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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 - 09:34am Mar 31, 2003 EST (# 10829 of 10832)
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.

We shouldn't forget about beauty, joy, and hope.

I loved lchic's cite of the "The Happy Wanderer" http://www.djmorton.demon.co.uk/scouting/songs/wanderer.htm

I feel that we could use a pause, from time to time, to give thought to beauty and joy -- things worth working for --- worth the effort it takes, for instance, to prevent the stupid destruction of the world.

Here's a song I like - C:\MissileDefense\MissileDefense\a_md2000s\md2575.htm that a NYT reviewer liked, too:

" I believe, for instance, that the 20th century's most intoxicating waltz is ''Let's Go Fly a Kite'' from ''Mary Poppins.'' from Best Love Song; Two Girls and a Guy by Lorrie Moore

- Let's Go Fly A Kite

Let's go fly a kite

Up to the highest height!

Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring

Up through the atmosphere

Up where the air is clear

Oh, let's go fly a kite!

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/marypoppins/letsgoflyakite.htm

Perspectives matter - and different people can feel differently. And there are many ways of looking at things. Edward Tufte cited many of them in a great paragraph

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md8000s/md8211.htm http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md8000s/md8214_8218.htm

But is some things "depend on how you look at it" - some things are clear from a lot of perspectives. Any way I feel comfortable looking at it, I have a lot of respect for Tony Blair.

I think this is a hopeful time. What are we fighting about? If we were clearer, we could fight a great deal less.

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense