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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.

cantabb - 08:03pm Oct 1, 2003 EST (# 14208 of 14217)

Look at this exchange:

gisterme - 01:35am Oct 1, 2003 EST (# 14191 of 14205)

rshow55: "...At gisterme's suggestion, I posted this - and it seems to me that there was a certain amount of interest ..."

gisterme: I suggested no such thing. You simply made up that ridiculous baloney you claim I "suggested" you post. I knew noting about that tripe until you posted it. To me it was not interesting at all. Your statement that I suggested you post it is a lie.

rshow55 - 07:31am Oct 1, 2003 EST (# 14200 of 14205)

Is gisterme intentionally misleading? Am I? Could this be an honest difference of opinion?

Or a partly honest one?

I went back and checked - and I want to be careful what I say - because I personally think gisterme is, or represents, the Bush administration - and I wonder about both intention and judgement in making that posting )…..What's under discussion relates to 4701 ….and what happened, and was written, afterwards.

I'm choosing my words with care - and wondering what gisterme's motivations may be.

Postings of mine a little later - for instance here – [guardian link] - bear on the case. Note that at that time I didn't think gisterme was Bush - but thought that gisterme was so high in the administration that (he-she) might be Rice.

I'm taking my time here - because the stakes seem high - and opportunities for learning and progress seem high, too.

------------------------------

Rshow55: Did gisterme suggest THAT to you ? or NOT ?

A simple question.

Why this agonized angst, baseless speculations [gisterme = Rice or not] ? Unless you're trying to think up a laughable rationalization. With the usual quota of meaningless links. NOT a straight answer.

People are likely to believe gisterme over you trying to wriggle out of your own careless remarks [by : “choosing (your) words carefully”] .

What the heck did you “check” ?

fredmoore - 11:31pm Oct 1, 2003 EST (# 14209 of 14217)

Cantabb,

"I’m a forum reader/participant like you – NOT responsible for keeping this forum open or closing it down."

Preposterous!

Responsibility is HARDLY the issue. The issue is one of intent and you have clearly expressed your intent to close this forum. And having failed in that intent the purpose of your continuance is now in question. Post something about Missile Defence or perhaps a KAEP (as an alternative to Missile Defense) and show you can do the Science. You clearly have good logic capability but for some freudian reason are failing to use that talent to its best advantage.

Further, your continual, self aggrandising harrassment of Rshow is no more and no less effective a means of occupying YOURSELF than Mme LaFarge's knitting was of occupying herself as she pursued her silent enjoyment of revenge. IMHO the analogy is perfectly apt. You want revenge on Rshow because he will not yield to your will that he should post the way YOU think is fit and proper. You may as well be knitting .... as your continual vituperative questions are just as effective.

As for: "Instead of encouraging rshow55's ramblings, as some of the 'regulars' (including you) seems to have done over time" . If you actually read my posts in context you would see that I try to steer Rshow into more rational and fruitful channels. Like yourself, Rshow too has some scientific and in his case linguistic talents. It is better IMHO to steer those talents towards a positve goal than to Can them outright. Mind you I have not had very much success with Rshow either but at least I can claim that my INTENT is positive, scientifically and philosophically contributary to MD and maybe even a little enertaining.

fredmoore - 11:34pm Oct 1, 2003 EST (# 14210 of 14217)

Ooops that should be ENTERTAINING.

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