UNITING BELIEVERS TO PRAY . . .   DECEMBER 14, 2011

PRAYER SURGE NOW!

Our Internet Freedom is under assault. The bill is being marked up December 15. The Internet Commerce Association warns the bill "could be a death knell for all domains that provide a platform for user-generated content." (Contributor: Thomas - Library of Congress, Capitol Hill Prayer Partners, Conservative Action Alerts) 

 "Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect)." (1 Thessalonians 5:6) Amplified

Congress Poised to Take Spectrum Auction Action

Congress could adopt legislation this week that would pave the way for the FCC to conduct incentive auctions of TV spectrum and share the proceeds of those auctions with broadcasters that voluntarily give up their spectrum. The House is expected to vote tomorrow or Wednesday on a major GOP jobs package called "The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011," to which the spectrum auction proposal adopted early this month by the House Communications Subcommittee has been attached.

The House spectrum measure, authored by House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), has the blessing of the NAB because it contains protections for stations that chose not to relinquish their spectrum. Once the House acts, the package is expected to move on to the Senate and win final approval by Friday or over the weekend. But there is still a possibility that the spectrum provisions could be dropped from the jobs package if Republicans and Democrats are unable to settle their differences over several critical issues, some of which are incidental to the auction authority. . .

Chief among them is a provisions dealing with the allocation of the so-called D-block spectrum to establish a national broadband public safety network. House Democrats are objecting primarily to provisions dealing with the governance and funding of the public safety network.

And the Democrats are also unhappy with a controversial provision that would prohibit the FCC from applying its net neutrality rules to any new spectrum holder. . . It's D-block and net neutrality that are seen now as the real sticking points.

"In the negotiation process, those are going to be harder to deal with and more important to get resolved than the broadcaster issues," says a broadcast industry source close to the negotiations. "It is all up in the air; there are so many moving parts," he says. "If they can't come to an agreement, they may say, 'let's deal with it next year.'" (Contributor: TVNewsCheck, December 12, 2011)     "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

(Matthew 6:10)

H.R. 373: Increasing Scrutiny of Federal Regulations  

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently approved a bill that would increase scrutiny of regulations, reduce unfunded mandates and help bring economic growth.

New federal laws and regulations are taking a toll on small business owners, as well as state and local governments. In such a difficult economic environment, it is important that we hold the federal government accountable for the hidden costs of federal policies.

Read H.R. 373 by going here. (Contributor: Thomas - Library of Congress)   

 "A false balance and unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive and shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the willful contrariness and crookedness of the treacherous shall destroy them." (Proverbs 11:1,3) Amplified

The House GOP is looking to 'strip' TSA screeners of 'officer' title. More than two dozen House Republicans introduced legislation on Thursday that would prevent the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) from calling airport screeners "officer" unless they have gone through federal law enforcement training or are otherwise eligible for federal law enforcement benefits. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), the lead sponsor of the Stop TSA's Reach in Policy (STRIP) Act, said that TSA has essentially allowed its airport screeners to play dress up by giving them metal badges and police-like uniforms in recent years. But she said many airport screeners have no "officer" qualifications, and should have this title removed.

She also said giving airport screeners police-like uniforms has led to problems. She said in New Jersey, a screener was arrested for impersonating an officer, and a Virginia woman was raped by a screener after he approached her showing his TSA badge.

"It is outrageous that in a post 9/11 world that the American people should have to live in fear of those whose job it is to keep us safe," Blackburn said. "Congress has sat idly by as the TSA strip searches 85 year old grandmothers in New York, pats down 3 year olds in Chattanooga, and checks colostomy bags for explosives in Orlando.

"Enough is enough!" she added. "The least we can do is end this impersonation which is an insult to real cops."

The bill, H.R. 3608, has 25 Republican co-sponsors, including House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.). (Contributor: GovTrack)   

 "May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor."

