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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 - 04:28pm Jun 29, 2001 EST (#6299 of 6301)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

The Cold War is over -- but there ARE some issues of accounting that need to be made. Some involve accounting in the classic sense.

As of now, the valid military reasons for classification are almost totally gone. It seems to me to be very much in the national interest, and in the interest of the whole world -- to account, carefully - where the money went.

Particularly -- was money diverted, in large amounts, to the right wing of the Republican party, to Texas oil land and oil deals, and in other ways diverted so as to fund a "vast right wing conspiracy" that has subverted a great deal, over many years, in the service of Cold War tactics neither the public, nor Congress agreed to?

How much that is decent and worthwhile about the United States, has been subverted?

How much of our military function -- has been based on fraud.

I believe that it is the our patriotic duty to find out, and an essential security interest of all the nations in NATO, and of many other countries all over the world, to find out.

There are very good reasons precisely to make a decent future possible why massive frauds need to be accounted.

Missile defense certainly looks like a massive fraud to me.

If it is, to preserve the future -- we need to clean the mess up.

rshowalter - 04:28pm Jun 29, 2001 EST (#6300 of 6301)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Is there any large thing about the missile defense effort that is defensible and honest, both technically and financially?

Is there any large thing about the military-industrial complex, now, that has not been tainted - that has not now become deeply compromised?

To preserve the future -- these questions -- which are answerable questions, need to be determined.

All we have to do is get past a ridiculous -- totalitarian security barrier, set out, for instance, in ARMED TO EXCESS by Bob Kerrey http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/02/opinion/02KERR.html

Kerrey says:

" members of Congress have never seen the actual missile targeting plans developed by the military in response to presidential directives. For twelve years in the Senate — eight of which I served on the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence — I tried without success to get this briefing. In fact, I was unable to find a single member of the Senate who had been briefed. Mr. Bush should order his military commanders to brief members of Congress on the targeting plans.

that has no justification any more. Nor is there justification for hiding behind security to keep from decent auditing.

We need to account where the money went.

My guess is that something upwards of 20 billion dollars has been stolen -- including that 3.8 billion from Iran Contra dealings that George Bush Sr may control. (Enough, with a little money laundering, to buy a baseball team, or subvert local and national elections.)

There are some very rich, very strange, very ugly right wingers out there -- did this happen by accident?

If I were a Russian, I'd find it essential to know.

As an American, I find it essential to ask.

rshowalter - 04:37pm Jun 29, 2001 EST (#6301 of 6301)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

The Russians seem to think that they're dealing with powerful, merciless, deeply corrupt monsters, who have much in common with the Nazis.

Looking at much of the behavior of this administration - I find it hard not to sympathize with the question. We should check some things -- to find out if there is a problem here -- and fix it.

In the cause of peace, in the cause of American values, and in the cause of common decency, as that idea is broadly shared all over the world.

An accounting of military expenditures, capable of picking up massive fraud, can be done. Going back thirty years or more. So can an accounting of how a few conspicuous right wing angels came by their money.

We should find these things out.

Maybe nobody gets convicted -- but if the crimes have been committed -- the values of the United States depend on finding this out.

This is a question that should be discussable in America -- if it is not -- then America has lost a great deal.

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