Iran Deal Tanks

Iran Deal Tanks

Iran, So Far Away; Repeating History

In the latest sign of deteriorating relations with the rest of the planet, a group of Iranian protesters stormed the British Embassy compound in Tehran on Tuesday, chanting “death to England,” tearing down a British flag and ransacking offices, according to British officials and images broadcast live on state-run Iranian television. It's too soon to see if they're affiliated with the Occupy Movement. Bad joke? Sure. But so is pulling a retro 1979 hostage crisis. Been there, done that, right? Just ask MockMood. PS - There isn't a US Embassy for the "students" to raid, so I suppose the UK was the next best thing?

Read more

Grab some popcorn and iodine tabs folks.

Iran... Iran so far away...

Al-Qaeda has accused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of spreading "conspiracy theories" about the 9/11 attacks in 2001. 

Inspire, an al-Qaeda-linked online magazine, described Mr Ahmadinejad's controversial speech to the United Nations last week as "ridiculous". The Iranian leader said he believed the World Trade Center towers could not have been brought down by aircraft.

The article said such a belief "stands in the face of all logic and evidence". Entitled "Iran and the Conspiracy Theories", the Inspire article said Iran used the theory "as a rallying call for the millions of Muslims around the world who despise America". Iran "is a collaborator with the US when it suits it" nonetheless, the Yemen-based author said.

 There have been sharp sectarian tensions between mainly Shia Iran and Sunni Muslim al-Qaeda - although are both fiercely opposed to US influence. Yeah, they're jealous. This is only slightly less hillarious because, yeah, you guessed it -- The Onion already did it.
9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

And speaking of funny... and I guess this really should be titled "Iran not-so Far Away" : Iran’s Navy says it will establish a presence near US borders “the same way that the world arrogant power” has a presence near Iran.

Now, before you fall on the floor laughing at this absurd comment... MockMood and Chavez are good pals. And who says we're not teeing up for a Venezuela-styled Cuban Missile Crisis? Hey gang! Let's get ready for 6 shooting wars!

Iran Downs US Drone

A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Majlis (Parliament), Ali Aqazadeh Dafsari, said on Tuesday that the unmanned spy plane was flying near the Fordo nuclear enrichment plant in Qom province when the IRGC's Air Defense units brought it down, Javanoline.ir reported.

The official stated that the US drone was on a mission to identify the location of the Fordo nuclear enrichment plant and gather information about the nuclear facility for the CIA, Dafsari stated.

Earlier in the day, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast had said that the country is installing a new generation of uranium enrichment centrifuges in the country's nuclear facilities to enhance the Islamic Republic's peaceful nuclear program.

As a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes. Riiiiggghhhttttt.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence indicating that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production. Which means they're really good at hiding things.

But if you've got nothing to hide, why shoot down the drone?

And does the US need to give it's grieving mother a flag and a purple heart at the funeral? Even if the mother is an old IBM 486 Clone?

Coincidence, of course

Nuclear experts killed in Russia plane crash helped design Iranian facility

The five nuclear experts killed in a plane crash in northern Russia had assisted in the design of an Iranian atomic facility, security sources in Russia said on Thursday. The five Russian experts were among the 44 passengers killed when the Tupolev-134 plane broke up and caught fire on landing outside the northern city of Petrozavodsk on Monday. The experts – who included lead designers Sergei Rizhov, Gennadi Benyok, Nicolai Tronov and Russia’s top nuclear technological experts, Andrei Tropinov – worked at Bushehr after the contract for the plant’s construction passed from the German Siemens company to Russian hands.

The five were employed at the Hydropress factory, a member of Russia’s state nuclear corporation, and one of the main companies to contracted for the Bushehr construction. The sources said that the death of the scientists is a great blow to the Russian nuclear industry. The experts were tasked with completing construction of the plant and for ensuring that it would be able to survive an earthquake.

