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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

rshow55 - 08:44pm Mar 27, 2002 EST (#885 of 892)

mazza9 3/27/02 4:25pm . . . Mazza, it isn't nearly that simple -- the US didn't "settle" the slavery issue during the Civil War -- and the exemplar of Paul Robeson isn't unblemished either. Robeson may be as good an example of the questions that "affirmative action" deals with as you'll find -- and Robeson's communist connections showed how alienated he was from his own country.

almarst-2001 3/27/02 4:07pm . . . . one doesn't have to claim that the US and the Europeans are blameless. The past is ugly -- ugly enough that it should give anybody pause. And facing up to the past is very important, vital. That doesn't mean it necessarily makes sense to accept evils in the present.

This came from China's flagship newspaper - http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200104/18/eng20010418_67992.html

Here it is in part:

Daring to Shoulder Historical Responsibility: Way to Become Big Political Power

" The event of Japan's tampering with the history textbook has stirred up an unprecedented wave of condemnation of Japan by various Asian countries, Italy, which is far off on the continent of Europe, has also shown extensive concern over the matter...

" The event of Japan's tampering with the history textbook has stirred up an unprecedented wave of condemnation of Japan by various Asian countries, Italy, which is far off on the continent of Europe, has also shown extensive concern over the matter. A local media commentary says the revised Japanese history textbook "has stricken fear into the hearts of the people in the once Japan-occupied countries. For the people of various Asian countries, this is just like the German history textbook which denies the Nazi acts of massacre".

. . . . . . .

" A look at Japan shows that its economic strength ranks second in the world, but its political influence is very insignificant. A contrast of Japan and Italy makes it easy for people to see that Japan to this date fails to get the world's forgiveness because it is weighed down by a historical burden, and it is Japan itself that is unwilling to shed this burden. A commentary of the Italian newspaper, the Republic, said, "Many Japanese are dreaming of making their country a 'normal' country which has the recognition of its neighboring countries and possesses political influence that matches its mighty economic strength. However, if Japan does not clear its own history and, instead, relies only on tampering with its history textbook, the dream of Japan will not come true."

" This remark has really come to the point. "

China has violating that advice horribly, and not faced up to its past in an ugly case, in the situation set out in

WHEN LIES KILL In China, the Right to Truth Meets Life and Death by ERIK ECKHOLM http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/17/weekinreview/17ECKH.html

" An AIDS epidemic in a rural Chinese province is only the latest example of the heavy costs of the controls on information and political choice."

The points Eckholm made still apply.

MANY countries, including the US, and Russia, could improve both themselves and the world by coming up to the standard the People's Daily article sets. Not only China.

But it doesn't make sense to say "unless you're perfect - we can't listen to you." . The advice in the People's Daily article is good -- and remains so, even though the Chinese government often ignores the standard it sets.

With respect to N. Korea, and Iraq, the United States, for all its faults, has a right to speak. A right to act as "morals police" for the world? That's another question, worthy of a lot of discussion. But with respect to weapons of mass destruction -- self defense surely is an issue.

rshow55 - 08:46pm Mar 27, 2002 EST (#886 of 892)

lchic 3/27/02 8:43pm ....Dao's piece is especially interesting (and incomplete?) in light of this Washington Post story . . .

White Made More Calls Before Selling Enron Stock As Company's Troubles Worsened in October, Army Secretary Talked to Several Former Colleagues By Ellen Nakashima Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, March 25, 2002; Page A02 ... includes this:

" Army Secretary Thomas E. White, a former Enron executive, lists 44 calls he made from his home to Enron executives that he had not previously disclosed to Congress.

" I had no idea he sold any [stock] or what it was," Rolfes said. "We didn't have any idea what the other did with their personal wealth."

almarst-2001 - 11:39pm Mar 27, 2002 EST (#887 of 892)

"With respect to N. Korea, and Iraq, the United States, for all its faults, has a right to speak."

Not in my view. The US was the one who attacked those countries in a past, not the vice versa.

The US was the one who helped to arm the Iraq in its war with Iran. The US at least looked the other way when Germany helped Iraq to produce chemical wearpons. And it looked the other way when those where used against Iran.

And, whatever horrible things Iraq did to Kurdish population, it is very similar to what Turky continues to do till this day, using the US supplied arms. And still, the Kurdish tragedy comes nowere near the extermination of the Native populations in America, Canada and Australia.

So, when you see a murderer who avoided the jail for the reason of passage of time since the crime commited, knoking to your house to teach you the good behavier, what is your reaction?

almarst-2001 - 11:45pm Mar 27, 2002 EST (#888 of 892)

"That doesn't mean it necessarily makes sense to accept evils in the present. "

But at least, shouldn't that mean not to produce a new evils? First and foremost? And, secondly, to recognise and rectify the past misdeeds BEFORE lecturing and attacking the others?

Would you accept such a character as your local COP, Judge and executor in one face?

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