I used to give 'em (the military and the government) the benefit of doubt. I also used to think that the Israelis were the cat's pajamas. Funny how looking at stuff from both sides can change all that.

"The US military had also mis-read Iranian radio communications in the past, most notably in 1988 when the USS Vincennes, an American guided missile cruiser, mistakenly shot down an Iranian civilian airliner over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 passengers and crew.

“I’d take this with a very large grain of salt until we get more details… who knows, this could be a turning point or it could be an isolated incident with no significance at all,” Professor Gary Sick, an Iran specialist at University of Columbia, said. “This is contrary to all the positive signals we’ve seen in recent weeks from both sides. This strikes me really as an aberration,” Prof Sick, who served on the US National Security Council under Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, told The Times."

I sometimes wonder. Imean, if we caught some bad guys doing bad stuff, why would they plaster it all over the headlines??? You'd think they'd keep this stuff secret. But then again . . .

Yeah, I know, but I do love Billy and he does show us how folks think outside the center of the universe . . .

"Help Save The Youth Of America" -- Billy Bragg

Help save the youth of America

Help save them from themselves

Help save the sun-tanned surfer boys

And the Californian girls

When the lights go out in the rest of the world

What do our cousins say

They're playing in the sun and having fun, fun, fun

Till daddy takes the gun away

From the big church to the big river

And out to the shining sea

This is the land of opportunity

And there's a monkey trial on TV

A nation with their freezers full

Are dancing in their seats

While outside another nation

Is sleeping in the streets

Don't tell me the old, old story

Tell me the truth this time

Is the man in the mask or the Indian

An enemy or a friend of mine

Help save the youth of America

Help save the youth of the world

Help save the boys in uniform

Their mothers and their faithful girls

Listen to the voice of the soldier

Down in the killing zone

Talking about the cost of living

And the price of bringing him home

They're already shipping the body bags

Down by the Rio Grande

But you can fight for democracy at home

And not in some foreign land

And the fate of the great United States

Is entwined in the fate of us all

And the incident at Chernobyl proves

The world we live in is very small

And the cities of Europe have burned before

And they may yet burn again

And if they do I hope you understand

That Washington will burn with them

Omaha will burn with them

Los Alamos will burn with them

************************

As for the possibility of a 'nuclear winter' and the end of humankind -- I can dig that. For those who believe that only the smart & the strong will survive, I'd say, no. More like the sneaky & the cunning -- those are the traits that are hard wired.

. . . a little slow on the uptake. The whole "incident" is a total crock. There are so many questions to be asked that it's ridiculous. The first inkling is when I heard the report on the Beeb. The fellow there was talking to the talking head in Washington and was incredulous that this was even considered news. His point was, even if this were true, why the kefuffle? This kind of stuff happens all the time, especially when your fooling around in someone else's turf. As he put it, it looks (and he was skeptical about the videos) like a bit of high spirited buccaneering. Then that audio??? Give us a break. Anywho, shooter, bless his pointed little head writes:

"Or reported as it was, as what the Pentagon released? Maybe the video and audio should have been kept secret until vetted?"

Probably a good idea. The timing, the quality of the tapes, and the Iranian rebuttal (alternate tapes) show that this should have been kept under wraps. I mean, Jaysus shooter, it might have been news IF the navy had blown those speedboats outta the water. Why play the 'victim' card???

"Jesus Glenn, the media went with the information they had, not what you wish they had, and proceeded from there."

Again shooter, there was NO story there -- just those p@esky Iranians in their cigarette boats putting our naval armada in harm's way.

"Are you going to deny that such a speedboat put a hole in USS Cole?"

Yes, it wasn't a speedboat. And the Cole was parked, wasn't it???

"Are you going to deny that a similar incident could sink a ship with many lives lost?"

Possibly, but unlikely. Think about it.

"Are you going to deny that this was a provocation by the Iranians?"

Kind of like having a couple of aircraft carriers and their fleets patrolling off your shores?? And after the CinC (thank gawd non-military guys like you & me shooter don't have to salute the guy) has said that 'all the chips are on the table"??

"Are you going to deny that the US was the restrained party here?"

Again, if so, Why TF are they releasing this little cat & mouse game, amateur hour tape to the media???

But then your moniker would be "thinker242" rather than "shooter242" . . . right?