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    Missile Defense

Keywords: almarst*

n Missile Defense #3656 - rshowalter May 10, 2001 02:03 pm
I owe both gisterme and almarst some responses. For my part, I think that morality and realpolitics HAVE to be compatible -- but it takes work to see that they are -- including some work still to be done.

Speaking personally, some of the impasses on this thread are wrenching my guts, making me dispair, but then, I step back and think

"this is going fine - people are talking, disagreements are being set out rather than evaded, there's time for closure, and, after all, we don't have to end up liking each other...

n Missile Defense #3655 - gisterme May 10, 2001 01:34 pm
almarst wrote: "...Please chose either "real politics" or morality and stop pretending they can coexist. They can't if even the absolute superpower like the US can't afford the morality in its actions..."

As much as I prefer agreement to disagreement, I must disagree with your pessimism, almarst. While I do agree that the concept of morality and "real politics" may not be able to co-exsist, that's because I believe the two are already inserperable...

n Missile Defense #3636 - almarst-2001 May 10, 2001 12:08 am
gisterme.

On Saddam. You don't like the guy...

n Missile Defense #3624 - artemis130 May 9, 2001 08:30 pm
almarst-2001 - 06:22pm May 9, 2001 EST (#3614 of 3621)

paulistano 5/9/01 5:59pm

Surely, any nation has a right for self-defense. However, the current state of US military budget and posture is extremely offensive.

Are you suggesting that the fact the U.S...

n Missile Defense #3614 - almarst-2001 May 9, 2001 06:22 pm
paulistano 5/9/01 5:59pm

You could convince some if not for the fact that US after the WWII conducted a very aggressive and criminal affairs, by far more then any other nation I am avare of. Till the end of the Cold War there was an excuse of fighting the other "evil empire". What happend in the last 10 years is purelly a strive to world domination by any means...

n Missile Defense #3613 - almarst-2001 May 9, 2001 06:10 pm
gisterme 5/9/01 4:29pm

"These days, there aren't many places that need "liberation" in the classical sense because there aren't any empires that are unilaterally imposing their will by military force. That's good. "

Do you need a help to count all people's deads due to US crusades after the WWII?..

n Missile Defense #3607 - gisterme May 9, 2001 04:29 pm
alarmst wrote: "...gisterme, do you justify the "liberation" by death?..."

Of course not, almarst. These days, there aren't many places that need "liberation" in the classical sense because there aren't any empires that are unilaterally imposing their will by military force. That's good...

n Missile Defense #3580 - almarst-2001 May 9, 2001 12:34 am
241590156a 5/9/01 12:21am

"...we will live an existence closer to a prison existence in the future, if we're not already there, an existence with no freedom, no pleasure or happiness, and always heavily monitered and heavily controlled."

That's an optimistic vision. Honestly.

n Missile Defense #3577 - almarst-2001 May 9, 2001 12:11 am
lunarchick 5/9/01 12:05am

I am not entirely convinced;)

n Missile Defense #3572 - almarst-2001 May 8, 2001 11:45 pm
carlw6 5/8/01 11:25pm

"Are we better off with a missle defense system or no missle defense at all?"

And the simple answer would be: Some;)

Don't forget the Big $ to military-industrial complex and the infinite ego of some politicans dreaming of ruling the World.

n Missile Defense #3571 - almarst-2001 May 8, 2001 11:40 pm
gisterme 5/8/01 9:23pm

I did not want to get down to details on any particular case discussed, particularelly since there are separate NYT forums for most of those anyway.

However, as an exercise, let's look at the seemingly "least contoroversial" one - the Iraq.

It may not be a common knowlege, but Iraq never recognized Kuwait - the product of the British Empire deliberate manipulation of its colonized lands to ensure the perpetual conflict...

n Missile Defense #3559 - rshowalter May 8, 2001 08:28 pm
bartender74 5/8/01 8:25pm

We need to make peace with "rogue states" and "rogue groups" to the extent that is reasonably possible -- and if it is not, use force to protect ourselves and others.

That doesn't look impossible to me. Though, whatever is done, human beings will remain dangerous animals...

n Missile Defense #3550 - rshowalter May 8, 2001 07:54 pm
I think the suggestions in almarst-2001 5/8/01 7:20pm are brilliant, correct, and entirely practical.

It shouldn't be asking too much to keep groups of people from killing each other, at least most of the time. At least a good enough job to keep human groups from nuking each other, or threatening to.

n Missile Defense #3545 - almarst-2001 May 8, 2001 07:20 pm
1. If my assumptions about the origin and circumstances of the WMD attack - almarst-2001 5/8/01 6:57pm - are correct and

2. The MD is not a fraud or an attempt to ensure the US world's domination

Here is what I see as the most sensible steps the US and the rest of the World should take:

1...

n Missile Defense #3535 - almarst-2001 May 8, 2001 06:57 pm
1. Based on past history, if there is a real tread of mass destruction to the US and the whole world, it most likely will come from some desperate and suicidal origin rather then calculated military action. I would put a probability of this scenario at 99% with 1% a chance for unintentional error...

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