Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

UN to Make Ban on Criticizing Islam Mandatory?
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsWND -
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning;Persecution

Expected proposal would criminalize such comments in U.S.

Muslim-dominated nations at the United Nations are once again pushing a religious "anti-defamation" plan that would bar worldwide all criticism of their founder Muhammad and his teaching.

According to a report by CNN's Lou Dobbs posted on YouTube, the proposal that has been repeatedly brought in recent years by the Organization of Islamic Conference states is expected to resurface as early as this spring.

This time, however, the resolution wouldn't allow nations to opt out.

"The United Nations has adopted what it calls a Resolution to Combat Defamation of Religion," Dobbs said in the report. "The U.N. now wants to make that anti-blasphemy resolution binding on member nations, including, of course, our own. That would make it a crime in the United States ... to criticize religion, in particular, Islam."

Constitutional lawyer Floyd Abrams said in the report, "What they would do would be to make it illegal to put out a movie or write a book or a poem that somebody could say was defamatory of Islam."

Columnist Chuck Hustmyre highlighted some of the practices of nations where Islam already has special protections from criticism.

"Afghanistan and some other OIC member nations impose the death penalty on those who convert from Islam to another religion," he wrote.

The anti-defamation resolutions began with describing the "need" to protect Islam and in recent years has developed into a call for the protection for "religions" from defamation.

However, the only religion specifically cited, in fact, is Islam.

The Muslim nations have sought to have member states enact laws banning such "blasphemy."

The plan expected to be introduced soon, however, will include a recommendation to the U.N. Human Rights Council that the ban be made binding on member nations, the report said.

The need for a mandatory rule was cited by Pakistan's Ambassador Masood Khan, reported Hustmyre, who also cited the apparent implementation of the plan already.

He reported in India, police arrested the editor of an English-language newspaper after it reprinted a British article titled, "Why Should I Respect These Oppressive Religions?"

Newspaper officials were accused of "hurting the religious feelings" of Muslims.

The ACLJ, in promoting its petition to raise awareness of the campaign, said, "The fact is this: The proposal, while purportedly to protect against 'defamation of religions,' is frequently used as a weapon to silence religious minorities, including Christians in many countries.

"The resolution actually targets anyone who speaks negatively in any way about Islam. Sharing your faith would become an international crime punishable by imprisonment – or death," the ACLJ said.

Fox News religion contributor Lauren Green previously reported the encroachment of the plan already.

"But you say, 'That can’t happen,' or 'that would be ludicrous.' The fact is, it's already happening. Christians and other minority religions in predominantly Islamic areas or countries are being persecuted to barbaric levels. Reports from Nairobi, Kenya, say that one aid worker was beheaded in September for converting from Islam to Christianity; the Iranian government has already passed a bill calling for execution on the basis of apostasy (anyone converting from Islam to another religion), and of course we've seen the violence that erupted over the Danish cartoon of the prophet Mohammed," Green said.

An ACLJ analysis found the OIC "uses the religious defamation concept as both a shield and a sword. In Islamic countries, blasphemy laws are used as a shield to protect the dominant religion, but even more dangerously, they are used to silence minority religious believers and prevent Muslims from converting to other faiths, which is still a capital crime in many Islamic countries."

The U.S. State Department also has found the proposal unpalatable.

"This resolution is incomplete inasmuch as it fails to address the situation of all religions," said a statement from Leonard Leo. "We believe that such inclusive language would have furthered the objective of promoting religious freedom. We also believe that any resolution on this topic must include mention of the need to change educational systems that promote hatred of other religions, as well as the problem of state-sponsored media that negatively targets any one religion."

The Door to Absolution
Mar 7th, 2009
CommentaryTBC
Categories: False Doctrine;Bible Salvation

In recent months, dioceses around the world have been offering Catholics a spiritual benefit that fell out of favor decades ago - the indulgence, a sort of amnesty from punishment in the afterlife - and reminding them of the church's clout in mitigating the wages of sin. The fact that many Catholics under 50 have never sought one, and never heard of indulgences except in high school European history (Martin Luther denounced the selling of them in 1517 while igniting the Protestant Reformation), simply makes their reintroduction more urgent among church leaders bent on restoring fading traditions of penance in what they see as a self-satisfied world.

"Why are we bringing it back?" asked Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, who has embraced the move. "Because there is sin in the world." Like the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays, the indulgence was one of the traditions decoupled from mainstream Catholic practice in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council, the gathering of bishops that set a new tone of simplicity and informality for the church.

The indulgence is among the less noticed and less disputed traditions to be restored. But with a thousand-year history and volumes of church law devoted to its intricacies, it is one of the most complicated to explain. According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.

There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one - the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 - but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day. It has no currency in the bad place.
(Vitello, "For Catholics, a Door to Absolution Is Reopened," New York Times, February 9, 2009).

[TBC: It is a wonderful freedom to see the Bible's remedy for the sin of the world. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

That Surreal Gaza Reconstruction Conference
Mar 7th, 2009
CommentaryFrontPageMagazine.com - Mar.3 2009 - Daniel Pipes
Categories: Commentary;Anti-Israel

Was I the only one rubbing my eyes in disbelief yesterday, as the Egyptian government hosted an "International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza"?

It took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, attended by delegations from 71 states, plus 16 regional, international, and financial organizations. Its stated goal was to raise US$2.8 billion, of which $1.3 was for rebuilding what had been destroyed in the course of Israel's recent war on Hamas (the rest would be sent to the Palestinian Authority to help improve its standing). The actual amount raised at the conference was $4.5 billion which, when added to previously committed funds, means the grand total for Gaza and the PA comes to $5.2 billion, to be disbursed over a two-year period. A delighted Egyptian foreign minister called the amount "beyond our expectations." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "a very productive conference".

Among the larger donations included a Gulf Cooperation Council contribution of $1.65 billion over five years and a U.S. government pledge of $900 million from the American taxpayer (of which $300 million will go for Gaza rebuilding).

Husni Mubarak of Egypt, Nicholas Sarkozy of France, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations, Amr Moussa of the Arab League, and Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority gave speeches.

Why my disbelief at this spectacle: I wonder if those eminentoes and worthies really believe that warfare in Gaza is a thing of the past, and that the time for reconstruction is nigh?

They must not read dispatches from southern Israel, which report the daily warfare that continues there. Take a representative news item from Yedi'ot Aharonot, dated February 28, "Experts: Grads in Ashkelon were advanced."

The two Grad rockets that landed in Ashkelon Saturday morning[, Feb. 28,] were new and improved models, capable of greater destruction than those usually fired from Gaza. One of the rockets hit a school in the southern city, and succeeded in penetrating the fortification used to protect it from projectiles. … The Grad rockets that hit Ashkelon were two of only five or six locally manufactured 170 mm rockets ever fired at Israel, experts say. The rarely used rockets have a range of 14 km (8.6 miles) and are capable of massive damage, evident from the destruction witnesses described on the scene of Saturday's attack.

the two Grad rockets that landed in Ashkelon Saturday morning[, Feb. 28,] were new and improved models, capable of greater destruction than those usually fired from Gaza. One of the rockets hit a school in the southern city, and succeeded in penetrating the fortification used to protect it from projectiles. … The Grad rockets that hit Ashkelon were two of only five or six locally manufactured 170 mm rockets ever fired at Israel, experts say. The rarely used rockets have a range of 14 km (8.6 miles) and are capable of massive damage, evident from the destruction witnesses described on the scene of Saturday's attack.

What  are the donor countries doing, getting in the middle of an on-going war with their high-profile supposed reconstruction effort? My best guess: this permits them subtly to signal Jerusalem that it better not attack Gaza again, because doing so will confront it with a lot of very angry donor governments – including, of course, the Obama administration.

Adding to the surreal quality is a blithe disregard for Israel's security needs. Consider the attitude of Douglas Alexander, international development secretary for Britain's Labour government, who pledged £30 million of his taxpayers' funds to rebuild houses, schools, and hospitals in Gaza. "There is a desperate need for tough restrictions on the supply of goods to be relaxed," he said, demanding next that "Israel must do the right thing and allow much-needed goods to get through to those men, women and children who continue to suffer."

That's very humanitarian of Mr. Alexander, but he willfully ignored Israeli expectations that Hamas will confiscate steel, concrete, and other imported construction materials to build more tunnels, bunkers, and rockets. After all, Hamas appropriated prior deliveries intended for civilians, and so blatantly that even the usually docile United Nations Relief and Works Agency protested.

Husni Mubarak might warn Hamas not to treat the donors' pledges as a "conquest of war," but it will assuredly do precisely that. U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (Republican of Illinois) got it right: "To route $900 million to this area, and let's say Hamas was only able to steal 10 percent of that, we would still become Hamas' second-largest funder after Iran."

So, under the cheery banner of building, in Clinton's words, "a comprehensive peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors," donor states are not only defying Israel to protect itself from rocket fire but they are funneling matériel to Hamas.

Is this ignorance or mendacity? I suspect the latter; no one is that dumb.

Syria's Clenched Fist
Mar 7th, 2009
CommentaryHuman Events.com Mar. 3 2009 - Robert Maginnis (excerpts)
Categories: Commentary;Warning

Syria is building a new chemical weapons factory next to a long-range missile base, hiding evidence of its mushrooming nuclear weapons program and radically increasing military spending on conventional systems. These activities which are primarily funded by Iran suggest Damascus is preparing for war and not -- in President Obama’s unhappy terminology -- unclenching its fist.

President Obama promised “If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.” Why then has the president “extended” his hand when Damascus is obviously on the war path?

Last month, Obama sent a congressional delegation headed by Senator John Kerry (D-Ma) to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad. After that meeting Kerry said there are possibilities for “real cooperation” with Syria but in return Syria must “change its behavior.” Then last week Obama’s State Department hosted talks with Syria’s ambassador hoping to “advance U.S. interests” but immediately President Obama authorized the Commerce Department to approve the export of U.S. components for Syria’s fleet of aging Boeing 747 aircraft.

The export of components for Syria’s aircraft marks a departure from nearly five years of sanctions under the Syrian Accountability Act. Reportedly Syria has used its passenger jets to ferry weapons from Iran to Tehran’s terrorist proxy group Hizballah in Lebanon.

There isn’t a shred of evidence that Syria is about to unclench its fist as Obama wishes. In fact Damascus has become an Iranian pawn, part of the Persian hegemon’s growing empire which has put the entire region in danger.

Syria’s relationship with Iran is widely understood. Last fall, Ali Ibramhim, an Egyptian Member of Parliament and editor of the Egyptian daily Al-Gomhouriyya, labeled Syria “a vassal of Iran.” Even important Syrians admit Tehran’s influence over Damascus. In Dec. 2008, former Syrian vice president Abd al-Halim Khaddam admitted, “Iran has a significant presence in Syria. Iran is involved in the very heart of the regime -- in its security agencies, in its military forces, in its economic [institutions], and in its mosques.”

Iran has taken great pains to establish this special relationship with Syria. A July 2007 article in London’s daily Al-Sharq Al-Swsat outlined a previously secret Iran-Syria agreement that establishes their quid pro quo relationship and explains Damascus’ current militarization binge.

Israel knows Syria is rapidly militarizing and recognizes that their win now, lose later calculus is running on borrowed time. They also see that Obama is quickly removing America from their calculus in favor of their enemies. With Binyamin Netanyahu now at the helm in Jerusalem we seem to be driving Israel closer to attacking Iran and/or Syria unilaterally.

There is no evidence Syria has unclenched its fist. Rather, Damascus is firmly in the clenched grip of Tehran and its hegemonic agenda. President Obama should retract his extended hand and join hands with democratic Israel to stop the Persians and their Syrian proxy.

State Bans Prayer At Christian Institutions
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsWND Mar. 7 2009
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Church;Persecution

Policy censoring faithful 'on their own private property' challenged

The Illinois High School Association is being challenged on a policy that bans Christian schools from offering a prayer or any religious message over their public address systems when they host association events on their own property.

"It is blatantly unconstitutional for public school officials to come into private schools and enforce a policy prohibiting them from expressing what's central to their religious beliefs," said David Cortman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, or ADF.

The ADF wrote this week to association chief Marty Hickman after several private schools complained about the new restrictions. WND left a message with Hickman seeking comment, but the call was not returned today.

Editors Note....Hold onto your hats, it seems that a full scale persecution of Christians is just getting rolling. We need to ask God to give us liberty to proclaim the truth and to be able to worship Him in openess and safety. We need to also get ready to stand in very difficult times, fence sitters, join the many compromising "new evangelicals" around you, you will be safe.

Report: EU Accuses Israel of `pursuing Illegal Annexation` of East Jerusalem
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsHaartz
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Peace Process

A confidential EU report accuses Israel of "actively pursuing the illegal annexation" of East Jerusalem, the British newspaper the Guardian reported early Saturday.

The Guardian reported that the EU document accuses Israel of using settlement expansion, the security barrier in the West Bank, Palestinian house demolitions and discriminatory housing policies to gain control over East Jerusalem.

The report, obtained by the Guardian, is dated December 15, 2008. It acknowledges Israel's legitimate security concerns in Jerusalem, but says: "Many of its current illegal actions in and around the city have limited security justifications."

The report goes on to say that Israel has accelerated its plans for East Jerusalem, and is undermining the Palestinian Authority's credibility and weakening support for peace talks. "Israel's actions in and around Jerusalem constitute one of the most acute challenges to Israeli-Palestinian peace-making," says the document, EU Heads of Mission Report on East Jerusalem.

The Guardian reports that the EU is particularly concerned about the Old City, where there were plans to build 35 new housing units in the Muslim quarter, as well as expansion plans for Silwan, just outside the Old City walls.

Israel demolished two Palestinian homes on Monday just before the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Eighty-eight more houses are scheduled for demolition, all for lack of permits.

Clinton described the demolitions as "unhelpful," noting that they violated Israel's obligations under the U.S. "road map" for peace.

The EU report goes further, saying the demolitions "illegal under international law, serve no obvious purpose, have severe humanitarian effects, and fuel bitterness and extremism."

Editors Note....East Jerusalem is the biblical Jerusalem, it belongs to Israel, the Palestinians have no claim to it. God has promised it to Israel, furthermore, God has said that it is the place where He will abide forever (Ezekiel 43:5-7). It is the place where Christ will sit on the throne of David to rule over Israel and the world, Luke 1:32-33. Two interesting verses in this regard are Joel 3:2 - Ezekiel 36:2,5 . Puny, rebellious man is telling God what he cannot do. Pay day someday.

Pa Official: Time to Impose 2 - State Solution
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsYnet News Mar. 6 2009 - Ali Waked
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Peace Process

Following US secretary of state's visit and ahead of establishment of rightist government, senior Palestinian Authority official tells Ynet time has come to exert massive international pressure on Israel

Senior Palestinian Authority officials believe that now is the time to exert massive international pressure on Israel, following US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the region and ahead of the establishment of a new Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

 "There is an opportunity for the world to strongly enter the diplomatic negotiations and impose the two-state solution on Israel," a senior PA official told Ynet on Friday.

"The world did not intervene when Israel had a convenient government in which Kadima and Labor made the decisions, claiming that this was the Israeli peace camp bargaining on marginal issues.

"Here the world will understand that this Israeli government opposes the peace process and its current form in principle and ideologically, and therefore we anticipate that this is the best timing for the world to intervene and force Israel to implement the agreements."

The peace process and recognition of agreements signed with Israel will be at the focus of attention during the reconciliation talks which will be resumed this coming Sunday.

 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated this week during his meetings with Clinton and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana that the unity government would have to recognize Israel and the signed agreements, but Hamas strongman Mahmoud al-Zahar rejected any possibility of recognizing the Jewish state.

Editors Note....The world will indeed impose a two state solution on Israel, that is exactly what the end time message of the scripture teaches, Daniel 11:39 - Joel 3:2.  Daniel 9:26,27 teaches that Anti-christ will come out of Europe and sign that treaty dividing the land for a false peace, 1 Thess. 5:3.  We also know that before that takes place the Church will be raptured, 2 Thess. 2:1-3. Paul said, "But ye brethern are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief" 1 Thess. 5:4.  There is no excuse for a believer to fail to recognize the nearness of the Lord's return. The trumpet is soon to sound!!!!  Are you ready?  If you are not saved, the scripture says "...Behold now is the day of salvation..."

One Killed, Several Injured in Pakistan Church Shooting
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsWorthy News Mar. 6 2009 - Jawad Mazhar,
Categories: Today's Headlines;Persecution

SINGOWALI, PAKISTAN -- One person was killed and at least 11 injured when Muslim militants opened fire on Christian worshipers during a prayer service of a Presbyterian Church in Pakistan's Punjab province, Christian rights investigators and police confirmed Friday, March 6.

A woman, Shakeela Bibi, died on the spot while several others were injured in the shootings on Monday, March 2, in the remote village of Singowali, outside the industrial city of Gujranwala, said Sohail Johnson of advocacy group Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan (SLMP). Other sources said as many as 28 Christians were injured.

Besides shooting, Muslims, armed with iron rods and clubs, also smashed the windows of the church and desecrated Bibles, witnesses said. They reportedly removed the cross erected at the roof of the church and left the scene shouting at the Christians that they would face worse attacks if they did not leave the town. Several Christian homes were also attacked, Christians said.

The violence was the culmination of several days of tension after a Christian boy registered a criminal case against armed Muslim youths who allegedly robbed him at gunpoint last month.

