Philadelphia Mailbox Bomb: Across Street from Military Recruiting Office

Philadelphia is no stranger to bombs – or bomb-like objects in mailboxes. Today, according to reports by the local press, December 3, 2007:
”. . .an anonymous call placed to 911 at 7:41 a.m. threatened that there was a bomb in a blue public mailbox at Broad and Cherry Streets. threatened that there was a bomb in a blue public mailbox at Broad and Cherry Streets.
Yellow hazard tape cordoned off the main thoroughfare between Race and Arch Streets from 8 a.m. to just after 10 a.m.
Nearby buildings were evacuated as officers from various districts responded to the scene.
The Bomb Disposal Unit, which deployed a robot, set off a controlled explosion about 50 feet from the mailbox .. . .”

Details about the device in the mailbox have not been released yet.

What isn’t mentioned is that the mailbox is directly across the street from a military recruiting office at 125 North Broad Street: US Army, US Marine, US Navy and US Airforce all are listed as having an office at 125 North Broad.

Although bomb threats and hoaxes are often pranks, one wonders if this incident was intended to indicate a vulnerability. jeux casino en ligne

Branding Opportunity: Instead of Jesus Jeans…?

If you believe that there's no such thing as bad publicity, you might be able to find a branding opportunity following in the wake of the furor over the teddy bear naming in the Sudan. As a reminder: the Teddy Bear was named after American President T.R. Roosevelt.*

In Italy entrepreneur Maurizio Vitale took a bold step. An article in Time magazine November l983 quotes Vitale, then 38, "I decided to name my product after the biggest revolutionary in history." The president of the Italian sportswear company, Maglificio Calzificio Torinese, The product, Jesus Jeans, debuted in the early 1970s.

“Noticing the popularity of blue jeans in Europe and the U.S., as well as the growing number of youthful so-called Jesus freaks, Vitale combined the two enthusiasms into a single product, and thus created Jesus Jeans. To advertise the new pants, he used billboards displaying curvaceous, jean-clad female bodies and slogans like-"Thou shall have no other jeans before me," and "He who loves me, follows me." The attention-grabbing campaign quickly spurred sales, despite protests from church leaders that the ads were blasphemous.”

Oh. The words appeared on the derriere of the model. On a beach she’d probably be tugging down the swimsuit to cover the—her—bottom. You can see the image here.

The auction on the “surplus teddy bear” had five days to go when it disappeared from ebay, and the bid was way over tw0-hundred USD this morning. The image has been removed, but you can still find it on jihad watch, here.

Here's one version of the story of how that happened--and an image of the cartoon: "On November 14, 1902, Roosevelt was helping settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. During his spare time he attended a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered the mercy killing of the animal. The Washington Post ran a editorial cartoon created by the political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman that illustrated the event. The cartoon was called "Drawing the Line in Mississippi" and depicted both state line dispute and the bear hunt. At first Berryman drew the bear as a fierce animal, the bear had just killed a hunting dog. Later, Berryman redrew the bear to make it a cuddly cub. The cartoon and the story it told became popular and within a year, the cartoon bear became a toy for children called the teddy bear.

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Burma/Myanmar Blames United States for Demonstrations: Bid to Install Puppet Government

"YANGON (AP): Myanmar's military government stepped upits propaganda campaign against the United States on Sunday, accusing Washington of inciting last month's pro-democracy demonstrations in a bid to install a puppet government.

"Recent protests in the country were created by the loudmouthed bully, using the exiled dissidents and traitors together with communists, internal and external anti-government destructionists," said a commentary Sunday in the Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin daily.

Myanmar state-media commonly uses the phrase "loudmouthed bully" without specifically naming the nation it is referring to, but in a context that clearly points to the United States.

The author, who called himself Maung Pwint Lin - roughly meaning Mr. Frankly Speaking - said the U.S. had tried to revive the mass uprisings of 1988 in Myanmar in connivance with "exiled dissidents and internal axe-handles" in order to install a puppet government.
. . . "

This was the major headline above the fold in Sunday's Jakarta Post.

It May Get Uglier In Iraq

Is Acknowledging a 100 Year Old Crime Worth One Soldier's Life Today?
With this news pushing to the front, the situation in Iraq and the wider region could boil over. Did Turkey commit genocide on Armenians in World War I? Absolutely. Is it necessary for Congress to make an official proclamation about it when we have thousands of our soldiers in harm's way?

