Diane Black (R–TN), Pete Olson (R–TX), Chris Smith (R–NJ), and Senator David Vitter (R–LA). The announcement comes as Planned Parenthood, which received more than half a billion in tax dollars in one year alone, faces numerous accusations of fraud and claims of unsafe conditions at some of its abortion clinics.
Despite the organization’s prominence—performing roughly one of every four abortions in America—Planned Parenthood has ridden the waves of taxpayer funding to millions of dollars in annual surpluses. Planned Parenthood received over $542 million in taxpayer dollars [2]during 2011 alone, all the while performing a record 333,964 abortions. In that year, like many before it, Planned Parenthood saw a very comfortable income, reporting excess revenues exceeding $87 million and net assets of more than $1.2 billion.
PlannedParenthoodGraphic [3]
The announcement of the GAO’s investigation comes just a few weeks after Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast agreed to pay over $4 million[4] to settle claims of Medicaid fraud. State audits of family planning programs have indicated similar abuse and fraudulent practices by Planned Parenthood affiliates [5] to the tune of over $8 million across 12 states. The lucrative abortion provider is also currently embroiled in at least four whistleblower lawsuits claiming that Planned Parenthood overbilled Medicaid programs.
While claiming to support the interests of women, Planned Parenthood has also shown an apparent willingness to abet the sex trafficking of minor girls [6] and allegedly turned a blind eye to unsafe and unsanitary conditions in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and elsewhere [7]. Just last week, former nurses at a Planned Parenthood in Delaware testified [8] before state legislators, claiming the clinic that performed dangerous “after hours” abortions also failed to inform hundreds of women who tested positive for infections.
Even outside the walls of its clinics, Planned Parenthood’s legislative interests increasingly diverge from the views of most Americans. The organization has repeatedly opposed legal protections for infants born after botched abortions [9] and opposes restrictions on late-term abortions [10], even though a majority of women support [11] such policies.
Seventy-two Members of Congress who made the request [12] for a GAO investigation asked the watchdog to specify the amount, source, and expenditure of federal tax dollars by Planned Parenthood and five other organizations that provide or promote abortion here and abroad. Earlier this year, Black and Vitter introduced the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act [13], which would remove federal taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers under Title X family planning grants.
Policymakers looking for organizations capable of self-funding more of their activities would do well to view Planned Parenthood’s subsidies with a critical eye.
[bold emphasis mine]
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/07/government-watchdog-to-investigate-planned-parenthood-funding/
URLs in this post:
[1] to investigate the use of federal funds by Planned Parenthood: http://black.house.gov/press-release/black-vitter-olson-and-smith-applaud-gao-decision-investigate-planned-parenthood
[2] over $542 million in taxpayer dollars: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/01/09/planned-parenthood-sets-record-for-abortions-and-government-funding/
[3] Image: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151346763269481&set=pb.21375324480.-2207520000.1375895076.&type=3&theater
[4] pay over $4 million: http://www.lifenews.com/2013/07/31/texas-planned-parenthoods-fraud-was-4-3-million-three-times-more-than-announced/
[5] indicated similar abuse and fraudulent practices by Planned Parenthood affiliates:http://www.adfmedia.org/files/StearnsReport042013.pdf
[6] abet the sex trafficking of minor girls: http://www.liveaction.org/traffick/
[7] Pennsylvania, Virginia, and elsewhere: http://www.sba-list.org/negligence
[8] testified: http://www.wdde.org/47694-hearing-planned-parenthood-wilmington
[9] opposed legal protections for infants born after botched abortions: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/planned-parenthood-still-opposes-florida-bill-protect-infants-who-survive-attempted-abortions_714592.html?page=1
[10] opposes restrictions on late-term abortions: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/cecile-richards-cant-explain-difference-between-gosnell-killings-and-elective-late-term-abortions_739241.html
[11] majority of women support: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/poll-majority-women-support-national-ban-abortion-during-after-20-weeks-pregnancy_737936.html
[12] request: http://black.house.gov/sites/black.house.gov/files/GAO%20Report%20Request%202013_letter%20FINAL_0.pdf
[13] Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act:http://black.house.gov/sites/black.house.gov/files/documents/Title%20X%20bill%20text.pdf
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