All Set To Get Nuked

UPDATE: Still here. Thank the all.

So, appparently.. the story goes like this.

1. August 30 the USAF 'lost' 5 nuculear weapons whilst being transported from Minot AFB to Barksdale AFB.
   
2. The story from the Barksdale end was that 5 weapons were 'found' but it was later reported from the Minot AFB end that 6 weapons were lost.
3. Apprently in 1991, by Presidential order (under Bush Sr.), nuclear weapons were removed from all aircraft. Bomber nuclear ground alerts, during which nuclear weapons are loaded onto bombers during test and training exercises, were also halted. So it does seem unusual that this should happen by accident or otherwise.
   
4. Furthermore the procedures around handling nuclear weapons are incredibly stringent and it was most unlikely that the weapons would've left their secure facility at Minot AFB without some fairly high level of authorization, even if it was somewhat 'irregular'.
   
5. The weapons were actually loaded into a combat ready position on the B-52's in question meaning that, for the first time since 1968, nuclear warheads in combat position were carried by an American bomber and numerous international treaty provisions were violated in the process.
6. On September 14 the "air combat command" will be having a 'stand down' over this. According to the Pentagon liason this is all a fairly standard response and NORAD etc will still be in place.
7. Some folks suggest that the whole thing is really a deliberate leak designed to scare Iran into realizing that the US is getting nukes ready for them and is serious about it threats to go to war.
   
8. Others suggest that no really serious punishments have been meted out to the people responsible, and that it was whistleblowers not deliberate leakers that were responsble for this story getting out. They also point out that on September 7, CIA Director and General Michael Hayden told assembled members of the Council of Foreign Relations:
   
   "Our analysts assess with high confidence that al-Qaida's central leadership is planning high-impact plots against the U. S. homeland."
   

Putting two and three together (to get nine) the obvious conclusion is that we're all due to get nuked September 13. Joy.

Actually I should say "you're" all due to get nuked. I'm in New Zealand and, right now, glad enough of it. Even if I don't believe these predictions - when it comes to nuclear weapons I do prefer to err on the side of caution.