Newslinks 01/10/09

January 10, 2010 at 12:32 pm | Posted in Newslinks | Leave a comment
Tags: 2012, abortion, Afghanistan, AIDS, Al Qaeda, Allah, Amanda Simpson, assisted suicide, ateasetees, bailout, Bible, Big Brother, biochemist, bishop, Brit Hume, budget, cap, car bomb, Catholic, charity, Christian, Christmas, Chuck Smith, church, Congress, Constitution, criminal, death, Democrat, DHS, diversity visa, do something, drive by shooting, ELCA, embassy, evangelism, Fannie Mae, fear, First Lutheran Church, flight, Freddie Mac, full body scanner, gay, Gitmo, God, grace, healthcare, hell, HIV, home school, Homeland Security, homophobia, hope, immigration, independent, international, Iran, Iraq, Jesus, judgment, legality, lesbian, LGBT, love, Malaysia, mercy, merger, Michael Leiter, military, mob, Montana, Moody Bible Institute, Muslim, Napolitano, NARAL, National Marriage Week, Newslinks, Newt Gingrich, Nigeria, no fly list, North Korea, Obama, Pelosi, Planned Parenthood, Polaris Project, poverty, Pray for America, pro-life, prophecy, publicity, Ray Stevens, Republican, retail, Rick Warren, same sex marriage, Sarah Palin, security, sex offender, sin, ski vacation, slavery, split, Steven Baldwin, suspended, Tea Party, teacher, terror, tetrapod, Tim Tebow, traps, treasury, truth, U.S., vampire, We The People, White House, Yemen

Sunday’s Newslinks brought to you by At Ease Tees

 

DHS Plans to Catch Only One in Four Travelers Committing ‘Major’ Criminal Violations While Entering U.S. on International Fights in 2010
(CNSNews.com) – Documents produced by the Department of Homeland Security indicate that in fiscal 2010, the department is planning to catch only 26 percent of travelers committing major criminal violations while seeking to enter the United States through international airports. DHS documents also indicate that the department will fail to screen against law enforcement databases 15 percent of travelers entering the United States in 2010 through all official ports of entry.

Pro-Abortion Advocates Praise Abortionist, Blast Pro-Life Efforts
(CNSNews.com) — The pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America is asking visitors to its Web site to cast votes for the person who has done the most for their movement. Nominations include abortionist LeRoy Carhart, who is one of the few to perform late-term abortions in his Nebraska clinic.

Combat-Related U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan Double Over Last Year, IEDs Major Cause
(CNSNews.com) – There were 272 combat-related deaths of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan in 2009, as this story went to press on Dec. 31. That number is more than double the 135 combat-related deaths in 2008. The majority of the combat-related deaths in 2009 were caused by roadside bombs, also known as improvised explosive devices.

More question legality of Senate healthcare bill
Constitutional historian David Barton says American courts would have to overturn their last 80 years of jurisprudence to uphold the constitutionality of the healthcare bill in Congress.

Senate abortion support may lead to legal battles
Healthcare reform could lead to court battles if the Senate bill becomes law.
Treasury lifts bailout cap
A regulatory policy expert says the Obama administration is pursuing an odd strategy designed to prop up the housing market – make even more bad mortgage loans.
Church votes to split from ELCA over homosexual clergy
The congregation of the First Lutheran Church of Harvey, ND, has cast the first of two votes to split from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

 Prospects rosy for adult stem-cell treatments
The past decade spelled success in research with adult stem cells.

Pray for America Campaigns Kick Off 2010

Rick Warren’s End-of-Year Plea Raises $2.4M for Church

Malaysian Gov’t to Appeal Christian ‘Allah’ Ruling

Obama Returns from Church-Less Christmas Vacation

Montana Becomes 3rd State to OK Doctor-Assisted Suicide

Report Finds Over 1,200 Crimes Against Churches in 2009

U.S. Pastors Encouraged to Join Nat’l Marriage Week Effort

Pastor Chuck Smith to Be Released from Hospital

Ministry Launches Effort to Plant Prayer Rooms Across All U.S. Colleges

Muslim Mob in Pakistan Wounds Christian Family

Obama’s 2010 budget includes ‘poverty traps’
Remember when candidate Barack Obama said he wanted to “spread the wealth around”? One researcher suggests he’s been successful in doing that.

Perspective: The faith of Tebow, the ire of the left
The media’s secular left already dislikes Tim Tebow’s public faith. Think about their reaction if he shows up in a pro-life Super Bowl ad…

A fine line – sex offenders in church
A North Carolina judge has struck down part of a state law restricting activities of registered sex offenders.

NARAL recognition a badge of honor
A national pro-life group views its recent recognition as a distinct honor.

Is Napolitano on the ropes?
Immigration reform proponent William Gheen is calling for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in the wake of the attempted hijacking of a U.S. airliner Christmas Day. Time to replace Napolitano (commentary by Star Parker)

Car Bomb Explodes Near Iraqi Church; Dozen People Injured

Malaysian Gov’t Appeals Ruling on Christian ‘Allah’ Use

U.K. Teacher Suspended after Offering to Pray for Student

Stephen Baldwin Takes His Faith to the Celebrity Big Brother House

Moody Bible Institute, Michigan Theological Seminary Complete Merger

Homeland Security’s National Operations Center ‘Unable’ to Do Its Job, Inspector General Finds
(CNSNews.com) – The Homeland Security Department’s National Operations Center (NOC) is “unable” to do its job of ensuring coordination among the 22 federal agencies that make up the Department of Homeland Security and focuses too much on disaster management rather than terrorism prevention, according to its own inspector general. After Hurricane Katrina, “the NOC began to dedicate most of its resources to emergency management rather than terrorism prevention. Many NOC staff contend that this shift in focus is detrimental to NOC intelligence and law enforcement functions,” the report says.

Pro-Life Advocates Plan to Protest Opening of Largest Abortion Clinic in U.S.
(CNSNews.com) – A coalition of pro-life advocates and religious leaders plans to gather in Houston on Jan. 18 to oppose what is expected to be the largest abortion clinic in the country. Planned Parenthood is renovating a former bank into a 78,000 square foot facility, which will include a surgical wing equipped to provide late-term abortions. “It’s an abortion super center,” one pro-life activist said.

White House to State AGs: No ‘Legitimate Constitutional Concerns’ in Senate Health Care Bill
(CNSNews.com) – The White House on Tuesday dismissed the concerns of 13 state attorneys general about the constitutionality of a clause in the Senate health care bill that singles out Nebraska for special treatment when it comes to covering the cost of expanding Medicaid coverage. “I have not seen the letter from the attorneys general” but “I do not believe that anybody has legitimate constitutional concerns about the legislation,” said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Pelosi Pledged to Give Public ‘Ample Amount of Time’ to Read Final Health Bill
(CNSNews.com) – While Nancy Pelosi is now dodging a request from C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb to open up House-Senate negotiations over the final version of the health-care bill so C-SPAN’s cameras can show them to the public, back in July she pledged she would give the public an “ample amount of time” to read the final bill before brining it to a vote. Listen to her say it.

Democrats and Republicans Oppose Obama Move Giving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Unlimited Funding
(CNSNews.com) – Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike are blasting the Treasury Department’s Christmas Eve announcement that it will send unlimited tax money to failed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, thereby eliminating the current $400 billion cap on emergency aid that Treasury can give without having to come back to Congress for authorization. This means Treasury can continue to manage the companies, which were seized last year, until the end of President Obama’s current term.

State Department Using ‘Diversity Visas’ to Encourage Immigration to U.S. from Terror-Ridden Yemen
(CNSNews.com) –The State Department has awarded 1,011 special “diversity visas” allowing Yemeni nationals to immigrate to the United States since 2000, the year of the terror attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden. The “diversity visas” are designed to encourage immigration from countries that do not otherwise send significant numbers of people to the United States.

Control-conscious Dems seek unorthodox route
Congressional Democrats will apparently bypass a conference committee in order to get healthcare reform passed more quickly.

Perspective: Obama and the Vampire Congress
Instead of a promised ethical and transparent administration, Democrats have delivered a creepy legislative environment that could double as a Twilight movie set.

Sour notes – ‘homophobia’ and music ed
The Illinois Family Institute is weighing in on an intriguing article that appeared in the December issue of the Music Educators Journal.

Restrictive home school legislation up for vote
New Hampshire lawmakers are set to vote on a bill that one attorney has described as “the most anti-home school legislation ever conceived” in that state.

Schools agree to end Bible distribution
Public school officials in Wilson County, Tennessee, have agreed to stop distributing Bibles to students during the school day on school grounds.

Persecution List: N. Korea, Iran Top Oppressors of Christians

Churches Called to ‘Do Something’

Southern Baptist Pastor Counters 2012 Doomsday ‘Prophecies’

Orthodox Christmas Marked Amid Protests in Bethlehem

Best Christian Workplaces Announced for 2010

U.S. Embassy in Nigeria Had ‘Major Problems,’ State Department Inspection Found
(CNSNews.com) – The most recent State Department inspection, conducted in 2002, found that the U.S. consulate in Lagos was “in serious trouble” due to chronic staff shortages, while the U.S. embassy in Abuja relied primarily on junior staff, contract employees, and State Department retirees on temporary assignment to fill “key positions.” The report found that the lack of key staff hampered any and all “substantial progress” at the embassy, preventing it from making improvements in any of its functions.

U.S. Paid for Full-Body Scanners at Nigeria’s Four International Airports in 2007
(CNSNews.com) – The four international airports in Nigeria are equipped with full-body scanners — the same technology that the United States and other countries are now scrambling to put into place following the attempted bombing of an American airliner on Christmas Day by a Nigerian terrorist. The scanners in Nigeria were paid for by the United States and installed in 2007, according to the State Department’s 2008 Country Reports on Terrorism.

One in Five Gitmo Suspects Returns to Terror, Pentagon Finds
(CNSNews.com) – A Defense Department spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that Pentagon officials are working to declassify a report showing that almost 20 percent of the prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba are either confirmed or suspected to have engaged in terrorism again. That’s almost double the recidivism rate reported in December 2008.

Less Than One Percent of ‘Known or Suspected Terrorists’ Were Put on ‘No Fly’ List
(CNSNews.com) – As of one month ago, less than one percent of the people designated as “known or suspected terrorists” by the U.S. government had been put on the “No Fly” list that the Department of Homeland Security uses to screen air travelers, according to data provided to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Dec. 9.

Man in Charge of Analyzing Terror-Threat Info Did Not Interrupt Ski Vacation After Attempted Airplane Bombing, Report Says
(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama did not interrupt his Hawaiian vacation when a Nigerian man tried to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner over Michigan on Christmas Day, and neither did Michael Leiter, the director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. Leiter — appointed by President George W. Bush — was mentioned Thursday on cable TV outlets as someone who eventually may be fired as a result of the major security breach.

Ray Stevens’ Song ‘We the People’ Becoming Anthem of Tea Party Movement
(CNSNews.com) – Grammy Award-winning music artist Ray Stevens has recorded a song that is fast becoming the anthem of the Tea Party Movement.
“We the People” is about Obamacare and the health-care reform bills that have passed both houses of Congress.

Brit Hume: Media Backlash Over His Remarks to Tiger Woods About Christianity Reflects ‘A Double Standard’
(CNSNews.com) – Fox News analyst Brit Hume said he was “not surprised” by the media backlash over his remark that Tiger Woods look to Christianity for help in redeeming his personal life. Hume says there is a “double-standard” when it comes to speaking publicly about Christianity versus other religions.

Obama appoints transgendered LGBT activist
President Obama has named Amanda Simpson to a post in the Commerce Department, making Simpson perhaps the first-ever transgender appointment in a U.S. presidential administration.

Jesus Christ – ‘two most explosive words,’ says Hume
Fox News analyst Brit Hume says he doesn’t regret urging Tiger Woods to become a Christian so the golfer can find forgiveness for marital infidelity.

