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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.

mazza9 - 10:19am Apr 15, 2002 EST (#1370 of 1376)
Louis Mazza

lchic:

At least right wing nuts are right. Left wing nuts are just nuts!

LoumAzzA

almarst-2001 - 11:42am Apr 15, 2002 EST (#1371 of 1376)

BIG GOVERNMENT BLOWOUT: NEW BUDGET LEVELS HIGHEST SINCE 1960S - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48583-2002Apr14.html

And the trouble is not that budget is big. The trouble is that fraud and waste is so much bigger.

Gues who is going to pay ... with MONEY and BLOOD!

mazza9 - 03:00pm Apr 15, 2002 EST (#1372 of 1376)
Louis Mazza

And where is the biggest waste fraud and abuse? The "social" programs! Social Security payments to "illegals" and dead people. Medicare fraud and abuse running as high as 20% of annual payments. Of course, there is the welfare abuse. Unforutnately, where the welfare queen reigned supreme we now have the corporate welfare queens who recieve much from the biggest pimps of all. Did I say pimp? Excuse me! I meant Congresspimps! I wouldn't want to give plain,ordinary, hard working pimps a bad name!

LouMazza

almarst-2001 - 04:08pm Apr 15, 2002 EST (#1373 of 1376)

Actually, in the 60s, the "Great Society" taxes where at least aimed to somthing this nation terribly needed.

Now a huge part will get into the pockets of arms manufacturers and dealers. And on "Great Empire" building project.

Between "Great Society" and "Great Empire" I still prefere the former.

rshow55 - 04:54pm Apr 15, 2002 EST (#1374 of 1376)

MD1055 rshow55 4/4/02 7:54am includes this:

MD1019 almarst-2001 4/2/02 11:27pm quotes All Roads Lead to D.C. by EMILY EAKIN reprinted in the International Herald Tribune from http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/31/weekinreview/31EAKI.html

" Today, America is no mere superpower or hegemon but a full-blown empire in the Roman and British sense" Almarst has been asking "why so much American military power?" - - on this thread since March a year ago. Questions of "why?" and "in whose interest" are vital, in the old sense of "matters of life and death" because some of the easy answers, that Americans have been comfortable with, aren't working in America's interest, and aren't pleasing the other governments in the world.

Some things about American politics, and patterns are ugly in a technical sense -- disproportionate - not able to bear public examination. Paul Krugman has been asking some crucial questions.

The Smoke Machine By PAUL KRUGMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/29/opinion/29KRUG.html

Connect the Dots By PAUL KRUGMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/02/opinion/02KRUG.html

If you read Eakin's fine piece All Roads Lead to D.C. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/31/weekinreview/31EAKI.html

and then connect it to the distinguished pieces in this week's Week In Review -- what a contrast. Our expenditures on "Empire" aren't buying us much influence (or much defense).

rshow55 - 05:34pm Apr 15, 2002 EST (#1375 of 1376)

I've been otherwise engaged the last few days, but I do want to say that I thought this Sunday's Week In Review http://www.nytimes.com/pages/weekinreview/index.html section was especially distinguished -- and felt that, if only more people had the insights set out in this section -- the world would run much better.

We're worried about weapons of mass destruction, and have reason to be, because animal patterns, savage patterns, are still too often in control. I think we may be living through a time when these passions are coming into better control -- in large part because of great journalism. I was impressed, and warmed, by the following Week In Review articles.

GUNS OF APRIL When Savage Passions Set a Trap for the World by R. W. APPLE Jr. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/weekinreview/14APPL.html

August 1914: Falling Into the Trap . . . http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/weekinreview/14TUCH.html and How Two Nations Escaped It http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/weekinreview/14WHIT.html

A Terrible Yearning for War and Peace By JAMES BENNET http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/weekinreview/14BENN.html

For Allies, 'I Do' Becomes 'Hey, Want to Dance?' By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/weekinreview/14MARQ.html

Once upon a time, the United States felt it had to marry its allies — pledge fidelity and build an understanding that would last. Not so in the war on terror.

Blame the Monkeys An open letter to all humans from -- S.I.M.I.A.N. -- Society for Improving the Monkey Image And Name. http://www.nytimes.com/images/2002/04/14/weekinreview/nwr_ZELLER.html

Could peace break out? That gets more likely, and hopes of a stable peace get more realistic -- because of fine journalism like this.

I was also warmed by the last page of the Week in Review -- "The New York Times Wins Seven Pulitzer Prizes" -- with a list of the 88 Pulitzers the Times has won -- a page I'll keep a long time.

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