Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's
war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars"
defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make
the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an
application of science be successful? Is a militarized space
inevitable, necessary or impossible?
"North Korea Reported Open to Halting Missile Program". North
Korea's offer to abandon its missle program if other nations give it
rockets is seen by Russian president Putin as 'removing the prime
rationale' for our missle defense system. Not.
Blackmail is insideous and so this second demand is just that.
First it was nuclear reactors for energy- now it's rockets for
peaceful space research (I guess our offer of agricultural and
public health assistance in the face of continuing starvation
reports wasn't good enough- maybe they want to farm on other
planets). What next?
On the contrary, this move only re-enforces our need for a
defense system. How many other countries will start 'trading' missle
starts for big bucks/technology payoffs. And let's guess- if we
don't provide this rocket payment, Russian will, or China? Come on
president Putin- if we can be blackmailed this way, so can you. Just
as with old-fashioned terrorism, this latest wrinkle will eventually
come home to roost in Russia (and China). Maybe Canada/Mexico/any of
a hundred countries will start making demands on Russia/China.
We don't pay for hostages and we shouldn't be one. Forget it.
What on earth do you think you have been doing for the last
51 years with your population
palousereader
- 10:09am Jul 20, 2000 EST (#185
of 11858)
o.k. evenbetta, you're going to have to be a little clearer- 'my'
population? And don't start in with MAD...that wasn't 'mine' either.
Address the blackmail scenarios of the future. The past is past. My
response may be delayed; have cherries to pick and carrots to thin.
On the morrow.
evenbetta
- 10:23am Jul 20, 2000 EST (#186
of 11858)
'your population'
as in each nation holding the others population genocidal
hostage.
don't start with the ludicrous idea of telling the world we have
to survive a nuclear strike and I will not 'start with MAD'
Your idea is far more NUTS:)
evenbetta
- 10:24am Jul 20, 2000 EST (#187
of 11858)
'blackmail scenarios of the future'
I have already in several posts. Your just not reading.
palousereader
- 10:07am Jul 22, 2000 EST (#188
of 11858)
even- it isn't that we 'have' to survive a nuclear exchange, it's
just that with an increasing number of nations gaining the ability
to play these brinksmanship games, the risks of being called go up
dramatically- as has been said many times. Why continue to play and
hope it doesn't come to that when defense systems, possessed by all
countries, would end such insanity (necessary in the past since
there was no alternative).
Now comes the new game; pay me not to play. Maybe we could pay
one or two countries- but then where does it end. Sorry, let them
play. Let North Korea build all the missles it wants (or China wants
it to have). Let Taiwan, Indonesia, x small countries, build all
they want. Then where is your scenario. Mine- shared defense
technology-makes such decisions by small countries moot. Or maybe
you think the U.S. taxpayer is going to foot the bill for every
small county's demands- in exchange for a no play card.
Or maybe Russia thinks this gambit will justify its, or China's,
coming out of the closet and selling/giving other countries missle
technology. I just get so tired of all these diplomatic shows...we
need to start talking turkey- clearly, openly. We're all afraid of
each other..and rightly so. Let's admit it, deal with it and move
on.
jemoyer
- 07:58pm Jul 22, 2000 EST (#189
of 11858)
life is not meant to be a slow form of suicide
U.S. shoots down missile in defense test, Pentagon says
July 22, 2000
Web posted at: 7:20 PM EDT (2320 GMT)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. military shot down a target
cruise missile with a Patriot PAC-3 missile over New Mexico on
Saturday in a successful test of its "theater" defense program to
protect troops and bases from attack, the Pentagon said. "We had a
successful intercept at about 10:18 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time," Jen
Canaff, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense
Organization, told Reuters. She said the Patriot tracked and
shattered a low-flying MQ-107 drone cruise missile in flight over
the White Sands Missile Test range.
It was the fourth successful "hit-to-kill" intercept in a row for
the upgraded 17-foot version of the Patriot used against Iraqi Scud
missiles in the Gulf War. The PAC-3 earlier had struck three
high-flying Hera target missiles. Unlike a planned U.S.
missile-defense effort to protect the entire country from long-range
attack, the theater program is designed to protect U.S. troops and
bases from short- and medium-range "theater" missiles. The PAC-3 is
being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp. Boeing Co. makes the
"seeker," which guides the Patriot to a target, and Raytheon Co.
provides integration for components of the system.
uboys
- 04:21pm Jul 25, 2000 EST (#190
of 11858)
We must have safeguards.
freechat
- 01:43pm Jul 26, 2000 EST (#191
of 11858)
Nazi engineer and Disney space advisor Wernher Von Braun helped
give us rocket science the first person who wrotes the possibility
of missile is Russian. unfotunately, he against his boss , so his
department manager wants to expels him.
so he escaped from RED Russian, and went to NAZi German. he
worked as lecture in GErman university.
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