Morning Coffee (10)

Good Morning;

Today, I shall infect you with more of my rubbish. You don't mind do you? Because if you did, I know you wouldn't wait two weeks into receiving said rubbish to say anything, right?

I just read an article that says that those Fox News reporters that were kidnapped this past summer were released after receiving $2 million, which was then used by their kidnappers to purchase weapons for their fight against "the Zionists." Look, if it were me or my family, I would want someone to pay anything for our release. And I'm glad that Steve Centanni's family gets to see him every day (unless he decides to go back to that area). But the message that was sent was that you can kidnap Americans and you might get paid for it. Literally, securing the freedom of Steve and Olaf allowed bad people to get more weapons with which to kill more people. It's quite the ethical dilemma. What must an Israeli feel, who's family was just killed by an advanced anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system that was purchased with the bounty from Steve's kidnapping? Is he glad that Steve is free, hugging his wife and kids, while his family is in a smoldering crater that was once his house? I wonder about that.

I have a suggestion to prevent the kidnapping of Americans problem: Don't go over there! Yeah, I know, it sucks. But it prevents you from getting kidnapped, and thus prevents some philanthropist from sending al-Aqsa a crap load of cash and maybe prevents said extremists from killing more Israelis or Americans (or at least not as easily). The "leader" of the group that snatched Steve and Olaf already said that if hostilities resumed, they would continue to kidnap Americans. Just stay out unless you're a member of the Diplomatic Corps or in the Military. What do you need to go there for? We have beaches here.

Pretty weak Morning Coffee today, huh? Perhaps I didn't add enough grounds.

Word of the Day: Inexorable (adjective): Not to be persuaded or moved by entreaty or prayer; firm; determined; unyielding; unchangeable; inflexible; relentless. Good word.

On This Day in History: Soviet submarine K-19 collides with USS Gato in the Barents Sea (1969). Maybe a Chinese sub will soon share K-19's fate - are they perhaps the new Soviets?

"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it." George Bernard Shaw. See? I'm not bad.

The answer to yesterday's bit o'trivia, is the Bhagavad-Gita, a sacred Hindu text dated from 500-50 BCE. No one got it without looking it up. However, Harish, Corey J, and Joe S submitted answers. Joe didn't cheat though. Good job Joe! I'm congratulating you for failure because you didn't cheat!

Until tomorrow.