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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.

mazza9 - 12:15am Oct 17, 2002 EST (# 4961 of 4974)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

manjumicha:

If North Korea is stupid enough to launch a strike at the US, there will be nothing left of that country. 30 years ago, I was in SAC and I can assure your that MAD doctrine included striking the USSR and "your dog Toto too!"

That's why it's called MAD!!!!!!

It is depressing to think that the earth is jeopardized by the likes of Saddam and Kim Il Jong. Death to all tyrants!!!

bbbuck - 12:24am Oct 17, 2002 EST (# 4962 of 4974)
'Whoever you are, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers'

'A plague, ..... ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES'

manjumicha - 02:05am Oct 17, 2002 EST (# 4963 of 4974)

mazza

You are one distressed psycho....:-) Whatever dude. Only thing I see MAD around here is your denial. Ignorance is bliss as they say.

commondata - 03:52am Oct 17, 2002 EST (# 4964 of 4974)

gisterme 10/16/02 1:39pm

That's no metaphor, commiedata, just a statement of fact. Sorry it's so hard for you to understand.

Your claim to ownership of the gas in your tank was juxtapositioned with an indication of regret for oil field nationalisation in the middle east. And why commiedata - is 'concern' with the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of people a purely Communist trait?

I believe Israel would comply with UN resolutions if they weren't being attacked and or threatened by their neighbors who claim Israel has no right to exist.

I think that's unlikely but maybe Israel would be safer from attack if it complied with UN resolutions. I'm not really partisan in that war but you've got to admit, the propaganda is automatic; Israelis are 'murdered by terrorists' while Palestinians are 'left dead after a clash with security forces'. Ip should be IP and all UN resolutions should be enforced with equal enthusiam.

I didn't notice a single piece of destroyed American-made military equipment in any of the hours and hours of video that came out of Iraq afther the Gulf War. All those tanks, APCs and missiles were either Soviet-era Russian-made, or Chinese clones of same. I believe Iraq did have a few French-made Mirage aircraft.

Are these disputed facts? This is sounding a little like that word of which you disapprove, "manipulation":

1980-88: Iran-Iraq war. When Iraq invades Iran, the U.S. opposes any Security Council action to condemn the invasion. U.S. soon removes Iraq from its list of nations supporting terrorism and allows U.S. arms to be transferred to Iraq. At the same time, U.S. lets Israel provide arms to Iran and in 1985 U.S. provides arms directly (though secretly) to Iran. U.S. provides intelligence information to Iraq. Iraq uses chemical weapons in 1984; U.S. restores diplomatic relations with Iraq. 1987 U.S. sends its navy into the Persian Gulf, taking Iraq's side; an overly aggressive U.S. ship shoots down an Iranian civilian airliner, killing 290.

commondata - 03:53am Oct 17, 2002 EST (# 4965 of 4974)

gisterme 10/16/02 1:39pm

I see that since you can't answer my last post to you, you've turned to blustering;...but, I'll answer you anyway.

More 'moral indignation' than blustering but the allegation bears repeating:

What about the rules as you're killing more people in Iraq than the combined total of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs; 5000 children killed each month because of sanctions? How would it be if someone were doing that to you?

The numbers are from the UN.

If the situation were reversed, Id wager wed simply comply with the UN resolutions to prevent the sanctions.

If the situation were reversed youd be foaming at the mouth and shouting war from the tops of your tallest buildings. Given that there is stronger evidence linking Fort Benning in Georgia with attrocities in Latin America that there is linking Iraq with Al-Qaida, what can we do? Monbiot suggests:

we could urge our governments to apply full diplomatic pressure, and to seek the extradition of the school's commanders for trial on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity. Alternatively, we could demand that our governments attack the United States, bombing its military installations, cities and airports in the hope of overthrowing its unelected government and replacing it with a new administration overseen by the UN. In case this proposal proves unpopular with the American people, we could win their hearts and minds by dropping naan bread and dried curry in plastic bags stamped with the Afghan flag.

I said: "...You killed more people in Iraq than all weapons of mass destruction ever..."

You said: "That's a lie."

As far as I know Hiroshima and Nagasaki represent the vast majority of deaths from WMD - the figures are all available - I'd be silly urging you to take my word for it - go and find out.

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