Ten Thought Provocations

1. The London, England based Economist: editorializes that McCain is a “doughty but cranky old warrior” and Obama an “inspirational but sometimes vaporous young visionary.”
2. McCain’s call for offshore oil drilling has helped him in Florida and hurt in California where he now trails 58-30% Obama leads 84-6% among Democrats, and McCain only gets 67% of Republicans. Just 46% of Californians favor offshore drilling while 57% do nationwide.
3. The Revolutionary Guards said Iran would impose controls on shipping in the vital Gulf oil route if Iran was attacked and warned regional states of reprisals if they took part, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
4. Facing increasing pressures from both sides of the Pacific the U. S. Navy has adopted a training plan for Hawaiian waters that it hopes will allow it to accelerate some exercises and hold them more frequently while continuing to limit the effects of its sonar on marine mammals. It hopes the plan will allow it to prepare to defend against increasing Chinese submarines and satisfy U. S. based activists.

5. The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening to file suit against the U.S. Naval Academy over the school’s daily lunchtime prayer. Nine midshipmen at the academy asked the ACLU to petition the school to do away with the prayers, saying that some midshipmen have felt pressured to participate. The school says it has no intention of changing is policy of offering time for devotion during the noon meal announcement. It has done so since its founding in 1845.

6. The new so-called “Smart car” is so tiny it barely has room for six handles- efficient if you are in an accident with anything bigger than a watermelon—then they just lock the doors and six pallbearers carry you over and drop you into a grave.

7.  The staff at Dr. Keith Leonard’s dental office in Arlington, Washington figured it was time to pony up to escape high gasoline prices. Since more than half of the dental assistants and office staff own horses, on Wednesday the crew saddled up and rode their horses in to work.

8.  Seeing Barrack and Hillary make nice is like watching a client and a prostitute both knowing the other has a social disease negotiate with Bill as pimp.

9.  America’s hard and softwood forest have increased 40% in 50 years from 600 billion cubic feet to 850 billion. It is a good thing too as there is more pressure for pulp wood to make paper bags to replace the plastic bags not long ago promoted as a way to “save the trees.”

10. The staff at Dr. Keith Leonard’s dental office in Arlington, Washington figured it was time to pony up to escape high gasoline prices. Since more than half of the dental assistants and office staff own horses, on Wednesday the crew saddled up and rode their horses in to work.