Will there be an October "surprise"?

Each of us have our own concerns, and yes, our own concerns are what drive most of us most of the time. The death of my cat was the most important thing in my life two days ago although reflection on it a day or two later brought me back to earth. [Besides, I know that Sweetheart is in Kitty Heaven today anyway!]

Well, yesterday's statements of former Chief of Pakistan's ISI, General Hameed Gul, wherein he predicted that either Israel or the US would attack Iran (and possibly Syria) in October reminded me that some things are possible that would make today's horrific world events seem almost trivial by comparison.

Of course, he was predictably trying to drum up support for Lebanon and the Hezbollah in response to Israel's attack upon "Islamic soil," but even so, we must constantly be aware that the "Armageddon scenarios" that the tabloids are wont to show in their headlines week after week are not just (deliberate) misinterpretations of the Bible or some idiotic "Bible Code" discovery or some "just discovered" -- and eye-catching crazy -- Nostradamus prediction that has "just been discovered" (for the 2,173rd time).

They are possibilities that we should at least be aware are in the minds of national leaders in the Middle East, Europe and oh yes, on this side of the Atlantic Ocean too. While I was helping senior military to play "practice war games" with STAGE (Simulated Total Atomic Global Exchange) while it was under development, no scenarios were considered too "way out" to "try out."

Sadly, I don't think the world has changed that much over the past twenty to fifty years.