1 We owe all this to Jimmy. If he had not double crossed the Shaw 27 years ago we and the world would have one less agressive fascist nation to contend with. Thanks Jimmy no wonder you got the Smokeless Powder, TNT peace prize. For those youngsters reading this Nobel was the most profitable war monger in the history of the world. In today's terms he made $trillions on selling weaponry to the most belligerent nations in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Including:USA, UK, Germany, Japan to name just a few. His products maimed millions and killed hundreds of thousands. The all time oxymorn has to be "Nobel Peace Prize". Way ahead of "The Religion of Peace" which would be second.

2 It makes more sense if oxymoron is read instead of oxymorn

3 Can we all agree that American space program technology stolen by China during the Clinton administration was a factor in the launching of the Iranian satellite?

4 Hmmm "monitoring natural disasters and urban growth" More like, "Being able to get kick ass pictures of Israel before and after we nuke them!" Wake up world. These guys are f-ing nuts and just itching to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

5 It wouldn't surprise me if there were a catastrophic "systems failure" in the Iranian Satellite once it gets up in space, delivered via some sort of ECM (Electronic Counter Measure) from our own Satellites. I doubt the idea of an enemy state launching a Satelite hasn't been taken into account, and planned for.

6 Do we still have the ASAT missle in the inventory?

7 Uh, Mike, it wasn't stolen, it was given away for a measley campaign contribution. It makes me sick to even think about it, but Clinton also gave away nuclear weapons secrets that advanced the Chinese nuclear program by 20 years. Yep, we have a lot to thank Clinton for.

8 Well, it was going to happen at some point. You can only keep the nations of the world in the dark regarding technology. At some point, countries catch up.

9 Yeah you're absolutely correct Venom. why anyone believe a country who hangs homosexuals, kills women by stoning and punishes crime with amputation of body parts is still in the darkage is beyond me. How ignorant of them.

10 Who's talking about being civilized? I'm talking about technology. I'm sure there were some NASA geniuses who beat their wives, snorted coke, and read child porn, yet they still managed to launch a few astronauts onto the moon when they came to work. Being civilized has nothing to do with a grasp on technology. Shit, the blogosphere is a prime example of that. Is Iran stuck in the dark ages from a western societal standpoint? Absolutely. Doesn't mean they wouldn't know how to detonate a nuke if they got their hands on one, though, does it?

11 Venom, While you're correct in stating civilized behavior is not part of their outlook on technology, you have to look at where the experience/materials for their nuclear program is coming from. 1. Scientists from other Nuclear nations (Pakistan/Russia) and Scientists educated in the West. 2. Large construction projects from Russia (Bushehr reactor) which Russia is also supplying the seed fuel for. While the Iranian's are not exactly knuckle draggers who have to hit rocks together to make fire, without foreign assistance it is unlikely they would ever have a nuclear program, even Saddam based his nuclear project on the Manhatten project, with the modified magnatron (Baghdadatron) used for enrichment.

12 It wouldn't surprise me if there were a catastrophic "systems failure" in the Iranian Satellite once it gets up in space, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened before it got into orbit.

13 dave, you are correct in what you're saying, but what's also being left out is the amount of foreign assistance many countries receive with their various technological endeavours. Besides, the whole point is that countries do catch up, whether it's their own scientists making discoveries or with the help of others. That's usually how societal technological advances occur. The point isn't who gets help from where. It's the fact that at some point, the technological playing field gets levelled.

14 *leveled

15 The sooner Israel nukes them, the better. Let's get this party started while we still have a clear advantage.

16 Venom, Or perhaps the leveling of the playing field comes from the stagnation of technology in the more sophistocated society. I remember that Rome, the city, finally disintergrated only after the aquaducts that brought water into the city were destroyed by the barbarians. The population of Rome dropped from about 1,000,000 to less than 10,000 in a very short period of time. The type of government that Iran has is not likely to let its people have enough freedom to be productive. The only thing Iran has going for it is oil, and hopefully that will be less valuable as we go forward. Iran and the other Religo-Fascist states of the Mideast have a window right here, right now, where they will wield power out of proportion to their economies and population, but it will not last long in my opinion. China is a threat to the east, India is a threat from the south, and that is why they are aiming the jihad at the West. If, and this is a big if, Europe can find the WILL to stand up and fight, the Islamists will fail miserably. Their only chance is in the West, where they have useful idiots who support them, and a population on the decline. These two things work in their favor in the short run, but the US is the wild card here, and they know it. That is why they want to run the US out of the Mideast so badly. If we stick, the Islamists will be defeated. If not, Europe will probably fall, and who knows what might happen.

17 Roddy Pipehitter - you are the double crosser of the great state of Iowa. Your hubcaps are dredged through toxic sludge and your mnouth backfires

18 i dont understand how all you people could have such vivid pictures of iranian life, culture, technology etc. when your only resource is western media...CNN. Have any of you ever been to Iran? I would like to remind you to go research iranian history, and then your own Western, then tell me which one is civilized. If iran wants to shit on israel, it should be allowed to, after all who doesnt want to shit on them? heres the big question, if U.S is so worried about nukes, and WMD, why didnt you guys go after North Korea? oH thats right, because they actually pose a threat, and poses little resources for you. You should remind yourself to take a look at things from another perspective, not be so greedy. After all when you die, your soul will live forever , and it will contain your conscience, which will torment you about your injustice about others, so you could have more.