perfidy

As originally voiced by Eisenhower, Nixon, and a variety of pointy-headed policy people, the Domino Theory explained that if South Vietnam fell to the commuhnists the rest of southeast Asia would similarly succumb, each country toppling in turn.

The phrase is still fairly common, most recently used to describe American operations in the Middle East. I don't have a link to a specific instance of its use in that context, but am confident someone somewhere said it. You know it and I know it, so get off me about it.

But if the Department of Defense has its way, the Domino Theory will take on a newer, cooler, and menacing-er meaning.

The DoD now confirms its plans in developing suborbital, recoverable, and armed UAVs. The concept is to have a suborbital vehicle zip around the planet at mach 5 carrying a 1,000lb payload. That's a big boom, to you and me. The vehicle can be controlled in flight, adjusting to changing circumstances if need be, or recalled if the mission is cancelled (although it's best not to assume as much). The Pentagon's wet dream is to have them fielded by 2010, with the capability to deploy the weapon and squash anybody anywhere on the planet within 30 minutes. 

So say you're an evil-doer, an evil-doer with a penchant for a thin-crust with extra cheese and half onions. And say the NSA caught wind of your terroristic appetites, and had your phone tapped, and knew you were home when you called for your pie. They could have a bona-fide Amurrican space robot fly around the world and blow you up faster than the Domino's around the corner from you can deliver a pizza to your door.