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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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rshow55 - 08:41am Nov 13, 2003 EST (# 17484 of 17496)
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.

It can't be a secret that I've been asking the NYT for help on a large scale solar energy project. The only reasonable and possible help requires some exception handling - because, for the NYT to help, the NYT has to make some money doing it. Within reasonable journalistic constraints and business constraints.

I'd like to have a situation where the NYT was treated as well, in terms of "sunk costs" of this thread - as first round financing investors are treated. ( By the way, Bill Casey headed the SEC for some while - and I think I know what fair dealing - within securities laws, is in these affairs. )

It would make sense to us to come to an agreement where I have a chance to treat the NYT fairly, in a situation that is currently de facto , an exploitation. It would be good for me. If I'm technically right ( and there are ways of finding that out relatively cheaply ) it might be a chance for the NYT to solve some of its most basic economic and situational problems.

It would make a lot of things more pleasant, better rounded, from a lot of points of view.

For that, the NYT would have to have the negotiating skills Carl Sagan had - which weren't too fancy, but were dead solid. Carl was my first investor. We cut a workable deal that was fair, proportionate, and flexible in a few minutes. We both knew each other well. We didn't trust each other all that much, either. But we could talk to each other. I'm still working within the framework of that deal, as well as I can.

I think, just now, that the New York Times is doing an academy award worthy job of showing how capitalism is not supposed to work in the United States.

cantabb - 08:48am Nov 13, 2003 EST (# 17485 of 17496)

rshow55 - 03:54am Nov 13, 2003 EST (# 17480 of 17481)

Another repost: Had responded to before [ cantabb - 04:35pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17428 of 17433)], and here's more.

I'm writing a letter, and trying to establish common ground. Some of the story of this thread has resemblances to the plot of My Fair Lady - and lyrics of songs in that great show.

Eliza, a person of very low status

Is taken in by a powerful man of enormously greater accomplishment and wealth- and much reason to be pleased with his status and position. Professor Henry Higgins.

Who does the lowly shop girl the enormous favor - at no cost - of teaching her to speak. And she's lamentably slow as a learner, too. Even so, Eliza has the temerity to have some feelings of hostility.

When Higgins triumphs at the royal ball, where she performs flawlessly, he doesn't think about her feelings, and she feels slighted, which is surely unfair in the larger scheme of things . .

And in fact, this lowly girl has hostile feelings - and has concerns - serious concerns - about her "end game."

Since you reposted all this AFTER my earlier response to it, I suppose you did reconsider this carefully. In any case:

With “resemblances” that you point out here, are you STILL suggesting that: lchic (your “World Asset”) is like “Eliza Doolittle,” of My Fair Lady ?

It seems to me that there are analogies to behavior here.

IF you see that and say so.

I'm also trying to liken the thread to another low status institution - important to some - not worthy of notice to others

How could this MD thread be “another low status institution” when, as you had often insisted, Clinton, GWB, Putin, Rice, etc have been posting under different User IDs?

Maybe it's much too late, but I'm a slow learner - and I'm trying for some common ground.

It IS “much too late” and you are a “slow learner” if you STILL don’t see the end and are busy looking for “some common ground,” after having been “gracefully” shown the door.

I'm hoping for at least a chance to have a "win-win" solution that is stable, and works better than the one we're headed into. On the one hand, I'm happy that the thread is ending. It seems a shame that the thread is not being archived, at least for a while. And some other things seem sad, too. Opportunities are being missed.

What “Win-Win” solution (“stable” at that) are you trying to salvage this late ?

Sure you are “happy” the Forum is shutting down: “happy” as a person who STILL has a lot of unresolved problems, and lot of overt/covert, explicit/implicit resentment and finger-pointing.

lchic doesn’t seem to be this “happy,” though, and I’ve looked for a glimpse of it in her stream of hostile accusatory posts.

As I see it, the only person who missed the "opportunities" has been YOU, along with lchic, of course !

No body could be happier that you are so “happy.” BUT why ALL this ruefulness? Why another re-hash ? And Why NOT leave ‘happily’ instead.

Anyway, if it was possible for me to find proper ways to thank the NYT enough, and pay the NYT enough - I'd sure like to.

Why bother now, you’ve been far too “grateful” far too many times already.

rshow55 - 03:56am Nov 13, 2003 EST (# 17481 of 17481)

My 26 October letter to Sulzberger includes this. …..

At the end of my phone call to Apcar, I felt all that was very close. It has slipped away. Since that time, there have been missteps, stasis, unnecessary losses, ….

I'd hoped to resolve the problems involved in a few hours of face to face contact. That would have been, and I think should have been possible.

I

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