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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 - 12:13am Apr 1, 2003 EST (# 10876 of 10886)

Why Colin Powell Should Go - http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/22/opinion/22KELL.html?ex=1049346000&en=1cc14996177233e1&ei=5070 By BILL KELLER

he famous hardheaded definition of war is "the continuation of politics by other means." In the real world, though, war is the failure of politics. This war — undertaken at such cost to America's own interests — is specifically a failure of Colin Powell's politics.

Even if you believe that this war is justified, the route to it has been an ugly display of American opportunism and bullying, dissembling and dissonance. The administration has neglected other lethal crises around the world, alienated the allies we need for almost everything else on our agenda and abandoned friends working for the kind of values we profess to be exporting

almarst2003 - 12:19am Apr 1, 2003 EST (# 10877 of 10886)

DE-JA-VU ALL OVER AGAIN http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/opinion/30DOWD.html

We're shocked that the enemy forces don't observe the rules of war. We're shocked that it's hard to tell civilians from combatants, and friends from foes. Adversaries use guerrilla tactics; they are irregulars; they take advantage of the hostile local weather and terrain; they refuse to stay in uniform. Golly, as our secretary of war likes to say, it's unfair.

Some of their soldiers are mere children. We know we have overwhelming, superior power, yet we can't use it all. We're stunned to discover that the local population treats our well-armed high-tech troops like invaders.

almarst2003 - 12:35am Apr 1, 2003 EST (# 10878 of 10886)

lchik,

I am missing to see your indignation about what is going on in Iraq.

Remember Grozny?

almarst2003 - 12:43am Apr 1, 2003 EST (# 10879 of 10886)

The United States is investigating an incident in which its soldiers shot dead at least seven Iraqi civilians whose car failed to stop at a checkpoint. A senior US military officer has defended the shooting as "absolutely... the right thing" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2904911.stm

THERE WILL BE DONE MANY MANY MANY MORE "RIGHT THINGS". FOR SCEPTICS, WAIT UNTILL WE DO A WRONG ONE! YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE!

almarst2003 - 08:05am Apr 1, 2003 EST (# 10880 of 10886)

Let's see, what did we learn so far:

The Law of unintended consequences still works.

The "good" intentions indeed can lead to Hell.

A lot of people can be safely dupped for a short time (relative to the age of Uniwerse)

If theory contradics the facts - too bad for the facts.

... to be continued.

lchic - 08:10am Apr 1, 2003 EST (# 10881 of 10886)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Almarst - 'Taking time out over next few weeks ... 'the tyranny of distance' that is Australia eases for a while :)

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