CNN BREAKING NEWS: IRAN TEST FIRES 9 LONG RANGE MISSILES

The United States moved closer to war with Iran after Iran test fired 9 long range and medium range missiles on Wednesday.

The action is only going to push Vice President Dick Cheney and other warmongers like Sen. Joseph Lieberman who have been saying the U.S. should attack Iran to save Iran from striking Israel.

Sen. John McCain is also on board for an attack on Iran and everyone will remember when McCain jokingly sang "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran." The only problem was it was not a joke with McCain. He is in lockstep with the Bush White House on going to war with Iran.

Sen. Barack Obama has insisted on diplomacy should be used with Iran before using the military operation.

Anyone who is planning on voting for Sen. John McCain and has military age children should insist their children or grandchildren enlist in one of the branches of the United States military because there isn't anyway we can engage Iran in war without more troops.

And if the "brave" right wingers won't send their OWN children off to the military, then there should be a military DRAFT and everyone of military age goes without any excuses or deferments for college or any other Mickey Mouse excuse.

This blogger was DRAFTED in 1951 into the United States Army and served as a Squad Leader and Combat Engineer in the Korean War and knows only too well the current military cannot possibly take on war with IRAN without a DRAFT.

FOX NEWS WAS REPORTING ON THE CHRISTIE BRINKLEY AND A-ROD DIVORCES EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING RATHER THAN THIS IMPORTANT NEWS STORY.

Commentary by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE, url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com

Iran test fires missiles in riposte to U.S., Israel
Story Highlights
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards test fire nine long and medium range missiles
Officials say war games are in response to U.S. and Israeli threats
Drill conducted in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormouz
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/09/iran.missiles/index.html

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran has test-fired nine missiles in response to what it says are threats from Israel and the United States, state-run Iranian media says.
The Islamic Republic News Agency and Press TV reported that the naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Wednesday test-fired a Shahab-3 missile during war games in the Persian Gulf.
The exercises come a month after Israel conducted a military drill in the eastern Mediterranean involving dozens of warplanes, and the latest Iranian activities prompted concern from Israel and condemnation from the United States.
Iran occasionally tests missiles, but this firing comes amid international tensions over its nuclear aspirations.
"The war game was aimed at improving the combat readiness of Iran's armed forces. The 2,000-kilometer-range Shahab-3 missiles were tested to demonstrate Iran's capability in hitting its enemies accurately at the early stages of their probable attacks against the Islamic Republic.
"Domestic and foreign political and military analysts believe that Shahab-3 is able to reach targets in the occupied lands in case of the Zionist regime's probable attacks against Iran's nuclear sites," the Islamic Republic News Agency said. Watch footage of the missiles being fired »
Iran's Press TV said the Iranian forces "successfully test-fired new long and mid-range missiles." It mentioned the Shahab 3, "which can hit any targets within a range of 2,000km." It said the Shahab 3 "is equipped with a one-ton conventional warhead."
"Nine highly advanced missiles with improved accuracy were simultaneously tested including the Zelzal and Fateh missiles with ranges of 400km and 170km respectively."
Press TV said ground forces were also involved in the war games.
World powers, which have long suspected Iran is intent on building nuclear weapons, have offered economic and other incentives in exchange for the suspension of its enrichment program.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is to produce energy, defends its right to proceed with enrichment.
There are worries that Israel, which has long been concerned about an Iranian attack, is pondering a unilateral strike.
Israel's military exercise over the eastern Mediterranean Sea in June was in part an effort to send a message that it has the capability to attack Iran's nuclear program.
It involved dozens of Israeli warplanes, including F-15s, F-16s and refueling aircraft, an official said.
The distance involved in the exercise was roughly the same as would be involved in a possible strike on the Iranian nuclear fuel plant at Natanz, a U.S. military official said.
In 1981, Israel attacked a nuclear facility in Iraq. Israel also struck a site in Syria that some say was a nuclear reactor under construction.
One Israeli Cabinet member, Shaul Mofaz, recently said the Jewish state "will attack" Iran if it did not halt its efforts to develop nuclear weaponry,
Last week, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Gen. Mohammed Ali-Jaafari, said any strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would be regarded as the beginning of war.
At the same time, Iranian leaders are discounting the possibility of war. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Malaysia this week for a conference, told reporters Iran was trying to prevent but not foment confrontation.
"We are making all-out efforts to expand peace and security in the world. You should not be concerned about a new war," he said on Tuesday.
Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said: "Israel seeks neither conflict nor hostilities with Iran, but the Iranian nuclear program and the Iranian ballistic missile program must be of concern for the entire International community."
The White House reacted strongly to the missile test.
"Iran's development of ballistic missiles is a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and completely inconsistent with Iran's obligations to the world," said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
Johndroe said that the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany "are committed to a diplomatic path, and have offered Iran a generous package of incentives if they will suspend their uranium enrichment activities."
"They should also refrain from further missile tests if they truly seek to gain the trust of the world. The Iranians should stop the development of ballistic missiles, which could be used as a delivery vehicle for a potential nuclear weapon, immediately."

SOLDIER HOLDING IRAQI CHILD IN THIS PICTURE DIED FROM OVERDOSE AFTER SUFFERING FROM PTSD

There has been some news coverage of this tragic story, but not enough and so this link will provide you with more details of how this brave GI shown here with a wounded Iraqi child returned from IRAQ with PTSD and eventually killed himself with an overdose.

Another untold story of how a soldier returning from Iraq with PTSD was letdown by the VA.

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=10786