According to the sources, although Iranian nuclear scientists have in the past been involved in unexplained accidents and plane crashes, there is no official suspicion of foul play. Investigators are investigating human error and technical malfunction as the causes of the crash.

Luckily, I'm not one to buy into conspiracy theories. Just strange coincidences and happenstance. “Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence.”

No word what the other 39 passenger's professions were. I assume at least two people who perished were pilots.

Ahmadinejad to Hang Up His Member's Only Jacket?

Ahmadinejad row with Khamenei intensifies - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

A political dispute between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader is reported to have intensified.

Ahmadinejad is said to be contemplating resigning after Heidar Moslehi, the intelligence minister he had sacked, was reinstated by Khamenei.

The president is understood to have shirked some of his duties and skipped cabinet meetings for the past ten days in anger over the decision.

Mehrdad Khonsari, an analyst with the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies in London, told Al Jazeera on Friday that the dispute, which began last month, had become "serious".

"It shows the level of disunity at the very top of the Iranian [political] hierachy [with] Ahmadinejad having already polarised the internal political scene as a result of fraudulent election results that were announced more than 20 months ago," Khonsari said.

"He is now beginning to encroach on the powers and privileges vested in the supreme leader, and he and his constituency - mainly among the Revolutionary Guards - have tried to do this.

"And, of course, the supreme leader has tried to make a stand and in this stand he has been joined by many people from the ruling establishment who have been cast aside by Ahmadinejad."

A VERY interesting development, indeed. But before we get TOO excited... Mock-Mood hasn't been pushed out yet.

What's going on here is an epic power struggle between Ayatollah Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies. Ahmadinejad allies all 25-30 of them, have been jailed for witchcraft - as a result of their intransigence in the face of clerical power. Way to go, Mr. Wizard. This situation has emerged out of Ahmadinejad's refusal to keep a pro-Ayatollah Intelligence Minister and his earlier firing of the Foreign Minister. And you thought American politics were stupid and confusing?

Boots and Bigger Threats

2,200 Marines Go To Libya, ‘What Happened to No Boots on the Ground’?

In all the reporting on the involvement of US Forces in Libya a report by WCTI Channel 12 News in New Bern, North Carolina seems to have gone by almost unnoticed.

Almost.

The News channel reports that 2,200 U.S. Marines have been shipped off the Libya. Hold on now - that deployment doesn't jive with Mr. Obama’s steadfast insistence that there will be “no boots on the ground” in Libya.

On March 20 WCTI reported that the Marines were shipping out. About 2,200 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or 26th MEU will take part. Their mission is to help end the violence directed at the Libyan people.

Oh. Good thing the Pentagon eliminated their amphibious transports that the modern Marines have no use for. Maybe they're just going so that they can keep singing their theme song? "To the Shores of Tripoli!?"

Read More, It's Canadian, eh.

Meanwhile, I wonder if we'll also be sending troops to a much more significant source of terror that's been aiming to actually harm the United States? Oh, didn't hear about that one, eh? Yeah, looks like the Unrest In Yemen Is A Major Setback For U.S. Counter-Terrorism Operations. Remember the UPS and FedEx bombs in toner cartridges? Yemen. Remember the Christmas Underwear Bomber? Yemen. Unrest and regime change in Yemen? Oh, oh, Shaggy.

Oh, and if that wasn't enough, Syria is also quivering on the brink of toppling over -- and while that sounds great, it's probably not great for the Western powers.

So we're engaging Libya. Missing Yemen and Syria. And of course the REAL fart in the car that no one's talking about is Saudi Arabia. Just how important is the Kingdom to the world of Big Macs and iPad2's? If you had to rank which country could be the greatest threat to the modern world's stability - Saudi Arabia should be on the top of your list. Arrogant leadership and oil producing power? Right there. Number 2? My answer would be Iran.

Where's Iraq on that list?

Iran Boasts That They Have Built A Flying Saucer!

Not an Onion Article!

