An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Morning Coffee 07/18/08
Tennessee is third most-obese state
The traditional Southern diet — high in fat and fried food — may be part of the reason Southern states dominate the list, said Dr. William Dietz, who heads CDC’s nutrition, physical activity and obesity division. The South also has a large concentration of rural residents and black women — two groups that tend to have higher obesity rates, he said.
Damn right! Food is GOOD in the south. I guess the Mr and I helped push it up. 
McCain’s Straight Talk spins wheels
At times it appears Sen. John McCain’s Straight Talk Express should stop and ask for directions.
From signature issues such as immigration and climate change to tax cuts, the presumed Republican presidential nominee sometimes just seems lost as to his own record and his stance on hot-button social issues.
After Mr. McCain said he opposed child adoptions to gay and lesbian couples, his campaign clarified that he wasn’t making policy and would leave the issue to the states.
We are SO screwed! Thanks ever so much RNC for helping the libtards destroy the country.
EU: Presidency rebukes Iran over recent executions
The French Presidency of the European Union on Friday said it was “deeply concerned” to learn that ten Iranians were publicly executed between 7 and 14 July and urged Iran to immediately halt the practice.
“The European Union reaffirms its opposition to capital punishment under any circumstances,” said the French EU Presidency in a statement.
“The death penalty offends human dignity. There is also no irrefutable evidence that it has any deterrent effect, while any miscarriage of justice in its use is irreversible and irreparable,” it added.
Now, I’m very PRO death penalty, but Iran will hang people just for saying something against their leaders, or being gay, or not wearing the right clothes. So, with that, I agree. However, some of the nonsense the EU guy is spouting here, offends. A LOT. The “crime rate is up” in Iran because there are people there who don’t much care for the current leadership, and are speaking out against it.
Jerusalem Arabs, Hebrew U. Students Were an al-Qaeda Cell
According to evidence, one of the detainees, Muhammad Najem, lived in a Hebrew University dormitory overlooking the university’s stadium, which also serves as a helicopter landing pad. Najem watched the landing ground as a Presidential helicopter touched down in the course of President Bush’s January 2008 visit to Israel, with the intent of shooting it down. At the same time, the suspect allegedly sought instructions on the internet for shooting down a landing helicopter, and he took mobile-phone pictures of the presidential helicopter’s landing. A “senior American official” was on board the helicopter at the time.
Isn’t it time to take a strong stand and remove the threat to the safety and well being of the Israeli people, and anyone who visits?
300 Advisers Shape Obama’s Foreign Policy
Behind the e-mail messages is a tight-knit group of aides supported by a huge 300-person foreign policy campaign bureaucracy, organized like a mini State Department, to assist a candidate whose limited national security experience remains a concern to many voters.
No doubt about it! The guy can’t think for himself. This would explain why he refuses to do a townhall type debate with McFeingold. He stumbles enough without the added pressure of REAL questions from REAL people.
No verdict yet in corruption trial
The jury in the federal corruption trial of former state Sen. John Ford of Memphis deliberated for about six hours Thursday, then quit for the day.
Ford, 66, is accused of taking more than $800,000 to use his position as a senator to advance the interests of two TennCare contractors for the state.
The jurors will resume work this morning.
I can’t imagine why it’s taking them so long! Granted, I wasn’t in the court room, but there has been a LOT of news concerning the trial. All the evidence point to guilty, yet they are taking a lot longer than I would have imagined.
Teamsters May Withdraw Support for ANWR Oil Exploration
One of the nation’s most powerful labor unions is “reexamining” its support for drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), a policy it has supported for several years.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 1.4 million workers nationally, has supported expanded drilling in Alaska in the past. But that could change, said Leslie Miller, spokeswoman for the Teamsters, because, as she said, there needs to be a solution in the short term for reducing oil prices and boosting the economy.
Two questions come to mind: One, do the members agree, or is this just the ‘leadership’? Two, who gave them money or promised them what, to change their stance? It’s no secret I’m not a big fan of unions.
Former Mass. charity head gets year in prison
The founder of a defunct Muslim charity has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for lying to an FBI agent about his travels to Afghanistan.
Emadeddin Muntasser (ee-MAH’-duh-din mun-TAH’-suhr) was also ordered in federal court Thursday to pay a $10,000 fine.
The 43-year-old Muntasser was one of three men convicted in January of conspiracy to dupe the U.S. government into awarding tax-exempt status to Care International Inc. Prosecutors say they hid pro-jihad activities by the Boston-based organization.
That’s it? A year? I don’t suppose he’ll be sent back to Libya after he does is time, will he?
China bars flights during Olympics opening
Airlines are being told to stay away from Beijing’s airport during the opening ceremony of the Olympics and further scrutiny is being applied to foreign entertainers in the latest security moves ahead of next month’s games.
No official announcement has been made, but local media and airlines said Friday that the Beijing airport will close for about four hours during the opening ceremony, affecting dozens of flights.
Makes sense. I still think Bush should get the flu or something and cancel his plans to attend. Yeah yeah…doesn’t want to insult the Chinese. It’s ok to insult the Americans, but not the Chinese. (major disgusted sarcasm inserted here)
Judge refuses to halt Guantanamo trial
A federal judge refused to halt Monday’s scheduled military trial for Osama bin Laden’s alleged driver, ruling Thursday that he could not intervene in the military justice process established by Congress.
U.S. District Judge James Robertson ruled from the bench in a motion brought by lawyers for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who were seeking a preliminary injunction to halt Hamdan’s upcoming military commission in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
I don’t see why any of that garbage is even getting a trial! Firing squad. Quick. Economical. Simple.
Army to Shoot Live Pigs to Save Wounded Soldiers’ Lives
The Army on Friday was holding an exercise involving shooting live pigs and treating the gunshot wounds in training it says is critical to saving soldiers’ lives but which has sparked outcry from animal-rights activists.
The training, held at Schofield Barracks for Iraq-bound troops, is being conducted under a U.S. Department of Agriculture license and the careful supervision of veterinarians and a military Animal Care and Use Committee, said Maj. Derrick Cheng, spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division.
“It’s to teach Army personnel how to manage critically injured patients within the first few hours of their injury,” Cheng said of the medical trauma training.
The soldiers are learning emergency lifesaving skills needed on the battlefield when there are no medics, doctors or facilities nearby, he said.
Yet, to PETA, pigs are more important than saving lives. It’s bacon for petes sake! If wounding a pig will save military lives, then shoot ‘em!
Jalili advises Americans not to repeat past mistakes
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on Friday advised Americans to avoid making the previous mistakes.
“From our standpoint, what’s of importance is that with what an approach will he (the US Undersecretary of State Williams Burns) attend the (Iran-G5+1 nuclear) talks,” Jalili told reporters before leaving Tehran for Geneva where he will take part in talks with the EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana on Saturday.
Jalili said that if Burns attends the meeting with a constructive approach and avoids making the past mistakes, the talks will definitely be constructive.
I get the impression that it will “constructive” if Burns bends over to kiss some Iranian hind ends.
Czechs dealing with Russian oil cutback
With Russia cutting oil deliveries to the Czech Republic, a strategic decision made by Prague in the early 1990s to reduce its energy dependence on Moscow appears to be paying off.
The Czech Republic was the only former communist country in the region to diversify energy sources immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union, and it seemed unfazed this week by the Russian decision to cut oil deliveries by about 40 percent.
“We are managing quite well,” said Tomas Bartovsky, spokesman for the Trade and Industry Ministry. “We have alternative sources of supplies.”
Pay attention Queen Moonbat, and crowd! It can be done! We should have started weening off foreign oil 20 years ago, but by starting now, in 10 years, we can be independent of their influences.
