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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?

lunarchick - 07:01am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9343 of 9352)
lunarchick@www.com

http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=boondoggle

rshowalter - 07:06am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9344 of 9352)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

MD2986-2982 rshowalter 5/2/01 12:39pm

Missile Defense, like a great deal else that the military industrial complex has done, under cover of security, and the need for a coordinated nuclear policy, is corrupt. And not questioned nearly enough.

Because "big lies" have been allowed to work, for too long, in American politics.

People make a false distinction -- they don't want too much "nailed down: -- and they reason from negotiation experience.

"Hard positions" make negotiations difficult -- but "hard facts" arranged so that all concerned are "reading from the same page" make fair and stable negotiations possible.

. . . .

We're in a situation now where, for the safety of the United States, and the safety of the world, we need stable negotiations.

The situation is so complex, and can fall apart in so many ways, that only the truth about fundamentals is safe.

And there are nuclear weapons around.

The world, not just the United States, has a stake here, and needs to act for stability and justice that are stable sustainable.

That makes the issues involved in missile defense (technically diaphanous as it is) important . Because it is such a clear diagnostic of much more basic, more threatening problems.

lunarchick - 07:11am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9345 of 9352)
lunarchick@www.com

http://www.earth-house.com/mystery_travel/militaryhideouts/militaryhideouts.html

ledzeppelin - 07:15am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9346 of 9352)

rshowalter - (#9333) You ask what can be done? Firstly our governments must stop scoring so many own goals that is just increasing the terrorists ability to win hearts and minds?

You went on to say "The United States has to move in ways that make the situation better, not make them worse, and denying people's humanity, dealing with them with contempt, doesn't help." I could not agree more furthermore such as stopping the UN food aid programme to nearly 6 million Afgahnis is denying them humanity moreover giving credence to the teaching of the likes of OBL?

To capture OBL the US will have to forget the hi tec such as cruise missiles and battle fleets its time for the less conventional methods? More importantly its time for real time intellegence!

You say "He is already popular with many millions of people." popularity is not adhoration the art now is not to turn him or allow himself to turn himself into a God! God like he becomes the millions.....?

lunarchick - 07:16am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9347 of 9352)
lunarchick@www.com

"We've got 110 urinals we just installed. What in the hell are you going to exhibit?"

lunarchick - 07:20am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9348 of 9352)
lunarchick@www.com

Get back to the nuts and bolts of reality for people living in the swathe of destitution through the Middle East: Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan ... the real issue isn't OBL .... it's raising living standards, educational standards, putting in basic sewage infrastructure ... all the regular stuff. People are worried that America may bomb from the sky - indiscriminately - that's psychological terror - of course OBL has a psychographic opportunity within MidE-minds.

rshowalter - 07:23am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9349 of 9352)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

ledzeppelin 9/18/01 7:15am . . . We should be on the side of justice as the community of nations defines it. We know how to do this.

If we had the community of nations decently convinced and on our side - - then terrorism in all its forms would be quickly under control - - the best sort of defense, including the best sort of missile defense.

Militaries in the world would still have plenty to do. But we could have a stable situation, considerably better than what we have today.

All over the world, and especially in the last five months, nations around the world have been getting better organized. The United States has to take care that it does not become (or continue to be) the biggest "rogue nation" of all.

lunarchick - 07:31am Sep 18, 2001 EST (#9350 of 9352)
lunarchick@www.com

:) OBL ... Oblong ... Oblong Chess .. there may be new and different strategies ...

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