#700!! (11/14) Surprises..."Extortion:Your Congressman Shaking You Down?"/Human Rights Abusers On Human Rights Council/Spendthrift America Goes After Those Less So

URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

"Missionary in Philippines: 'Bodies Laying Everywhere'- By Dale Hurd and Heather Sells, November 12;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Truckloads-of-Bodies-Filipinos-Plead-for-Help/ - The official death toll from the Philippines typhoon stands at nearly 1,800, but authorities expect it to rise considerably. An estimated 11 million people were impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyen, with it's near 200 mile-per-hour winds and 20 foot storm surge.

More than half a million people have been left homeless. In some areas, the survivors are being forced to live among piles of corpses. "It's just really death and devastation everywhere. Bodies laying everywhere. People need help," American missionary and storm survivor John Wynn said.

[PRAY that relief supplies will get to the needed area in time to help the tens of thousands who are in great need. PRAY that security can be established in the midst of looters causing problems in the midst of the devastation. - Stan]

NEWS ALERT: Monday, November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ Saeed Abedini, an American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his faith, is facing life threatening conditions after a recent prison transfer, the America Center for Law and Justice reports. Saeed's family says he has been moved from the brutal Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison, known to be an even more dangerous jail. "Going to Karaj is a severe punishment," Loes Bijnen, a Dutch diplomat from the embassy in Tehran, described the jail in a 2005 report. "Once in there one stops to be a human being," she wrote. "One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence." ... "While there is broad bi-partisan support for a Senate resolution calling for Saeed's release, ... it's crucial President Barack Obama step in "directly and forcefully" to save his life. "[Go to  http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign and sign a new petition.][PRAY for President Obama to forcefully speak out against this latest development; for the pastor to be finally released. (See below for more info.)]                

NEWS ALERT: Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/  "Increased violence in northern Iraq is pushing Christians out of that part of the country. The Kurdish north was considered a safe area for Christians fleeing from violent persecution in the central and southern regions. But bombings in recent months are causing panic and many are fleeing the country. Al qaeda has claimed responsibility for several of those attacks. Some Christians have been told by local police that they "should not be in Iraq because it is Muslim territory." The Christian charity Open Doors International is urging people around the world to pray for Christians in Iraq. They say that if the persecution continues, there may be no Christians left in Iraq by 2020.[PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors  may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan] 

"SYRIAN Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."

Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]  

Oct. 14, NORTH KOREA -"Kenneth Bae, Mom Meet; Release Not Guaranteed"  - CBNNews.com,  http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Mother-Visits-Missionary-Jailed-in-North-Korea/Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"-  CBNNews.com,  Aug 14, 2013  http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/  - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[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.] 

IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison. This afternoon, thousands of Americans from coast to coast will pray for his release. Events will be held in 40 states at capitols, city halls, parks and churches. Thousands more will join from 15 nations around the world 
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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"Extortion: Your Congressman Shaking You Down?" - By Paul Strand and Andrea Garrett, CBN News, November 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2013/November/Extortion-Your-Congressman-Shaking-You-Down/ [NOTE: Check tomorrow's post about the First Lady's corporate connections.]

WASHINGTON -- When you think about what's broken about Washington, you may think about the endless arguments, along with influence-pedaling and buying votes.You may also think those to blame for it are the outside special interests, or the fat-cat lobbyists, like big oil, big pharmaceuticals, the National Rifle Association, and AARP.

But when it comes to profiting from their positions, subsidizing lavish lifestyles, and skirting the rules to do it -- you can also blame members of Congress themselves.  In his new book, "Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes and Line Their Own Pockets," author Peter Schweizer tells the shocking truth about how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been creating their own secret, private slush funds.

How do they pay for them? Schweizer says they do it by shaking down entire industries, forcing them to pay up by threatening to pass laws that could hurt them - or not pass laws that could help them. Schweizer says members of Congress -- both Republican and Democrat -- routinely engage in a form of legal extortion that would get the rest of us thrown in prison.

Schweizer revealed more about what he calls Washington's extortion tactics on The 700 Club, Nov. 12. [Go to the website for this article noted above to watch  the shocking interview.]

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

"Top Human Rights Abusers Tapped for UN Council" - CBNNews.com, November 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Top-Human-Rights-Abusers-Tapped-for-UN-Council/

Some of the world's top human rights abusers are being named for seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council.UNHRC will elect 14 new members Tuesday to serve on the 47-seat council, headquartered in Geneva. China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Algeria are all running unopposed for seats on the body. But all five refused to let independent U.N. human rights monitors investigate alleged abuses in their countries. And they're all known for religious and political persecution. 

"They consistently vote the wrong way on U.N. initiatives to protect the human rights of others," Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, said."For the U.N. to elect Saudi Arabia as a world judge on human rights would be like a town making a pyromaniac into chief of the fire department," he added.

"Spendthrift Nations" - September 26, 2013; http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=23641&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

America and the West lead the way to the bottom of the list of spendthrift nations. The good news is that there are more countries managing their economies in a fiscally responsible way than there were two years ago. Fiscally responsible means keeping average annual deficits less than average annual economic growth rates, keeping net debt from exceeding one-third of gross domestic product, and maintaining a relatively small government. The bad news is that most of the world's biggest economies, including that of the United States, are getting deeper and deeper in debt as a result of excessive spending and will ultimately have to pay the price, says Richard Rahn, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth.

Switzerland wins the award for having the overall best-managed and well-balanced economy, despite the fact that government spending is higher than the optimum. Switzerland has had prudent and responsible economic policies for decades, resulting in a higher per-capita income than that of the United States. Number two is Chile, which now has the highest per capita income in Latin America after more than three decades of pro-growth, small-government policies. It has no debt and is running a surplus.

The major countries that are in the worst fiscal shape are the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France and Japan.  All of these countries suffer from too much government, excessive taxation and regulation, and economic growth rates far below their annual deficits.All of the large-debt countries illustrate the curse of democracy, in that a very high portion of their electorates receive more benefits from governments than they pay for, so they vote for politicians who promise even more, though the cookie jar is empty. The result will be increasing economic stagnation and likely political instability.

The additional tragedy for the world is that the big, poorly managed countries, rather than reforming their own economies, are putting pressure on the well-managed countries to raise taxes and increase harmful spending and regulations. The Obama administration has been very aggressive in trying to extend the very destructive U.S. tax laws to the rest of the world. The Obama Justice Department has gone so far as to harass and threaten Swiss financial institutions and others because they do not enforce U.S. tax law in Switzerland. A wiser U.S. government would be trying to emulate the responsible Swiss policies and those of other smaller government, low-debt countries, rather than trying to bully and punish the successful.

[bold and italics emphasis]

Source: Richard Rahn, "Surprise Among the Spendthrift Nations," Washington Times, September 17, 2013.