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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PASCAL SAURA/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom [1]
"Americans Spend More on Pets Than on Nuclear Weapons" - By Michaela Dodge,January 14, 2014
[AS I SEE IT: While I don't understand all that this article explains, it is alarming that at a time when those who stand against us are becoming more threatening, we are scaling back on that which determines our national security. With all the waste in spending that our leaders are responsible for, it would seem that they would be able to find the money to keep us well equipped to defend ourselves rather than actually scaling back on such needs. And while there is always some waste in our defense budget and so I do not buy into just approving ANY money that the military asks, it does seem that scaling back on that which is unquestionably critical makes no sense.- Stan (P.S. - I am one pet owner who does not spend lavishly on my cat Purrty so it must be those other guys who spend so much. :) ]
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report [2] released last week estimates that the cost of nuclear forces for 2014–2023 will be $355 billion—an average of $39.4 billion a year. Nuclear forces are essential for U.S. national security, which makes this investment negligible [3]; indeed, Americans spend much more on their pets [4].The CBO’s report also included activities that the nation would have to pursue regardless of whether it has nuclear weapons. For example, the CBO estimate includes $107 billion for “missile defense and other defenses.”
The U.S. needs to develop its missile defense. North Korea and Iran are developing [5] capabilities that could strike the U.S. and its allies from anywhere in the world in less than 33 minutes [6]. It is much easier [7] to threaten population and economic centers, which the U.S. values, than to take down military and leadership targets, which the U.S. adversaries value. Strategic force posture—of which missile defense is a part—needs to reflect this asymmetry. It should deny adversaries and potential adversaries any benefit from blackmailing the U.S. and its allies and deter large-scale attacks on U.S. interests.
Between 2014 and 2023, the U.S. will pay $34 billion for threat reduction and arms control implementation—a significant cost, especially considering that Russia, a major U.S. arms control partner, is violating [8] its political and legal arms control obligations. Rather than dismantling its own arsenal, the U.S. should focus on nuclear weapons and infrastructure modernization.
U.S. nuclear weapons infrastructure continues to be underfunded. Funding for supporting the weapons infrastructure includes nuclear dismantlement, sustainment of the nuclear infrastructure, follow-on strategic systems, and sustainment of warheads currently in the stockpile.
The CBO estimates the costs for new delivery systems (intercontinental-range ballistic missiles, submarines, and bombers) at $76 billion over the next decade. To put that in perspective, in 2011 alone, Americans spent $61 billion on their pets.
The U.S. currently sustains [3], not modernizes, its nuclear weapons arsenal. It follows the policy of no new nuclear weapons and no new missions or capabilities for the weapons the U.S. currently deploys.
The CBO attributes 25 percent of the new bomber cost to nuclear forces. The new bomber, however, won’t be nuclear certified until about 15 years after [9] it enters the force. The CBO attributed 100 percent of the costs associated with the B-2 bomber to the nuclear mission, even though the majority of missions that the bomber flies today are conventional.The CBO also notes that fixed costs for infrastructure “and other factors” mean that a partial reduction in the size of the force from cuts to any of the current systems that make up the nuclear triad would be likely to result in cost savings that were proportionally less than the relative reduction in the force.
This means that the U.S. wouldn’t save substantive resources by cutting its nuclear forces. Indeed, the effect would be just the opposite [10] as the world is becoming more dangerous and U.S. assurances are more sought after than ever.
The United States must continue to sustain and should modernize its nuclear weapons infrastructure, delivery systems, and nuclear warheads. Not doing so will result in emboldened adversaries, more nuclear weapons in the world, and allies questioning U.S. commitment to their security.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/14/americans-spend-pets-nuclear-weapons/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/missile130520.jpg
[2] report: http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/12-19-2013-NuclearForces.pdf
[3] negligible: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/01/bait-and-switch-on-nuclear-modernization-must-stop
[4] more on their pets: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/22/americans-spend-61-billion-on-pets-annually
[5] developing: http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/2013/05/does-north-korea-have-a-missile-deliverable-nuclear-weapon
[6] 33 minutes: http://33-minutes.com/33-minutes/
[7] easier: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/11/deterrence-and-nuclear-targeting-in-the-21st-century
[8] violating: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/12/russia-s-arms-control-violations-what-the-us-should-do
[9] 15 years after: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/11/nuclear-certification-for-a-new-bomber
[10] opposite: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/06/obama-s-wish-to-cut-nuclear-arsenal-undermines-national-security
Copyright © 2014 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment