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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.

rshow55 - 07:10am Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13774 of 13824)
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.

Telling the truth is essential to the stable resolution of conflicts - unless some people involved are coerced into silence or acquiescence. Liked this.

The Terrorism Link That Wasn't http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/opinion/19FRI1.html

On Wednesday, President Bush finally got around to acknowledging that there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

. . . .

The Bush administration always bristles when people attempt to draw any parallels between the quagmire in Vietnam and the current situation in Iraq. If the president is really intent on not repeating history, however, he should learn from it. The poison of Vietnam sprang from a political establishment that was unwilling to level with the American people about what was happening overseas. Stark honesty is the best weapon Mr. Bush can employ in maintaining public confidence in his leadership.

I'll be catching up later.

fredmoore - 09:10am Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13775 of 13824)

People, people,

Listen up!

Some conflicts don't need a resolution .. just a clarification.

That clarification is based on INTENT of the parties.

Cantabb's intent is thus:

"I wonder if NYT Moderators ever check this Forum. My (unsolicited) suggestion to NYT is (though I doubt if this will be considered, much less followed): 1. Move it to a political group of forums [if interested THAT much in continuing it). Spare the "Science Forums." 2. Shut it down. And put NYT Forum space to BETTER use. Am not holding my breath. Despite this and complainmts by various posters about the relevance of the content and how a "SCIENCE" forum is abused, its continuance thus far shows that NYT must really want to keep it wandering aimlessly ! It looks like a Chat room and a kitchen sink, par excellence."

My own intent is embodied in this:

" A world occupied with Geothermal power, space based solar power, thermoelectric fabrics and wetland engineering (KAEP) will be too busy to hate. Whether to live in an arsenal or live a life? ... That is the ultimate question that SCIENCE and this forum must legitimately answer. At some point in time It will not be possible to do both. "

Now, which intent serves this forum and mankind the most? Which intent provokes annoyance?"

You judge for yourselves.

I have, as in my 'Sci News' confront with cantabb come to a point where I need say no more. His endless pedantic pecking as demonsrated here and in exchanges on the SCI News forum achieves nothing and is in the end obstructive to useful discourse.

So shall we move on?

PS RShow may be a pain 'in many ways that matter' but at least when you point it out to him in jest he does handle it with a certain Grace.

bbbuck - 01:21pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13776 of 13824)

The 'md' forum has a long, checkered, and storied past. Stretching almost back to february of 2002, with lchic giving the opening missives it stands proudly on it's longevity of all the science forums.

When the great blast and delete maintenance occurred in the science, and many other forums, this forum was spared.

Some speculated why this one was spared. I kind of remember mine, but will not repeat it here.

It has usually been the policy of most forum members to allow any idiot or troublemaker to post here and then most of us would ignore them.

Rshow55 has demonstrated to most of us, that though he may be normal to meet, he has either some type of pathological problem or is playing an elaborate hoax that only he so far knows what the purpose of the hoax may be.

There was a trouble maker who came here recently, I expressed my opinion on this trouble maker. I will never respond to or mention, by moniker name, or taunt moniker name, again.

That being said post away brothers and enjoy the 'most entertaining' forum, in the science section, that covers 'md' in the new york times forums.

Have a good one.

I hate to say this but I miss lchic.

Did anyone catch 'paul McCartney at time square'? Though the camera work was mtv style 1/4 second framing and zooming in and out, and was terrible, the music was very good. And the interviews interspersed with the music were very well done.

Putin participated in some of the segments. It was on A&E. I didn't here anyone mention missiles, but they did address land mines.

gisterme - 02:07pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13777 of 13824)

"...Did anyone catch 'paul McCartney at time square'?..."

I think that was Red Square. Yes, I did catch that, quite by accident. I thought it was phenominal. It kept me up way past my bedtime. :-)

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense