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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?

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rshow55 - 11:14pm Mar 15, 2003 EST (# 10025 of 10056)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

They'll have very significant reservations to having that done by foreign troops - the Islamic nations, historically, have been enormously xzenophobic - enough to have maintained themselves in 13th century conditions until pretty recently. That kind of paralysis takes exclusion many, many, many times - over years - in all sorts of ways. Consistently.

I know the Bush administration is trying to be tactful about this matter. It is important - and you've had plenty of warnings that things may not go easily.

rshow55 - 11:31pm Mar 15, 2003 EST (# 10026 of 10056)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

Repairing the World By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/opinion/16FRIE.html

". . . I am glad Mr. Bush is meeting with Tony Blair. In fact, I wish he would turn over leadership on the whole Iraq crisis to him. Mr. Blair has an international vision that Mr. Bush sorely needs. "President Bush should be in charge of marshaling the power for this war," says the Middle East expert Stephen P. Cohen, "and Tony Blair should be in charge of the vision for which that power should be applied."

And, I'd hope, in charge of making a case that the rest of the world could understand (whether they like it or not) and making sure that our actions do in fact fit and live up to the case we're making.

In the past, the US has done some things that it shouldn't be proud of. We can't change the past. But we have to remember it - remember that others remember it, too - and be careful.

almarst2003 - 11:34pm Mar 15, 2003 EST (# 10027 of 10056)

"...How to change the mind-set of the average Iraqi away from the dictator towards the new government?..."

Bomb them untill they ask for Gen Frank to be the next head of a Baas Party. They probably won't notice any difference anyway since the new boss will still command plenty of WMD, openly.

But seriously, Why would it be anyone's outside Iraq business to decide about their BEST form of Government? Unless you don't mind for other's to plan for a new Government in US or Australia, as a Christian Golden Rule would preclude?

almarst2003 - 11:40pm Mar 15, 2003 EST (# 10028 of 10056)

"Islamic nations, historically, have been enormously xzenophobic"

Robert, you make me blush. At least I expected for someone like you to know better. UNLIKE Europe, those countries historically accomodated a great many nations and religions for hundreds of years. Except when those are crusaders or colonial powers.

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