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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.

rshow55 - 05:57pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11812 of 11827)

For the MI complex -- the more that his spent, the better. So a 238 billion dollar program -- hidden away from Congressional oversight -- can only be "good."

Neither ordinary American citizens, nor people in other countries, can reasonably agree. Especially when the economic interests distort foreign policy -- and foreign policy doctrine.

For example, does the United States as a nation reasonably need a doctrine of "undeterrable rogues"? Wouldn't it be of more use to make deterrance effective, rather than give up on it?

For the United States as a nation -- the answer is yes -- and the arguments in favor of credible deterrance remain very powerful.

But though the argument of "undeterrable rogues" may make no sense to ordinary Americans, or to any of our allies -- it is tailor made to fit the interests of the contractors who want to keep working on MD projects. And the doctrine arose "on demand" to justify those projects.

We need to be clear about what is in the true national interest -- and other countries in the world have a right to ask us to be clear.

lchic - 05:59pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11813 of 11827)

Showalter - that was a significant absense from the board (timewise) ... i was beginning to wonder if you'd been tripped by a Vampire .. did you have problems putting 'truth' on the board?

lchic - 06:02pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11814 of 11827)

!

rshow55 - 06:05pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11815 of 11827)

By Eisenhower's time, the MI complex - - and especially the part that was involved in nuclear matters -- was barely under presidential and congressional control -- and controls have become worse since.

When America's policies seem bloodthirsty and irrational -- and when we can't get even our closes allies to understand them -- one may call these policies irrational -- but it may be especially important to ask irrational for whom?

The situation we're in is not only a mess -- it is a strange mess . The Cold War never got wound done in a responsible, planned fashion -- and things are way out of control. The "rationales" involved often have to be hidden, because they are so muddled, and/or corrupt.

We need to have questions asked -- facts are very important. And technical facts about the feasibility of MD are good to start with -- because the technical imperatives are so clear -- and the administration responses so "irrational" if it is the interest of the United States that are being served.

lchic - 06:06pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11816 of 11827)

wound done

Nope it never did get wound down ..

rshow55 - 06:06pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11817 of 11827)

Had some machine problems. Don't know why.

lchic - 06:09pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11818 of 11827)

It's still winding up .. with Dollars turning that - clockwork spring - key !

Like they say Money is the root of all Evil and it truth were known, and Bushy wants truth .. perhaps there's a lot of EVIL in that still unwound coil.

lchic - 06:11pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11819 of 11827)

Don't know why?

A search on this thread will show you mentioning, and often, that your computer has been 'under attack'.

Seems there's a faction who don't want 'truth out'!

lchic - 06:13pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11820 of 11827)

Missile Defense #1241 - rshowalter Mar 21, 2001 01:42 pm I missed your point - and posted not having read it. Pardon me. My computer is under so much attack that I disconnect my modem cable, usually, when I'm not actually transmitting...

rshow55 - 06:15pm Feb 25, 2002 EST (#11821 of 11827)

Could be. Interruptions that actually shut me down, in the past, have often seemed nonrandom events.

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