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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 - 08:12am Aug 18, 2002 EST (# 3793 of 3797)

Suppose one child is trying to read a text, and knows 80% of the words? Suppose another child approaches the same text, and knows 20% of the words? Who has a chance?

How much can it change the odds, when basic relationships get mastered, in a situation which really does have basic order?

3696 rshow55 8/13/02 2:23pm ... 3697 rshow55 8/13/02 2:27pm
3698 rshow55 8/13/02 2:35pm ...

Getting the most basic, most frequent facts and relations straight is very important.

For fundamental reasons, for the most common things, it is also very hard. That's both a challenge and a source of hope.

When we learn basic things, the odds of our successfully solving problems can get much better - and impossible jobs can become possible, and sometimes even easy.

Statistics isn't everything - but it is a lot -- and some basic sources of fear and hope can become clearer if we understand how The Odds of That http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/magazine/11COINCIDENCE.html change as information is focused to near-certainty. There is a lot of coincidence in the world, but much order, too. If we work at it, we can very often tell the difference when it matters.

On missile defense, and on other defense issues which are matters and life and death, and matters of $1200 per year per american, it is worth the work to get much clearer than we are. For all sorts of practical, moral, and aesthetic reasons. Survival being one of them.

MD1075-1076 rshow55 4/4/02 1:20pm

My chances of getting the proposal described in many links in MD1075-1076 isn't great just now. But if I could get my security problem solved - get my situation clarified in writing --- how those chances would improve !

lchic - 09:40am Aug 18, 2002 EST (# 3794 of 3797)

Showalter when folks have number skills that run :

one
two
three
many

That's why the story of lies and Pinocchio's nose has a place in the culture

"" PINOCCHIO
A wooden puppet carved by Geppetto - Pinocchio is brought to life by the Blue Fairy in answer to Geppetto's wish. But before Pinocchio can become a real boy - he must prove himself worthy. Unfortunately - his innocence easily leads him astray despite the frantic efforts of Jiminy Cricket - his assigned conscience. Attempts to get out of trouble by fibbing ouly make Pinocchio's nose grow - and it's not until he learns to think of others before himself - and rescues Geppetto in a daring gesture of selflessness that his wish to be a real boy comes true.
http://www.whom.co.uk/squelch/world_disney.htm

lchic - 09:54am Aug 18, 2002 EST (# 3795 of 3797)

On Mulgabe - the guy is using the land issue to scapegoat the farmers who provide food for their country, food to export - giving them returns to balance imports, and of course provide employment on farms.

Were President Mulgabe's nose, in story book fashion, to represent his deceit it might reach to the moon and back. That his greed for power is such he is prepared to create chaos and throw the country into famine conditions with widespread death is sad - so sad that I suggested the USA might speak out on the matter.

~~~~

lchic - 10:01am Aug 18, 2002 EST (# 3796 of 3797)

Pinochio was checked!

Mulgabe should be checked!

These appear straight forward.

What happens if lying occurs and goes unchecked.

Story book fashion, then, were noses to grow with each lie told ...... which sector of society would sport the longest noses - where in the ranks and heirachy would nose become Proboscis ?

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