New York Times on the Web Forums Science

Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

rshowalter - 07:44am Mar 11, 2001 EST (#920 of 922)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

The concerns you raised in almarst-2001 3/10/01 10:49pm are real and compelling.

Again:

- The surreality of the sitution- the action, over long duration, of American officials, against reasonable United States interests, in combination with elaborate deceptions -- CAN be interpreted by vulnerable nations (including Russia and China) as U.S. preparation for wars of conquest. Russia and China have acted on that belief, against their interests and their own. The costs in human lives and opportunity has been especially great in Russia - the cost in opportunities in China is likely to be great - and the risks of destruction of the world, already great, increase from such escalatory responses.

- I DO NOT believe that the US has any corporate intention to invade Russia or China, or any other large country, or to attack any country with nuclear weapons.

. I believe a better explanation is fraud -- some unintentional, some, involving very large financial interests and illegal activity, quite intentional. The military industrial complex of the United States is not nearly as malevolent as Russia and China fear. But it is much more corrupt, by many right usages of the word, than people now suspect.

. The cause of world stability would be served by making this clear.

A strong circumstantial case for massive fraud and deception, involving massive violation of trust and law, is constructable now.

It is possible to show, now, beyond reasonable question, that the means for this have been in place, and that, unless you happen to defer to the ethical purity of the people involved, massive fraud, including very large conflicts of personal interest close to the current administration, are consistent with the facts.

lunarchick - 07:52am Mar 11, 2001 EST (#921 of 922)
lunarchick@www.com

The Napalm over Vietnam

The carpet bombing of Laos

Show double standard: one for the US a lesser standard for countries perceived as 3rd world.

rshowalter - 08:08am Mar 11, 2001 EST (#922 of 922)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

There are multiple standards, multiple deceptions -- and sometimes actions based on good intentions, from one point of view, have terrible consequences, and are clearly immoral, from others.

The stakes are as high as they can possibly be.

I believe my postings 817 rshowalter 3/1/01 4:27pm and 818, and links to them, are particularly relevant here.

The FAREWELL ADDRESS of President Dwight D. Eisenhower January 17, 1961 http://www.geocities.com/~newgeneration/ikefw.htm bears rereading, too.

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense