An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Morning Coffee 09/14/08
Franklin pair claim Obama waffles satire
Values Voter Summit organizers cut off sales of Obama Waffles boxes on Saturday, saying they had not realized the boxes displayed “offensive material.” The summit and the exhibit hall where the boxes were sold had been open since Thursday afternoon.
The box was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix. They sold it for $10 a box from a rented booth at the summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council.
Looking at the picture, I can kind of see the satire….kind of. Kind of tacky though. In my opinion, the depiction looks more like an elf than anything else. But it was still in bad taste….ESPECIALLY in such a setting. $10 a box? Criminy!
Concept of ‘Greater Israel’ dead, Olmert says
The concept of an undivided, or greater, Israel is dead, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his ministers Sunday, as the cabinet prepared to debate a plan to pay compensation to settlers willing to evacuate their West Bank homes. “‘Greater Israel’ is finished. There is no such thing as that any more. Whoever talks in those terms is only deluding himself,” media reports quoted Olmert as saying.
He said that while he did not always hold this opinion and that “dig anywhere (in historic Palestine) and you’ll find Jewish history,” he realized that “we have to share this land with the people who dwell here, that is if we don’t want to be a binational state.”
I was under the impression that they had been “sharing the land” for centuries, although the population has tipped a ‘bit’. And those that have been sharing have been murdering on a regular basis. I’d think the people themselves are fed up with such behavior and want to see an end to it. Hmm… Is Olmert a Palestinian ‘mole’? Odd thing for the head of a country to say. I’m starting to see him as Israel’s version of Jimmah Cahtah.
Pakistan backing off suggestions it might confront US
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar yesterday said that the nation would take a “pragmatic approach” to prevent missile attacks by the US inside Pakistan’s tribal regions. His statement indicated that Pakistan is backing off suggestions it might confront US troops making raids into its territory in search of militants. It also hinted that Islamabad would deal diplomatically with Washington over the stepped-up tactics.
Although officials are still unhappy over a recent surge in attacks aimed at Taleban and Al-Qaeda havens in the areas near the Afghan border, they also seem to realize there is not much they can do other than try to convince the US that the strategy is counterproductive because it is generating sympathy for the militants and public anger against both governments because of civilian casualties.
If Pakistan doesn’t want anyone dealing with THEIR problem, perhaps they should consider dealing with it themselves. They were suppose to be allies in this war against terrorists. Instead, they are protecting them. Not a real smart idea, so, they must deal with the consequences.
Severances assailed for Fannie, Freddie
The executives who managed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over the past decade as the mortgage giants teetered toward collapse collected tens of millions of dollars in compensation, and some walked away with what critics now consider to be comparatively small punishments for leaving behind a mess for taxpayers.
As the fallout from the government’s emergency takeover of the two companies continues, lawmakers, presidential candidates and shareholders are now examining the large compensation and severance packages for the top executives and the allegations of abuse that led to what many expect to be the largest financial bailout in U.S. history.
The garbage takes both companies into ruin, and yet, are rewarded. Excuse me? None of ‘em get a flippin’ dime in severance! Instead, they should be giving back what salaries they got while running them into the ground. As should ever single politician who made the conscious effort to shield them! I’m getting REAL sick of D.C. playing footsie with OUR money.
‘Schalit being given parties with cake’
“He’s not being kept in a closed room all the time – this would not be healthy. He can go out and take fresh air,” Abu Katab Doghmush, one of the clan’s elders told the British newspaper. “Every year, a party is held to celebrate his birthday. Yes, there is a cake and candles, music, everything.”
According to the report, the Doghmush clan is largely seen to be in control of the Army of Islam, a group which is affiliated with al-Qaida, and participated in the joint raid which left two IDF soldiers dead, and put Schalit in captivity. The other two factions which were involved in the kidnapping were Izzadin Kassam [the military wing of Hamas] and the Popular Resistance Committees.
I’m amazed that such a statement would even be made. Is the world so stupid as to believe this poor kid is being treated like an honored guest? Some of it, perhaps, actually is that stupid. I’m not.
al Qaeda’s 9/11 Terror Tape Blocked
Hackers prevented Al Qaeda from releasing a videotape to mark the seventh anniversary of 9/11. Al Qaeda has traditionally issued a video or audiotape by either Osama bin Laden or Ayman al Zawahiri, the terror network’s two leaders, to mark their massive terrorist attack on the US.
As-Sahab, Al Qaeda’s media unit, had indicated earlier this week that it would post such a videotape on September 11. As-Sahab had banner images on the internet showing a silhouetted head with a question mark and the words, “Wait 11 September”.
Most excellent!
Unidentified foreign submarine spotted near Japan
Japan was searching Sunday for an unidentified foreign submarine detected in its territorial waters earlier in the day, the Defense Ministry said.
The Aegis destroyer Atago of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted what it determined to be a periscope of an unknown submarine between Kyushu and Shikoku islands in western Japan, the ministry said.
By the time officials confirmed that the submarine was not a U.S. or Japanese vessel, it had left the area, it said.
Well, that can’t be good.
