The Old and the New: Casting Your Vote

Watch America at the Ballot Box: Technology Through the Years on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Talk of War: Iran

It may just be another effect of elections season, but there seems to be a ranching up of the rhetoric against Iran (particularly from the GOP). Here are some less political and more pragmatic words from the Secretary of Defense Leon Penetta, one of the primary foreign policy advisers to President Obama.

Video from Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports from Washington

Basically calm down people. Do not fear an Armageddon, rather naval retribution.

If Israel attacked Iran in a preemptive strike:
1. It won't work. A strike would delay rather than prevent the development of a nuclear weapon.

2.Empower Iranian Government and make the U.S. a target of Iranian retribution.

• American Navy
• Hurt the American and Western European Economies (cutting off oil)

3. Consume Middle East in Conflict.

American war games result: 16 downed ships (including an aircraft carrier) and 1000s of casualties.

The Japanese had an Underwater Aircraft Carrier during WII

The Japanese had an Underwater Aircraft Carrier during WII

In 1940, an English golf club wrote rules explaining proper conduct should Nazi bombs suddenly fall

Secret history News, Videos, Reviews and Gossip - io9:

'via Blog this'

The End of the War in Afghanistan? Penetta Announcement

Panetta Sets End to Afghan Combat Role for U.S. in 2013

John Kiriakou: American Spy to be Charged under espionage Act

John Kiriakou’s 

Path From Ambitious

Spy to Federal Defendant

- NYTimes.com:

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou,
left, and his attorney John Hundley,
leave federal court in Alexandria,
Virginia. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

The Witnessing 

Of American 

Torture

-the Atlantic

Former CIA Agent Charged Under Espionage Act For Reporting Torture -Buzzfeed

"He's not a "whistleblower." He's a guy who hunted down Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan who decided waterboarding was a bad idea and decided to say so.

People already knew waterboarding was going on. He just said it didn't work, pointing out that Abu Zubaydah was talking immediately and didn't need to be waterboarded 83 times.

Pretty embarrassing for the government. So, they found one reporter to say that Kiriakou gave him one name.

Oh. And they fired his wife this week for good measure."
-AdminPassword via Reddit