An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Morning Coffee 10/25/08
Government computers used to find information on Joe the Plumber
Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed by accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.
It has not been determined who checked on Wurzelbacher, or why. Direct access to driver’s license and vehicle registration information from BMV computers is restricted to legitimate law enforcement and government business.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think attempting to dig up dirt is a legitimate law enforcement issue.
Bush asks Justice Department to look into Ohio voter-registration dispute
The White House has asked the Department of Justice to look into whether 200,000 new Ohio voters must reconfirm their registration information before Nov. 4, taking up an issue that Republicans and Democrats in the battleground state have been fighting over in court for weeks.
The voter names are in dispute because their registration information conflicts with other official data.
I’m curious. Has Bush been sitting on his thumbs the last few months? Shoot, YEARS? This has been going on for quite a while. Any spending bill that had funds allotted to ACORN, and any similar groups, should have been vetoed, and the feds should have shut them down a LONG time ago.
The action comes a week after the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a case brought by the Ohio Republican Party over the same issue. Republicans argue that the mismatches could signal fraudulent registrations; Democrats counter that eligible voters could be disqualified over minor discrepancies such as transposed numbers in an address.
I’d much rather have a couple of folks not being able to vote because they don’t know their own address than “Mickey Mouse” voting a few thousand times, canceling out legitimate votes. I’m also none too thrilled that OUR money is being spend to support such fraudulent registrations.
U.S. court upholds TN ban on direct wine shipments
What will probably change is the Tennessee Grape and Wine Law, which governs local wineries. Friday’s opinion, written by Judge Alan E. Norris, said that law is discriminatory because it favors in-state business over interstate commerce.
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Currently, state law says anyone applying for a winery license must have been a resident of Tennessee for at least two years. Also, wineries must use at least 75 percent local ingredients if they want to give samples or sell wine directly from their vineyards.
Well, first off, I had no idea that TN had wineries. I’ve never seen one, never seen any advertised, nada. Second, while I don’t drink, there are a couple of places I’d love to order wine from as gifts for Christmas when we head to Texas. Biltmore has a pretty good white Christmas wine, but I can’t order it. Very annoying. Another dumb law that is past it’s usefulness. Kind of like that minimum mark up law in WI.
Salt thieves make big haul in Aurora
Cops can pretty much rule out a rogue pretzelmaker or a bartender planning an out-of-control margarita party.
When thieves made off with 120 tons of salt from an Aurora storage facility over the last few weeks, the sheer quantity suggested that somebody who plows and spreads salt on winter pavement was seeking to cut costs through crime, the facility’s owner says.
The theft from a warehouse in the far west suburban city would fill six semi-trucks and require heavy equipment to load, experts say. It’s enough to last a suburban village through the winter. And the crime hit at a time of shortages and skyrocketing salt costs.
I find it absolutely amazing that no one notices six big trucks and a lot of heavy equipment! I’m also curious as to how there can be a ‘salt shortage’. The planet has got these great big ol’ bodies of water, with a LOT of salt in ‘em. 
Yeah yeah….processing and such. But a shortage? C’mon.
Obama or McCain, expect tussles over foreign policy
Indeed, McCain is surrounded by advisers, such as his main foreign policy spokesman, Randy Scheunemann, from both traditions. But he reportedly also consults closely with their nemeses, the foreign policy “realists,” most notably former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Lawrence Eagleburger, James Baker, and Richard Armitage, who served as deputy secretary of state under Colin Powell. While not shy about using military power or acting unilaterally as a last resort, they place greater emphasis on diplomacy and working with other countries to further US national interests.
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Most of Obama’s main foreign policy advisers hail from that tradition. Indeed, some, like his running mate, Senator Joseph Biden, whose longtime leadership of Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is likely to give him special influence on international affairs in an Obama White House, are considered “liberal interventionists” who believe the US should actively and aggressively export the spread of liberal values and prevent – by military force, if necessary – massive abuses of human rights, such as genocide.
I dunno. I think I’d rather have a STRONG military power rather than a bunch of Kumbaya singers. If the UN did what it was intended to do, mass genocide would not be spreading. Without a strong military, there will be certain folks who won’t hesitate to invade. Ever notice which countries are in favor of actions such as genocide? Do you think an Obama presidency would prevent Christians and Jews from slaughter? Just sayin’.
Woman sues Starbucks; says scalding coffee, unattached lid caused disfigurement
“She experienced extreme heat radiating through the cup and protective cardboard sleeve,” Isaacs wrote. “(She) balanced the extremely hot cup of coffee on her thigh with her hand on top of the cup as she pulled away from the window and negotiated a turn onto the roadway.”
Once on Kingston Pike, Triplett noticed “the lid of the coffee container was loose and not affixed properly,” the lawsuit states.
“Before Triplett could achieve a better grasp upon the cup, the lid dislodged from the cup, thereby causing scalding coffee to spill and splash onto (her) lap, right thigh and right hand,” the lawsuit states.
First off, I have extreme empathy for her pain. Having been burnt by boiling water on my stomach, I can tell ya……IT HURTS! My burns were caused by my clumsiness. I should have had a better grasp on the pot. Second, what person in their right mind, tries to balance a HOT cup of coffee on their thigh while driving? Yes, the lid should have been secure, but also she should have checked it before trying the balancing act. While this case is similar to the one back in the 90s, it doesn’t sound like this young lady is going to need reconstructive surgery, luckily. Starbucks should have responded to her. Now, they look like bigger asses than they already did.
Obama support runs deep in Western Europe
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for the IHT and the news channel France 24, reflects the overwhelming support in Western Europe for Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, over John McCain, the Republican. And the main reason on both sides of the Atlantic is the same: Obama’s capacity for change from the policies of President George W. Bush.
But from there the two continents differ. Respondents in the five European countries surveyed are far more likely to cite Obama’s personality or his youth, while Americans are more likely to cite his approach to health care and the economy.
Yup. The European style ‘gimme’ socialism is making strides. But just because the Europeans have no back bone, does that mean we should follow suit? I don’t think so! They only know what their media tells them. Kind of like college students only know what their professors want them to know. Personal investigation seems to be missing here.
Lawyer: Iran Should Release California College Student
The Iranian government has no legal basis for detaining a female Iranian-American student doing research in Iran, her lawyer said Saturday.
Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said no formal charges have been brought against Esha Momeni but officials at the Revolutionary Court privately told her parents her detention was related to her involvement in the “Change for Equality” campaign launched by Iranian women activists in September 2006.
Pfft. The Iranian don’t need a reason to put a woman in jail, other than they fact she’s a woman. The Muslims fear of women is baffling.
Vice-President: No power can threaten Iran
Speaking to a group of Iranian experts residing in the US, Mashaie said the world should think of a new management system for its economy, security and politics because current management system governing the world has failed and the US emperor has been demolished.
“This management has come to an end and would no longer survive; In another words, major collapse has taken place. When speaking of major collapse it does not mean the US collapse; It should, of course, be said the US collapse will not happen and is not a matter worth consideration. What will take place is the US emperor’s collapse,” said Mashaie.
NEVER mistake the will of the American people with the feckless weasels in D.C. NEVER!
S.S. D.D.
“…balanced the extremely hot cup of coffee on her thigh with her hand on top of the cup as she pulled away from the window… ”
Anyone who can afford a cup of Star-BUCKS in a drive through can afford a car with a cup holder. This lady was just plain lazy.
@Pastor John:
The first place my coffee goes is into the cup holder. I thought it rather odd m’self.