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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?

rshowalter - 05:23pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4553 of 4585)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Not yet - though with the meeting with the Americans, they've got their work cut out for them.

For me, I'm rereading the parts of the thread that involve almarst and gisterme -- trying to see what has been learned.

Although my eyes ache, I'm finding it interesting and hopeful. But maybe I'm just dizzy from all the reading -- have gotten all the links to gisterme's stuff and almarst's stuff since the Cast of characters DIRECTORIES

Here are links, each a DIRECTORY of links, with some running summaries of highlights for almarst, up to MD3490.

MD3464 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:18pm . . . MD3465 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:18pm
MD3467 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:19pm . . . MD3469 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:20pm
MD3470 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:22pm . . . MD3471 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:23pm
MD3473 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:24pm MD3474 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:25pm
MD3476 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:26pm . . . . MD3477 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:26pm
MD3478 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:27pm . . . . MD3479 rshowalter 5/7/01 8:27pm

I'm doing that work so that the rest of the dialog with almarst and gisterme can be more easily acessible, in the same way, too.

Because I'm hoping to show how the internet, with usages like this, can enhance staffed negotiations and discussions of complex issues -- where the impasses have been intractable, and, in the nuclear weapon case, deadly dangerous - before.

rshowalter - 05:30pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4554 of 4585)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Lennon would say:

" Give peace a chance --

but to do that -- you have to give understanding a chance!

That isn't easy - because there is a LOT to understand - and people take a lot of time and words to get adjusted to ideas, so that "meetings of the minds" actually occur.

And for "meetings of the minds" to occur - so that good dealmaking can happen, for real human beings, with real complex circumstances, and real needs and fears takes a LOT of talking.

With the internet -- we now have a chance, for the first time, to record and crossreference dialog at something like the level of complexity that human beings are actually "built for" and actually use with normal conversation - - but now- with distance almost eliminated -- with memory far better than before -- and with crosslinking permitting people do deal with comples issues and get them to CLOSURE.

I think this thread shows some of that. On a vital issue, where things were, I think, every bit as scary as I thought they were when I started making a nuisance of myself around here.

Things are still scary -- but I think measurably less so, because of conversations here, and the quality of the people who have been paying attention.

Let me go find an expression of how scared I've been about nuclear destruction . . .

lunarchick - 05:30pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4555 of 4585)
lunarchick@www.com

News - a fabrication - not so in Australia, where most often 'sport' with checkable scores head the news. The gulf-war sport with supposedly checked those scores did head the news ... once .. but now back to cricket and tennis, soccer and rugby .. yet even here live versus robotic IT umpires conflict ... there is often a fine line of opinion regarding what is actually truth.

lunarchick - 05:38pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4556 of 4585)
lunarchick@www.com

Looking here at lines that are 'misheard' and 'misunderstood' in Beatle lyrics ... one notes how the dominant linguistic culture (American English) 'creates' the misunderstanding. People, on might linguistically conclude, bend the sounds they ARE hearing into their existing culture.

This must also be the case regarding complex negotiation.

The terms used would need a glossary of understanding, using those terms - in context - so that the parties stood and negotiated on common ground.

cantabb - 05:46pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4557 of 4585)

"Hey Jude": by Paul (writer/vocal lead)!!

lunarchick - 05:49pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4558 of 4585)
lunarchick@www.com

Looking through the thread, one notes the necessity for reiteration.

The continual phrasing and rephrasing of concepts and their discussion by opposing parties to reach a comfort-level of understanding.

The development, and acceptance of, language requires use via listening/reading and writing/talking to be accommodated in the mind.

lunarchick - 05:54pm Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4559 of 4585)
lunarchick@www.com

Ah Paul!

His partner suffered road injury, has a prosthetic leg, giving an understanding of the NEEDS of those who have lost limbs to Land Mines .. and she's working hard.

All redundant prosthetic limbs are collected and shipped to the third world ... especially important for use with growing children.

LAOS is an area that, had the USA a conscience, they might have used the 'tax bonus' to relieve the suffering of civillians in a country ajacent to Vietnam - that was never at war with America. A removed mine helps ensure living-limbs.

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