The hardline Fars news agency illustrated its story with a photo of a flying saucer, akin to one appearing in a 1950s Hollywood B-movie, hovering over an unidentified wooded landscape

We've Built A Flying Saucer, Boasts Iran!

Iran today boasted that it has built the world’s first flying saucer.

Called the Zohal - or Saturn in English - it said the unmanned spaceship is designed for 'aerial imaging' but added it can be used for 'various missions'.

It was unveiled by the country's officially sanctioned media on the same day it claimed to have launched a rocket into orbit with a test capsule capable of carrying a monkey into space.

The hardline Fars news agency illustrated its story with a photo of a flying saucer, akin to one appearing in a 1950s Hollywood B-movie, hovering over an unidentified wooded landscape.

Read more ....

Look, if you're going to make a flying saucer claim - why not go balls out and show a picture from ID4, or something bad-ass?

In their defense, though, Ronald Reagan showed Star Wars to the Russians and it ended the cold war... or something like that. My memory of the 80's has gotten a little fuzzy.

While you're worried about Valentine's Day...

The entire Middle East is going up for grabs:

Algeria:

Riots broke out across the country in early January, triggered by an increase in basic food prices. Before too long, protesters were demanding the ouster of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika who has ruled Algeria for 11 years, and changed the country's constitution in 2008 so as to allow himself to remain in power until he dies. On Saturday, demonstrators chanting "change the power" clashed with security forces in Algiers. Today, the government announced the country's 19-year state of emergency would be revoked "within days."

Bahrain:

For the last year, Bahrain's marginalized Shiite majority has been protesting the rule of King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa, a Sunni who succeeded his father in 2002. But in the wake of the dramatic events elsewhere in the region, the protests have gained momentum and turned violent. In an effort to quell the unrest, the king has announced that the regime will give every Bahraini family $2,700 in cash.

IRAN:

Tens of thousands of protesters, marching in solidarity with Egyptian protesters, clashed with police in central Tehran today. Police used tear gas and beat some protesters, who chanted "Death to the dictator," referring to Mock Mood Ahmadinerjacket. Iran's opposition has kept a low profile since a brutal June 2009 crackdown by the ruling Islamic regime, which has been in power since the 1979 revolution. And remember, any uprising would be a counter-revolution. Try to keep up. Ironically, as reported here... Mock Mood cheered on the Egyptians while cautioning the Green party activists that he would crack skulls if they tried it on him - again.

Please also note: Twitter and Facebook were an important part of the Iranian uprising following the stolen election against the Green Party -- but they were NOT able to bring down Mock Mood.

Tunisia:

In some ways, Tunisia started it all. On Dec. 17, a young man set himself on fire to protest unemployment after police confiscated the fruit and vegetables he was selling without a permit. That sparked violent nationwide protests against the autocratic regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, which had been in place since 1987, and was viewed by many Tunisians as corrupt and repressive. A day after dismissing his government on January 13, Ben Ali fled by plane to Saudi Arabia.

Yemen:

On Jan. 27, 16,000 Yemenis--inspired by events in Egypt--protested economic conditions, corruption and repression in the capital city of Sana'a. A week later, after continuing demonstrations, the country's authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years, said he wouldn't run for re-election in 2013, and wouldn't pass power on to his son. But the protests have raged on. On Saturday, 5,000 police used clubs to beat hundreds of protesters, some of whom chanted: "A Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution." Yesterday, Saleh canceled a planned trip to the United States, citing the climate of unrest in the Middle East.

So, did you get flowers for your significant other?

3 Blasts on Oil Pipeline

Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency on Friday said simultaneous blasts have struck three pipelines near the city of Qom, cutting the flow of gas.

Mehr said the blasts, which occurred at 5:50 a.m. outside the town of Salafchegan, south of Teheran, were felt miles away.

Local official Majid Bojarzadeh said the blasts were not caused by technical failures, but did not elaborate if officials believed the explosions were acts of sabotage.

He said operations were under way to repair the pipelines and restore the gas flow.

Iran's oil and gas sector has been hit by an increasing number of attacks in recent months, but authorities have provided no explanations for the blasts.

Mehr did not say how much gas flows through the lines.

Sunday Comics - The Week in Review

End of the week. Apparently it snowed, and there's some kind of 'game' on television this afternoon? Hell if I know.

Egypt continues to be a growing concern. The old man is hanging on, and claims doing so will prevent chaos. Never mind the blood being spilled.
I found this one quite telling - even though Egypt has it's porn back, I thought the image captured the tone. Remember, social media didn't start the protests (high food prices did) - but social media helped organize those protests.
Mrs. Clinton and Obama's second chance...
And a judge in Florida threw another strike against ObamaCare.
And finally, here's the biggest problem we're all going to be facing.

Geography Failure

Dear Jimmy's geography teacher -
Yes, Jimmy seemed to have mad skillz with the Photoshop.
He probably took the red eye out of your kid's birthday photos - and you let him pass because he did a nice job. But, look at what Jimmy's done... yeah, first off Jimmy's working for Fox News. I guess your passing him got that high school diploma needed to get into the graphics department at the network.
He's moved Egypt to where Iraq should be - and the fact that no one caught that is odd -- but come on? You make new maps every day over there, or can you re-use one every so often? America's only been engaged in the region since -- well, that Marine's song -- how's that go? "Shores of Tripoli?"
Okay, so a hard drive crashed. I get that - but you can’t use the Internet to get a map like we do at Blasphemes?
How does this sort of thing happen on a network in the first place? Kind of makes me wonder what else those guys are just 'whipping up' over there.

Meantime, Jimmy, yeah, go find your geography teacher and get a refund from him.

Sunday Comics - The Week in Review

We're at the end of our week, and Egypt is starting their workweek right now - and they're not going to the office- they're going to the streets.

But to review - The State of Union was, until the Middle East got all Democrat-y, the biggest political stage of the week.
The 14 Trillion dollar man in the room...
And in the lamest attempt of 'candor' the members of the business party put down their partisan blinders to sit next to each other listen to Mr. Obama give the State of the Union. Take that crazy gunmen everywhere!

Meanwhile, ClimateFaith continues on and on. I, for one, look to the sun to decide what's going on - and since earlier in the week, not even NASA knows what's going on with the sun - It sure is funny to hear climate change deniers and ClimateFaithers debate as they shovel 19 inches of snow.

And, in case you've missed it, there is a revolution happening right here, right now in the Middle East. The US and the West have a tightrope to walk - a tightrope that is as thin as dental floss. While they've supported the regimes in the region to support status quo - good for business and the flow of oil, there will be questions of why we supported Mubarak, and where we were when the Egyptian Army trained their guns on the people.

It's an uncertain, scary time - wondering about the future, and the present. As a person who wishes for justice, free expression, free press, and human rights - I fully support the people of Egypt. I only warn them that with freedom requires great responsibility. It's too easy to lose that freedom to people who would use them for their own goals. I'm thinking immediately of Napoleon, but also how quickly America has lost it's ideals. Best of luck to you all.

And finally this week, this cartoon comes from Iran (note the green shirt). One can only hope that the final domino is strong enough to knock that old fart out of his chair.

Hopefully we'll all make it to see next week. Until then.

Oh, Those Opulent O’s.

We’ve come to the end of a decade - yes, I start counting my decades by the ones and not the zeroes, which means that 1980 was the last year of the 70’s. I know it looks stupid on paper, but it is the proper way. My reference point would be the classic Onion Headline - “The Millennium Begins in 2001, Terrorists Note.”

In the grand tradition of rehashing old news and making sub-standard lists of events, arbitrary lists of the ‘best’ movies or music, reality television ‘stars’, or worst of all - consumer products - allow me the exercise of looking back with the rose colored glasses of time. I’d like to try to present the previous ten years as it might show up in a history book.

The Opulent O's

Previous eras of the American experience have been labeled, whether accurately or not, by the generations that followed. The eras of the Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties, or the Fabulous Fifties give an over reaching illusion of wealth and comfort afforded by all the citizenry. Careful study shows that there were major exceptions ranked by class status and race in each of these three examples, and the names themselves discount recessionary times, and any turmoil that existed. However, the tradition of remembrance for a grouping of ten years with a fantastical moniker has become an unfortunate reality of historical narrative when examining the history of America. The era that we are focusing on now is no exception -- the era which begins at the turn of the 21st Century to the new year of 2011 CE. This time has become known as the Opulent O’s.

To first explain the name of the era, the people of the time did not refer to the year in which they lived as the aughts, or oughts as proper English would dictate, or even the example of the generation that lived through the turn of the previous century, the 1900’s. The pronunciation of the year in which they lived predominantly was spoken as, “two thousand and...” followed by the number designate. Hence, why a few historians have refereed to the era as the ‘And’s’. The consensus by reputable sources and careful research has been to designate this time as the ‘Oh’s.’ The evidence in the historical record suggests that the people of the time would sometimes drop the ‘two thousand’ in speech and would simply state, “Oh six,” when giving a descriptor of a year; as an example.

The word Opulent has become to describe the era. The Latin derived definition in English are defined as 1. Having or indicating wealth, and also 2. Abundant or plentiful. Ignoring race or regional exceptions -- the word perfectly defines the era.

The primary fuel of the time was cheap and easily obtained petroleum drilled from the ground. The peak of use of gasoline and plastic derived from oil occurred in this era. The abundance of cheap oil and fuel allowed for cheap food sources. The importance of oil in the life cycle of plant to waste product must be studied to understand the mindset of the time. The availability and sheer amounts of cheap fuel created a cradle-to-grave manufacturing cycle from consumer goods to 4 ton single passenger vehicle with low fuel to kilometer use ratios -- which defines the zeitgeist. The most important aspect, in hindsight, to the lifestyle of the times was the amount of fuel used to create inexpensive food. The petroleum was used in the creation of fertilizer, and copious amounts were used in the entire process of seed to market, and market to aftermarket production.

Simplified, the oil or oil products would be used by the farmer from every aspect of his production -- from the multiple passes on a tractor (soil toiling, planting, chemical pesticide application, cultivation and a final till of the soil), to transport to industrial food processing off site (sometimes thousands of miles) from the farmland. Next, from the secondary processor which would create a chemical byproduct of the original agricultural product (Maize and soybeans being the most popular of the bases found in most supermarkets [see also ADM Corporation] would then transport and package the new product and ship by truck to market. Retail supermarkets [Safeway, Albertsons], “fast food” restaurants [McDonald’s, Chili’s] or superstore retail outlets [Costco, Wal-Mart] would then cater to the final end user, who more often than not, used a single passenger vehicle to transport the product home. Once the product was consumed, the end user simply disposed of the plastic packaging to preserve the food product, and the outer container -- typically another plastic or cardboard package which only served to encourage purchase. Once discarded the packaging materials were then transported by another gas powered truck or transport to take the used goods to be covered in a landfill. The concept of cradle to cradle manufacturing may have germinated in this era, but due to the nature and scale of the single-use economic cycle, it was counter productive or even suicidal for any industry to adopt a plan to reuse or recycle their resources or waste products.

Since fuel and food were inexpensive, the lifestyle of the typical American of the Opulent O’s were filled with store bought conveniences and electronic trinkets designed for obsolescence which encouraged constant replacement. Leveraged credit based upon elevated housing prices allowed consumers buying power. It was not uncommon for an American to have bought a home past their means, and taken credit based on that home’s perceived market value, called a home equity loan. These funds were then used to purchase more consumer goods -- and often with a credit card [MasterCard, Visa]. The economy was primarily based on the spending habits of the consumer. Even after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush urged Americans to go to the malls, and purchase houses and cars to get the economy engine moving again. The government created an environment of low interest rates and extremely easy credit in order to facilitate the consumer’s appetite.