Mauritania Tells Israel Embassy to Leave
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsReuters Mar.6 2009 - Roni Sofer
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

One of only three Arab countries to have full relations with Jewish state orders embassy staff to leave northwest African state within 48 hours, after freezing ties over Gaza offensive. Foreign Ministry: Ambassador returning to Israel for vacation

Mauritania has ordered staff at Israel's embassy to leave the country within 48 hours after freezing ties with the Jewish state over its invasion of Gaza, a senior Mauritanian official said on Friday.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said in response that Ambassador Miki Arbel was "going on a vacation", following a request made by Mauritania on January 19.

Diplomatic relations between Mauritania, one of only three Arab countries to have full ties with the Jewish state, have been strained since Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip in December.

 "The Mauritanian authorities have given staff at the Israeli embassy in Nouakchott 48 hours to leave the country," the official said.

Does America Deserve a Christian Burial?
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsWND Mar.7 2009 - Joseph Farah
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

Things are looking grim for America right now.

The patient is in critical condition and chief physician Barack Obama and his medical team are prescribing and administering potentially lethal doses of the very drug (more debt) that sent her to the emergency room.

We're in for some very rough times.

Is it time for last rites?

Is it time for us to start planning a decent Christian burial for this great country?

Or would that be out of the question for reasons of "separation of church and state"?

I don't know about you, but as bad as things are – and, yes, they are going to get much worse – I'm not prepared to throw in the towel on the greatest experiment in liberty the world has ever known.

But if we are to revive this patient, there's little time for procrastination.

The American people need to file the equivalent of a class-action malpractice suit against the hospital – and I mean now.

How do we do that?

There's only one way, and I'm not at all sure we're up to the task.

Tea parties around the nation are a great start. But they may not be enough. Most of them are being ignored by my negligent colleagues in the Big Media. So, I am convinced something larger must be organized – right inside the belly of the beast, in the heart of darkness, in Washington, D.C., the District of Criminals.

I don't know how large such a protest rally would have to be to enjoin Dr. Obama and this team of Kevorkians and Mengeles.

I just know it will have to be very big.

Some organization or coalition of groups needs to take leadership now and give the American people a voice. They are waiting for marching orders.

Plan it, plan it right, and they will come.

Pull out all the stops. Organize around the issues – the plans that are sure to bankrupt this nation if they are carried out to completion, the attacks on our individual rights and personal freedoms, the war on morals and life itself.

It's time to get out in the streets by the millions to save America. That should be our theme and rallying cry – "Save America."

Are you willing to make the sacrifice to come to Washington?

I will join you there if you are.

The stakes are high.

If we lose this fight, your life and the lives of your children and grandchildren will never be the same. Future generations will know only servitude to the state. The American Dream will become a nightmare. The hope of freedom-loving people all over the world will be no more. The light of the nations will be snuffed.

Do I exaggerate? Is this mere hyperbole?

I don't think so – not after what I have witnessed after only six weeks of "change."

This may be our last chance.

Yes, there will be midterm elections in 2010. But that seems like a long way off when I see the very character of governance shifting daily from one based on the rule of law to one based on the rule of men.

Like Jeremiah, I warned that we were on the wrong course six years ago in my book "Taking America Back." I offered a simple prescription for moral, political and spiritual renewal. That prescription is still unfulfilled, and the ever-growing state threatens to take over the health-care system, along with just about every other facet of life in our country.

But the good news is more people than ever are waking up and recognizing there really is a cure for what ails us.

Before it's too late, I urge you to read it, embrace it and get involved.

Don't wait around for leaders to tell you what to do. Become a leader. Take responsibility.

And get prepared for the biggest rally in the history of our nation's capital.

Anglican Diocese to Defy Ban, Perform Same - Sex Blessings
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsNational Post Mar. 3 2009 - Charles Lewis,
Categories: Today's Headlines;Moral Decline

The Diocese of Ottawa has said it will perform same-sex blessings, becoming the first Canadian Anglican diocese to make such a move since a ban was imposed on the practice by the international church.

The diocese said it is developing a liturgy and protocol for the rite and once they are created it will start performing the ceremonies for gay couples on a limited basis. But critics of same-sex blessings say those steps will widen the schism in the Canadian church.

In 2004, the worldwide church called for a moratorium on the rite after the Diocese of New Westminster in British Columbia struck out on its own and began performing same-sex blessings. That move was considered a seminal event that led to the Canadian split

But Archdeacon Ross Moulton of Ottawa said what his diocese is doing does not violate the moratorium because performing the ceremonies will help the diocese understand whether it is the right path to take.

"There is nothing in the moratorium that says we cannot continue to discern," he said.

In a press release issued on Monday night, the diocese said: "Just as the Church was not able to come to a clear mind regarding the benefits of the ordination of women to the priesthood until it experienced the priestly ministry of women, Bishop [John H.] Chapman has taken the process of discernment with regards to same-sex blessings to a place beyond discussion."

Analysts: Job Losses Could Drown Stimulus
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsWashingtonpost.com Mar. 7 2009 --Neil Irwin and Annys Shin
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

Obama's response to economic crisis is tested as unemployment soars

The nation is losing jobs so quickly that the government, racing to deal with the crisis, is having trouble keeping up.

The U.S. unemployment rate last month leapt half a percentage point, to 8.1 percent, the highest level since 1983, according to data released yesterday. The stunning pace of job losses raises the possibility that, perhaps as early as this summer, one in 10 Americans will be out of a job even though they are actively looking for work. It also means that the government faces even more pressure to take further action to stabilize the economy and the financial system.

President Obama, speaking in Columbus, Ohio, to police cadets whose jobs were saved with money from the $787 billion stimulus package, called the new unemployment figures "astounding."

"We have a responsibility to act," he said, "and that's what I intend to do."

Analysts increasingly view the administration's actions so far as insufficient given the scope of the problem. The stimulus package was designed to "save or create" 3.5 million jobs, according to the administration. But the nation has already lost 4.4 million jobs since the start of the recession. Many banks and other financial institutions, whose health is critical to the economy, are teetering, and the Treasury Department has yet to finalize the details of its plans to remove from their balance sheets the toxic assets dragging them down.

'A step behind'
"It's premature to say we need another stimulus, but the economy is performing much worse than when [the law] was signed, and the odds are increasing that we'll need a bigger policy response," said Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com, who has advised Democratic lawmakers. "What we've learned is policy has been a step behind this whole downturn. It's important to get a step ahead."

The International Monetary Fund yesterday urged governments worldwide to consider additional fiscal stimulus, noting that the public sector must help prevent a collapse of confidence.

Consumer confidence in the U.S. economy has already been driven dangerously low by layoffs across nearly every sector. Last month alone, employers slashed 651,000 jobs from their payrolls, and job losses in December and January were far worse than originally reported, according to revised data released yesterday. Since December, employers have cut jobs at the sharpest pace since 1975.

But even the current job-loss figures mask the degree of pain among American workers. A broader measure, which includes people who want a job and have given up looking and those working part time but who want full-time work, rose nearly one percentage point, to 14.8 percent.

"I think what it shows is neither the government nor many economists have a grasp yet of how bad the economy really is right now," said Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group. "We can't get our arms around what's going on."

Editors Note......I believe that unless America repents and changes her policy toward Israel that the economy is on a one way ride to oblivion. America (and Canada) are in rebellion against God and His word.

Alan Keyes Launches 'liberty' Blog
Mar 7th, 2009
Daily NewsWND Mar. 7 2009 - Drew Zahn
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

Alan Keyes, a 2008 presidential candidate who now is a plaintiff in one of the many lawsuits seeking to verify whether Barack Obama qualifies under the U.S. Constitution's requirements to occupy the Oval Office, has launched a new blog website where, according to the site, "faith gives reason for citizen action."

"Given Obama's push to overturn constitutional government and make the U.S. a Soviet-style state," Keyes told WND, "I think it's more important than ever that those of us who believe in liberty deliberate and work together."

Never one to mince words, Keyes made headlines recently by calling President Obama a "radical communist" and suggesting "we are either going to stop him or the United States of America is going to cease to exist."

On Loyal to Liberty, Keyes explains in more detail.

As part of a post called "Obama's a communist: Why is it name calling?" Keyes explains that "communism" is simply an accurate descriptive term of policies, but after years of watching it fail in the Soviet Union, those to whom the term fits would rather not be associated with communist history.

"The enemies of freedom do their best to limit or eliminate words that interfere with their design for despotism," Keyes writes. "They especially seek to stigmatize and discourage the use of words freighted with the sad and tragic history of tyranny and dictatorship. That's why the use of the word 'communist' to describe Barack Obama has aroused such furious diatribe and aspersion."

Keyes continues, however, by alluding to the saying: "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

"It's easy to understand," Keyes writes, "why folks who are looking, waddling and quacking like communists would rather we called them messiahs."

Keyes then follows with a list of 15 ways in which he suggests Obama has been "quacking" like a communist.