Eating Horse Meat, and More in Chad’s Steaming Pile

Here are just a few things in Chad’s Pile that you will hear on Lubbock’s First News this morning. Give Chad your feedback on the steaming topics.

1. Horse meat (link)

If horse meat was on the menu when you go out to eat, would you order it? Soon you might have the option of doing that.

Horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for human consumption after Congress quietly lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections, and activists say slaughterhouses could be up and running in as little as a month.

It did not, however, allocate any new money to pay for horse meat inspections, which opponents claim could cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million a year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture would have to find the money in its existing budget, which is expected to see more cuts this year as Congress and the White House aim to trim federal spending.

The USDA issued a statement Tuesday saying there are no slaughterhouses in the U.S. that butcher horses for human consumption now, but if one were to open, it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws were being followed. USDA spokesman Neil Gaffney declined to answer questions beyond what was in the statement.

I don't see horse becoming a popular menu item anytime soon, but you never know. For now, I'll stick with steak.

2. Merry Christmas! (link)

If you are annoyed by people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", don't worry you are not alone.

Holiday shoppers, as they have for several years, would prefer to be greeted with signs reading “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays” this season.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 70% prefer that stores use signs that say “Merry Christmas.”

Don't expect these numbers to change what stores are doing though. Most businesses would rather remain politically correct.

3. Hinckley can't be trusted (link)

John Hinckley Jr. shouldn't be released, and the government is trying to make sure he never is.

Government lawyers told a federal judge Wednesday that the man who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981 went to a bookstore recently where he perused books on Reagan and people who've tried to assassinate presidents.

Prosecutors who want to ensure that John Hinckley Jr., is not released from a mental hospital told the court that Hinckley is deceptive and unstable. They said Secret Service agents who tracked Hinckley during a visit to his mom's home followed Hinckley when he was supposed to be seeing a movie. Instead, he went to a bookstore across from the theater.

I really don't see how Hinckley could ever be released.

These and many more topics coming up on Thursday’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App.