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A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
[Commentary] Bushie communications “genius” Karen Hughes sure never thought of this to persuade Muslim extremists to unstrap the bombs and shelve their suicidal intentions.
During a spirited discussion about the war in Iraq and local people serving in the conflict, Carroll, Iowa, barber Randy Nieland said a widely suggested motivation for suicide bombings and holy warrioring might just be a case of the joke’s on them.
Many radical Muslims believe that if they die as martyrs in the battle against the West they will be rewarded in a paradise with 72 virgins.
Hah, says Nieland, a former National Guardsman.
“With all the people dying over in Iraq there probably aren’t that many virgins left for them wherever it is they go,” Nieland joked as he clipped hair this noon.
Somebody should get the word out: it might be easier to pick up a good deal with an iPhone on Earth than for a Muslim fellow to get his quota of virgins after he ends up like that much-publicized pizza delivery guy in Pennsylvania who died when the explosive wrapped around his neck went off during a bank-robbery scheme. (Said deliveryman’s role in the spectacular story is still unclear).
As for Nieland, his gallows humor sure plays much better than his congressman’s awful joke about Muslim martyrs getting a surprise when their paradise virgins all end up looking like veteran newswoman Helen Thomas.
“There probably are not 72 virgins in the hell he (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) is at,” U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said at a GOP State Convention last year. “And if there are, they probably all look like Helen Thomas.”
To be fair, King did call Helen Thomas to apologize. Of course, trying to get around that bomb of a joke is like trying to stop a speeding bullet.
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