New York Times on the Web Forums Science

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.

lchic - 10:43pm May 27, 2003 EST (# 12107 of 12130)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

What have we got to offer the world? Eisenhower

lchic - 10:53pm May 27, 2003 EST (# 12108 of 12130)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

by 'we' he obviously meant

by use of American resources - people and capital

what had the 'advanced' world got to offer those living within rudimentary economic systems

Their needs .... ENERGY FOOD water shelter clothing, attention to health, education and training ..

So how can the USA assist in making energy provision for needy economies so that they can lift out of hunter gatherer Primary and move up to the second floor ...

Showalter says that when you look at problems and solutions ... one solution is often far away ahead of the rest in the race ... and this is the one to very obviously go with

go with --- but doesn't that mean fund R&D through various stages --- then implement it

so if everything is 'obvious' why does 'nothing' happen .... nothing much happened over the last half century ... what stops the advanced world who can empathise from really getting that assistance over to the needy ....

?

almarst2003 - 05:04am May 28, 2003 EST (# 12109 of 12130)

"If you continue to pump a system at low degrees of freedom it just wears out"

Compare the "degree of freedom" lost after 9/11 here to two world wars, two revolutions and a civil war in politically isolated USSR surrounded by enemies and under intence and intentional severe economic isolation.

Consider the damage to the rest of the world from a lonly and loonly superpower.

Back to math, please.

almarst2003 - 05:07am May 28, 2003 EST (# 12110 of 12130)

"what stops the advanced world"

Greed and fear.

lchic - 05:38am May 28, 2003 EST (# 12111 of 12130)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Greed

An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth: “Many... attach to competition the stigma of selfish greed” (Henry Fawcett).

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Greed%20

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fear

(19 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense