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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?

possumdag - 06:46pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3937 of 3948)
Possumdag@excite.com

Rules of arithmetic ... didn't these play a part in the fall of Empires.

The ambitions of Emperors exceeded the ability of an empire to continue to expand - resulting in collapse. Often resources were diverted to expansion and people too heavily taxed - to non-availe.

The Empires (post WWII) collapsed in colonial areas because they were costing the Emperical State too much - and were let go - often without their being a succession structure in place. Those formerly linked with Portugal had a bad time, and still. Those formerly linked with the UK in Africa didn't have an easy time moving on, because the foreign culture that left, left them with systems that worked fine in Europe - not so well in Africa.

The mathematics of digital empires might be seen in companies such as Amazon.com that have and are struggling with markieting-philosophy re empire building and the realities of the bottom line.

possumdag - 06:50pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3938 of 3948)
Possumdag@excite.com

A thought on evil leaders:

These are the guys often 'mad' who in normal circumstance are held back by the system, when people can evaluate them and their philosophy in a stable environment.

When environments break down and chaos ensues, the normal evaluative processes are gone, the evil one might make a lot of propaganda, might literally 'cut out' opposition. The senario of evil, violence and aggression scars a whole population .. until arithmetic steps in .... and draws the line of National bankruptcy ... at which point .. a new beginning has to be devised.

rshowalter - 06:52pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3939 of 3948)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

A finite penalty for negligent "justifiable" homicide in war is better than NO penalty.

100,000 bucks per corpse (not a license to murder -- but a set fee) would make a number of people careful about a good deal.

Not paid to the nation state losing the citizen -- I'm not trusting enough for that -- but maybe paid to UN medical services, or to adress hunger.

possumdag - 06:53pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3940 of 3948)
Possumdag@excite.com

Evil leaders and cronies often line their vaults with the riches of a country before moving on - leaving the people destitute/poor.

Democracies may have evil leaders when checking and auditing fail, if nepotism rules, when information flows fail or are diverted, when bullies go unchecked, when the legal framework does not bring them to heel.

rshowalter - 06:53pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3941 of 3948)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Just thinking about the fee would change many "war game protocols" military staffs use for the better.

possumdag - 06:55pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3942 of 3948)
Possumdag@excite.com

How do you get fees out of the bankrupt?

possumdag - 07:01pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3943 of 3948)
Possumdag@excite.com

When things get really bad, then the logic has to be .. put money into these countries! :)

possumdag - 07:06pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3944 of 3948)
Possumdag@excite.com

It's circles not lines!

rshowalter - 07:22pm May 15, 2001 EST (#3945 of 3948)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

gisterme --- I'm working on your very interesting question about defining evil --and won't be through by a quarter after --- but here's where I am.

I've been interested, as Dawn has, in the notion of "disciplined beauty" -- as an idea that I thought focused what "good" ideation is really like in humans. How thing seem when ideas seem really clear in a person's head -- how ideas seem when they seem "self evident" and clear to listeners.

I think "evil" is the disciplined, meglomaniacal committment to a kind of "disciplined beauty" based on terrible assumptions with terrible consequences.

I think the idea applies to the people I think of when I think "evil" ---

Alexander the Great -- at least approaching India
Atilla the Hun
Napolean
Hitler
Stalin
Curtis LeMay
Pol Pot
Saddam

(and lesser fry)

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