Four decades ago the Soviets deployed a short range, wildly inaccurate missile we called the Scud.  It’s children, a little larger, slightly more accurate and with a little longer range, is now the favored weapon of third world countries. Iran and Syria have shipped hundreds of them to Hezbullah in Lebanon, bringing every inch of Israel within range. So dangerous has this outmoded missile become in the hands of terrorists and terrorist states that the United States and Israel have been working on ways to shoot it down in boost phase with long range missiles shot from fighter planes or UAVs. The danger will come when Iran and Syria think the time is ripe to destroy Israel and Hezbullah starts shooting them at Tel Aviv. When that happens the Israelis will forcefully respond, and what happens next depends on whether Israel wants to do the job right once the war starts and take out not only Hezbullah and Syria, but Iran and Iranian nukes as well. It will happen, the only question is when. Actually, there is another question: whose side will Obama be on? I think we know the answer to that one. Obama, by declaring that the US will not re-supply Israel, has left Israel with only one option. A full scale war with Iran and Syria will very quickly draw down Israel’s war stocks, leaving them only nukes or surrender and genocide at the hands of the Arabs. Obama, by his bungling, has drawn the Middle East closer to nuclear war than it otherwise would have been.  

The Russkies built what we called Scud

We laughed and thought the thing a dud

It had no range and so we’d smile

It missed its target by a mile

But here we are some decades hence

And these old Scuds defy defense

To the extent that techie guys

Must dream up ways to clear the skies

With anti-missiles shot from planes

To catch them in their booster lanes

Now who’ve thunk  at this late date

Hezbullah would be tempting fate

By aiming one at Tel Aviv

For surely they cannot believe

Israelis won’t just hit them hard

And wipe them up across the yard

No something else is surely up

For not since Hector was a pup

Had anyone as much to lose

So Hezbullah has now to choose

Do they continue Iran’s games

Shoot off a Scud, go down in flames

Or is this all a great big bluff

And when Israelis say, Enough!

They’ll act like Arabs, fold their tents

But no, for that makes too much sense

There will be war in Middle East

And it will draw in us, at least

And likely draw in others too

And spread to places that are new

To Middle Eastern scams and schemes

And that is why to me it seems

That nukes will fly and cities burn

And rivers steam and in its turn

The sand turns glassy red with blood

And all because of some old Scud

On vacation, will return Monday, 5 July. As long as you’re here, look around. There’s some good stuff.