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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 - 01:46pm May 30, 2002 EST (#2428 of 2432)

There are days and weeks when it is pleasure to read the TIMES, and when it seems to me that reasonable things may be getting done, reasonable things may be being tried, and the world may yet get better.

Bush Sends Rumsfeld to Ease Tensions of India and Pakistan By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-US-India-Pakistan.html

The Most Dangerous Place in the World By SALMAN RUSHDIE http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/opinion/30RUSH.html and especially this line:

"Will it take mushroom clouds over Delhi and Islamabad to make us give up our ingrained prejudices and try something that might actually work?"

Sensible efforts on the enormous health problem of clean water: ...

Playing the Bad Cop on the African Tour By RICHARD W. STEVENSON http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/international/30AFRI.html .... Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill has developed a reputation as a straight shooter, and he has been true to form traveling through Africa over the last 10 days.

Negotiations seem to be proceeding reasonably, with people asking the right questions: . . . Planned Meeting on Mideast Peace May Be Delayed By TODD S. PURDUM http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/international/middleeast/30DIPL.html .......

The NYT is pushing for right answers . . . . Reimagining the F.B.I. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/opinion/30THU1.html

Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said many of the right things yesterday in outlining his plan to transform the F.B.I., but his plans fall short of the thorough overhaul that the agency clearly requires.

Sensible acknowledgement of facts are being made . . . . F.B.I. Chief Admits 9/11 Might Have Been Detectable By NEIL A. LEWIS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/national/30INQU.html

Robert S. Mueller III said the attacks might have been prevented if officials had responded differently to available information.

Problems with honesty are being discussed (and in ways where honesty is being advocated) . . . News Analysis: Self-Criticism and Its Risk http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/national/30ASSE.html

When dots have to be connected, people are paying attention to how to do it (see last paragraph) . . . . Surveillance: Government Will Ease Limits on Domestic Spying by F.B.I. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/politics/30SPY.html

Business and diplomatic news about Russia reflects sensible things.

I'm prone to be critical, sometimes, in spots, but some things seem like they're being reasonably, competently done.

According to patterns that aren't by any means original with me or lchic, but which we've tried to advocate -- for example in MD2372 rshow55 5/24/02 12:04am . . .

"Lchic and I just did a 3 hour session on logic, checking, and peacemaking, with many references to missile defense, and to this thread. . . . .

I don't know if that session helped, but it seems to me that some of the things we'd hoped people would consider are being considered.

rshow55 - 02:09pm May 30, 2002 EST (#2429 of 2432)

MD1238-1239 rshow55 4/10/02 6:40pm

Missile defense programs need to be evaluated in a reasonable tactical context, subject to the countermeasures that can reasonably be expected and specified. Because missile defense, and other defenses against weapons of mass destruction, are important . And also because we have a number of related questions about priorities, and old patterns, that have been cause of concern since Eisenhower's time. It is high time for the Cold War to be over, and for us to do away with costs it has imposed on us that make sense no longer.

Sometimes, to sort out a mess, you have to get SOME key relations clarified. It would be possible to clarify these relations. That done -- conditions would be in place for "breakthrough negotiations" that are deeply in the interest of the United States of America, and the rest of the world as well.

lchic - 05:34pm May 30, 2002 EST (#2430 of 2432)

Incredible!

The Kids from the Asian Sub-Continent (second generation migrants) have for a long while achieved the highest score results at eighteen years of age (UK) ... and yet ... it's incredible to observe that the combined military brain power of the leaders of India and Pakistan amounts to them sharing a solitary brain cell!

Incredible!

lchic - 12:22pm Jun 1, 2002 EST (#2431 of 2432)

|> http://ea.nytimes.com/cgi-bin/poppage?position=top

lchic - 12:39pm Jun 1, 2002 EST (#2432 of 2432)

Randomness

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