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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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fredmoore - 05:13pm Jul 25, 2003 EST (# 13142 of 13267)

Gisterme....

"Amazing as it sounds today, when I was a kid in primary (public) school, the fear of nuclear attack was so intense that we actually had "duck and cover" drills. Can you imagine kids being asked to do something like that today? "

I loved that 1999 film ... "Blast From The Past" with Brendan Fraser and Christopher Walken.

You know, the one where the family raises their son in a nuclear fallout shelter due to a false alarm. After 30 years they send their now grown up son out to resupply. He finds the world a much different place. I'm sure the Ruskies had similar fantasies too.

Kids today ... thay would probably pop another Ekky and wait for the flash .. what a blast man!

Also, despite WRC's negativity, I think it important to discuss future energy in relation to Missile Defence, on this thread and I am pleased you have done that ... to courtroom standards and to a harmonious and symmetric closures (LOL). Further, a KAEP, if you read my definition carefully is more than just a substitute for burning 'things'. It is an attempt to include the whole planet in an exploration of how to harvest LOW ENTROPY or EMERGY at its most direct points of inception ... space solar, geothermal and wetlands in riverine catchments. Plus researching thermoelectric fabric technology to increase the theoretical efficiency of direct solar to electric power conversion.

Where Missile Defence comes in is the fact that EMERGY is ALL that people really want. As thermodynamic systems, the' human mission directive' is to decrease entropy and it is apparent we are capable of the severest means (including the development of sophisticated missile systems) of ensuring our ability to fulfil that mission. When you negotiate across all nations with such a top level, all pervasive objective, no one is left out and every person's interests are catered for. SO there is no room for secret agendas and a unique state of world cooperation is assured. Assured, as I have pointed out, in a way which is 'just in time' and stepwise progressive so that NO nation's sovereignty is threatened and no group of nations can destabilise the program. So what if the US and Europe and the rest of the world initially seem to be subsidising Geothermal test plants and wetland engineering in big (eg India) third world nations. If the initial steps taken can improve the global environment, remove disenfranchisement of masses of individuals and research alternative energy modalities then less will be spent on aid and less will eventually be spent on defence. The US defence budget alone or the world total aid budget would pay for the whole 10 year KAEP plan, so if KAEP comes to fruition it will be far cheaper than allowing the world to proceed along its current self interested and self destructive course and not only Europe and the US but ALL nations will be contributing $.5%GDP to that outcome.

So KAEP, Missile Defence and future energy are all bound up inextricably in this thread whether we like it or not and as such it may be beneficial to come back to these issues from time to time.

Cheers

mazza9 - 07:49pm Jul 25, 2003 EST (# 13143 of 13267)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

Fred

This past week the Movie "On the Beach" was on the Encore channel on the satellite. I remember reading the book in high school and seeing the movie in college.

I served three years in SAC and the night that Haiphong harbor was mined the SAC Command Post decided to initiate a "taxi exercise" We were already at DEFCON 2 for the Haiphong situation. I was at the base theater and we were rehearsing a little theater production of "The Drunkard" The Klaxon went off. I ran to the stage door and could hear the B-52s as they started engines and began to taxi. Talk about "Doctor Strangelove" I do believe that I soiled my undies!!!!

wrcooper - 07:51pm Jul 25, 2003 EST (# 13144 of 13267)

Bob Showalter:

My relationship to George Johnson? I've never met him. We traded a few emails way back when, at the time he hosted the "Mysteries of the Universe" forums. I had written him to talk about his book Fire in the Mind . When he announced his imminent departure, I wrote him to express my appreciation for the fine job he had done as forum host. If I recall, that was about the time that his biography of Murray Gell-Mann came out. I think he appreciated my effort to thank him, and he recognized that I was an enthusiastic fan. That's why he sent me the book. Since then, I've had no contact with him.

I've come back to the forum on a lark. Don't know if I'll hang around for long. I am interested in missile defense, but the "Missile Defense" forum rarely touches upon that subject. Meanwhile, don't get freaked out now, Bob, thinking I've come back to get you or spy on you or mess with your head. I'm just that guy you met who lives a few hours south of you in Chicago--I'm the least nefarious person I know.

I hope you get things straightened out.

Cheers

gisterme - 07:58pm Jul 25, 2003 EST (# 13145 of 13267)

"...Why wouldn't the mysterious people you wrote to not write you back at your home or office directly, using the US Postal Service?..."

Thanks for sparing me the effort of asking the same question, Will. :-)

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