# 778 (1/31) "What Congress Did While You Were Talking About the State of the Union"

NEWS ALERT! - "Islamists Murder 99 in Attack on Nigeria Village" - January 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/January/Islamists-Murder-99-in-Attack-on-Nigeria-Village/ - Islamic terrorists, using bombs and heavy guns, killed at least 99 people in an attack on a Christian village of Wada Chakawa in northeast Nigeria. Villagers say the attackers stormed a Roman Catholic Church during Sunday morning service.Spraying the congregation with bullets and setting off bombs, the terrorists killed dozens inside the church and held others hostage during a five-hour siege.They also burned down hundreds of homes. Officials say it's one of the highest death tolls in attacks by extremists. The militant Boko Horam has not taken credit for the attack, but it's been waging a war against the government in the north. PRAY FOR THE TERRORISTS TO BE REPELLED; FOR THE VILLAGERS AFFECTED TO KNOW GOD'S COMFORT AND PROVISION; 


SIGN NEW PETITION - (Jan. 27) American Pastor Saheed Abidini -  An Iranian leader has said that clemency for the pastor after almost 1 and 1/2 years being falsely imprisoned. Please sign this new petition at: http://beheardproject.com/


SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayer Alert! - Soci, Russia, Olympics > Let's be sure to be praying for God to move against all who would bring harm to the athletes and others. Pray that the security forces would be effective in rooting out any terrorist plans and preventing them from being carried out. Pray for the families of the athletes who must be very anxious for their loved ones being in harm's way. 

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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 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/ 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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Cartoon by Glenn Foden [1]

"What Congress Did While You Were Talking About the State of the Union" -  By Amy Payne, January 30, 2014


[NOTE: List this under the "I bet you didn't know THIS" category. - Stan] Congress is very fond of two things: throwing a bunch of stuff into one bill and rushing bills through while Americans are focused on other news. While people were talking about the State of the Union, they’ve done it again with the $1 trillion farm bill.

The “farm bill” passed by the House yesterday has projected costs that are even greater than those of the Obama stimulus, and about 80 percent of the bill is just food stamps [2].The bill is filled with special handouts to agriculture special interests and is a model of central planning. When it comes to food stamps, the bill is just as bad.

farm-bill-pie [3]

Food stamps should go to those truly in need. So it may surprise you to learn that you can qualify for food stamps even if you have millions in the bank [2]. The new farm bill does nothing to address this absurd loophole. A loophole like this undermines the legitimacy of the program and certainly does nothing to help people who really need help.

Food stamp recipients also aren’t required to work—a disservice to them and to the taxpayers who are assisting them. A work requirement empowers people [4], as we have seen with welfare reform.

So the food stamp program, with plenty of encouragement from the Obama Administration, has grown far beyond what it was supposed to be. Heritage expert Daren Bakst reports that “food stamp spending has quadrupled since [fiscal year] 2000 [5] and doubled since 2008.”

The food stamp issue is not just about numbers. It’s about policy reform—developing policy that empowers Americans instead of creating a dependency that harms them.

Now this food stamp—er, farm—bill disaster goes to the Senate.

Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad [6].

[bold and italics emphasis mine]
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/30/farm-bill-what-congress-did-while-you-were-talking-about-the-state-of-the-union/

URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/OfarmaBill-words.jpg
[2] 80 percent of the bill is just food stamps: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/28/wont-believe-whats-1-trillion-farm-bill-disaster/
[3] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/farm-bill-pie.jpg
[4] empowers people: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/obamas-end-run-on-welfare-reform-part-one-understanding-workfare
[5] spending has quadrupled since [fiscal year] 2000: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/12/04/the-facts-on-the-farm-bills-food-stamp-cuts/
[6] Heritage Libertad: http://www.libertad.org/

Copyright © 2014 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.

# 777 (1/30) "The President Won't Be Needing You"; Political Exhibitioinism

NEWS ALERT! - "Islamists Murder 99 in Attack on Nigeria Village" - January 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/January/Islamists-Murder-99-in-Attack-on-Nigeria-Village/ - Islamic terrorists, using bombs and heavy guns, killed at least 99 people in an attack on a Christian village of Wada Chakawa in northeast Nigeria. Villagers say the attackers stormed a Roman Catholic Church during Sunday morning service.Spraying the congregation with bullets and setting off bombs, the terrorists killed dozens inside the church and held others hostage during a five-hour siege.They also burned down hundreds of homes. Officials say it's one of the highest death tolls in attacks by extremists. The militant Boko Horam has not taken credit for the attack, but it's been waging a war against the government in the north. PRAY FOR THE TERRORISTS TO BE REPELLED; FOR THE VILLAGERS AFFECTED TO KNOW GOD'S COMFORT AND PROVISION; 
NEWS ALERT! Pastor Saeed Moved; Condition worsens; http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-abedini-moved-political-prisoner-ward-in-deadliest-prison-iran-health-concerns-grow

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayer Alert! - Soci, Russia, Olympics > Let's be sure to be praying for God to move against all who would bring harm to the athletes and others. Pray that the security forces would be effective in rooting out any terrorist plans and preventing them from being carried out. Pray for the families of the athletes who must be very anxious for their loved ones being in harm's way. 

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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 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/ 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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

HR-Jan29-Action-Figure_600 [2]

"The President Won't Be Needing You" -  By Amy Payne On January 29, 2014 

President Obama says this is a “year of action”—and last night he made it very clear whose action he was talking about.After noting recently that he has a pen and a phone [1] and can use those to make changes without the help of Congress, Obama charged forward with promises of taking executive action wherever lawmakers fail to meet his demands.

“This President has acted like the playground bully who when he can’t have everything he wants, he decides to take his ball and go home,” Heritage President Jim DeMint said yesterday [3]. “This is not the way our government is supposed to work.” Indeed—Heritage’s legal experts have long questioned the legality of the President’s lone ranger style. And early analysis of this year’s State of the Union proposals indicates the executive branch will continue to run amok.

One of the most hyped features of the speech was Obama’s declaration that he will order a higher minimum wage for people working on federal contracts. These aren’t federal employees, but employees of companies that have contracts to do work for the federal government.Heritage legal fellow Andrew Kloster said this isn’t something the President is supposed to be doing.“Any contractor who is adversely affected by this action would have a good case to take to court,” Kloster said [4]. “If it stands, though, this would be yet another unlawful unilateral action concocted by the Obama Administration.”

Why does Obama insist on bypassing Congress—the people Americans elected to make the laws?

DeMint notes [3]:"President Obama and his apologists insist that ruling through executive action is the only option because we live in an exceptionally partisan age. Tell that to Ronald Reagan who worked with a Congress led by liberal Democrats, or Bill Clinton, who found ways to work with a Congress that had impeached him.

In addition to Obama’s new executive plans, America is still reeling from all the “action” he’s been driving the past few years. Heritage expert Diane Katz explained [4]:"Hundreds of other costly edicts are in the pipeline, including dozens more Obamacare dictates and equally onerous Dodd-Frank rules. This President, after all, has consistently exploited executive orders and regulations to control manufacturing, finance, health care, and a slew of what most of us once thought were personal lifestyle choices. Indeed, this President’s accelerated rate of regulatory expansion appears unequaled, with more than $70 billion in new annual regulatory costs added in the first term alone.

Many regulatory changes appear quietly and stealthily in government notices—but Obama’s State of the Union shows that he plans to wield his pen proudly this year.

Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad [5].

[bold and italics emphasis mine]
----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/29/state-of-the-union-2014-president-obama-executive-year-of-action/

URLs in this post:
[1] pen and a phone: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/15/executive-pen-ready-imperial-obama-will-limit-congress/
[2] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/HR-Jan29-Action-Figure_600.jpg
[3] said yesterday: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/28/demint-state-union-obama-acted-like-playground-bully/
[4] said: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/28/state-union-live-blog/
[5] Heritage Libertad: http://www.libertad.org/

Copyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.

"THE POLITICAL EXHIBITIONISM OF THE STATE OF THE UNION" - By: George Will,
1/27/2014; hhttp://www.humanevents.com/2014/01/27/the-political-exhibitionism-of-the-state-of-the-union/

#776 (1/29) "7 Things It's Not Too Late For"

NEWS ALERT! - "Islamists Murder 99 in Attack on Nigeria Village" - January 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/January/Islamists-Murder-99-in-Attack-on-Nigeria-Village/ - Islamic terrorists, using bombs and heavy guns, killed at least 99 people in an attack on a Christian village of Wada Chakawa in northeast Nigeria. Villagers say the attackers stormed a Roman Catholic Church during Sunday morning service.Spraying the congregation with bullets and setting off bombs, the terrorists killed dozens inside the church and held others hostage during a five-hour siege.They also burned down hundreds of homes. Officials say it's one of the highest death tolls in attacks by extremists. The militant Boko Horam has not taken credit for the attack, but it's been waging a war against the government in the north. PRAY FOR THE TERRORISTS TO BE REPELLED; FOR THE VILLAGERS AFFECTED TO KNOW GOD'S COMFORT AND PROVISION; 
NEWS ALERT! Pastor Saeed Moved; Condition worsens; http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-abedini-moved-political-prisoner-ward-in-deadliest-prison-iran-health-concerns-grow

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayer Alert! - Soci, Russia, Olympics > Let's be sure to be praying for God to move against all who would bring harm to the athletes and others. Pray that the security forces would be effective in rooting out any terrorist plans and preventing them from being carried out. Pray for the families of the athletes who must be very anxious for their loved ones being in harm's way. 

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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 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/ 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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

State of the Union Wish List - "7 Things It's Not Too Late For" - By Amy Payne, January 28, 2014

Presidents offer pie-in-the-sky visions in their State of the Union addresses. But if President Obama—and Congress—were willing to “roll up their sleeves” (another common State of the Union phrase) and work on some tangible good for Americans, Heritage experts have a few ideas.

The President is calling this his “year of action,” after all. Here are seven things he should work with Congress [1] to do.

1. Save Americans from skyrocketing energy bills. It’s time to reverse the war on coal and stop the greenhouse gas regulations that will drive up energy costs for families [3]—with no noticeable climate benefit. People—especially low-income Americans—need affordable, reliable energy. The President’s climate regulations will drive up household electricity bills and destroy jobs across the country without making a dent in global temperatures.

2. Let students thrive and succeed through school choice. It’s not too late, but it is past time for the President to support school choice in the nation’s capital. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is helping children from low-income families succeed [4]—yet every year, the Administration has tried to zero out funding for it. In fact, the D.C. program should inspire cities across America. When parents choose, students win, because school choice works.

3. Return the government to being of the people, by the people, and for the people. People (and their elected representatives), not the President or the courts, should make marriage policy in the states. The Obama Administration should instruct all agencies of the federal government to respect states’ authority over marriage [5] and stop redefining marriage for a variety of federal purposes [6]. And government should not violate the rights of those who stand for marriage [7] as the union of a man and a woman.

4. Get moving on entitlement reform. It’s becoming increasingly clear that America’s runaway spending and debt are making it more difficult for young people to get ahead. How? By dragging down the economy. Washington’s leaders should put the budget on a path to balance—to control spending. This would spur economic growth [8]—and that means creating jobs.

5. Be ready for anything. We can’t compromise on equipping our military for the 21st Century. When it comes to the enemies of America, we have to be ready for any and all threats. That means training, maintenance, and keeping our military No. 1. If our men and women in uniform are willing to give their lives for the rest of us, give them what they need [9] to do their jobs.

6. Remember the First Amendment. It’s not too late to respect religious liberty [10]. The Obama Administration should respect Americans’ freedom to choose health care that meets their families’ needs [11] without violating their beliefs or subsidizing potentially life-ending drugs and procedures.

7. Stop food policies that hurt the poor. The U.S. has farm policies that actually drive up food prices, in part to help out special interests like sugar [12]and dairy farmers. The government shouldn’t be involved in the food supply like this—especially when it hits low-income Americans the hardest.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad [13].

Quick Hits:
Is it appropriate for the GRAMMYs to sponsor an apparent broadside against music fans who believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman [15]?
It turns out many of the same lawmakers who back the minimum wage hike don’t pay their interns [16].
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/28/7-things-late/

URLs in this post:

[1] work with Congress: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/15/executive-pen-ready-imperial-obama-will-limit-congress/
[3] drive up energy costs for families: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/12/epa-power-plant-regulations-a-backdoor-energy-tax
[4] helping children from low-income families succeed: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/23/happy-10th-anniversary-dcosp/
[5] to respect states’ authority over marriage: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/10/obama-teams-recognition-utah-sex-marriages-shows-need-state-marriage-defense-act/
[6] stop redefining marriage for a variety of federal purposes: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/29/the-obama-administration-marriage-and-the-states/
[7] not violate the rights of those who stand for marriage: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/09/19/protecting-religious-liberty-in-the-marriage-debate/
[8] spur economic growth: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/11/cutting-the-us-budget-would-help-the-economy-grow
[9] give them what they need: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hkn3Q-WT3M
[10] respect religious liberty: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/11/29/obamacare-restricting-choice-trampling-fundamental-freedoms/
[11] choose health care that meets their families’ needs: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/11/01/the-conservative-alternative-to-obamacare/
[12] sugar : http://blog.heritage.org/2013/10/31/should-government-restrict-the-candy-supply/
[13] Heritage Libertad: http://www.libertad.org/
[15] an apparent broadside against music fans who believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/27/grammys-say-sex-marriage/
[16] don’t pay their interns: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/27/lawmakers-back-minimum-wage-hike-dont-pay-interns/

Copyright © 2014 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.

#775 (1/28) "5 Horrific Examples of Cultural Decay in America"

NEWS ALERT! Pastor Saeed Moved; Condition worsens; http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-abedini-moved-political-prisoner-ward-in-deadliest-prison-iran-health-concerns-grow

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayer Alert! - Soci, Russia, Olympics > Let's be sure to be praying for God to move against all who would bring harm to the athletes and others. Pray that the security forces would be effective in rooting out any terrorist plans and preventing them from being carried out. Pray for the families of the athletes who must be very anxious for their loved ones being in harm's way. 

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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 

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/ 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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"5 Horrific Examples of Cultural Decay in America" - John Hawkins | Jan 25, 2014; http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2014/01/25/5-horrific-examples-of-cultural-decay-in-america-n1784484/page/full

Human beings are marvelously adaptive creatures, but that can sometimes work again us. That's because we tend to be so focused on adjusting to our present circumstances that we often forget to ask the bigger questions. How did we get to where we are now? Would we be in a stronger position today if we had made some better decisions upstream? What lessons from the past can we use in the future? This is the case for individuals, but it's even more applicable to nations.

Many people tend to assume that all societal changes are for the better. Certainly, we should all be grateful that the Democrat Party finally joined the Republicans in opposing slavery, segregation and Jim Crow laws. It's also wonderful that the Democrats at long last agreed with Republicans that women should have the right to vote. It's also great that both parties worked to help Americans become more educated, end child labor and make our society more affluent.

That being said, while it's fine to celebrate all the progress we've made as a nation, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that we're also inferior to previous generations of Americans in some crucial areas. Only by recognizing where we've fallen short can we take steps to try to get back what we've lost as a people -- and as you're about to see, culturally, we've lost a great deal.

 1) "To get a sense of how different attitudes were in the 1960s, perhaps this will do it. These never-married women were asked, “In your opinion, do you think it is all right for a woman to have sexual relations before marriage with a man she knows she is going to marry?” …Eighty-six percent said no." [http://www.rightwingnews.com/quotes/the-best-quotations-from-charles-murrays-coming-apart-the-state-of-white-america-1960-2010/] To get an idea of how much things have changed since the early sixties, my friend Dawn Eden wrote a book on chastity [http://www.rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/an-interview-with-dawn-eden-about-her-book-ithe-thrill-of-the-chastei/] and it was considered to be so unusual that she was booked for numerous "Can you believe there are people who still do this?" TV interviews. Would society be better off if more people were chaste before marriage? Unquestionably, but again, how do you put that rabbit back in the hat without a religious reawakening in our country?

 2) "Today, about two-thirds of U.S. households with kids are led by a married couple, down from more than nine in 10 in 1960." [http://www.livescience.com/37918-record-number-of-single-dads.html] Studies also consistently show not just that children turn out better in two parent families, but that people who are married are happier than those that are single. Because of a soaring divorce rate, high profile break-ups and gay marriage, we've stopped treating holy matrimony with the reverence it deserves in our country. However, marriage really is the bedrock of our society and as it has turned to pumice, we've paid a terrible cost.

 3) "In the decade after 9/11, China (Which America still thinks of as a cheap assembly plant for your local Krappimart) built the Three Gorges Dam, the largest electricity-generating plant in the world. Dubai, a mere sub-jurisdiction of the United Arab Emirates, put up the world’s tallest building and built a Busby Berkeley geometric kaleidoscope of offshore artificial islands. Brazil, an emerging economic power, began diverting the Sao Francisco River to create some 400 miles of canals to irrigate its parched northeast. But the hyperpower can’t put up a building (WTC)." America put a man on the moon in less than a decade; yet we can't put a man on the moon today. We're more than 12 years out from 9/11 and we STILL haven't completed 1 World Trade Center. Meanwhile, it took 16 months to build the Pentagon, 4 years to complete the Sears/Willis Tower and we knocked out the Hoover Dam in just 5 years. If we were to get into another fight like WWII that depended on America's ability to produce massive amounts of military equipment, we couldn't win it because for all of our advanced technology and know-how, we're just not as good at building things as we used to be.

 4) "If filmmakers in 1963 wanted the approval of the Production Code of Motion Picture Association of America, which almost all of them still did, the dialogue could not include any profanity stronger than hell or damn, and there had been dramatic justification even for them. Characters couldn’t take the name of the Lord in vain, or ridicule religion, or use any of form of obscenity — meaning just about anything related to the sex act….the plot couldn’t present sex outside of marriage as attractive or justified. Homosexuality was to be presented as a perversion. Abortion? ‘The subject of abortion shall be discouraged, shall never be more than suggested, and when referred to shall be condemned,’ said the code."
There are cartoons aimed at children and even video games that don't come close to living up to this anymore. In fact, these sort of "Leave it to Beaver" standards for entertainment seem almost bizarre today; yet they were the norm fifty years ago. Are we now better off as a society because your kids hear video game characters dropping F-bombs, listen to music glorifying murder and are regularly exposed to themes that were considered too racy for adults half a century ago? Absolutely not. Could we go back to rules anywhere near this strict? Realistically, no, but that says a lot about how much our society has degraded morally since then.

 5) "Going back a hundred years, when blacks were just one generation out of slavery, we find that the census data of that era showed that a slightly higher percentage of black adults had married than white adults....[http://www.rightwingnews.com/john-hawkins/the-20-most-devastating-stats-of-2012-in-quotes/] As of 1940, among black females who headed their own households, 52% were 45 years old or older. Moreover, only 14 percent of all black children were born to unmarried women at that time." Fast forward to today and we find that, "Half of all children born to women under 30 in America now are illegitimate. Three in 10 white children are born out of wedlock, as are 53 percent of Hispanic babies and 73 percent of black babies." If we fixed this problem, the poverty rate would plunge, drug use would plummet, prison populations would drop, the suicide rate would dip and we'd be healthier as a society in almost every way imaginable. [http://www.rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/ann-coulter-on-single-mothers-the-statistics-from-guilty/]

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

# 774 (1/27) "...: An Unborn Baby Is Not A Parasite"

NEWS ALERT! Pastor Saeed Moved; Condition worsens; http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-abedini-moved-political-prisoner-ward-in-deadliest-prison-iran-health-concerns-grow

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayer Alert! - Soci, Russia, Olympics > Let's be sure to be praying for God to move against all who would bring harm to the athletes and others. Pray that the security forces would be effective in rooting out any terrorist plans and preventing them from being carried out. Pray for the families of the athletes who must be very anxious for their loved ones being in harm's way. 

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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 

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/ 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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why It’s Time to Overturn Roe: An Unborn Baby Is Not A Parasite" - by Paul Wilson | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 1/22/14;
http://www.lifenews.com/2014/01/22/why-its-time-to-overturn-roe-an-unborn-baby-is-not-a-parasite/ 

Today [1/22] is the 41st anniversary of the worst Supreme Court decision in history. Many will brave the bitter cold and march to wake a soporific nation from its self-satisfied moral slumber. As for my reason for marching – suffice it to say that if not for the bravery of my parents, I would have been just another statistic, along with more than fifty million other aborted children in America alone since 1973.

