ARTICLES - HOT OFF THE FAGGOT

Senate Passes Food Safety Bill -- Again

Amplify’d from www.cnsnews.com
Senate Passes Food Safety Bill -- Again
By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

Washington (AP) - The Senate on Sunday passed a sweeping bill to make food safer, sending it to the House in the waning days of Congress.

It was the second time the Senate passed the bill, which would give the government broad new powers to increase inspections of food processing facilities and force companies to recall tainted food. The chamber passed the bill for the first time three weeks ago, but it was caught in a constitutional snag when senators mistakenly included tax provisions that are by law supposed to originate in the House.

The version of the legislation passed by the Senate on Sunday is amended to avoid another such mishap.

The bill would place stricter standards on imported foods and require larger producers to follow tougher rules for keeping food safe. The legislation has enjoyed bipartisan support, and supporters say passage is crucial in the wake of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in peanuts, eggs and produce.

Recent domestic outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella have exposed a lack of resources and authority at the Food and Drug Administration as the embattled agency struggled to contain and trace the contaminated products. The agency rarely inspects many food facilities and farms, visiting some every decade or so and others not at all.

The bill would emphasize prevention so the agency could try to stop outbreaks before they begin. Farmers and food processors would have to tell the FDA how they are working to keep their food safe at different stages of production.

The House originally tried to rectify the Senate mistake by including the legislation in a year-end budget bill. Senators also included food safety in their version of the budget bill, but the spending legislation hit a roadblock when Republicans insisted it not include any add-ons.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., resurrected the bill -- which many thought was dead as Congress rushes to wrap up for the year -- by passing it and sending it to the House as a standalone measure Sunday. He said the bill is necessary because the food safety system has not been updated in almost a century.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a lead sponsor of the bill, said: "Tonight, we achieved a critical victory, bringing this bill one step closer to the finish line. I look forward to standing with the president as he signs this important measure into law."

"It is a huge victory for consumers following a weekend cliffhanger as both consumer and industry supporters prepared for bad news," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Read more at www.cnsnews.com
 

Jimmy Carter: Americans Will Be Ready to Elect a Gay President 'In The Near Future'

Amplify’d from www.cnsnews.com

Jimmy Carter: Americans Will Be Ready to Elect a Gay President 'In The Near Future'

Former President Jimmy Carter says the U.S. would be willing to elect a gay president “in the near future.”

Carter made his remarks on the Big Think website, which describes itself as a “global forum connecting people and ideas”. The site offers over 1,000 interviews with experts in a variety of fields.

In a video on the website Carter is responding to a graphic with the question; “Is the country ready for a gay president?”

Carter says, “I would say that the answer is yes. I don’t know about next election, but I think in the near future. Because step by step we have realized that this issue of homosexuality has the same adverse and progressive elements as when we dealt with the race issue 50 years ago."

“So I would say that the country’s getting acclimated to a president who might be female, who might obviously now be black, and who might be as well a gay person. Yes, I would say the answer’s yes,” Carter adds.

Jimmy Carter

In an Aug. 31, 2010 file photo, former President Jimmy Carter leaves the State Department in Washington.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Read more at www.cnsnews.com
 

Quiet Deal on Obama's Judge Nominees in the Senate

Amplify’d from www.cnsnews.com

Quiet Deal on Obama's Judge Nominees in the Senate
By David Espo, Associated Press
California law professor Goodwin Liu

In this April 16, 2010 file photo, California law professor Goodwin Liu, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be US Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Washington (AP) - After a monthslong blockade, Senate Republicans have agreed to let at least 19 of President Barack Obama's non-controversial judicial nominees win confirmation in the waning days of the congressional session in exchange for a commitment by Democrats not to seek votes on four others, according to officials familiar with the deal.

Among the four is Goodwin Liu, a law school dean seen as a potential future Supreme Court pick, whose current nomination to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has sparked strong criticism from Republicans.

As part of the arrangement, the Senate has approved 10 judges in the past few days without a single dissenting vote. One of them, Albert Diaz, had been awaiting confirmation to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., since clearing the Judiciary Committee in January.

The agreement was worked out between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, with the knowledge of the White House, officials said. Spokesmen for the two Senate leaders declined comment.

In the talks, Reid also pushed for confirmation for James Cole, whom Obama picked last spring for the No. 2 post in the Justice Department. His nomination to be deputy attorney general is opposed by Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, and its fate is unclear.

Officials described the maneuvering on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.

Judicial nominations have become intensely political in recent years as presidents seek approval for nominees who frequently spark opposition from outside interest groups aligned with the opposing party as well as from senators themselves.

Democrats filibustered several of President George W. Bush's conservative nominees, refusing to allow a vote on some for years. The logjam was broken in the spring of 2005 in a compromise that allowed some to be confirmed while a smaller number were jettisoned.

More recently, Democrats have accused Republicans of delaying confirmation of even non-controversial nominees advanced by Obama by refusing to permit them to come to a vote without a time-consuming process than can take three days on the Senate floor.

In remarks over the weekend, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said 49 circuit and district court nominations made by Obama had been approved so far, "less than half the number confirmed during the first Congress of the Bush administration."

Before the action this weekend, Leahy said some 30 Obama judicial nominees, including seven to fill appeals court vacancies, were awaiting Senate confirmation.

"A majority of the nominations pending on the Senate's calendar received unanimous support from the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 17 of the nominations are to fill seats designated as judicial emergencies by the nonpartisan Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts," Leahy added.

The Senate also has confirmed both of Obama's nominees to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

In addition to the 10 nominees confirmed since Thursday, the Senate is expected to approve at least nine more before lawmakers adjourn for the year. All have been pending in the Senate since Sept. 23 or before. Another 15 have been awaiting a vote for less than a month.

The unconfirmed nominations will expire when Congress adjourns for the year. Obama is free to reappoint them, but Republicans will have more seats in the Senate in 2011, and there is no assurance the most controversial among them would be approved quickly, if at all.

Apart from Liu, they include Edward Chen, Louis B. Butler Jr. and John J. McConnell, Jr., all nominated to become U.S. District Court judges.

Liu is a dean at the University of California law school at Berkeley and the best-known of the four. Supporters and critics alike speak of him as a potential future selection for the Supreme Court by a Democratic president. He also could be the first Supreme Court nominee of Asian-American descent.

Republicans have attacked his nomination from the first.

At his committee confirmation hearing, Sessions Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., noted Liu's criticism when Samuel Alito was nominated to the Supreme Court by Bush. At the time, Liu said Alito's vision was an America "where police may shoot and kill an unarmed boy ... where federal agents may point guns at ordinary citizens during a raid, even after no sign of resistance ... where the FBI may install a camera where you sleep ... where a black man may be sentenced to death by an all-white jury for killing a white man, absent ... analysis showing discrimination."

Kyl called those comments "vicious and emotionally and racially charged."

Liu said he used "unnecessarily colorful language" and added, "I have the highest regard for Justice Alito's career." He said those remarks followed a 14-page analysis of Alito's rulings.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Republican who supported Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, called Liu, "a bridge too far for me. He should take those views and run for office."

Read more at www.cnsnews.com
 

God hates Christmas! Jeremiah 10 condemns Christmas trees!


God hates Christmas!



Jeremiah 10 condemns Christmas trees!



Jeremiah 10

1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus says the LORD:





Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;

Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,

For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

3 For the customs of the peoples are futile;

For one cuts a tree from the forest,

The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.

4 They decorate it with silver and gold;

They fasten it with nails and hammers

So that it will not topple.

5 They are upright, like a palm tree,

And they cannot speak;

They must be carried,

Because they cannot go by themselves.

Do not be afraid of them,

For they cannot do evil,

Nor can they do any good.”

6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD

(You are great, and Your name is great in might),

7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

For this is Your rightful due.

For among all the wise men of the nations,

And in all their kingdoms,

There is none like You.

8 But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;

A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.

9 Silver is beaten into plates;

It is brought from Tarshish,

And gold from Uphaz,

The work of the craftsman

And of the hands of the metalsmith;

Blue and purple are their clothing;

They are all the work of skillful men.

10 But the LORD is the true God;

He is the living God and the everlasting King.

At His wrath the earth will tremble,

And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.



Jeremiah 10 condemns idolatry, both in the letter and in the spirit, whether a physical idol or an idolatrous tradition based upon HEATHEN CUSTOMS like the "Christmas tree" that history clearly exposes as pagan in origin. Those who adorn their Christmas trees and remain in denial about its pagan origin, who play deaf, dumb and blind to the facts, who attempt to dismiss or downplay how it's a heathen custom, are living a lie and shamefully reject the clear commandments of God that speak against such spiritual adultery, mixing and matching pagan error with biblical truth, and will suffer the consequences for being so dishonest and deceitful.



Pagan holidays like Christmas and pagan customs like Christmas trees are both abominations to God. True Christians shun both, we avoid them like the plague, because we love God more than idolatrous traditions of apostate men!



Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas



Christmas is About Giving -- Says Who?



C.H. Spurgeon on Christmas and Roman Catholicism



Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas?



The Plain Truth about Christmas
Read more at beyondbabylon.blogspot.com
 

Christmas tree owner's deceitful responses


Christmas tree owner's deceitful responses

I wrote this last year and the following is one of two Christmas tree owners response:


Jeremiah 10 condemns Christmas trees!



Jeremiah 10

1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus says the LORD:





Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;

Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,

For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

3 For the customs of the peoples are futile;

For one cuts a tree from the forest,

The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.

4 They decorate it with silver and gold;

They fasten it with nails and hammers

So that it will not topple.

5 They are upright, like a palm tree,

And they cannot speak;

They must be carried,

Because they cannot go by themselves.

Do not be afraid of them,

For they cannot do evil,

Nor can they do any good.”

6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD

(You are great, and Your name is great in might),

7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

For this is Your rightful due.

For among all the wise men of the nations,

And in all their kingdoms,

There is none like You.

8 But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;

A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.

9 Silver is beaten into plates;

It is brought from Tarshish,

And gold from Uphaz,

The work of the craftsman

And of the hands of the metalsmith;

Blue and purple are their clothing;

They are all the work of skillful men.

10 But the LORD is the true God;

He is the living God and the everlasting King.

At His wrath the earth will tremble,

And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.



Jeremiah 10 condemns idolatry, both in the letter and in the spirit, whether a physical idol or an idolatrous tradition based upon HEATHEN CUSTOMS like the "Christmas tree" that history clearly exposes as pagan in origin. Those who adorn their Christmas trees and remain in denial about its pagan origin, who play deaf, dumb and blind to the facts, who attempt to dismiss or downplay how it's a heathen custom, are living a lie and shamefully reject the clear commandments of God that speak against such spiritual adultery, mixing and matching pagan error with biblical truth, and will suffer the consequences for being so dishonest and deceitful.



Pagan holidays like Christmas and pagan customs like Christmas trees are both abominations to God. True Christians shun both, we avoid them like the plague, because we love God more than idolatrous traditions of apostate men!



Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas



Christmas is About Giving -- Says Who?



C.H. Spurgeon on Christmas and Roman Catholicism



Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas?



The Plain Truth about Christmas


www.davidbenariel.org
 
David,
 
We keep the Christ in Christmas.  We hope that you can open your heart and embrace the true meaning of the season - Love - Peace - Joy to all of God's children. 
 
The Bible IS the greatest book ever written - however - much was lost in translation.  In your daily prayers, ask God to open your heart and mind to love - not criticize.
 
God's Blessings,
 
Kitty Treichel
Treichel's Trees
Read more at beyondbabylon.blogspot.com
 

Enjoy the Draft, You 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Haters

Amplify’d from gawker.com


Enjoy the Draft, You 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Haters Conservative production company Citizens United has released this post-"Don't Ask Don't Tell" ad, warning effete liberals (and Lady Gaga) that they'll all get drafted after the current Marines quit in protest. Exactly! This was Joe Lieberman's plan all along.


Send an email to Jim Newell, the author of this post, at newell@gawker.com.

Read more at gawker.com
 

Young Citigroup Banker's Suicide Stuns Everyone

Amplify’d from gawker.com

Young Citigroup Banker's Suicide Stuns EveryoneOn Saturday morning, 27 year-old Citigroup associate Jessica Fashano—by all accounts a bright, caring, and popular woman—walked into the Trump Place tower on Manhattan's Riverside Boulevard, rode to the roof, and jumped off. Why?

Here's what we know so far, from reports in every paper:


  • Jessica grew up in New Jersey. She was 27, and an investment banking associate at Citi.

  • She was extremely active in charity work.

  • "She had been taking medication for depression, police sources said."

  • On Saturday morning, she walked 16 blocks north of her Midtown apartment to the Trump Place tower. From the NYT: "A resident said she was returning from walking her dog and rode up with Ms. Fashano in the elevator. Dressed for the cold in Ugg boots and a winter jacket, Ms. Fashano asked the woman how to get to the roof - which has views of the Hudson River and New Jersey, where Ms. Fashano grew up. The resident, who declined to be identified, said Ms. Fashano seemed alert and aware."

  • Fashano's body was found in the building's courtyard shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday morning. A resident reported hearing a "really bad sound - a boom."

  • Friends have set up a memorial page for her on Facebook. Tributes to "her smile, her laugh, her passion for everything she did" abound.

And that's it. There's no suspicion of foul play at this point. Just tragedy. Hug your loved ones for Christmas.

Photos: Citigroup, Facebook
Read more at gawker.com
 

Pastors Fight

Jesus People Fight Other Jesus People, for Jesus

Amplify’d from gawker.com


Jesus People Fight Other Jesus People, for Jesus "We are told the fight was caused by difference of views of the Scriptures." These Christian soldiers seem to be following all the rules. [KOB via Christian Nightmares]


Send an email to the author of this post at Hamilton@gawker.com.

Read more at gawker.com
 

FED FORCES BANK TO REMOVE CROSSES, BIBLE VERSES, AND CHRISTMAS BUTTONS

Amplify’d from www.westernjournalism.com

FEDS FORCE BANK TO REMOVE CROSSES, BIBLE VERSES, AND CHRISTMAS BUTTONS

A small-town bank in Oklahoma said the Federal Reserve won’t let it keep religious signs and symbols on display.

Federal Reserve examiners come every four years to make sure banks are complying with a long list of regulations. The examiners came to Perkins last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say “Merry Christmas, God With Us.” were inappropriate. The Bible verse of the day on the bank’s Internet site also had to be taken down.

“I don’t think there should be a problem with them displaying whatever religious symbols they want to display,” said Amy Weierman, a Perkins resident.

Specifically, the feds believed, the symbols violated the discouragement clause of Regulation B of the bank regulations. According to the clause, “…the use of words, symbols, models and other forms of communication … express, imply or suggest a discriminatory preference or policy of exclusion.”

The feds interpret that to mean, for example, a Jew or Muslin or atheist may be offended and believe they may be discriminated against at this bank. It is an appearance of discrimination.

But customers Eyewitness News 5 talked to said they aren’t buying it.

Read More: KOCO TV

Read more at www.westernjournalism.com