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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
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(10955 previous messages)
rshow55
- 09:22am Apr 2, 2003 EST (#
10956 of 10962)
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.
Almarst , nobody doubts that war has costs. I'm not
so indignant as you. But the Slate article you just
posted is interesting.
This Slate article is interesting, too:
The Wolf Who Cried Wolf in Sheep's Clothing By
William Saletan Updated Tuesday, April 1, 2003, at 2:53 PM PT
http://slate.msn.com/id/2080889/
"Let's consult the expert, Aesop. In the Wolf in Sheep's
Clothing http://www.bartleby.com/17/1/39.html
, he wrote:
"A wolf found great difficulty in getting at
the sheep owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his
dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been
flayed and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt
and strolled down among the sheep. The lamb that belonged to
the sheep, whose skin the wolf was wearing, began to follow
the wolf in the sheep's clothing; so, leading the lamb a
little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and for some time
he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying hearty
meals.
"In the Boy Who Cried Wolf http://classics.mit.edu/Aesop/fab.1.1.html
, Aesop told a different tale:
"A shepherd-boy, who watched a flock of
sheep near a village, brought out the villagers three or
four times by crying out, "Wolf! Wolf!" and when his
neighbors came to help him, laughed at them for their pains.
The wolf, however, did truly come at last. The shepherd-boy,
now really alarmed, shouted in an agony of terror: "Pray, do
come and help me; the wolf is killing the sheep"; but no one
paid any heed to his cries, nor rendered any assistance. The
wolf, having no cause of fear, at his leisure lacerated or
destroyed the whole flock.
"Separately, each fable makes sense: Watch out for wolves
dressed as sheep, and don't commit serial deception, or people
will stop believing you. But what happens when the two stories
merge into one? What happens when the serial deception
consists of wolves dressing as sheep? What if people begin to
suspect not that every boy who cries wolf is lying, but that
every sheep is a wolf in sheep's clothing?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Deception is powerful, and has advantages, many well known.
Truth has advantages, too. If stability and decent
outcomes are an objective - truth has substantial advantages -
and effort is needed to maintain it - and to sort out messes
and falsehoods due to either muddle or deceptive intent.
Another moral, in the present circumstances - is that no
one can doubt that some sheep may be unavoidably killed by
mistake.
Is it worth it? I think it may be - but we have to be
careful to make it so.
jorian319
- 10:01am Apr 2, 2003 EST (#
10957 of 10962)
As long as falbes are on the table, I suggest re-reading
the one about "The Frogs Who Wanted a King". An admonition
about Bush, with Saddam as an example.
rshow55
- 10:09am Apr 2, 2003 EST (#
10958 of 10962)
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.
The Frogs Who Wanted a King by Joseph Lauren http://holyjoe.org/poetry/lauren.htm
ends with this moral:
"No matter what your lot, It might be worse.
Be glad with what you’ve got"
For the war in Iraq to be worthwhile - the Iraqi situation,
in Iraqi terms, has to be better than it is.
Clearly better.
jorian319
- 10:18am Apr 2, 2003 EST (#
10959 of 10962)
For the war in Iraq to be worthwhile - the
Iraqi situation, in Iraqi terms, has to be better than it
is. Clearly better.
For once, Robert, I agree that it is worthwhile belaboring
the obvious. For all of us who have endorsed this horrible
action, there can be no other vindication.
jorian319
- 10:38am Apr 2, 2003 EST (#
10960 of 10962)
http://images.radcity.net/5149/359372.mp3
How much better can it get? How much worse could it be?
Listen to that above (Iraqi-born) American.
For the war in Iraq to be worthwhile - the
Iraqi situation, in Iraqi terms, has to be better than it
is. Clearly better.
I think we can do that.
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