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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 - 08:42am Oct 16, 2002 EST (# 4936 of 4974)
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.

The United States has very real and very compelling security needs - and stability needs. So does the rest of the world.

If the United States cleaned up - or even clearly started to clean up - some of its own messes - - the great majority of the countries of the world - especially the ones with substantial power - - would stand with us in the fight against terror - - and the fight against weapons of mass destruction that are against the reasonable interest of almost everybody in the world, save a few profiteers.

For us to ask others to clean up their messes - - something we do have to do - - we have to clean up some of our own.

To renegotiate some basic terms in international law - something that does have to happen - - we have to be trustworthy, and subject to international law ourselves.

tlawrens - 01:03pm Oct 16, 2002 EST (# 4937 of 4974)
It is the business of the future to be dangerous...The major advances in civilization are processes that all but wreck the societies in which they occur.

I received the following message from a co-worker earlier today. He frequently sends e-mail like this to a select group of people. I am posting his message in hopes of getting feedback on the validity of his statement(s). Any opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thank You. tlawrens

From: Rodney (I only deal with the facts) Russell

Subject: Fact

We, they, or any can buy oil from Iraq, but because of "UN sanctions strictly forbidding FOREIGNERS from investing in Iraqi oil fields Amercian oil companies have not profited in the production or sales". Also, for your information Iraq has the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world behind Saudi Arabia only. This month's Economist 10/12/02.

In essence "you can buy crack/drugs from me but you can not invest in my hustle". Bush is like a Nino Brown. Wesley Snipes showed us what's going. We get rid of the Jamiacans and take over the entire Carver houses. Production, sales, distribution, etc. the whole sh---.

Don't believe me. Take a look at 10/28 Forbes Mag. Article titled 'The Race for Iraq's Oil". Now, Oil companies six of which are from Louisianna and Texas are cuddling up with Bush and Co. for bidding rights on something they don't even own.....YET. That Bush is a whole lot meaner and has a lot more fire power than that shot gun NINO put to fat Willy's head. Know the facts people before just going along with what you hear and what "THEY" tell ya. Remember they told us Jesus had blue eyes, but THE BIBLE said different.

lchic - 01:31pm Oct 16, 2002 EST (# 4938 of 4974)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Glad you found time to read my posting from the economist Johnson.

Clive James
? "" The main concern of fundamentalist Islam is with moderate Islam, and especially with those Islamic states which, if they have not precisely embraced democracy, have nevertheless tried to banish theocracy from the business of government. That fundamentalism loathes the western democracies goes without saying: or rather, it goes with a lot of saying, at the top of the voice. But the real horror, for the diehard theocrats, is the country with a large number of Muslims that has been infiltrated by the liberal ideas of the west. As a rule of thumb, you can say that the terrorists would like to wreak edifying vengeance on any predominantly Islamic country where you can see even a small part of a woman's face. Starting with Pakistan, you can see more and more of a woman's face as you move east. It was therefore predictable, after September 11, that the terrorists would bend their efforts in the same direction. I only wish that I had predicted it straight away: we would all like to be blessed with as much foresight as hindsight. As things happened, it took me a few days. http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,812709,00.html (Bali links)

rshow55 - 01:33pm Oct 16, 2002 EST (# 4939 of 4974)
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.

Could it be that the Bush administration includes people with ulterior motives?

That's sure to be true. But life isn't usually that simple.

Except sometimes.

There are a lot of things messed up - - but the Bush administration is concerned about more than some oil side-deals - - and the world is watching.

It needs to watch closely.

It is well remember that most of the deals Enron did were "on the up and up" -- though some of those were, nevertheless, ill advised.

Issues of balance - - with numbers attached - are important.

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