Kilpatrick Stockton’s Christina Gattuso Selected to Leadership Role in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 27) - LawFuel.com Attorney News Service- Kilpatrick Stockton announced today that Partner, Christina Gattuso, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the William E. Doar Jr. (WEDJ) Education Foundation. The William E. Doar Jr. (WEDJ) Educational Foundation assists the WEDJ Public Charter School (PCS) for the Performing Arts in providing a unique and artistic learning experience for hundreds of young students in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Gattuso is a partner on Kilpatrick Stockton’s Financial Institutions team in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. She focuses her practice on corporate and securities matters, financial institution regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Gattuso is currently a member of Leadership Greater Washington’s Class of 201o.

About WEDJ
WEDJ's primary focus is to educate youth and help them become creative and intelligent leaders who can generate positive change in their communities. WEDJ relies on the performing arts as a means to support its rigorous academic curriculum and teach leadership and teamwork. For more, please visit the website for the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts at http://www.wedjschool.us/ .

Source:lawfuel.com/

Gays 'Applaud' Obama for Pledge to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Gay rights groups lauded President Obama for pledging Wednesday night to work this year to repeal the ban on gay people from openly serving in the armed forces, ratcheting down their criticism of the president for not working quickly enough to overturn the policy.

President: I will "repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve."In his first State of the Union address, the president said he would work with Congress and the military to lift the 15-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, setting a rough timeline for repealing the increasingly unpopular ban that is particularly disliked by many of his most ardent supporters.

Source:abcnews.go.com/

Obama Hammers Supreme Court in Speech

President Obama is taking aim at the Supreme Court's recent decision to roll back limits on corporate spending on political campaigns in his State of the Union address this evening, saying the high court "reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests - including foreign companies - to spend without limit in our elections."

"Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, and worse, by foreign entities," the president will say, according to excerpts provided by the White House. "They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong."

According to CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford, "the rebuke of the Court is extraordinary." Many of the justices involved in the 5-4 decision are expected to be in the House chamber to hear Mr. Obama's speech.

The president is expected to focus largely on jobs and the economy as he tries to reframe his presidency in the wake of electoral and legislative setbacks for his party in recent weeks.

The president will "call for the elimination of capital gains taxes on small business investment and push for tax credits for both new hiring and investments in new equipment," as CBS News' Robert Hendin reports. He is also expected to ask for repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gays in the military.

But in the excerpts released by the White House, he stresses the importance of lawmakers trying to "overcome the numbing weight of our politics" in the wake of a divisive battle over health care reform in order to pass legislation.

"By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance," he plans to say. "Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Co-pays will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans. And neither should the people in this chamber."

Special Report: Obama's 2010 State of the Union



The president will urge members of Congress to "try common sense" instead of continuing to "fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades."

"To do that, we have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now," he will say. "We face a deficit of trust - deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years."

The president goes on to say he came to Washington to end that "credibility gap," as well as "the outsized influence of lobbyists." He calls for requirements that lobbyists disclose any contact they have with the administration or Congress on behalf of a client - and for "strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office."

He also calls for earmark reform, telling members of Congress that "you have trimmed some of this spending and embraced some meaningful change. But restoring the public trust demands more."

Shortly after excerpts of the president's speech were released, portions of the Republican response from Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell were sent to reporters.

On the health care front, McDonnell plans to say that "most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government."

He will also argue that government shouldn't "pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class."

With both parties seeking to win points with voters for staking out populist positions, McDonnell will say "government closest to the people governs best."

"Top-down one-size fits all decision making should not replace the personal choices of free people in a free market, nor undermine the proper role of state and local governments in our system of federalism," the recently-elected governor plans to say.

Source:cbsnews.com/

Obama attending Vermont Ave. Baptist Church

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is attending church services at Washington's Vermont Avenue Baptist Church.




Obama is expected to make remarks on the eve of the federal holiday marking the birth of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King.



Obama joined Rev. Cornelius Wheeler at the pulpit as the church choir sang hymns and sat by as the pastor read from the Bible.



Later Sunday, the president is scheduled to fly to Boston in support of the Senate candidacy of Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is in a tight race for the seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Source:washingtonpost.com/

Public Does Not Seem to be as Happy with President Obama, Poll Reveals

As President Barack Obama completes his first year in power, a Washington Post-ABC News poll has discovered that the once highly popular President now faces a "polarized nation" and rapidly souring public assessment of his efforts to bring a change to Washington.




About 50% of the nation's residents have stressed that the President has failed to deliver all promises he had made during the campaign, and there is a very slim majority that has some, or even no, confidence in that he would be making any right decisions for the country.



Over a third of the poll's participants say that Mr. Obama has fallen very short of expectations, which is about double the proportion that felt the same at his 100-day mark. Furthermore, 63% had then said that the new President had managed to achieve a "great deal" or a "good amount", but now the same has fallen to 47%.



In particular, the Republicans are highly critical of Mr. Obama, with only 20% saying that they approve of his overall job performance, in sharp contrast with the 87% Democrats who are very happy.



The poll was conducted last week, over telephone, among randomly picked 1,083 adults from across the US. The results have an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Source:topnews.us/

President Obama Has 'Lost' Fans Worried

President Obama might lose the "Lost" vote if he picks the night of Feb. 2 to deliver his State of the Union address.

The president traditionally gives the speech in late January. But this year, the White House has indicated it might push back the date to give Congress time to pass a health care reform bill, which Obama would celebrate in his address.

The TV networks expected Obama to speak on Tuesday, Jan. 26, but now there's word that the White House might move it to the next Tuesday, according to The Washington Post. That would force ABC to pre-empt the season premiere of its hit series "Lost." The three-hour episode will kick off what's billed as the final season of the show.

Source:sphere.com/

DC group wants cause mentioned in Obama address

WASHINGTON — A group that advocates for voting representation in Congress for D.C. residents wants President Obama to mention their cause in his State of the Union address.

The group, D.C. Vote, is asking for suggestions — no more than three sentences — about what Obama should say to support D.C. voting rights during the speech. The district currently elects a representative to Congress, but Eleanor Holmes Norton cannot vote on the House floor.

A bill to give the city of some 600,000 people a vote is currently stalled after an amendment was added that would repeal the city's strict gun registration requirements.

D.C. Vote wants suggested language e-mailed or posted to their Facebook page by Jan. 11. The date of the State of the Union address has not yet been set.

Source:washingtonexaminer.com/

Obama's A Wimp, Even to a Yellow Dog Dem Like Me

I am a 76-year-old yellow dog Democrat, with a picture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt still prominently displayed in my bedroom. And yes, I would likely vote for a yellow dog if the dog were running on the Democratic ticket against any of today's Republicans. To me, the current crop of Republicans represent, not simply the party of no, but the party of death, as shown in their unanimous opposition to health care reform.

They also represent the party of economic depression, as they did in the 1930s, as evidenced today by their opposition to the original economic stimulus, and additional, much-needed economic pump priming. Furthermore, their opposition to virtually anything President Obama proposes shows that they have put their selfish political fortunes way ahead of the good of the country. It is entirely accurate to say that Republicans hate America. And for this they should be severely punished.

Given my feelings, you may wonder why I am not more enthusiastic about the president one year into his term. After all, isn't he on the brink of a historic health reform? One that will bring necessary care to millions more people, that will end insurance companies' refusal to insure people with pre-existing conditions and halt caps on coverage?

Yes, if health reform becomes law I will applaud. But, frankly, most of my enthusiasm has long since fizzled out. I feel like I'm holding a balloon that has burst. Maybe it's because the president made devil's bargains with big pharma and other major "stakeholders," (not, of course, including the public). Pharma's deal is representative. The drug companies promised Obama $80 billion in lower drug costs over 10 years. Since they earn $300 billion in profits EVERY year, that wasn't much of a bargain. Then, to add insult to injury, they raised prices 10 per cent. And stopped reimportation of drugs from Canada. Other "stakeholders" made similar good deals for themselves. The insurance companies, not satisfied with the prospect of millions of new customers, many subsidized by taxpayers, managed to retain their anti-trust exemption, among other advantages. As for other major "stakeholders," I find doctors and hospitals less venal and more deserving.

