An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Morning Coffee 08/23/08
Gaddafi’s Likely Heir Announces Timeout
Fresh from prodding Libya into ending a quarter-century of hostility toward the United States, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s most influential son, announced this week that he planned to “disappear” from public life for a time.
Saif Gaddafi, the man seen as his father’s most likely successor, has been a leading force behind the scenes in Libya’s reopening to the West.
Heading to ‘training camp’?
THP inquiry could bring surprise visits
Twenty plainclothes Highway Patrol detectives will be fanning out in pairs across the state to make contact with and interview those whose information was violated by Shirley, who will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
In many cases detectives will try to go to a person’s house without a phone call, but some may call ahead, according to patrol spokesman Mike Browning.
He’s on PAID leave? PAID? This piece of work violated his authority, and public trust, so they’re going to give him a paid vacation? Is it just me, or is that a bit…..WRONG!?
Bush blames Democrats for high gas prices
“To reduce pressure on prices, we need to increase the supply of oil, especially oil produced here at home,” Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Congress left for the August recess without a solution to fuel prices. In a bid to force a vote on offshore drilling, Republicans blocked Democratic proposals to use the nation’s petroleum reserve, curb oil speculation and require oil companies to drill on already leased federal lands.
If Johnny has one apple, he can sell that apple to the highest bidder. If Johnny has 40,000,000 apples, he must adjust the price accordingly. Johnny must also ensure there are plenty of apples in storage, just in case of an apple pie emergency, right? Simple. DRILL HERE! DRILL NOW! And leave the dadburn reserve alone. Criminy, were these people born last night? I thought they were supposedly educated people. And while we’re at it…..GIT YER SORRY ASSES BACK TO WORK!
Washington ‘very concerned’ over Russian plans to sell arms to Syria
“We are obviously very concerned about reports that Russia may be providing weapons, weapons systems to Syria,” said spokesman Robert Wood.
“We have always said to the Russians that these sales should not go forward, they don’t contribute to regional stability and, again, I urge them not to go through with these sales if there is an intent to go through with them,” he told reporters.
Syrian President Bashar Assad won promises of fresh weapons sales during a visit to Russia this week.
Does anyone else get the impression that Russia is building a great big bonfire, and is adding fuel, daily?
City stymied by sexually-oriented businesses’ new tactics
“It’s not like stopping somebody for speeding,” said Patrick Zummo, an outside attorney the city has hired to help enforce its ordinance. “You have to do a lot of groundwork before you can proceed. It’s frustrating that a lot of people seem to think this is all a fun-and-game business and the city is out there trying to shut down bachelor parties.
“We’re talking about drugs and violent crime, all next to a residential neighborhood.”
If they have laws in place preventing such establishments so close to residential areas, I honestly don’t understand the problem. Are there so many loopholes, they can’t figure out how to just say NO to all of these types of places? sigh… A once, fairly nice city, has turned into the Sodom and Gomorrah of the south.
Authorities in Sevier County, with cooperation from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, are intensely searching for several powerful weapons that were stolen earlier this week from the car of a Pigeon Forge detective.
The weapons include a .45-caliber Glock sidearm with night sights and a fully automatic .223-caliber M16 rifle capable of firing as many as 800 rounds per minute.
(…)
Also taken in the auto
in were a .308-caliber Remington rifle and a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, plus three suppressors that Pigeon Forge Police Chief Jack Baldwin said were designed to lessen both muzzle flash and noise.
He added that three body armor vests with varying levels of protection also were taken.
Was this detective expecting a massive riot at Dollywood? Criminy!
Mexican police raid casino, grab suspected hit man
Mexico’s federal Public Security Department says agents arrested a man believed to be Ruben Rios Estrada at the Caliente racetrack casino in Tijuana. It says Rios is a key gunman for the Arellano-Felix cocaine cartel. Another suspected gang member also was arrested.
Mexican media report that casino officials complained that the raid endangered some 1,300 customers, who were ordered to the floor.
The agency says the army and federal attorney general’s joined Friday’s arrests and that the suspects have been flown to Mexico City.
You know you are out manned, and out gunned, if it takes the cops, the army AND attorneys to arrest one guy.
Tropical Storm Fay Makes Fourth Florida Landfall
Fay was expected to skirt across the Panhandle’s coast Saturday and the coast of Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday, forecasters said.
Though Fay never materialized into a hurricane, its zigzagging downpours have been punishing and deadly.
At least six people in Florida were dead from the storm, state officials said, and two more deaths reported Friday were believed to be Fay-related. The state attributed an additional death, before the storm hit, to hurricane preparedness after a man testing generators died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Prayers with those families. I have to ask though….did the man who died testing the generators open a window? Not being snarky here, for a change. I know the folks in Florida are ready for Fay to go away, but we’re happy, right here in Podunk, to get some of the cast off rain.
Oakland officials welcome probe at City Hall
City Auditor Courtney Ruby said the federal investigation seems to be expanding on an audit commissioned by her office last year that uncovered questionable payroll practices, including $3 million in bonuses, leaves and other perks that were awarded by Edgerly and other managers with little council or mayoral oversight.
“The more people looking at this, the better,” Ruby said. “What I saw in my audit was serious potential for abuse of power, benefits given without policies and procedures in place.”
And da gubmint’s wonder why the common folk don’t trust ‘em. Pfft!
We will not be the next on Russia’s hitlist, vows defiant Ukraine
“It is the first time in Europe since the Cold War that a foreign army has entered the territory of a sovereign state without any internationally accepted legal basis,” he said.
“If we were to be ambivalent about this it would give tacit approval to put our country and our citizens under threat.”
The President — one of the figureheads of the Orange Revolution that toppled Moscow’s favoured candidate for the leadership of Ukraine — was careful not to criticise Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, directly.
Caution is one thing, ignoring the one pulling the strings? Is he afraid Putin might get angry at him, and they won’t ever be buds…just in case Russia manages to recreate the Soviet Union? And seriously, just what has NATO, or the Useless Numnuts been doing while the Bear is clawing it’s way back into the big time?
‘Prepared’ Secret Service, police have new equipment if needed
Mayor John Hickenlooper said the city and its partners developed what may be one of the most comprehensive security plans for an event of this magnitude.
“You never know what you don’t know, but we have spent more time planning and training than I think any city in history for a national convention,” he said.
“You never know what you don’t know…….”……………. Uh…yeah….that’s usually the case.
