Signs of the Times

Gay Marriage Vote Polarizes Arizona

The passage of Arizona's constitutional ban on same-sex marriages didn't ignite the legal firestorm that has raged in California since voters approved its marriage amendment last week. But Arizona's vote in favor of Proposition 102 has deepened the social divide as much here as in California and in Florida, the third state where voters approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Activists say battles will continue in Arizona over issues related to same-sex couples: inheritance rights, medical decision-making and burial rights, to name a few of the estimated 300 rights that Arizona automatically confers on married couples. Federal law grants an additional 1,100 rights. "There are many more rights that we need to fight for and address instead of just the right to marry," said Barbara McCullough-Jones, executive director of Equality Arizona, which defends the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

• JJ Commentary: So many rights are conferred upon marriage between one man and one woman because it is the foundation of the family structure ordained by God. However, the devil is nothing if not persistent and this fight will go on and on and on… until Jesus returns and restores all things.

In a CNN interview, Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger encouraged opponents of the passed Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California, not to give up until the measure is overturned. "It is unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end," vowed the governor in yesterday's interview, referring to Proposition 8's passage, "because this will go back to the courts." He later said of the voter-approved state constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman, "We will undo that, if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward."

Obama Outlines Priorities

WASHINGTON — On the eve of President-elect Barack Obama's visit to the White House, top aides prodded Congress to act quickly on new federal aid to the middle class, the devastated auto industry and people facing high energy bills. In a series of interviews Sunday, Emanuel and Obama transition team chief John Podesta said the president-elect has a set of priorities on which he wants quick action. They include:

• A stimulus plan to boost the sinking economy by extending unemployment benefits, helping states provide health insurance and creating jobs by building roads, bridges and other infrastructure

• Help for the auto industry, which is reeling from the financial crisis. Emanuel also said the current administration can rush the spending of a $25 billion loan package to help companies retool their factories to develop more fuel-efficient cars.

• Repealing some of President Bush's more controversial executive orders, including those restricting federal money for embryonic stem cell research and making certain public lands in Utah available for oil and gas drilling

• Repealing Bush's tax cuts for wealthier people while providing new tax cuts for middle-class and working families who face higher bills for energy, education and health care

• JJ Commentary: With a Democratic Congress already in place, the President-elect will begin to push his agenda even before he is inaugurated

Obama Plans U.S. Trials for Gitmo Detainees

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice. During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.

Obama Transition Team Heavy with Big Fundraisers

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama says moneyed interests won't have an inside track in his White House, but six of the 15 people he named to his transition team are top fundraisers. Campaign watchdog experts, such as Craig Holman of Public Citizen, say the close involvement of these big fundraisers — known as bundlers because they collect money from friends, family and business associates — could give them undue sway in the new administration. "The whole point of these bundlers bringing in so much money is that they get to exercise influence in the next administration," Holman said. Obama's pledge to clean up Washington "is encouraging," Holman said. "But this is a warning sign." Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said transition members "were chosen based on their skills, ability and expertise."

• JJ Commentary: Despite which party wins the election, politics continues to be a shady business.

Hamas: We met Obama Advisers

JERUSALEM (WORLD NET DAILY)– Hamas held a meeting in the Gaza Strip several months ago with aides to President-elect Barack Obama, but the terror group was asked to keep the contacts secret until after last week's elections, according to a senior Hamas official. Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' chief political adviser in Gaza, told the leading Al-Hayat Arabic-language newspaper Hamas has maintained regular communication with Obama aides that even continued during the past week. "We were in contact with a number of Obama's aides through the Internet, and later met with some of them in Gaza, but they advised us not to come out with any statements, as they may have a negative effect on his election campaign and be used by Republican candidate John McCain (to attack Obama)," Yousuf told Al-Hayat. Yousuf said Hamas's contact with Obama's advisers was ongoing, adding that relations were maintained after Obama's electoral victory last Tuesday.

• JJ Commentary: Obama has clearly indicated over the past year or so that he will support Israel less and Muslim groups more. Instead of fostering peace, this will prove to be a major destabilizing factor contributing to the next Middle East war which, in turn, will usher in the rise of the Anti-Christ.

Communist Party Ecstatic over '08 Election results

Hailing Barack Obama's win as a victory for the "working class," the Communist Party USA is calling on the president-elect to carry out his promises, including his noted commitment to "spread the wealth." An editorial by the People's Weekly World said the victory was for "workers of all job titles, professions, shapes, colors, sizes, hairstyles and languages… The election outcome represents a clear mandate for pro-people change on taxes, health care, the war in Iraq, job creation and economic relief, union organizing and the Employee Free Choice Act. Reform and relief are in the air. Their scope and depth will be the arena of struggle. The best thing the coalition that won this victory can do is to stick together and help the new administration carry through on its promises," the editorial said.

• JJ Commentary: A march toward socialism in the U.S. began long before Obama, but his election will accelerate those changes to our once free nation.

NRA: Obama's Election Spawns 'Gun Run'

The National Rifle Association predicts the election of Barack Obama is going to pose a serious threat to the Second Amendment rights of American citizens. Numerous reports around the U.S. indicate that citizens have been racing to purchase both guns and ammunition before Obama takes office next year. On Election Day, a Cheyenne, Wyoming, gun store set a one-day sales record -- then broke that record the next day. The Franklin Gun Shop outside Nashville sold more than 70 guns on Election Day. It was the biggest sales day since opening its doors eight years ago. The day after Obama was elected, the owner of a shop outside Salt Lake City sold nine assault weapons -- and another gun store owner in Fort Worth reported sales of $101,000 in merchandise, shattering its single-day sales record. NRA spokewoman Rachel Parsons has a theory on the gun run. It is quite apparent, she says, that people are concerned that Obama truly has had a radical record of opposition to the Second Amendment.

More Business Losses/Layoffs/Closures/Bankruptcies/etc.

FRANKFURT, Germany — Deutsche Post will close all its DHL Express service centers, cut 9,500 jobs in the United States and eliminate U.S.-only domestic shipping by land and air, the company said Monday, citing heavy losses and fierce competition. The company, based in Bonn, Germany, said the new round of cuts is on top of 5,400 job cuts it already announced. It blamed heavy losses at the unit, which competes with the U.S. Postal Service and rivals UPS and FedEx. As the company curtails operations in the U.S., including domestic ground and delivery services, its international shipping won't be affected. The express unit currently employs about 18,000 people.

NEW YORK (AP) — Circuit City Stores, America's second-biggest electronics retailer, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, but said it will stay open for business as the holidays approach. It filed under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, which will allow it to hold off creditors and continue operating while it develops a financial reorganization plan. The announcement came a week after it said it would close 20% of its stores and lay off thousands of employees. Circuit City said it has secured $1.1 billion in loans to provide working capital while it is in bankruptcy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Fannie Mae, the largest provider of funding for U.S.U.S. housing and financial markets continue. residential mortgages, said Monday that it lost a record $29 billion in the third quarter. The quarterly loss is the fifth consecutive for the mortgage finance company, which has been operating under government conservatorship since September. Credit expenses soared to $9.2 billion in the quarter due to deteriorating mortgage credit conditions and as home prices declined, the company said. The company said it expects a significant loss for the fourth quarter if downward trends in

WASHINGTON - The government on Monday provided new financial assistance to troubled insurance giant American International Group, including pouring $40 billion into the company in return for partial ownership. The action, announced jointly by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, was taken as it became increasingly clear that an original financial lifeline thrown to AIG in September would not be sufficient to stabilize the teetering company. All told, the moves boost aid to the company to around $150 billion. The $40 billion infusion comes from the recently enacted $700 billion financial bailout package. The government is buying preferred shares of AIG stock, giving taxpayers an ownership stake in the company. In turn, restrictions will be placed on executive compensation at the firm.

SEATTLE (AP) — Starbucks says its profit dropped 97% in its fourth quarter mainly because of the costs of closing underperforming stores and also falling sales in the U.S. Seattle-based Starbucks says profit fell to $5.4 million, or a penny a share, from $158.5 million, or 21 cents a share, a year earlier. The coffee retailer says it earned 10 cents a share when the costs from closing stores in the U.S. and Australia are excluded.

PHOENIX - Arizonans who have lost their jobs will have to wait nearly a month to get their first unemployment benefits. Normal wait time is 10 days. The delays are because of a surge in applicants and a lack of workers processing claims. Last week, the state received more than 9,100 first-time unemployment claims, more than double in the same week a year ago.

China Announces Economic Stimulous

China on Sunday approved $586 billion in government spending between now and 2010, focused largely on infrastructure and social projects. Equity markets around the world jumped as the prospect for recharged growth tempered fears about a deep global recession, with Japan's Nikkei rising nearly 6% overnight, and benchmark indexes up about 3% or more in Europe. Any stabilization in Chinese demand could be a boon for big U.S. manufacturers and exporters.

Pawnshops Doing Brisk Business

The miserable economy is a boon for pawnshops and consignment stores across the USA. The National Pawnbrokers Association does not track trends, but managers say they're seeing lots of first-time customers who are feeling the pinch — and new bargain-hunters who are looking for used jewelry and other high-end items at reduced prices. At Charleston Gold & Diamond Exchange in Mount Pleasant, S.C., manager Brandon Burke says the number of customers selling gold and other precious metals "has skyrocketed." Gold sells for more than $700 an ounce. "Anything people can possibly get ahold of to bring in to pay their mortgage and get gas in the car, they're doing it," Randy Cohen, co-owner of Royal Redemption, says. "You're looking at some desperation and some people who are taking advantage of the market," Brandon Burke of Gold & Diamond Exchange says. "Anything that's collecting dust is getting melted."

Banks are Boosting Credit Card Interest Rates, Stopping Foreclosures

USA TODAY — Banks have sharply raised interest rates and penalty fees on credit cards. As the economy tanks and banks' mortgage-related losses balloon, some banks are stepping up such increases to boost revenue. Bearing the brunt are consumers for whom a jump in rates and fees can make it tougher to pay their bills at a time when household budgets already are being stretched. A key driver behind this trend: securitization. From 2003 to 2007, seven of the largest issuers of credit cards packaged an increasing amount of card debt into securities and sold them off to investors, just as banks did with mortgages, a USA TODAY review of banking records found. Selling off credit card debt has given banks a powerful incentive to raise card fees and penalties, according to interviews with dozens of industry analysts, academics and investment specialists. Here's why: When banks package and sell card debt, they pass along to investors some of the risk the debt will go bad. Yet, banks often get to pocket much of the profit from rate and fee increases on those accounts. Imposing higher fees on more accounts — without a comparable rise in risk — lets banks raise revenue and keep profits up, at customers' expense.

NEW YORK (AP) — Citigroup is imposing a moratorium on most foreclosures, becoming the latest big bank to announce sweeping efforts to try to curtail losses from sour mortgages. Citi said late Monday that it won't initiate a foreclosure or complete a foreclosure sale on any eligible borrower who seeks to stay in a home if it is the borrower's principal residence, the homeowner is working in good faith with Citi and has enough income to make affordable mortgage payments. Additionally, over the next six months, Citi plans to reach out to 500,000 homeowners who are not behind on their mortgage payments, but who are deemed as potentially needing assistance to keep current with their payments. This represents about one-third of all the mortgages that Citigroup owns, the bank said. Citi plans to devote a team of 600 people to assist the targeted borrowers by adjusting their rates, reducing principal, or increasing the term of the loan, steps known in the mortgage industry as a workout.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Monday granted a request by American Express to become a bank holding company, opening the door for the credit card giant to access low-cost financing from the Fed. The Fed said it had approved the application for American Express and a related company, American Express Travel Related Services, to become bank holding companies. The approval represented the latest reshaping of the financial services industry, which is undergoing its worst credit crisis in decades. In announcing the action, the Fed cited "emergency conditions." The Fed's approval for American Express was similar to the decision it made in September to transform the country's two biggest investment banks, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley, into bank holding companies.

• JJ Commentary: All this bailout business gives the federal government even more control over national finances, all part of the march toward the end-time one-world government.

Gasoline Prices Near Bottom

Gasoline prices fell another 17.6 cents the past week, with average prices in three states dipping below $2 a gallon. But prices appear to be nearing a bottom, with both crude oil and wholesale gasoline prices showing signs of stabilizing, although on Tuesday oil futures again dipped below $60 a barrel. "You'll probably see another 10-cent (drop), maybe another 15 cents" the next few weeks, then prices remaining at that level, says Fred Rozell, gas-price expert at Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). The nationwide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.22 Monday, down 17.6 cents from last week and 43 cents the past two weeks. The West Coast had the highest prices, at $2.53 a gallon. Gas was cheapest in the Midwest, at $2.06.

Iraq Bomb Blasts

BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber struck Monday in a crowd that had gathered where an explosion moments earlier damaged a bus full of schoolgirls, with both blasts killing at least 31 people and wounding 71 others, officials said. Also Monday, a woman suicide bomber attacked a security checkpoint in downtown Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing five people including a local leader of Sunni group opposed to al-Qaeda, police said. Fifteen other people were wounded in that explosion. The twin Baghdad blasts — the deadliest in the city in months — occurred moments apart during the morning rush hour in the mostly Shiite Kasrah section of the Azamiyah district in the northern part of the Iraqi capital. Police said the first explosion damaged a minibus carrying young girls to school. The second happened when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt in the middle of a crowd that had gathered around the vehicle.

BAGHDAD — In a potentially dangerous phase of the transfer of powers from the U.S. military, Iraq's government will begin paying salaries this week to more than 51,000 members of Sunni neighborhood patrol groups. Known as the Sons of Iraq, or Awakening Councils, the U.S.-created program helped turn the tide against the insurgency by offering steady employment to disaffected Sunni Arabs in exchange for help battling al-Qaeda and other militant groups. The U.S. signed control of the groups over to Iraqis on Oct. 1, but kept responsibility for distributing the $300 monthly pay. Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, warned that al-Qaeda could get a fresh breath of life if the transition is mishandled. That could either happen unintentionally because of poor logistics, or in the event that Iraq's Shiite government shows little enthusiasm for legitimizing tens of thousands of armed Sunnis, many of whom are former insurgents.

U.S. Building Bases in Afghanistan to Expand Usage of Drones

WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) — The Pentagon is building a series of air bases in eastern Afghanistan as part of its massive expansion of a system that uses drone aircraft to spy on and attack Taliban insurgents, according to interviews and documents. In Afghanistan, harsh winters and a lack of airstrips near the fighting can hinder drone flights. It can take as long as three hours for a drone to reach battlefields, particularly in the rugged mountain area near the border with Pakistan. That area has seen some of the toughest fighting for U.S. troops. By contrast, it can take as little as 10 minutes for a drone to reach hot spots in Baghdad because the Iraqi capital has more air bases, said Dyke Weatherington, deputy director of the Pentagon's unmanned aerial systems task force. The military is also developing drones with better deicing systems to help deal with the Afghan winters. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made the expansion of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability a top priority at the Pentagon.

Congo Cholera Outbreak Spreads

KIBATI, Congo (AP) — A cholera outbreak in a sprawling refugee camp has spread to eastern Congo's provincial capital, increasing fears of an epidemic amid a tense standoff between troops and rebels. Relief officials say they have recorded more than 50 cases of cholera since Friday. There were clashes over the weekend between rebels and soldiers, igniting concern that patients could scatter and launch an epidemic. But it appears unlikely that a European Union force will come to help stem the fighting. France failed to secure support Monday from other European Union nations for sending a 1,500-strong EU battlegroup to eastern Congo to bolster U.N. peacekeepers. The fighting in eastern Congo is fueled by ethnic hatred left over from the 1994 slaughter of at least 500,000 Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda.

Weather Signs

CAMAGUEY, Cuba (AP) —Hurricane Paloma leveled hundreds of homes along Cuba's southern coast before rapidly losing steam over land Sunday. Early reports of damage were limited, but Cuban state media said the late-season storm toppled a major communications tower, interrupted electricity and phone service and sent sea water almost a mile inland near where it made landfall. Paloma made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur late Saturday as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane but quickly lost strength. In the central-eastern Cuban province of Camaguey, more than 220,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas. Another 170,000 people were moved in the eastern province of Las Tunas. In an essay published in state media Saturday, former President Fidel Castro warned that Paloma could slow Cuba's recovery from Gustav and Ike, which caused about $9.4 billion in damage and destroyed nearly a third of the island's crops.