I have been on Medicare for more than 10 years, a wonderful system. Ideally, health insurance reform would have meant Medicare for everybody. That would have been great, but I recognize that it never was feasible, given the ownership of our government by big business.

Until Obama talked it up, I'd never heard of the public option. He managed to convince me of its importance, assuring me as late as last July 18 that since there is little competition in the health insurance business, a public option was necessary to provide more "to keep the insurance companies honest." He said he wouldn't sign any bill that didn't include it. But hardly had Obama pledged himself to the public option than he began backing away from it, so we're not going to have one. Nor a buy-in to Medicare for people 55 and over, as was briefly proposed as a substitute.

On another crucial matter, a big new program to provide jobs and bring down our 10 per cent unemployment, Obama has been lackadaisical. Health reform has put job creation in the background. After health care reform is passed, if it is, Obama will finally turn his attention to this matter, which never should have been delayed. Nor should a related economic matter, the reregulation of Wall Street. One of my favorite bloggers, Kevin Drum, has an article in Mother Jones that says, in effect, that the chances for serious, necessary reregulation are already nil, because the presidency and both parties in Congress are owned lock and stock by Wall Street, which far outdoes every other industry in financing elections, and has little trouble getting what it pays for. So we can look forward to more bubbles and more Bush-like Depressions. Only Obama may be responsible for the next one. As for other matters, I still don't see an end to our two endless wars, or to Guantanamo, rendition or warrantless wiretapping.

As you can tell, after a year of Obama, I'm for him, but not with any real enthusiasm. Nice fella. Good talker. But I'm afraid he's deserving of a descriptive word once applied to the first George Bush. Obama is a wimp. I was always concerned about his lack of experience, and the fact that he was almost entirely untested. I'd have preferred Hillary. She may not have won the Nobel Prize, but she knew from bitter experience who the political enemy was and how to fight them.

I recognize that election of a Republican Congress and/or president would be a total disaster for this country. I will certainly continue to vote for Obama and other Democrats, but I doubt I'll contribute to or work for any. I hope Obama will get through as much of his program as possible this year. Because next year I doubt he'll have the sixty votes in the Senate necessary even to have a chance of legislative success. Mr. President, Good Night and Good Luck.


Source:huffingtonpost.com/

U.S. a house divided on terrorism

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- We're only a week into the New Year and, already, Yemen is this year's Afghanistan.

Yemen is a mess made more so by its al-Qaida problem but we knew that before the would-be Christmas Day underwear bomber turned up with a profile that included training in Yemen with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

The biggest news isn't that Yemen is a problem, that it was a Nigerian child of privilege who tried to blow up a plane or that so many red flags were missed before his pants were extinguished by a fellow passenger.

Since 9/11, everyone thinks about such a scenario every time they walk down the aisle of a jet, checking the seat assignment on their boarding pass against the numbers above the rows and the people in them. It's impossible for even a failed terrorist attack to remain impersonal and un-emotional.

The biggest shock this time, aside from the intelligence failures the president outlined yesterday, has been the level of politicization of the personal and emotional, with the former vice-president accusing the current president of pretending we're not at war and critics reviewing the administration's response based on theatrical criteria such as insufficient panic and inadequate levels of emoting.

If you try, just as a strategic exercise, to process this narrative through the lens of its perpetrators, it's hard to imagine a better gift for al-Qaida than Dick Cheney using the underwear bomber as yet another tactic to de-legitimize this president and hoard political points for more earthbound battles yet to come.

IT'S GETTING EASIER

The big picture message to al-Qaida in all the Christmas week finger-pointing is that causing havoc in the most powerful nation on Earth is easier than it used to be.

The questions the perpetrators don't want asked aren't about the polarization-fueling domestic game. They're about how al-Qaida has adapted its political mission to a shifted market, how the mysteries of radicalization play out on Jihadi web sites and what targeted nations can do about it.

The belated, oversized spotlight on Yemen underscores the reality that this isn't a conventional war and, more and more, it's not being fought as one. Behind all the noise there's a reminder of that lesson from Afghanistan and Pakistan already reflected in the new U.S. approach.

There's also a caution that engaging al-Qaida as though you're fighting a life-size game of "Risk" on a big map of the world against a single, mobile villain could inspire under-governed, lawless countries to see an al-Qaida franchise as the key to a new kind of fear-based security development.

'THE BASE' IS A MINDSET

Al-Qaida means "the base" in Arabic but the base's base is not in Yemen or in Afghanistan or in Somalia and that's not because it keeps moving. It's a mindset sold by people who know how to manipulate by dangling the false promises of validation and power.

It's not about religion. It's about exploiting religion to package those false promises by twisting evil into good and wrong into right in a way that transcends geography.

Source:torontosun.com/

A year in, Obama is being forced to face the threat of terrorism, and the results aren't too pretty

Most of us knew this point would come. We knew that eventually, President Obama and his administration would come face-to-face with something that candidates often need not acknowledge, but something that Presidents dare not ignore: reality.

For almost two years, then-candidate Barack Obama crisscrossed the nation spreading his message of "hope" and "change." It got him elected President.

As he and his administration approach their one-year mark, they are finding that campaign rhetoric differs greatly from today's reality.

For example, take the administration's mind-set and commitment in dealing with the threats posed to our homeland by the Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists who attacked us in 2001 and who have claimed responsibility for the unsuccessful attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day.

Immediately following the Flight 253 incident, which could have killed hundreds, the President did not address the American people. Vice President Biden did not. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano did not. No one did. It was not until two days later that the first administration official — Napolitano — spoke publicly about this near-Christmas Day massacre.

Within the past week, I believe that Obama has recognized the reality that the American people want leadership — and need reassurance — during times like this. They need to know that their government is vigilant in fulfilling its most important mission, which is protecting the lives of Americans.

Last week, after I alerted the President of this reality, some Democrats actually criticized me for not being critical of President W. Bush after the December 2001 terror attempt by "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

The criticism is totally unwarranted because Bush and his administration needed no such reality check. The horrific attacks of 9/11 were still fresh in the minds of all Americans. Human remains were still being recovered from Ground Zero. Virtually every time Bush spoke, he reminded us of the ongoing terror threat and war on terror. Agree with him or not, no one had any doubt where Bush stood. In today's instance, eight years removed from 9/11, the American people wanted and needed to hear from their new commander in chief or a senior administration official.

And to be honest, we have not heard Obama or his administration discuss the still-ongoing terror threat as often as I believe is necessary.

As a case in point, believe it or not, last February when Napolitano appeared before the House Homeland Security Committee for the very first time, her testimony did not even include the word "terror." Not even once.

Source:nydailynews.com/

Trans woman nominated by Obama 'not a token'

Amanda Simpson, the trans woman appointed by President Barack Obama, has said she does not want to be seen as a "token".

She was appointed to the role of senior technical advisor to the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security and has worked in the aerospace and defence industry for 30 years.

In an interview with ABCNews.com, she said she would rather not be the first trans presidential appointee, but added she intended to do a "far superior" job than anyone else.

She said: "Being the first sucks. I'd rather not be the first but someone has to be first, or among the first.

"I think I'm experienced and very well qualified to deal with anything that might show up because I've broken barriers at lots of other places and I always win people over with who I am and what I can do."

Simpson added: "[There will be] questions like: Is this a token? Are you here to do a job or just to fill a quota or appease other people? In that regard it makes it a bit more difficult," she said.

"I'm sure I will have to do and intend to do a far superior job than any other person. But I'm sure I will always be second guessed."

Obama has come under fire from LGBT campaigners for being slow to act on election promises on issues such as the Defence of Marriage Act and the military gay ban.

Some conservative groups attacked the appointment as a token gesture to the "far-left".

Christian group Focus on the Family said in a statement: "Simpson's nomination was forwarded through to President Obama by a gay activist group, making it appear that this appointment of a male-to-female 'transgender' activist to a high level Commerce Department position to be payback to his far-left base for their political support."

Simpson is on the board of directors of the National Centre for Transgender Equality. She holds degrees in physics, engineering and business administration along with an extensive flight background.

Source:pinknews.co.uk/

Obama's left Hawaii for D.C., but is still feeling the heat

It wasn't all that relaxing for Obama in Hawaii, but in D.C. the focus is even more intense on who's to blame for the Christmas Day bombing attempt on an airliner bound for Detroit.
President Obama, the first lady, and their daughters step off Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Monday, after spending the holidays in Hawaii.

Alex Brandon/AP






One day you’re in sunny Hawaii, enjoying a shaved ice treat named after you (the “Snowbama”) and watching the wife and kids bounce around the Honolulu Zoo.

The next, you’re back in Washington, where it’s frigid on several levels. The city itself is gripped by unusual cold, and politics is dominated by an argument about who, if anyone, is to blame for the Christmas Day bombing attempt on an airliner landing in Detroit.

That’s Barack Obama’s plight – in hours he’s gone from “Snowbama” to “oh, mama.” (Cue groans, stage right.)

First business: security briefings

President Obama touched down in Washington at midday Monday and got right back to work in the Oval Office, receiving the first of an expected string of reports about the attempted attack on the Northwest Airlines flight.

Mr. Obama’s first scheduled briefing was from the CIA, dealing with what the agency knew, and when it knew it, about bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The president was also set to hear from White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan.

On Tuesday, Obama is scheduled to take part in a more comprehensive look at the attack, said Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton.

“Coming out of that meeting we’ll probably have more on what the next steps are,” said Mr. Burton in a briefing with reporters.

But Obama hasn’t waited to get back to D.C. before pressing for action, noted Burton. Modern presidents, after all, in one sense only appear to be on vacation. The weight of the office – plus lots of high-tech communications gear – is with them at all times.

Travel adjustments so far

The Transportation Security Agency has already moved to tighten security, requiring extra screening on all travelers from or transiting through 14 countries on a new watch list, noted spokesman Burton.

In addition, the names of dozens of people have been added to the government’s terrorist watch lists and a do-not-fly list which bans entry into the US.

“There’s already been a rescrubbing of the different lists,” said Burton.

All this is on top of a normal presidential workload, which includes monitoring lawmakers as House and Senate try to work out the differences between their versions of health reform legislation, and the drafting of an upcoming State of the Union speech. The State of the Union will probably be later this month, though the date has yet to be set.

“We’re in the process of piecing together what it will be – a speech that is going to have to cover quite a bit of ground,” said spokesman Burton.

Source:csmonitor.com/

Bomb plot thrusts Obama into political storm

President Barack Obama is weathering a political storm over last month’s suspected al Qaeda plot to bomb a Detroit-bound plane, particularly from Republicans who say he dropped the ball on security while pursuing healthcare and climate reforms. But how much substance there is behind the allegations may depend on who’s talking.

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina told NBC’s Today show that he believes Obama just woke up to the gravity of the al Qaeda threat.

“A lot of us have been concerned over the last year that the president did seem to downplay the threat of terror. He doesn’t use the word anymore. He hesitates to say that there is a war on terror,” DeMint said.

“But in the last few days, he seems to have come around to the idea that there are people in Yemen and other places who are intent on hurting Americans,” the lawmaker added.

A completely different picture comes from Bob Woodward, the Pulitzer-winning journalist who chronicled Republican George W. Bush’s response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

“The new administration is taking a very aggressive stance on these matters and perhaps even more than the Bush administration, doing more about the al Qaeda sanctuaries in places like Yemen,” Woodward told ABC’s Good Morning America. That view comes from reporting Woodward says he is doing for a new book on the Obama White House.

Meanwhile, DeMint says he wants to eliminate politics from the security debate. That means not blaming Obama or members of the president’s team for security lapses, at least not for now. It also means retaining his hold on the Senate confirmation of Erroll Southers, Obama’s nominee for the Transportation Security Administration. DeMint blocked that nomination out of concern that Southers would unionize the TSA.

“What I’ve asked for is just some debate and a recorded vote,” he told NBC. “This is all about politics and not security. What I want is a few hours of debate on Mr. Southers to help focus the nation back on security and get this politics, particularly union politics, out of our security apparatus.”

TSA’s job is to protect all modes of transportation, not just air travel. That breadth of responsibility could be important now that the Detroit bomb plot has put all the focus on airport security.

“Al Qaeda has capabilities to do other things. How about trains? How about buses?” Woodward said. “You can’t fight the last terrorist attack.”

Photo Credit: Reuters/Hugh Gentry (Obama)

Source:blogs.reuters.com

2009 Newsmakers: Obama tops list for religious writers

Left, U.S. President Barack Obama. Right, a deadly army base shooting at Fort Hood, Texas by Nidal Hasan brought the role of religion and terrorism back into the headlines.

ROGER L. WOLLENBERG/GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO (left), HANDOUT/AP FILE PH



For the second year in a row, U.S. President Barack Obama has topped the list of major religion stories for 2009, according to a poll of North American religion writers.

And, like last year, it was an Obama initiative that took No. 2 spot, as well.

In fact, four of the top 10 stories involve Obama, according to a poll of 100 members of the Religion Newswriters Association, almost all of who work for American newspapers or radio and television stations.

Issues of same-sex marriage and gay clergy took three spots in the top 10.

Topping the list was a speech given in Cairo by Obama last June in which he reached out to the Muslim world and set his administration apart from that of his predecessor. Invoking the Qur'an, Talmud and the Bible, Obama declared that America was not at war with Islam.

"The holy Qur'an teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as – it is as if he has killed all mankind. And the holy Qur'an also says whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind," Obama, the son of a Muslim father and a Christian mother, said in the speech.

Next on the list was Obama's troubled healthcare initiative, which – like many political issues in the U.S. – has drawn religious groups into the debate.

While many faith-based groups have backed healthcare reform in the United states to help "the least of these," others, including Roman Catholic bishops, have called for restrictions on abortion funding. More than 40 million Americans have no healthcare coverage.

A deadly army base shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 dead in November came in third. Because the accused shooter, Nidal Hasan, was considered a devout Muslim, the shooting spree brought the role of religion and terrorism back into the headlines.

Violence and religion also took the fourth spot, with the June shooting of abortion doctor George Tiller at his Wichita church, where he served as an usher. Accused killer Scott Roeder reportedly turned to radical religious groups after his marriage ended. Several anti-abortion groups condemned the attack.

Gay marriage entered the list, in fifth spot, with Mormons in California coming under attack for their support the previous year for a voter resolution banning same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, voters in Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire voted to allow it, while those in Maine voted against it. The vote by California voters against gay marriage took the fourth spot on the 2008 list.

Obama returned to the top 10 by accepting an honorary degree from the Catholic Notre Dame University, where he also gave the commencement speech. The event sparked debates at the school and in Catholic circles over his views on abortion.

A vote by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to ordain gay and lesbian clergy in committed monogamous relationships took seventh spot. Mirroring ongoing splits in the Anglican church, the move led to a number of conservative parishes to look into forming a new denomination.

The recession's impact on church earnings took eighth place as cutbacks hit a great variety of faith-based groups, including houses of worship, relief agencies, colleges and seminaries and publishing houses.

A vote by the Episcopal Church, as Anglicanism is known in the United States, to end a moratorium on installing gay bishops took ninth place on the list. Soon after, the diocese of Los Angeles chose a lesbian, Mary Glasspool, as assistant bishop.

The inauguration of Obama last January took the 10th spot, thanks to his choice of evangelist and mega-church leader Rick Warren to give the invocation, and gay Anglican Bishop Gene Robinson to give a pre-ceremony prayer.

Warren was also chosen Religion Newsmaker of the Year, beating out Pope Benedict XVI and Robert Duncan, head of the theologically conservative Anglican Church in North America.

Source:thestar.com/