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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 - 09:09pm Oct 19, 2002 EST (# 5064 of 5070)
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.

4975 rshow55 10/17/02 9:20am includes this:

Saw a movie last night. Nurenberg . There was an interesting line in it. The character who played a psychologist wanted to define the nature of evil. He settled on

" the absence of empathy ."

Not an ideal and complete definition, standing alone. But worth thinking about

After a point, you might add

" the absence of perspective . "

Here are key facts about the enemy we have most reason to fear:

North Korea, TV Nation by RUSSELL WORKING http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/26/opinion/26WORK.html?pagewanted=all

The North Koreans are a barely competent socio-technical system. They can't feed themselves.

And yet they can make effective weapons.

U.S. Seeks Support to Press North Korea By JAMES DAO http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/19/international/asia/19KORE.html

Weapons making - even the making of weapons of mass destruction, is easy - - we have to learn to make peace - in the real world - with people as they are, as crazy as they are.

Fantasy fixes, like "missile defense" aren't workable - and we ought to grow up enough to know it.

rshow55 - 09:15pm Oct 19, 2002 EST (# 5065 of 5070)
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.

And killing is too easy, and can be done in too many ways - - for defense to be the only (or even the main) protection. We need agreement enough, widespread enough, about the most primal things - - that we can live in peace.

And we need institutions that can offer the collective protection that individuals, neighborhoods, and even nation states need.

Difficult?

Yes - - but it is a task before us.

Washington DC, for instance, can't defend effectively against a single gunman.

We can't find safety by being "unchallengable bullies" - - and we need to grow up enough to learn that.

out.

bbbuck - 09:15pm Oct 19, 2002 EST (# 5066 of 5070)
'The scoops are on the way'....

Boy, the forum bunnies sure are popping em out today.
Do they really think anyone reads that slop?

rshow55 - 09:37pm Oct 19, 2002 EST (# 5067 of 5070)
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.

Sometimes gisterme does 4957 gisterme 10/16/02 11:36pm includes this:

" I wouldn't bother with this thread if I didn't think the "stakes" (your word) are a joke. Who would? Many lives are at stake here, perhaps including yours and mine. Those are high enough stakes for me. "

Sometimes gisterme is up at 3:00 in the morning responding to this thread, too. And my guess is that (s)he lives in the continental United States - where that's an inconvenient time.

gisterme has cared a long while -- has more than 700 postings: 2570-2585 rshow55 6/17/02 8:09am

2586-88 rshow55 6/17/02 8:20am

almarst reads it sometimes, too.

bbbuck - 09:48pm Oct 19, 2002 EST (# 5068 of 5070)
'The scoops are on the way'....

http://www.slop.de/en/inside.htm?[0]0

There's a site for you partner.
They want you to post your story there.
Why don't you get a blog site and post your damn heart out.
You'll be surprised that no one cares about your slop.

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense