>>>>It is amazing what terrible things can be done to a human being without being considered torture.
>>>
>
>It's only torture if the US is doing it.
>
>>>Here's my prediction - they will all be released, totally unharmed in any way.
>>
>>My money is on that too.
>
>I'm thinking all out Thermo Nuclear War within the next 6 months, or whenever the Iranians perfect their operations...

The more I think of the situation in the ME the more I think back to a novel I read years ago:

David Graham's "Down to a Sunless Sea"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_to_a_Sunless_Sea

"It explores the issues involved in a world without energy, gone mad, that crosses the line into nuclear holocaust.

Plot summary:

The story is told in the first person singular by Jonah Scott, a British pilot who has arrived in New York City on his regular flight from London. The United States has collapsed into the equivalent of a bankrupt third-world country after using up all of its oil reserves and a resultant collapse of the dollar. After spending a night in a city which has descended into chaos and anarchy he and his crew ready their airliner to carry a full load of evacuees to London. Shortly after take off from New York City the pilot is informed that Israel has attacked three Arab cities with nuclear weapons in retaliation for their poisoning of Israel's water supply. This triggers a worldwide nuclear holocaust while the plane is en route to London ...

I wonder if any of you have read it. Ever since I've always feared that the holocaust will originate in the ME, and not between USA and Russia. The more I hear of ME countries' nuclear aspirations, and now the fact that India and Pakistan have the bomb (since my reading the book) the scarier the book gets.