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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.

almarst2003 - 01:31am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10049 of 10056)

The FBI has a fleet of aircraft, some equipped with night surveillance and eavesdropping equipment, flying America's skies to track and collect intelligence from suspected terrorists. http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/03/14/fbi.spy.planes.ap/

A trully amazing technology in a service of GOOD:)

gisterme - 01:35am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10050 of 10056)

rshow55 - 12:22am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10042 of ...) http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.x1zsatUD52D.2134471@.f28e622/11587

WRT to passage of a UN Security Council motion to censure the US:

"That would be something that would produce an enlightening debate - about things that matter..."

There wouldn't be much to debate in that case and if that were to happen, I doubt that the US would veto it. More likely, the UN would have to leave NYC and it would lose at least 31% of its funding. Oh well. I guess France would have to cough up the billion bucks necessary to build a new headquarters for a fractured organization, dying of its own irrelevancy. Sounds like the kind of investment Chirac would make. Perhaps he would offer up the Palace at Versailles as a new headquarters.

"...Bush would come off better if he were listening hard to a smart lawyer like Blair in such a debate..."

Why don't you think that President Bush is listening to Tony Blair? Do you think the president will stick his fingers in his ears each time Mr. Blair speaks at the upcoming meeting in the Azores?

Get real, Robert.

I think that the president could care less about "how he comes off" in international opinion when what's at stake is the safety of the American people whom he's sworn to protect. At least I hope that's the case. If it isn't, President Bush won't get reelected.

gisterme - 01:38am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10051 of 10056)

rshow55 - 12:22am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10042 of ...) http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.x1zsatUD52D.2134471@.f28e622/11587

WRT to passage of a UN Security Council motion to censure the US:

"That would be something that would produce an enlightening debate - about things that matter..."

There wouldn't be much to debate in that case, and if that were to happen, I doubt that the US would veto it. More likely, the UN would just have to leave NYC and would lose its largest single source of funding. Oh well.

I guess France would have to cough up the billion bucks necessary to build a new headquarters for a fractured organization, dying of its own irrelevancy. Sounds like the kind of investment Chirac would make. Perhaps he would offer up the Palace at Versailles as the new headquarters.

"...Bush would come off better if he were listening hard to a smart lawyer like Blair in such a debate..."

Why don't you think that President Bush is listening to Tony Blair, Robert? Do you think the president will stick his fingers in his ears each time Mr. Blair speaks at the upcoming meeting in the Azores? Get real.

I think that the president could care less about "how he comes off" in international opinion when what's at stake is the safety of the American people whom he's sworn to protect. At least I hope that's the case. If it isn't, President Bush won't get reelected.

almarst2003 - 01:45am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10052 of 10056)

Some fools would argue that "international opinion" is very importand for the safety of the American people:)

almarst2003 - 01:46am Mar 16, 2003 EST (# 10053 of 10056)

"President Bush won't get reelected"

Probably true. Not that it will have any difference. Just like Saddam.

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