The Democrats must know that what they are doing is causing tensions to rise in Turkey, and by extension in Iraq. Where was the fervor to acknowledge this crime in the last nine decades? Assuming that they are aware of the implications, how do they explain the need for such a proclamation nearly 100 years later when our soldiers may experience a direct impact in their theater of operations?

They can't. This petty behavior at such a perilous crossroads causes me to almost lose faith in our system of government. If the Democrats want to behave like petulant jackasses, let them do it with issues that won't get soldiers killed. Or, they could be adults and do their electioneering with the strength of their own alternatives.

The problem with the last sentence is that, if nothing else, the Democrats as a whole have demonstrated that while they have plenty of hot air, they have no ideas. It takes an idea to create an alternative.

A party built on dissent has no vision. Will Americans follow the blind? We'll find out for better or worse in 2008.

Republican Debate: No Runs, No Hits, No Errors

At some point, we'll get to the primaries and this seemingly endless debating will be a distant memory. For the moment, the debates serve as a sort of political batting practice, where home runs aren't scored and whiffs are quickly forgotten. Yesterday's hoorah was little different.

Scanning the headlines this morning, the mish-mash of statements about the candidates show only one clear loser: John McCain. McCain has almost been annointed the official afterthought of the campaign. Some headlines scream Thompson stinks, some say he won, some highlight Rudy and Romney's tax rift, but none include the Arizona Senator.

Only on CNN did he get a mention, and that came when the subject of immigration rolled around. The analysts were saying McCain has changed his tune. He could be singing clear pitch on that one and nobody will listen. McCain's credibility on immigration is about as solid as Hillary Clinton's on ethics in fundraising.

As for the other candidates, nothing was won or lost. No one was injured by a fastball on the knuckles. That's about as good as one can hope to achieve in batting practice.

Thompson on the Hot Seat

Fred Thompson does not want to join the Yankees

Most pundits agree that Fred Thompson must play error-free to even have a chance at the Republican nod. With so many strikes against him (See: McCain-Feingold for reference), Thompson has to be the best candidate on each stage in each city. A gaffe in tonight's debate could be a serious blow to his campaign.

Hugh Hewitt points out that the Thompson campaign may have already made a pre-debate blunder, and his take is an interesting one. Either way, tonight will be a big night for Thompson. If he does well, he can hang around for a while longer. If he does not do well, then the likelihood is that his campaign will be sitting with Joe Torre in the "uncertain future" section of the park.

Romney Holds Margin in Iowa

Mitt Romney is still leading in Iowa, despite the surge from Giuliani and the other competitors' strong campaigns. Thompson has closed to second in Iowa, with Giuliani and Huckabee in a dead heat for third. Few believe that Giuliani would have fared well in Iowa, but many believe he can challenge or win New Hampshire, and Florida is his to lose.

Tuesday night's "debate" should provide some new polling data that will help to better define the race, since it is the debut of Fred Thompson in front of the political lens. If he can perform naturally and hold his ground, he could unseat Romney in the Iowa front-runner position.

Temporary Disruption

The Bill T Blog will be sporadic over the next few days. The Bill T headquarters is moving a few blocks, but it is a move nonetheless. Will pick up the pace again beginning next week.

France Pressuring for Sanctions Against Iran

France is again calling for sanctions against Iran.

From the article:

"Kouchner told Europe 1 radio that the situation in Iran was dangerous and that a nuclear-armed Iran would make the situation in the Middle East even more complicated.

"While the European dialogue continues...we have to work on sanctions so as to be taken seriously," Kouchner said."

The points may be moot, due in large part to Israeli objections to Western planning. Israel cannot afford to allow a nation that vows to exterminate Jews to own nuclear weapons. We, as Israel's strongest ally, should not allow it either.

The moves by the French are welcome. But until the world begins to recognize how serious this problem truly is, talks are useless.

Fred Thompson Sounding Kerry-esque

He was for gay marriage before he was against it, or something. This is what happens when we let the government control functions that should be religious in nature. The government should have a "one size fits all" civil union document, allowing people to declare themselves publicly attached. "Marriage" should be handled by the individual conscience and religious affiliations. We'd then have equal protection under the law and the problem would be solved.

Setting aside opinions about the issue, Thompson's handling of it is what concerns me. Much the same way that he handled his stance on McCain-Feingold, he's become incomprehensible on this issue. That's bad for the party. When Thompson first began courting the Republican vote, we were receiving hints of Reagan. Since then, I've seen political meandering that reminds me of Kerry. That's a bad fit.

Thompson appears to lack the clarity of his rivals. That should be a factor in the polls.

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