Today, Tim Weiner of The New York Times reported details of the continued drive by the US Air Force to develop and deploy space based weapons, both defensive and offensive. Having withdrawn from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, the Bush administration has quietly supported the Pentagon plans to develop a variety of weapons systems for securing US assets in space, and more.

One of the strategies, Global Strike, calls for a military space plane carrying precision-guided weapons. General Lord told Congress last month that Global Strike would be "an incredible capability" to destroy command centers or missile bases "anywhere in the world."

The Air Force believes "we must establish and maintain space superiority," Gen. Lance Lord, who leads the Air Force Space Command, told Congress recently. "Simply put, it's the American way of fighting." Air Force doctrine defines space superiority as "freedom to attack as well as freedom from attack" in space.

The NY Times article is packed with facts and quotes, and is quite chilling in its implications for the future of our planet and our diplomatic relationships with China, Russia, and well, every single country on Earth. If you want a bit more stress in your life (or if you want to read about some really cool toys our military has planned), go take a look at the article.

And remember kiddies, all you have to do is "duck and cover".