New York Times on the Web Forums Science

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?

lunarchick - 09:25pm Jun 23, 2001 EST (#5909 of 5913)
lunarchick@www.com

I was reflecting on the figure of $1500 per head of population in the USA used on defence.

Wasn't there a question as to how this was audited.

Noted an issue my way regarding a government body that was unaudited. Related to it having guardianship-funds over people.

Anderson consultants did a report on it.

They mentioned things like ..
'open to fraud',
people having a lack of ethical values and standards,
people looking to the needs of the heirachy (bosses) rather than the clients.

lunarchick - 09:30pm Jun 23, 2001 EST (#5910 of 5913)
lunarchick@www.com

see @

lunarchick - 10:05pm Jun 23, 2001 EST (#5911 of 5913)
lunarchick@www.com

If $1500 times the population of the USA were used to provide green power .. Wow!

An investment in a GREENER WORLD opporuntity.

Energy Thread

waves

wind wind

solar

Heat recovery

lunarchick - 10:15pm Jun 23, 2001 EST (#5912 of 5913)
lunarchick@www.com

The main rule of the law against war is contained in Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter:

"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations".

There are three legitimate exceptions to this substantive ban on force in international relations: 18.1 Article 42 of the Charter authorises the collective use of force under the auspices of the UN Security Council.

18.2 Article 53 permits the Security Council to mandate regional organisations to take enforcement action in certain circumstances.

18.3 Article 51 preserves the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.

Article 2(4) of the Charter stipulates the following positive obligation: "All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered".

International humanitarian law is contained chiefly in the Hague Conventions and the Geneva Conventions and Protocols. These treaties seek to regulate the conduct of armed conflict with reference to humanitarian concerns.

In summary, the treaties outlaw attacks on non-military targets; impose a duty to protect the victims of armed hostilities; prohibit certain methods of warfare; and contain restrictions and absolute prohibitions on specific categories of arms (eg chemical and biological weapons).

International law on armed conflict will enjoy primary consideration in the preparation and execution of military operations. It will consequently be necessary to instruct SANDF personnel, particularly at leadership level, on the relevant provisions of this law.

(from a SAf draft defence paper)

rshowalter - 06:08am Jun 24, 2001 EST (#5913 of 5913)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

If one looks at the history of the Cold War, I believe that this issue of auditing becomes a central one -- some VERY agressive patterns, VERY different from the patterns of personal kindness and tolerance widely distributed among Americans, have been VERY well funded, and well protected, and surprisingly unquestioned, since the 1950's.

This is an issue where, for anything like workable understanding, research would have to be staffed , and consistency relations organized -- with the fundamental logical operator for research guidance the one that dominates human thought --

" is consistent with. "

With the ordinary limitations on human memory and human ability to apprehend complexity -- this might not be organizable -- because as the focusing process starts, there will be too much diffuse and contradictory and distracting.

With the internet, and the massively increased memory storage now available, this investigation could be staffed and done -- following patterns, shown on this thread and some other threads, with some other organization (a moderator, umpires, etc) that easily suggest themselves to people skilled in the human arts that sociotechnical cooperation takes.

In the beginning, this work might seem ugly -- not fit to the limitations of the human mind - which needs a certain level of simplicity and order. But as work proceeds, I believe that focusing can occur, and a great deal, easy to understand and straightforward to substantiate, can be made clear.

I believe political parties, legislative groups, journalistic organizations, and nation states, in their own stark objective interest, and for moral and aesthetic reasons, too, should staff this, and see to it that the values that the people the United States and the other countries in the world share are not systematically violated, in ways that are degrading, and could destroy the world.

Is there a "vast right wing conspiracy" controlled, inspired, and funded, in decisive ways, by illicit money flows from the military establishment, and particularly the small part of that establishment that has controlled US nuclear policy since shortly after the end of the Eisenhower administration?

Looks that way to me -- though that is only my opinion, and it needs to be checked.

It would explain a lot. If I'm wrong -- then it seems to me that there must be some other pattern there -- that may also be disturbing. Such a pattern would be important to know about.

We are talking about life and death here.

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense