Here is a nice summary of what we actually know about the situation: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Iran and the Bomb, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Facts.

The Christian Science Monitor put out a nice piece last year: Imminent Iran nuclear threat? A timeline of warnings since 1979.

1992: Israeli parliamentarian Benjamin Netanyahu tells his colleagues that Iran is 3 to 5 years from being able to produce a nuclear weapon – and that the threat had to be “uprooted by an international front headed by the US.”

Juan Cole points out: Netanyahu 2002: Iraq has Centrifuges ‘the size of Washing Machines’ to Produce A-Bomb. [Update: hereafter known as WMDs (Washing Machines of Doom!) according to Hipparchia in comments.]

For two decades Netanyahu has been trying to suck the US into wars with countries in the Middle East with his delusional claims about nuclear weapons. He fooled the neo-cons and the Shrubbery at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives in Iraq, and now he has shifted back to Iran. Netanyahu’s claims about Iran have the same credibility as his claims about Iraq – NONE. He is making this stuff up as he goes along.

Until Israel declares its nuclear arsenal, signs the Non-Proliferation Treaty, allows inspections of its facilities, and obeys Security Councils resolutions, it has no credibility on this issue.

If the US wants to show it is serious about the spread of nuclear weapons, it needs to stop supporting Israeli delusions and ranting.

Position: 35.6N 37.5W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [340°] near 10 mph [17 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 85 mph [140 kph].
Wind Gusts: 95 mph [150 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 115 miles [185 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 30 miles [ 45 km].
Minimum central pressure: 984 mb ↓.

Currently about 605 miles [ 970 km] West-Southwest of the Azores.

It lost some strength over-night, but came back after the sun came up. It is dealing with some wind shear at the moment.

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.]

The Miami Herald reports on Florida election fraud problem: GOP firm fired for flawed voter registration in Palm Beach County had issues in other counties, states.

The Republican Party of Florida hired the firm recommended by the National GOP, and the firm was submitting fraudulent registration forms. This had nothing to do with in-person fraud, this was institutional fraud by a Republican-employed company. The local supervisors of elections didn’t need all of the new laws to detect the fraud and report it, just as they always have.

Among other things, if the Republican Party can’t find an honest contractor for something as simple as voter registration with their own money, how can they be trusted to hire contractors for government services with public money?

The Local Puppy Trainer ran a piece on all of the amendments on the November ballot: EDITORIAL: Florida’s amendment jumble

People who picked up our Monday newspaper probably noticed the proposed Florida constitutional amendments that covered pages A6 and A7. The ballot title, ballot summary and full text of each amendment were printed in huge, gray expanses of near-microscopic type. It made for tough reading.

Sorry, but the secretary of state purchased that ad space and that’s how he wanted the amendments to look.
…

None of the amendments that made it to the ballot were championed primarily by citizens groups. All originated in, or were sponsored by, the Legislature. Some were promoted along party lines, usually with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed; others enjoyed bipartisan support.

The GOP doesn’t want you to know what is actually in the amendments or you might not like them. The solution is to vote NO on all of them so you don’t have to worry about the real purpose behind them.