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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.

gisterme - 06:02pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13785 of 13824)

cantabb -

I read the exchange you linked to. It didn't looke to me like you, Volchin and Fred really didn't know what each other were talking about at least part of the time...and the topic was so fundamentally important (I'm being facetious)! However, I'm really nobody's judge. Didn't notice anything from anybody that I'd call "school yard" behavior. I think that Wang hit the nail on the head when he said:

"Fredmore and your friends: Please not argued some rubbish staff to waste other research time to read on it. Wrote your own disagreed ones and pattern that you do not agreed on it."

Yep. Just agree to disagree and then get on with other things. I think that's good advice. That guy should be a diplomat.

Anyway, since this place isn't that place why not just all forget about that earthshakingly important discourse in that place and just get along in this one?

gisterme - 06:04pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13786 of 13824)

Oops! Second sentence above should read:

"It looked to me like you, Volchin and Fred really didn't know what each other was talking about at least part of the time..."

Sorry about that.

fredmoore - 06:13pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13787 of 13824)

Reminds me of an old joke:

There was an ant in the jungle who fancied an elephant. So one day he climbed all the way up her back legs to take out his satisfaction on her. A Monkey in a nearby tree saw this and was disgusted, incensed and secretly very jealous. So the Monkey picked up a coconut and threw it at the ant. However, his aim was poor and he hit the elephant on the head and the elephant let out a sharp cry.

The ant hearing this yelled out "take it baby, take it!!"

This is the best forum on the web because .... it makes me laugh.

gisterme - 06:55pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13788 of 13824)

cantabb -

Let me restate: You haven't been around long enough on this forum.

"...If it's been 'beat[en] to death long', why it's taken this long to put it in the ground. Why turn it into a personal kitchen sink before that ?..."

Ask somebody that knows, cantabb.

"...Didn't I refer to that in my very post ...You gotta start reading the posts carefully ....."

Please pardon me for agreeing with you.

"...BUT you have NOT done a thing about it YET ? ..."

I made several "on topic" posts yesterday. I'm waiting patiently for some "on topic" response from you or anybody else. So far, I haven't noticed any at all.

"...Particularly when you have been a "regular" with vested interest in the Forum, and are aware of its history, and knew it's been "wandering"?

I have no "vested interest" in this forum. I am acutely aware of its history and have clearly explained (I think) why it's wandering...no sails or mast. The debate has been won and the victory further exonerated by subsequent events.

"...Nothing that has had any noticeable effect !..."

Right. Nobody bothers to answer anything I say that's "on topic". That would seem to include you. What can I do about that??? Go into school yard mode? Start calling people names? Puuuhlease. :-)

"...But as we see it,..."

As we see it? Umm, how many of you are there, cantabb?

"...the Forum not only continued on that road, NO participant and a defender of the Forum could/did do anything about steering it away..."

Well, you just said that before and I gave you my answer. Obviously the NYT doesn't intend to bury this forum for reasons unknown to us both. So What would you suggest? What I'd suggest is that you try posting something "on topic" yourself. I promise I'll respond in kind. Maybe we can get a chain reaction started.

"...NOW, you try to turn on a poster (not a regular one) who points the same to you ?..."

Turn on a poster? Do you mean you? What are you talking about? How have I turned on you? You're the newcomer here not Fred, jorian, bbbuck or rshow and you'll be especially welcome if you can come up with anything "on topic" to post...or even simply respond to my own posts from yesterday.

"...Strange ?"

That you would become so defensive so quickly, cantabb? Yes it is.

"...Don't YOU "want the forum to be 'on-topic'" ? Or, prefer it THIS way ?..."

Of course I'd like the forum to be "on topic". Why don't you help?

"...I've made my suggestions, did I NOT ?..."

You've made your complaints. I haven't noticed many suggestions. So is your modus operandi "do as I say and not as I do", cantabb?

"...Review what I've said. Carefully !"

I have. You haven't said anything at all that disagrees with what I said in the previously referneced post. The MD topic has shown no pulse for some time. A dead heart won't respond to even the fanciest pacemaker.

gisterme - 06:58pm Sep 19, 2003 EST (# 13789 of 13824)

"...it makes me laugh."

Me too. :-)

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