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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?

almarst-2001 - 06:59pm Sep 30, 2001 EST (#10026 of 10048)

Please educate me on why the US is "Morally Superior" to the point, it can kill and destroy other nations which did not touch even a single American?

Why Iraq attack on Kuwait was so morally bad it deserved to be bombed to the ground, including the essential water purification facilities, causing the death of millions of children over that time? While the US actively supported the Iraq in its war against Iran for many years?

Why Turkish treatment of the Kurds does not raise an eyebrow in US while for the same actions Saddam gets the lable of a "Butcher of Bagdad" and the "New Hitler"?

Why US President can direct the destraction of the only pharmacudical factory in Sudan falsely assumed to be a military target without even appology or compensation?

Why the US can incidently down the Iran's civilian air liner over the Gulf with almost 300 people on board without appology or compensation?

Why the US can bomb the Serbia for 78 days and nights causing thousends of death and almost complete destruction of civilian infrastructure. Destroying the schools, factories, hospitals, petro-chemical and water supply facilities and even historical bridges over Danube, some older the US iself? Using outlawed clustered and DU munitions? Without UN resolution and even breaking the NATO charter?

Morally Equivalent? You wish!

almarst-2001 - 07:03pm Sep 30, 2001 EST (#10027 of 10048)

"the loss of just one of our citizens to this kind of action is not acceptable."

Would you apply the same criteria to the Citizens of all nations or just US Citizens?

rshowalter - 08:10pm Sep 30, 2001 EST (#10028 of 10048)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I'm with almarst . Yes it was a terrible tragedy-crime.

Yes it was unacceptable.

Nor have I denied the justice of finding a practical way to get Bin Laden and his associates to justice. Friedman printed an article to the effect that "we wanted him dead or dead" not long ago - - and I supported that here.

But issues of proportion are important.

We need to find practical ways to reduce the risk to all people, as Americans with emphasis on Americans, but not forgetting the rest of the world. Responses have to be proportionate. Otherwise we have an explosively unstable mess. Back later.

Almarst , I'm grateful for your comment, which I support.

applez101 - 08:30pm Sep 30, 2001 EST (#10029 of 10048)

Kandewai - by the bye, it is a fair point that the US needs protect itself from the next likely form of attack, but if behooves you to make the case that it is likely to take the form of some type of missile attack.

Besides superpowers like America and the former Soviet Union, it does not hold that greater missile tech acquisition means greater missile use.

Indeed, where missile use has been highest (ouytside of those two parties) has been in the role of weapon system purchases...making the ability to control that technological development significantly easier.

Again, the case simply hasn't been made for the expensive development of a missile interception system beyond existing solutions...especially of the NMD/SDI sort.

kangdawei - 09:00pm Sep 30, 2001 EST (#10030 of 10048)

I'm not going to spend time in this thread answering questions regarding the moral superiority of the USA. I am much more interested in convincing those Americans who already believe in the moral superiority of the USA (compared, say, to Iraq) that Missle Defense is a necessary part of our military arsenal.

I am totally willing to discuss the morality question, just not in this thread.

Also, Robert, though you do make a few good points, you make the same points over and over and you don't ever expand with details. Checking, checking, checking, yes I get the point. We must do plenty of checking. But check what? How bout some concrete examples of military procurement/research/development mismanagement or malfeasance. I'm sure there are many. People like yourself (self-appointed watchdogs) would be doing the American people a great service by bringing such instances of military spending misuse to the light of day. But we need details.

In the meantime:

ALASKA'S MISSILE DEFENSE APPEAL

Recognizing that the ABM Treaty poses an insurmountable obstacle to providing adequate missile protection for Alaska, the state's legislators passed a resolution reminding the federal government of its obligation to protect all 50 states. The resolution states explicitly that Alaska's safety and security take priority over any international treaty or obligation. Further, it expresses the view that the President should take whatever action is required to ensure that Alaska is defended against limited missile attack. By implication, this provision asks the federal government to modify or jettison the ABM Treaty.

mazza9 - 09:22pm Sep 30, 2001 EST (#10031 of 10048)
Louis Mazza

Almarst-2001

Kuwait is a member state of the UN. We can argue about the artificial manner in which it's borders were drawn and Iraq can argue about Kuwait is really their 5th province and should be incorporated into Iraq.

But....The big BUT, Invasion and military actions is contrary to the UN charter therefore, the Gulf War, with the proper UN Resolutions, was proper. If we are going to succumb to the "might makes right" coda then we can pull out our neutron bombs and "solve" the oil issue. We claim the Mid East Oil as our own, send all the population to Allah in a flash of neutrons and dare anyone to contravene. Who is going to complain. We promise China and Russia a cut of the swag and the rest of the world can toe the line or..........{boom}

You know, our strength has been that what I've outlined is not our modus operandi. Heck, I attended my daughter's High School Home Coming Game, (she's in the Marching Band). It is amazing how Texas High School Football puts everything into persepective. The referees are the crux of our way of life. We play by the rules, boo the ref if we think, "we wuz robbed" but at the end of the game the two teams shake hands and walk off the field with a sense of dignity that those damned hijackers wouldn't understand. We lead by example and hopefully each generation will learn.

LouMazza

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