From The "No Shit Sherlock" And 'I'm Scared" Files

Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, says Iran may be hiding secret nuclear activities.

Ya think?

Compounding the scariness is a military parade that Iran held over the weekend featuring trucks with large banners on the side that read, "Israel must be eliminated from the universe" and "Down with the USA" in English and Farsi.

Can you say "World War Three"?

Filipino Monkey Almost Triggers WWIII

In case you missed it, the Filipino Monkey may have been responsible for the threats made to U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on January 6, 2008. These transmissions could have triggered an armed response, a confrontation that could conceivable have spiraled into WWIII.

"...quoted several veteran sailors as speculating the transmission could have come from a radio heckler, widely known among mariners by the ethnically insulting term 'the Filipino Monkey'."

Read the full story at ABC News.
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I'm Scared

This is the type of shit that keeps me awake at night. How do we stop these madmen? Or should I just start taking sleeping pills?

AP via Yahoo! News:

The United States and other nations will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday. "Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions," Cheney said in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Studies.

He said Iran's efforts to pursue technology that would allow them to build a nuclear weapon are obvious and that "the regime continues to practice delay and deceit in an obvious effort to buy time." If Iran continues on its current course, Cheney said the U.S. and other nations are "prepared to impose serious consequences." The vice president made no specific reference to military action.

"We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

Cheney's words seemed to only escalate the U.S. rhetoric against Iran over the past several days, including President Bush's warning that a nuclear Iran could lead to "World War III." [Emphasis Y|O|Y.]

Cheney said the ultimate goal of the Iranian leadership is to establish itself as the hegemonic force in the Middle East and undermine a free Shiite-majority Iraq as a rival for influence in the Muslim world.

Iran's government seeks "to keep Iraq in a state of weakness to ensure Baghdad does not pose a threat to Tehran," Cheney said. [Or, "U.S.'s government seeks 'to keep Iran in a state of weakness to ensure Tehran does not pose a threat to Washington.'" — Y|O|Y]

While he was critical of that government and President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, he offered praise and words of solidarity to the Iranian people. Iran "is a place of unlimited potential ... and it has the right to be free of tyranny," Cheney said. [Until, of course, we start dropping bombs on their heads. — Y|O|Y]

Cheney accused of Iran of having a direct role in the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and said the government has "solidified its grip on the country" since coming to power in 1979.

The U.S. and some allies accuse Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and have demanded it halt uranium enrichment, an important step in the production of atomic weapons. Oil-rich Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes including generating electricity. [Despite its vast oil reserves, Iran will become a net energy importer within the next decade. Any effort made by the Iranian government to curb consumption meets with social unrest. — Y|O|Y]

At a news conference Wednesday, Bush suggested that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons, it could lead to a new world war. "I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran) from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said. [I personally believe we are headed into WWIII, but I'm not at all confident on who is going to start it. This talk sounds like the Shrub is going to start it; maybe to fulfill a Biblical prophesy he has discussed with his creator. — Y|O|Y]

Bush's spokeswoman later said the president was making not making any war plans but rather "a rhetorical point." [Yeah, if anyone believes the Pentagon doesn't have multiple plans on how to conquer Iran, I have some swampland in Florida for sale." — Y|O|Y]

Also, on Thursday, the top officer in the U.S. military said the U.S. has the resources to attack Iran if needed despite the strains of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. [But, I thought the President just said we don't have any war plans. — Y|O|Y] Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said striking Iran is a last resort, and the focus now on diplomacy to stem Iran's nuclear ambitions, but "there is more than enough reserve to respond" militarily if need be. [Attention all reservists...your next vacation will be spent in the desert. — Y|O|Y]

The Bush administration's intentions toward Iran have been the subject of debate in Congress. Last month the Senate approved a resolution urging the State Department to label Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said he feared the measure could be interpreted as authorizing a military strike in Iran, calling it Cheney's "fondest pipe dream."

I consider myself a patriot, but more and more, I'm not sure if the United States is on the "good" side anymore. I know it isn't the "United States" or even the concept of "America" which I firmly believe to be the most impressive governmental system the world has ever seen. It is the people who are steering the ship. They say that people get the government they deserve. January 2009 can't come fast enough.
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