New York Times Forums
The New York Times

Home
Job Market
Real Estate
Automobiles
News
International
National
Washington
Business
Technology
Science
Health
Sports
New York Region
Education
Weather
Obituaries
NYT Front Page
Corrections
Opinion
Editorials/Op-Ed
Readers' Opinions


Features
Arts
Books
Movies
Travel
Dining & Wine
Home & Garden
Fashion & Style
Crossword/Games
Cartoons
Magazine
Week in Review
Multimedia
College
Learning Network
Services
Archive
Classifieds
Book a Trip
Personals
Theater Tickets
Premium Products
NYT Store
NYT Mobile
E-Cards & More
About NYTDigital
Jobs at NYTDigital
Online Media Kit
Our Advertisers
Member_Center
Your Profile
E-Mail Preferences
News Tracker
Premium Account
Site Help
Privacy Policy
Newspaper
Home Delivery
Customer Service
Electronic Edition
Media Kit
Community Affairs
Text Version
TipsGo to Advanced Search
Search Options divide
go to Member Center Log Out
  

 [F] 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.


Earliest Messages Previous Messages Recent Messages Outline (15678 previous messages)

rshow55 - 12:45pm Oct 26, 2003 EST (# 15679 of 15682)
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.

bluestar23 - I did call. Talked to a secretary who was helpful - but said the big boss was in a meeting - and I was grateful to get his e-mail adress.

The fact is, so much hinges on this thing for me that I've got a lot of emotions involved. That's a problem when people try to sort out anything that might involve mutual threat. Even though implicit but large threats are built into very many of the human interactions we live with and handle well. And the fact is, mutual threats - or at least a balance of plusses and minuses - is built into any stable interaction that is more than rape.

Because of the way people behave when emotions are running - irrationally - there are many more negative sum games than they need to be, because these things aren't sorted out better.

When emotions are high - people regress as logical beings. Not only me. So it is a strain to sort things out that look easier from a distance. And not only for me.

Emotions run high, and not only mine. That's a problem in all sorts of situations. I've been sorting things out - with small steps - as fast as I've known how to and dared - and I know I haven't been wasting the important man's time - since I have to assume that he's not posting on this board.

The word "condescending" was used by Cantabb - and I'm sorry he feels that way about my responses - which are intended to be clear and respectful.

The NYT has a problem - and the whole world has a problem (as well as a huge advantage) because the NYT is now, and has been for a while - the intellectual source that is the most steadily infuential in the country. Nobody much condescends to the the TIMES - but there are awkwardnesses dealing with so much power.

My respect for the TIMES, and the people who make it run, is enormous.

cantabb - 12:48pm Oct 26, 2003 EST (# 15680 of 15682)

The fact that we had been armed to the teeth didn't prevent 9/11. Not only that, it did NOT come from the 'usual suspects' we had been planning against.

Potential threats to the nation and their sources and nature -- all have changed dramatically. Pieces have been rearranged on the chess board, and we had to go back to the drawing board.

We knew American interests and people outside the country faced risks, but at least we were safe within. That was shattered.

Some of the BROAD options we seem to have: Re-visiting the cold war era (with different slate of foes and players) to accommodate the 'new reality' [and still NOT feel 100% safe] OR focusing on finding and resolving the sources of conflicts that fuel such hostilities toward US and its interest. Either way, we can not ignore our economy. We know it already has had tremendous effect on our national psyche.

bluestar23 - 12:50pm Oct 26, 2003 EST (# 15681 of 15682)

"to get his e-mail adress."

Give it out to the rest of us, please..I too want to email Sulzberger to tell him what a biased and unobjective rag he is running...

More Messages Recent Messages (1 following message)

 Read Subscriptions  Subscribe  Search  Post Message
 Your Preferences

 [F] New York Times on the Web Forums  / Science  / Missile Defense