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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 - 04:41pm Jun 20, 2001 EST (#5554 of 5555)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

My background's somewhat unusual, and anyone interested in it could find out something about it by searching "kline" on this thread. Professor Stephen Jay Kline, of Stanford, was my partner and best friend for many years.

The thing from our work together that I'd most hope that national leaders know is set out, with links, in MD4549 rshowalter 6/7/01 2:50pm .... The key point is that we need to recognize how overwhelmingly complex brute reality is -- so that we can understand how necessary careful approaches to change are, and how limited even the best ideas may be, unless they are checked against specific circumstances, to make sure that they match.

rshowalter - 04:43pm Jun 20, 2001 EST (#5555 of 5555)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I've had some credentialing problems, partly of my own making, that have helped motivate my work on this thread. These problems have been awkward for some people at the TIMES . I'm sorry they've been so awkward. Many times I've wished that I could have handled my end of things more gracefully. .

The passage linked below describes something that happened last September, that may give some sense of the mutual difficulties involved with my credentialing, and with this thread thereafter. http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee7b085/193 . . . #163, #165 . The passage was written in response to a question that I believe came from a reporter. On the basis of my interpretation of a story filed a little later, I believe that the reporter made some decisions that involved the passage.

I'm hoping, with this thread, to adress some concerns I have for the safety of the world. I'm also hoping to adress some problems of my own. You can look up my patents and see that I'm an inventor. But not a successful one. I'd like a chance to be a successful inventor.

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense