It’s the dream of all tabloids, a headline “Steve Fossett and Nukes!” I do enjoy engaging in some whimsy at times. Does Steve Fossett and this have any connection? It would make for an eerie novel; Steve Fossett goes missing around Area 51, and now we are told that last week a B-52 was “mistakenly” carrying several nukes from North Dakota to Louisiana:

September 5, 2007. B-52 carrying nukes mistakenly overfiles U.S. By PAULINE JELINEK. The Associated Press: WASHINGTON — A B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across several states last week, prompting an Air Force investigation and the firing of one commander, Pentagon officials said today. The incident was so serious that President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were quickly informed and Gates has asked for daily briefings on the Air Force probe, said Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell. He said, “At no time was the public in danger.” Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called the mishandling of the weapons “deeply disturbing” and said the committee would press the military for details. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the Homeland Security committee, said it was “absolutely inexcusable.” “Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible,” said Markey, D-Mass., co-chair of the House task force on nonproliferation. The plane was carrying Advanced Cruise Missiles from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a Defense Department policy not to confirm information on nuclear weapons. The missiles, which are being decommissioned, were mounted onto pylons on the bomber’s wings and it is unclear why the warheads had not been removed beforehand...

“Mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads?” “Deeply disturbing?” A read through the whole article is not very reassuring. Anytime I am told by politicians or their lackeys I have nothing to fear, that’s when I become afraid. When they say “there was never any danger” that’s when I look for danger. These same kinds of people before 9/11 were telling us we had nothing to fear from Muslim fanatics.

This incident with the nukes does make me think of several scenarios like “Fail-Safe” and “The Sum of all Fears.” But was Fossett engaged in some clandestine government operation? Does Bush really intend to go out with a “big bang” nuking Iran? Are those “decommissioned” nukes really accounted for, or have some found their way to Israel? Who among us have any confidence in the government keeping an accurate account of anything, even nukes?

Of course, we are hoping Fossett will be found, and found alive. And it is only whimsy to even think of making a connection between his disappearance and those nukes. But I love a mystery, I still hope Klaatu will show up, and there are a whole lot of us Twilight Zone and X-File types always ready for a new episode, especially when we know those in government lie all the time as a matter of course. But things are really getting spooky lately.