The BBC reports that Iranian commanders assassinated

Several top commanders in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have been killed in a suicide bombing in the volatile south-east of the country.

Iranian state television said 31 people died in the attack, in the Pishin region of Sistan-Baluchistan, and more than 25 were injured.

Shia and Sunni tribal leaders were also killed. A Sunni resistance group, Jundullah, said they carried it out.

The Baluchis have been at it for a while. The US and UK know better than to have direct involvement with the Jundullah or the MEK, but, after Cheney and company outed our best source for reliable information, Valerie Plame’s network, I feel certain that information is purchased from both groups. The information has a low reliability factor, because both will spin to produce what the buyer wants to hear, and to advance their own agenda.

It sounds like the Revolutionary Guard were sponsoring some type of peace council with leaders from the area. The Jundullah certainly couldn’t let anything like that happen.

Two days, and two posts on the WAR ON CHRISTMAS !!!

Digby was first with a piece about the rebirth of a supposed threat that references a petition for a ruling sent to the FCC. The matter was resolved by the FCC circa 1975, but it keeps getting resurrected. [Resurrection is very important to Christians, but I don’t think it should be used for bogus e-mail campaigns.]

This particular meme almost beats out the “post office is going to bill you for e-mail” as the most repeated bogus threat.

Then John McKay found the White House Christmas tree ornament scandal, that isn’t.

Of course the White House is going to continue to misrepresent the decorated fir tree in the Winter as a Christian symbol. You don’t really expect them to admit it was stolen from Teutonic Solstice celebrations, do you?

I think they should continue to send those cards and letters. It increases the Postal Service’s income.

Position: 17.0 N 110.3 W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northwest [305°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 145 mph [230 kph].
Wind Gusts: 170 mph [275 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 175 miles [280 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 60 miles [95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 936 mb ↑.

It is 410 miles [660 km] South of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The storm is continuing slow weakening. It is expected to pass over cooler water and encounter wind shear before hitting Baja.

Rick is second only to 1997 Hurricane Linda on the list of stongest eastern Pacific storms.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]