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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?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

almarst-2001 - 11:40am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11693 of 11701)

ABC to launch controversial wartime 'reality' show - http://webcenter.newssearch.netscape.com/aolns_display.adp?key=200202202017000241875_aolns.src

"LOS ANGELES, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. war on terrorism will soon come to prime-time television as a new ABC "reality" show called "Profiles From the Front Line," with the help of the Pentagon and Hollywood action king Jerry Bruckheimer"

Hitler and Stalin would be impressed... Ministry of (des)information run by a Pentagon and supported by a Holliwood. Who could ask for anything more?

almarst-2001 - 11:49am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11694 of 11701)

Washington blocks $5bn supplies to Iraq

The UN's humanitarian programme in Iraq has been hampered by a record $5.3bn (£3.7bn) worth of blocked supplies, mainly by the US, it was revealed yesterday. - http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,653608,00.html

The peace loving "humanitarians" at hard daily work. And with little appreciation...

almarst-2001 - 12:08pm Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11695 of 11701)

The "Freedom" Loving Nation - http://www.iht.com/articles/48734.html

America's celebrity intellectuals are now signing manifestos endorsing the war on terrorism.

The country already has committees to name and shame university teachers critical of American policy.

almarst-2001 - 12:34pm Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11696 of 11701)

WAR TO START SOON. EUROPE APPROVES OF IT The White House once again showed who is master. Some EU countries’ attempts to have their own position on the anti-terrorist fight were resolutely rejected. The Bush administration, armed with the principle “Who is not with us, is against us,” "convinced" its European opponents of its rightfulness - http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/02/21/26553.html

rshow55 - 12:51pm Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11697 of 11701)

The objective of the Bush administration, judged by its actions, is not

" ORGANIZING THE WORLD TO FIGHT TERROR" by Igor S. Ivanov , Russian Foreign Minister http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/opinion/27IVAN.html ... MD11100 rshow55 1/27/02 7:06pm

Organizing the world to fight terror would be done best by keeping things in proportion.

No, we have something else here, and something that is, in historical terms, strange . We have a "shadow government" for which "costs" have now become benefits -- so that expenditure of money is a key objective - - and finding reasons to do it a key propaganda motivation.

. Plan to Stop Missile Threat Could Cost $238 Billion by JAMES DAO http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/01/international/01MISS.html

The cost of accountability, the cost of checking for money and technical facts, would pay enormous dividends for the citizens of the United States -- and make the whole world safer.

The main cost would not be nearly as much as a billion dollars in money -- though resources would have to be brought to bear. But it would involve something precious and rare -- courage.

Some key players, responsible people, would have to have the courage to ask real questions -- and not accept "trust us," an answer acceptable almost nowhere else, from the DOD and its contractors.

Progress in that direction is being made. It is NOT in the interest of the United States to act, as it so often does, in ways that would "impress Hitler and Stalin." Instead, we should hope to impress Eisenhower, and most of the leaders the United States had before WWII.

We're in a situation dominated by patterns of psychological warfare. The Cold War is continuing in ways that should have ended, long ago.

In psychological warfare, lies are not things to be resolved. Lies are things to disorganize -- they are weapons.

It will take some work, and some force, to get rid of fictions that are making the world far worse than it has to be.

It is worth noting how strange the situation is. How is it that programs so flawed continue to be supported? Once that becomes widely understood, many things will atart to right themselves.

Costs and benefits have been reversed - - and many patterns, understandable before the Cold War ended, have become cancerous.

mazza9 - 01:01pm Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11698 of 11701)
Louis Mazza

lchic:

How interesting. You call me a bully who behaves in a NAZI manner. My! My! If you can't discourse in a civilized manner, then name call. Exactly the type of diplomatic behavior you eschew.

RShow55 was banned. Scott Armel knew what he was doing. Scott's departure gave RShow55 an opening to reacquire this chat room for his own use. You can't rewrite history to suit your needs. Many of your posts address the issue of lies and their effect on decisions.

Think about it!

LouMazza

(3 following messages)

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