(Psalm 72:4)

Supreme Court will not review Second Circuit decision preventing churches from using school facilities; churches denied access because of religious speech. The Supreme Court will not review a case that was decided by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year, in which the court held that New York City public schools can rent school facilities to community groups after-hours, while at the same time denying churches' requests to rent the space.   

The Second Circuit's decision approved the NYC Board of Education's policy of prohibiting the use of facilities for "religious worship services," saying the policy did not constitute viewpoint discrimination.  Because the Supreme Court declined to review the decision, the Second Circuit's ruling will stand.  According to one report, "The decision means about 60 churches have less than a month to find new spaces for their congregations."  The church at issue in the case had opted to save money by paying a relatively small fee to rent school facilities on the weekends, avoiding the significant cost of renting or purchasing a permanent facility.   

The church was allowed to continue meeting in the facility while the case was pending, but will now be forced to find a new venue.  According to an Alliance Defense Fund attorney representing the church in the case, "Churches and other religious groups should be able to meet in public buildings on the same terms as other community groups. 

They should not be excluded simply because of the religious nature of their speech."

Coalition sent letters to federal agencies opposing religious liberty in hiring practices. This week, in a continuation of the battle over the right of faith-based organizations to preserve their religious identities by hiring individuals that share their religious beliefs, a coalition of more than fifty organizations such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Secular Coalition for America, sent letters to the Offices of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships in fourteen federal agencies.  The letters, an example of which can be found here, clearly emphasize the groups' opposition to the Administration's current policy that allows faith-based organizations that contract with the federal government to nevertheless consider religion in their employment decisions.  From the sample letter:

"The Coalition Against Religious Discrimination . . . writes to seek information about how the Obama Administration determines whether religious organizations may discriminate when hiring for government-funded positions.  Administration officials have repeatedly stated that the Administration makes this determination on a 'case-by-case' basis, yet it has never explained that standard it applies or the process it uses for the analysis." 

The coalition sent letters to federal departments and agencies including Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Corporation for National and Community Services.

In August 2011, Reps. Randy Forbes and Mike McIntyre, Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, sent a letter to President Obama urging him to maintain religious hiring rights for faith-based organizations that perform contract work for the federal government.  Members of the Prayer Caucus will continue monitoring this important issue to ensure that faith-based organizations are able to preserve their religious identities while also maintaining their presence in the public square.

Atheist group places anti-religious sign in Mississippi Capitol to counter nativity scene. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) received permission to post its own sign in the Mississippi Capitol Building, countering a nativity scene that is also on display. FFRF's sign says, "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. . . . Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds." FFRF says the sign is meant to protest the state's decision to display the nativity scene. http://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrfs-sign-in-mississippi-capitol-counters-creche1/\

U.S. Forest Service receives over 95,000 comments on WWII memorial statue of Jesus. In the last month, Forest Service officials received over 95,000 comments about whether a World War II memorial statue of Jesus should be allowed to remain in Montana's Flathead National Forest. The Knights of Columbus erected the statue in the early 1950s and this year, the Forest Service ordered the statue's removal citing concerns about potential litigation. The Forest Service then withdrew its initial decision to remove the statue and opened the matter for public comment. Regarding the comments that have been submitted, the official leading the public review said, "It's not a count. We are evaluating and summarizing the comments, and we are considering anything that will help inform the decision-maker on pertinent issues." http://missoulian.com/news/local/over-send-comments-on-big-mountain-s-jesus-statue/article_f0927a80-20e7-11e1-9560-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1fxL61DAO

California city council considers displaying "In God We Trust" in city building; inspired by U.S. House of Representatives' recent vote to reaffirm the motto. The Malibu City Council is considering a proposal to display the national motto in its city hall. A council member approached the Mayor Pro Tem about considering the measure "because she was passionate about the issue following the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of a nonbinding measure last month to [reaffirm the motto]."  The Mayor Pro Tem said, "If Congress felt that strongly about it, that they voted to reaffirm the motto, then it is something worth discussing in Malibu." http://malibu.patch.com/articles/malibu-could-put-its-trust-in-god

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"We Need An Intervention By God"

Johannes Facius

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