Perspective: Sarah Palin – Wrong prescription for America?
The former GOP VP candidate isn’t smart enough to be president, you say? Not articulate enough? Has poor judgment? Don’t get me started…

‘Wrecking ball’ wrong approach to reform
The president of a non-partisan seniors’ advocacy group says two U.S. senators who decided not to seek re-election are the first victims of a senior citizen tsunami.

War on terror primarily a ‘war against young Muslim men’
Terrorism expert Robert Spencer disagrees with the premise of a newly released U.S. government study on homegrown terrorism that contends extremism is contrary to the true teachings of Islam.

Obama Administration Underestimated the Immediate Threat Posed by ‘Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’
(CNSNews.com) – President Obama and his White House counterterrorism adviser on Thursday accepted responsibility for attempted terror attack on Christmas Day that could have knocked an airliner out of the sky over Michigan. “We didn’t know [al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] had progressed to the point of actually launching individuals here,” John Brennan said Thursday. “We knew that they sought to strike the United States and that they were recruiting operatives to do so,” Obama said.

Obama Declares America ‘At War’ with Al Qaeda, Offers New Security Initiatives
(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama is directing all intelligence to be “distributed more rapidly and more widely” among federal agencies; he wants greater integration of intelligence analysis; and he’s order security agencies to immediately add more people to the terrorism watch list, specifically the “no fly” list.

More Independents Choosing ‘Conservative’ in Obama’s First Year, Survey Says
(CNSNews.com) – According to a compilation of all Gallup political identification surveys from 2009, 40 percent of Americans identified themselves as conservatives, more than the 36 percent who answered moderate and far more than the 21 percent who answered liberal. The percentage of American Independents who identified as conservatives – 35 percent – increased at the fastest rate in 10 years between 2008 and 2009.

Catholic Bishops Launch New Push for Immigration Reform, Pathway to Citizenship
(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is launching a new push to get immigration-reform legislation enacted in 2010. The group backs a Democrat-sponsored bill that grants a pathway to citizenship for people who came to this country illegally.

Pelosi ‘crazy,’ ‘very confused’ on church teachings
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent interview with Newsweek Magazine is creating a stir in the pro-life community.

Children best served by mom’s lesbian relationship?
An official with the Illinois Family Institute says it’s outrageous that a judge has permitted a mother to take her children from their dad in order to move in with her lesbian partner.

‘Obama Doctrine’ detrimental to U.S.
National defense analyst Frank Gaffney agrees with the assessment of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that Americans are less safe than they were a year ago when Barack Obama took office.

Perspective: To profile or not to profile
Observing strange behavior is a legitimate and needed part of law enforcement and airline security. It is not “profiling.”

U.S. missionary’s NK incursion: Publicity stunt?
An advocate for persecuted Christians calls U.S. missionary Robert Park’s incursion into North Korea on Christmas Eve a “publicity stunt” that’s likely to do more harm than good.

N.J. Senate Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Bill

World Vision: Anti-Gay Bill Could Undermine HIV/AIDS Work

Egyptian Police Arrest Suspects in Drive-By Church Shooting

Tetrapod Footprint Discovery Busts Evolutionary Paradigm, Says Biochemist

Christian Retailers Target Mega-Retailers in Federal Probe

California gay marriage opponent fears for his life
An outspoken gay marriage opponent serving as an official litigant defending the state’s ban on same-sex weddings on Friday asked a judge to remove him from the lawsuit because he feared the trial would generate publicity that could endanger him and his family.

Pro-life group scrutinizing Catholic charity
American Life League is challenging the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Churches attacked amid ‘Allah’ dispute
Malaysian officials say attackers have fire-bombed one church and tried to set another ablaze amid a growing conflict over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims.

Fellowship trains to fight slavery
The Polaris Project is bringing the next generation into the anti-slavery and anti-trafficking movement.

U.S. missionary’s NK incursion: Publicity stunt?
An advocate for persecuted Christians calls U.S. missionary Robert Park’s incursion into North Korea on Christmas Eve a “publicity stunt” that’s likely to do more harm than good.