Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

On the opinion page of today’s New York Times is a worrisome assessment of the clouds gathering over Iran. Here.

4 Comments

  1. JK says

    Just a little link should anything of interest occur, it’s USGS but it was the original source through which we (the US) detected the hints that North Korea succeeded in their test.

    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/

    I am not informed but I personally believe Irans’ clerics are pressing hard on their countrys’ political/governmental entities and personalities to come to some sort of accommodation with their perceived enemy. I do not believe Iran will “cave in” and abandon whatever the ultimate nuclear aims of that country might be.

    I do believe that even if, as Iran continually proclaims, the aim is simply to produce electricity, Israel will nonetheless “feel threatened.” However, I feel it important to proclaim, on my own behalf of course, (and those of you whom I have a mote of caring about-which is the greater portion of the planets’ population) the national interests of Israel do not intersect neatly, if at all, with those of the United States of America.

    Malcolms’ internet friend Kevin is walking about and I wonder what he is encountering. I check in on him, but he doesn’t post often enough. Not that it matters.

    Between the years 1979 and 1988, I found myself having far more (and as it has turned out) familiarity and regretably, experience in the areas between Oman and Karachi. It is all well and good that we defeat, without question, Radical Islamism, as it needs to be. But I expect I shall either lose most of my remaining friends, or lengthen the distance between us by stating, without qualm, we must defeat all Radical Religion. I include Radical Atheism, which as I most often see it posited, “Radical Dis/Believe As Me.” Which as I see it, causes its’ own sort of problems.

    Enough of that. Were Israel to strike any portion of Iran en masse’ without a coalition of Arab forces, Hormuz will be blocked. An Israeli/Arab Coalition? Pipe Dream. It would not be Armageddon, it would be far worse. Any oil coming from the Mid-East would be radioactive and less desireable for lubricating the bearings of your Prius.

    An A1-M1 Abrahms tank gets .56 mpg, a C-5A gets .053 mpg, the average US Navy ship gets 22 feet per gallon (even nuclear powered aircraft carriers need one gallon of oil to travel 17 feet) and what about the important stuff?

    What about my I-Pod?

    Posted July 19, 2008 at 3:26 am | Permalink
  2. Malcolm says

    Well, fortunately, JK, I don’t have to worry about any of that. I don’t have an I-Pod.

    I feel a strong inclination to consider Israel one of our most important allies: it is one of only two democracies in the region, and is a bulwark against the ambitions of the Islamic theocracies and autocracies in the region, which produce little more than oil, terror, and misery, while Israel produces advanced technology, music, culture, etc.

    Posted July 19, 2008 at 6:50 pm | Permalink
  3. JK says

    Actually Malcolm,

    Neither do I. It’s simply that I do not consider the stars in a propitious position to launch the good war. Apologies extended. Sometimes I get that “give peace a chance, Lennoney, and I sure wish I was someplace else” kinda feeling.

    I’m pretty sure that the families of those on their fourth and fifth deployments get kinda wistful too. If those on deployments have the same sort of family they had when they left on their first one.

    No need to reply that there are families who are patiently, faithfully waiting. I know.

    Posted July 20, 2008 at 12:17 am | Permalink
  4. JW says

    Wow, that is pretty scary, but I’m wondering if a grain of salt is necessary since he may want to exaggerate the threat of nuclear war in order to bring attention to the matter?

    Posted July 26, 2008 at 8:14 am | Permalink

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