Two major military engagements were initiated in response to the sensational terrorist attacks in America, under the banner of a “War on Terrorism.” The engagements in Afghanistan were aided by the Allied Western NATO nations, and the second invasion of Iraq resulted in the replacement of the government there, and a permanent American presence. History has shown, both of these costly involvements were to secure the oil fields, and an attempt to stabilize the region [see also Iran v America 1970-2020] -- thus insuring the flow of inexpensive oil to American business interests. Specifically those partners in Europe and China. Like the citizenry, these foreign entanglements were funded largely by credit. The U.S. had gone from a creditor nation to a debtor nation in 1988, but accelerated during the Bush and Obama Administrations.

Despite the trillions of dollars expended, the price of oil rose as industrial engines of India and China grew their GDP by 20% per year. Oil Prices rose in late 2006 because of simple supply and demand, plus speculation in the commodity markets. Soon, inflation of consumer products, fuel prices, and food began to outpace the threshold of business and consumer expendable incomes. Quickly, the slowdown of consumer spending toppled the preposterous derivative financial products of the time, wiped out the housing speculation and subsequent consumer credit bubble, and exposed widespread institutional Ponzi schemes, not dissimilar to the domino effect experienced at the end of the Roaring 1920’s.

Amazingly, the Six Corporate media companies either were misinformed or incapable of reporting the trends that were creating the problems that led to disaster, and instead reported only soft news (entertainment and sporting events which fed to their other advertising sponsored media concerns), or blatantly perpetuated partisan arguments to fill a 24 hour news cycle with surprisingly low or useless content to their audiences. The news of the day, even as late as 2010, was that of recovery and consumer confidence -- despite under reported or manipulated unemployment figures and a withering manufacturing base. Despite the ineffectual news climate, the government and other influential sources were inserting the word “unsustainable” into the collective vocabulary. At the end of the decade, even to the most optimistic, it seemed that the party was coming to a close. The start of a ‘new normal’ was discussed and contemplated.

Notable Starts: Enhanced government security, social media on networked devices, portable networked computing in communication devices, alternative energy, commercial exploration of space, TEA Party [Taxed Enough Already Party]

Influential Americans: George W. Bush (43rd President), Barack H. Obama (44th President), Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Warren Buffet, Alan Greenspan, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerburg, Steve Jobs, Sarah Palin.

Human Achievements: Completion of the Human Genome Project, Large Hadron Collider (Switzerland), 2nd Hubble Space Telescope repair by Human Astronauts, extra solar system planetoids discovered, water found on Mars and the Moon.

Notable Disasters: Terrorist Attacks on September 11th, 2001, Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans and Mississippi, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, Global Warming/Climate Change.

Virus Attack Sets Iran Back

The Stuxnet virus set back Iran’s nuclear program by 2 years

[Source]

Here's a quick excerpt:
Top German computer consultant said that the virus was as effective as military strike, a huge success; expert speculates IDF creator of virus. The Stuxnet virus, which has attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities and which Israel is suspected of creating, has set back the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program by two years, a top German computer consultant who was one of the first experts to analyze the program’s code told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. “It will take two years for Iran to get back on track,” Langer said in a telephone interview from his office in Hamburg, Germany. “This was nearly as effective as a military strike, but even better since there are no fatalities and no full-blown war. From a military perspective, this was a huge success.”

I'm starting to think that 2010 should be the year of the hacker. Between this virus attacking Iran's Nuclear sites, China beating the living tar out of Google, the Gawker password hack, WikiLeaks, the DDoS attack on WikiLeaks, and the retaliatory attacks on companies that are no longer supporting WikiLeaks (Paypall, Mastercard, Visa) or who were once supporters - Amazon, et all - I'm leaning toward making The Hacker the Man of the Year.