Each year on January 22, I write on abortion’s connection with a related societal trend. This year, I have news that is simultaneously heartening and tragic. First the good news: the claim that a fetus is merely a “clump of cells” is rapidly going the way of the dodo bird. But the far worse notion that a fetus is a parasite (unless, of course, the mother wants to keep the child, in which case he or she magically becomes a little bundle of joy) is spreading like cancer across the deluded modern world.

This sad excuse for argument has arisen more frequently in recent years. One version recently appeared in the article “No Libertarian Case for Abortion?” which asserts: “If a woman has a property right in her body, she might allow a fetus to take up residence in it or not. If she chooses not to, it’s fundamentally the same as not allowing someone to take up residence in her home.  Abortion, then, is not murder but really eviction. If your tenant is not viable outside of your home does that mean you have to live with him forever? Clearly that would be ridiculous. So why is it so difficult to apply the same principles to a fetus that we would to an adult?” Of course, this assertion rests on the assumption that the fetus is not a child. I doubt even libertarians would support the right of a single mother to “evict” her unwanted five year old child from her home, on the grounds that she did not want it. (Of course, this right may depend on the whim of the individual libertarian, but I digress.)

The vicious assertion of the parasitic nature of the unborn is a relatively new development. Before the advent of advanced ultrasound technology, pro-abortion supporters could simply claim that unborn children were just clumps of cells and let ignorance do the rest. But since science proved that self-proclaimed “defenders of science” were scientifically lacking, new and dumber justifications had to be invented to prop up the sagging cause of abortion. Hence the notion that the unborn child (or fetus) is parasitic; an “unwanted” (read: unexpected) child becomes a dehumanized burden to be borne or disposed of at will.

On a purely evolutionary level, the equation of fetuses with parasites is absurd, since the point of sex, at least from a biological point of view, is reproduction. Human attraction drives man and woman to reproduce; sex is designed (or evolved, if you prefer) for parents to pass their one’s genetic lines to offspring, so that the human race can a) survive and b) adapt. And the more children one has, the more chances one has to influence the bloodline of future generations. Biologically speaking, abortion and contraception are forms of Darwinian suicide.

Parasites, by definition, harm their hosts, taking resources from their carriers without giving anything in return. But hosts do not produce their own parasites! (Or perhaps we should just kill all newborns or ungrateful teenagers as parasites.) Besides, research has shown that cells from the unborn child can actually help heal the mother from illnesses. It would be a rather spectacular biological development for God to create or the universe to evolve a species that would create its own (healing) parasites!

The eternal, seemingly insoluble problem of abortion remains very simple: if what is in the womb is indeed a human, then abortion is murder and should be outlawed. If what remains in the womb is not human, then abortion is not murder and should be permissible. If unknown: well, all bets are off, but prudent men and women should err on the side of life.


Only in a morally corrupt universe, where the only purpose of sex is passing pleasure, could the notion that abortion equals pest control take root. And as the slightly less sane arguments for abortion wither due to their own lack of logic, the darker excuses are being brought forth: the ones that reveal the flagrant contempt for humanity of the “pro-choice” movement.

LifeNews Note: Paul Wilson, a blogger living in the DC area, is the founder and editor of Gray Matters. You can follow him on Twitter at @PaulWilson34.

# 773 (`1/26) SUNDAY SPECIAL - "What Would Wilberforce Do?"

REMINDER/CHALLENGE:  Today, Sunday (1/26), thousands of churches across America will mark the 41^st anniversary of the American Holocaust. It was on Jan. 22, 1973 that our Supreme Court legalized the murder of unborn children and we have collectively destroyed over 55 million lives!  Did YOUR church recognize a Sanctity of Human Life Sunday in ANY way this month. Let’s be sure to honor the Author of All Life and ask forgiveness for our country continuing to destroy its most innocent citizens. . Can we not do this AT LEAST once a year?!!!

NEWS ALERT! Pastor Saeed Moved; Condition worsens; http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-abedini-moved-political-prisoner-ward-in-deadliest-prison-iran-health-concerns-grow

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 

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/ 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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What Would Wilberforce Do?; Show the Facts of Abortion" - By: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: January 20, 2014; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/24316

Sometimes we ask, “What would Jesus do?” On abortion, let’s try asking, “What would Wilberforce do?” 

Friends, it’s time to take stock. It’s been forty-one years since abortion on demand became the law of the land. We’ve watched in horror as the lives of fifty-five million human beings have been snuffed out. We’ve seen countless girls and women tricked or pressured into allowing their own babies to die in the antiseptic—and sometimes not so antiseptic—confines of death chambers known as abortion “clinics.” Our once great nation has become, to use the words of Pope Francis, a “throwaway culture,” in which we discard the unborn.

Many of us are trying to fight the good fight, of course. My dear wife runs a crisis pregnancy center here in New York, working with other valiant people to bring hope and healing to mothers and their babies. Others work in legislatures or the courts to put limits to this industry of death. Others pray, or picket, or give money to help women or to pay for ultrasounds. There are a thousand ways to stand up for human dignity and the sanctity of human life. Thank God for each one!

But as much as we’ve done, it hasn’t been enough. So what else can we do to move toward a better, more humane and just future? Well, I suggest we begin by looking to the past.



As you probably know by now, my hero, William Wilberforce, faced similar if not worse circumstances. The whole culture of his day was broken. Of course, the slave trade was the worst of it. So what did Wilberforce do? This may surprise you—it did me—but, despite all the darkness, he started by assuming the best of his fellow citizens.

Wilberforce felt that if he could only get the facts out to the British people about the slave trade, they would understand that it was an abomination. He knew that most of them simply didn’t know what was really going on. It happened far from their eyes.The British ships traveled to West Africa and took their cargoes of slaves to the West Indies, where the sugar plantations were. The British people had no idea what happened on those ships nor in the plantations. So Wilberforce showed them.He used posters and plaques. He got Josiah Wedgewood, the famous potter, to design a plaque of a slave in chains that said “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” He appealed to people’s sense of decency, justice, and fairness. It took a long time, but Wilberforce, with God’s help, transformed his society, one mind at a time.

So let’s assume that many people—not all—when civilly confronted with the truth of abortion will change their minds, at least in some measure. So we need to tell them, for example, that the U.S. and Canada stand with only China and North Korea as having the most liberal abortion policies in the world. We’ve got to tell them that pro-lifers have been fighting to restrict abortions to twenty weeks in Texas and Arizona while all over Europe abortions are restricted to twelve weeks—the standard in civilized Western nations.

We also need to tell them how so many women who abort walk around with a terrible wound of loss and regret, unable to even talk about it for years because politically correct propaganda labels it “empowering.” e need to tell our neighbors that while we hear so much about “choice,” women actually often have no choice. They would love the choice of being able to keep their baby, but they feel trapped, pressured or often bullied by “boyfriends” or even family members.
John Stonestreet and I will have more to say about all this in the coming days. But we can start by taking a page from the Wilberforce playbook and get these and other facts about the abortion culture to our fellow citizens just as he did with the horrid, entrenched institution of slavery. Let us do it civilly, albeit passionately—and see what God might do.



RESOURCES:
How Abortion Hurts Women (and Men) fact sheet - http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/Document_Links/How_Abortion_Hurts_Women_fact_sheet_final.pdf) As Eric suggested, it's time to take stock. Click on the fact sheet link to get the real facts about abortion as well as information about organizations that deal with this specific issue. Share what you've learned with those in your circles of influence.

Amazing Grace DVD ( http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=5557794182) - Note: This is also one of my most favorite movies and about one of my all-time heroes. If you've never seen this movie, take the time to find it and watch it. Incredibly well-done and inspiring (even though it only tells part of the many things William Wilberforce did in the name of Christ.) - Stan

"Pro-Life Movement to Ban Abortions Follows in the Footsteps of William Wilberforce" - by Carol Tobias | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 1/24/14; http://www.lifenews.com/2014/01/24/pro-life-movement-to-ban-abortions-follows-in-the-footsteps-of-william-wilberforce/ 

# 772 (1/25) "A CULTURE THAT CELEBRATES ABORTION WILLS ITS OWN DESTRUCTION"

REMINDER/CHALLENGE:  NEXTSunday (1/26), thousands of churches across America will mark the 41^st anniversary of the American Holocaust. It was on Jan. 22, 1973 that our Supreme Court legalized the murder of unborn children and we have collectively destroyed over 55 million lives! If your church did note this last Sunday, call your pastor and  ask how your church will recognize a Sanctity of Human Life Sunday this month. Let’s be sure to honor the Author of All Life and ask forgiveness for our country continuing to destroy its most innocent citizens. . Can we not do this AT LEAST once a year?!!!

