More than 50 rockets fired from Gaza, Israeli killed

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Not quite, we are turning down the rhetoric, which is ALL that it is. You have family over there so you're concerned maybe scared, I understand. Nothing has changed since this article was written and nothing EVER will. Unpopular Iranian leader makes noise so people don't question his domestic policy. Bibi does the same. Big Wow! Just went through eight years of that in the US.

I am concerned. I am not scared.

I agree with you that Ahmedinijad is a hot head and a rabble rouser. He would not be the proverbial man with "the finger on the nuclear red button" in Iran. That would be Khamenei the Supreme Leader and the mullahs in the Guardian Council. They may not fly off the rhetorical handle as much as Ahmedinijad does, but that doesn't make their views and policies less extreme.

I certainly hope that their extreme words regarding destruction of Israel never come to action.

I hope that you are right, that these words are meant for domestic consumption and that they'll be content to leave it at that. However, they are already take action in their funding and support of Hezbollah and Hamas. They've taken direct action against the US by organizing and supporting Shiite groups in Iraq such as the Mahdi army and Muqtada al Sadr. In short, it's not a question of would Iran take direct militant action against Israel, the US, or the West. They already have, and have done so for years. The real question about their future behavior, particularly should they become a nuclear power, is what restraint would they show with such weaponry? I can only hope that a regional MAD policy will keep them in check.

We've had experience with dictators who preach and prance while the world ignores them and mocks their buffoonery --- until one day it's all too late.

If you are seriously comparing the leadership of Iran to that of Israel or the US, I am truly dumbstruck at the comparison.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I am concerned. I am not scared.

I agree with you that Ahmedinijad is a hot head and a rabble rouser. He would not be the proverbial man with "the finger on the nuclear red button" in Iran. That would be Khamenei the Supreme Leader and the mullahs in the Guardian Council. They may not fly off the rhetorical handle as much as Ahmedinijad does, but that doesn't make their views and policies less extreme.

I certainly hope that their extreme words regarding destruction of Israel never come to action.

I hope that you are right, that these words are meant for domestic consumption and that they'll be content to leave it at that. However, they are already take action in their funding and support of Hezbollah and Hamas. They've taken direct action against the US by organizing and supporting Shiite groups in Iraq such as the Mahdi army and Muqtada al Sadr. In short, it's not a question of would Iran take direct militant action against Israel, the US, or the West. They already have, and have done so for years. The real question about their future behavior, particularly should they become a nuclear power, is what restraint would they show with such weaponry? I can only hope that a regional MAD policy will keep them in check.

We've had experience with dictators who preach and prance while the world ignores them and mocks their buffoonery --- until one day it's all too late.

If you are seriously comparing the leadership of Iran to that of Israel or the US, I am truly dumbstruck at the comparison.

Don't be, I am referring to the rhetorical devices and techniques used. All politicians use the same talking points and histrionic flourishes, I guess it comes with the territory. You just saw the Bush Administration and their threat level fiasco and fear mongering, the concept of them and us is not new. If the economy is #######, divert attention from it. The Iranians are not the Nazis, not even close. Hitler was a demagogue who was loved by so many in the West, that's what made him so dangerous. The Iranian people really like the US so the Mullahs, despite their lofty perches would fall much, much faster than even Mubarak if they tried something. The complex interaction between the US which supported the Sunni Saddam Hussein and the Shias such as Al Sadr is not easily defined. Al Sadr is a warlord who doesn't really want to be bothered, since he controls his area and doesn't answer to Iran or anyone else. The Iranians (Shia) and Syrians (Alawi Shias) do not like Hamas and Hamas doesn't like them. Hamas is becoming self-aware and are now in serious negotiations with Israeli officials in Cairo. That should suggest that Hamas is becoming mainstream, cut through the rhetoric and you'll see what I see, the nascent formation of a Palestinian state that will act as a bulwark for Israel and will become a very valuable trading partner. Hamas is negotiating for the release of its prisoners and Israel is very, very close to securing Shalit's return, just a few details that are being worked out in Cairo but one name that has never come up is Sheikh Obeid. Ask yourself why? If Hezbollah and Hamas were best buds, why wouldn't they ask for his return, the answer is that he's not Hamas, he's not Sunni and they don't care. Iran and the mullahs support their group (Hezbollah) because they don't want the US Sunni group to cause havoc, you remember them: Al Qaeda. The Syrians sure don't want Al Qaeda bothering them. Bin Laden was a CIA middleman so he learned how to procure weapons and they really don't like the Shias. The US has strong ties to the Kurds in Iraq and Iran and they are Sunnis, which makes them at odds with Iran. So the Gulf States fund Hamas almost exclusively and Iran and Syria give a bit of moral support. If the Palestinians get a state what would Hamas (99.99% Sunni) need with the Syrians (Alawi Shias) who oppress the Sunni majority. Hezbollah (Shia) issues in Lebanon stems from the lack of representation in the government but that's a long story as is the rise of the Safavids and others and I'm tired. In short, please don't worry.