In 'Plane' Sight

Iranians Furious After Finding Jewish Symbol Hidden In Plain View

Mock Mood Ahma-diner-jacket... er, Ahmadinejad and his antisemitic cronies are fuming with anger after discovering the Star of David on the roof of Iran Air headquarters at Tehran's airport. The building was originally built by Israeli engineers prior to the the Islamic Revolution. [Source - Gizmodo]

Nobody noticed the Jewish symbol until someone found it in Google Maps. The building—which hosts their national airline at the Mehrabad International Airport—was built by Israeli engineers before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The star has been hidden in plain sight for more than four decades now.

It won't stay there for much longer. According to The Jerusalem Post, Iranian government officials have already ordered its destruction. [Google Maps via Jerusalem Post]

My Dear Persian friends - you should be a TAD more worried about how the entire world is ganging up on you to knock your genitalia into the dirt. The drum beat and justification for the US or the Jews to 'wipe you off the map' is getting louder and stronger.

Meanwhile In Iran...

Assembly Pushes to Oust Iran President

Iran's parliament revealed it planned to impeach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but refrained under orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, exposing a deepening division within the regime.

Lawmakers also launched a new petition to bring a debate on the president's impeachment, conservative newspapers reported Monday.

The reports of challenges to Mr. Ahmadinejad were intended as retorts to a powerful body of clerics that urged Mr. Khamenei to curb the parliament's authority and give greater clout to the president.

Read more ....

Wikileaks other Shoe Drops

A close analysis of the 391,832 documents helps illuminate several important aspects of this war:

¶ The deaths of Iraqi civilians — at the hands mainly of other Iraqis, but also of the American military — appear to be greater than the numbers made public by the United States during the Bush administration.

¶ While the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by Americans, particularly at the Abu Ghraib prison, shocked the American public and much of the world, the documents paint an even more lurid picture of abuse by America’s Iraqi allies — a brutality from which the Americans at times averted their eyes.

¶ Iran’s military, more than has been generally understood, intervened aggressively in support of Shiite combatants, offering weapons, training and sanctuary and in a few instances directly engaging American troops.

¶ The war in Iraq spawned a reliance on private contractors on a scale not well recognized at the time and previously unknown in American wars. The documents describe an outsourcing of combat and other duties once performed by soldiers that grew and spread to Afghanistan to the point that there are more contractors there than soldiers.

The Iraqi documents were made available to The Times, the British newspaper The Guardian, the French newspaper Le Monde and the German magazine Der Spiegel on the condition that they be embargoed until now.

Geoff Morrell, the Defense Department press secretary, strongly condemned both WikiLeaks and the release of the Iraq documents. “We know terrorist organizations have been mining the leaked Afghan documents for information to use against us and this Iraq leak is more than four times as large. By disclosing such sensitive information, WikiLeaks continues to put at risk the lives of our troops, their coalition partners and those Iraqis and Afghans working with us.”

Read the full Pentagon response »

Iranian Nuclear Computer Security

The most striking aspect of the fast-spreading malicious computer program — which has turned up in industrial programs around the world and which Iran said had appeared in the computers of workers in its nuclear project — (which to me, screams porn all over it) may not have been how sophisticated it was, but rather how sloppy its creators were in letting a specifically aimed attack scatter randomly around the globe.

The malware was so skillfully designed that computer security specialists who have examined it were almost certain it had been created by a government and is a prime example of clandestine digital warfare. While there have been suspicions of other government uses of computer worms and viruses, Stuxnet is the first to go after industrial systems. But unlike those other attacks, this bit of malware did not stay invisible.

If Stuxnet is the latest example of what a government organization can do, it contains some glaring shortcomings. The program was splattered on thousands of computer systems around the world, and much of its impact has been on those systems, rather than on what appears to have been its intended target, Iranian equipment. Computer security specialists are also puzzled by why it was created to spread so widely.

And, one would wonder, how soon the Iranian IT guy will be hung or stoned or hung and stoned for this muck up - and why anyone would hook up industrial computers to the internet?