NEWS ALERT! Pastor Saeed Moved; Condition worsens; http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-abedini-moved-political-prisoner-ward-in-deadliest-prison-iran-health-concerns-grow

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
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/ 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] 

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.]  

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.] 

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/ 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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"A CULTURE THAT CELEBRATES ABORTION WILLS ITS OWN DESTRUCTION" - By: David Limbaugh,1/24/2014; http://www.humanevents.com/2014/01/24/a-culture-that-celebrates-abortion-wills-its-own-destruction/ 



At a time when more and more Americans are coming to an awareness of how evil abortion is, President Barack Obama, the most fiercely pro-abortionist president in our history, is digging his heels in further.This week, he made his annual statement glorifying this hideous practice on the anniversary of the infernal 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which greatly restricted abortion laws. Obama’s statement was as unapologetic as it was grotesque, celebrating an abominable procedure that ought to be outlawed — not glamorized, as the left does with it. Before you accuse me of hyperbole, be advised that Democratic National Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz wished Roe v. Wade a happy 41st birthday. “Happy”?

Obama said, “Today, as we reflect on the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, we recommit ourselves to the decision’s guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health. “We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting a woman’s access to safe, affordable health care and her constitutional right to privacy, including the right to reproductive freedom.“And we resolve to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, and continue to build safe and healthy communities for all our children, because this is a country where everyone deserves the same freedom and opportunities to fulfill their dreams.”

No one is trying to interfere with women’s autonomy over their own bodies, except when another body and life is involved. It is sheer sophistry and misdirection to argue that abortion opponents are on a crusade against women’s liberty. This formulation conveniently — and repugnantly — factors out of the equation the innocent child involved.

It is dishonest for Obama to couch this issue in terms of women’s health. Most pro-lifers, in fact, acknowledge an exception in those rare cases when the mother’s life is in danger. Women’s health isn’t the issue, and pro-abortionists know that. The only thing interfering with a woman’s “choices about her … health” these days is Obamacare. If maximizing health care choices were what is driving Obama, he would repeal Obamacare.

Nor does abortion have anything to do with privacy under any stretch of the English language; I don’t care what the misguided Supreme Court said to the contrary in 1973. No amount of rhetorical legalese on “emanations” and “penumbras” can pollute our common sense into believing that a woman has a right to terminate the life of an innocent child she is carrying as a matter of constitutional privacy. No wonder some people have contempt for lawyers.

Obama has the audacity to talk about safe and healthy communities for all our children? Aborted babies are children, and Obama and his pro-abortionists are not making any of them safe. Indeed, since Roe, an estimated 55 million babies have been snuffed out in the name of women’s choice and health and now children’s safety? Now that’s chutzpah! The number of babies killed in abortions in New York City in 2010 (83,750) would fill the seats in MetLife Stadium, where the Super Bowl is scheduled to be played this year.

But perhaps the most offensive sentence in Obama’s statement was the last one, in which he attempted to fold the right to abortion into the American dream. Has he no shame? No amount of presidential spin will alter the irreversible fact that 55 million Americans were never given an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. How could any human being believe that preserving legal protection for other human beings to terminate the lives of yet other human beings is giving them an “opportunity to fill their dreams”? Are some people so dark-hearted that they consider killing babies an opportunity to fulfill dreams?

It is high time that people who can still find their moral compass through the nihilistic morass that is corrupting our culture start speaking out and quit allowing the left to turn our values, our language and, yes, our sanity on their heads. Postmodernism and moral relativism will lead to the destruction of all three, as the late Malcolm Muggeridge prophetically observed.

Some other civilizations, Muggeridge noted, were destroyed by external forces, but Western man has “had the unique distinction of training its own destroyers at its own educational institutions, and then providing them with facilities for propagating their destructive ideology far and wide, all at the public expense. Thus did Western Man decide to abolish himself, creating his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own vulnerability out of his own strength, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, himself blowing the trumpet that brought the walls of his own city tumbling down, and having convinced himself that he was too numerous, labored with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer. Until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keeled over — a weary, battered old brontosaurus — and became extinct.”

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book, “The Great Destroyer,” reached No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list for nonfiction.