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Missile Defense

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?

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rshowalter - 03:41pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1261 of 11890)
Robert Showalter mrshowalter@thedawn.com

It is more than a bit irrational -- that part is clear.

Your second question is much harder -- and can't be answered completely, in detail, for our whole nation.

But Americans feel very unprotected in their social roles - they feel that, if they step out of line in certain fairly simple ways -- they might lose everything, in the team relations that they depend on. Too often, they are right.

I had an unconventional education just here -- so I'm probably not the right person to ask. I'm not scared of the same things most American seem to be afraid of. I'm plenty afraid, but usually of other things.

But "what is America as a nation afraid of" is a profound question - that deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten.

I'll say this. Military people are among our most afraid people, and of the military people, those involved with nuclear weapons are among the most afraid of all. None of that is necessarily irrrational -- but the denial of fear that you often see is dangerous.

rshowalter - 03:50pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1262 of 11890)
Robert Showalter mrshowalter@thedawn.com

Americans tend to avoid what they're afraid of, rather than face it -- unless they find some way to convince themselves that "it isn't scary."

I've dealt with Russians some, and don't know too much about it -- but I AM sure that your patterns of intimidation, conscious and unconscious, are quite different from ours.

And I bet you're not, as a nation, very clear about how yours work. We aren't clear about how ours work, either.

rshowalter - 03:55pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1263 of 11890)
Robert Showalter mrshowalter@thedawn.com

THE most fundamental fiction in American movies is that you see people in interaction, most of the time, as if there was no fear.

This is the most basic "make believe" aspect of most of our drama.

It is very comforting, but quite artificial.

almarst-2001 - 03:58pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1264 of 11890)

Evidently, but SO hard to understand.

It is incorrect to talk about the whole nation, particluarelly such a multi-cultural nation as US. Nevertheless, some ominous signs are visible enough. Strange.

One of the reasons may be lack of trust in each-other between individuals. The mutual trust and cooperation helps a lot to feel more secure. May be, in US, this lack of trust - the vision of a brutal competitor and predator even within family, propagates itself to all aspects of an American life and affects the mentality and behavier of the whole nation.

It may be indeed the "nation's psychoanalysis" will be a next highly-demanded profession. A nation's "shrink" so to speak;)

rshowalter - 03:59pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1265 of 11890)
Robert Showalter mrshowalter@thedawn.com

The American people would be enormously grateful and relieved if nuclear weapons came down - but to face up to what that will take, will require some tact and informed persuasion.

And, as a people, we'd be enormously relieved by a more peaceful balanced world in every other way.

But here, there are groups that profit from the "military industrial complex" that Eisenhower did so much to build, but then warned of. And it will take staff work to make that clear, as well.

rshowalter - 04:02pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1266 of 11890)
Robert Showalter mrshowalter@thedawn.com

We don't have to become mentally healthy in every respect, to become sane enough to get nuclear weapons under control, and to establish reasonable, stable military balances (that DO make sure that American has all the real protection that military forces can give it.)

I think my "one loaf of bread" proposal, or something similar, might go a long way toward getting things solved.

almarst-2001 - 04:07pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1267 of 11890)

Interestingly, Americans are more religious (at least talk about religion and go to church) then most other in so called "developed" world.

I see a strange disconnection here. Am I wrong?

rshowalter - 04:11pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1268 of 11890)
Robert Showalter mrshowalter@thedawn.com

Americans take comfort in religious ceremonies, that let them relax and admit their insecurities.

Whether there is a God or not isn't what matters here. What matters is that, psychologically, the need for the comfort of religion is great in America, because people feel helpless, and in need of divince comfort and forgiveness.

I don't hold that against Americans at all. I'm connected enough to religion that I posted a sermon on this thread -- and will again -- http://www.wisc.edu/rshowalt/sermon.html

almarst-2001 - 04:15pm Mar 21, 2001 EST (#1269 of 11890)

"We don't have to become mentally healthy in every respect, to become sane enough to get nuclear weapons under control, and to establish reasonable, stable military balances (that DO make sure that American has all the real protection that military forces can give it.)"

I am afraid, that is not correct. One should recognise the image he projects in other's mind.

When you face the most economically powerfull and military secure nation on Earth, spending huge amounts of money even on conventional but offensive arms, spreading its bases around the Glob and actively interfearing in affairs of most other nations from the position of ultimate superiority, intimidation, inflexibility and readiness to use its military and covert operations against declared "Absolute Evil" enemy, the sight is far from reassuring.

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