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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?

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rshow55 - 07:28pm Oct 23, 2002 EST (# 5174 of 5178)
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.

gisterme , is it always necessary to pick a fight -- unless people fit your feelings and standards exactly ?

Your last posting about lchic's postings is astonishingly misshapen, and unfair.

gisterme 10/23/02 4:37pm

Saddam seems to me to be a reasonably rational, ambitious oriental despot - acting according to tradtions and patterns going back something more than 4,000 years. They are wrenchingly ugly patterns by many standards, including mine. I'm not sure I like Saddam any more than you do - - he's been a thug - and not ideally rational by either your standards or mine (much less moral).

You say "It takes a bit more than broad agreement to deal with irrationality." Setting aside some difficult questions - including "whose rationality" - perhaps I can deal with a related point. The world will never "deal with" irrationality in every way. But what of crime? What about the statement:

i "It takes a bit more than broad agreement to deal with crime. "

It does take more than broad agreement - - but all the same - a significant amount of agreement (speaking statistically - and not asking for unanimity ) is essential to effectively suppress crime.

Because you need active cooperation - more cooperation than can be forced.

5092 rshow55 10/20/02 10:41pm includes a deserved complement to Dr. Rice, and this:

" ... if hopes are to solidify into reality - we need to communicate effectively - - work enough things out between people so that they know enough to compete in peace.

That takes a lot of talking - negotiation of a shared space - - communication good enough so that - when it matters for practical affairs intended meanings and percieved meanings match well enough to be safe.

A communication model http://www.worldtrans.org/TP/TP1/TP1-17.HTML

For us to find that shared space - and maintain it - and know we have it -- - we need empathy.

Even for those we hate and fear.

Because we have things we have to communicate about.

And so "warm feelings" - at some levels - even if they are just "conventional" or "polite" - - are very practical -- matters of life and death.

- - -

Why is it, gisterme - - that you work so hard, in so many ways - to dehumanize and to cut off contact?

lchic - 07:46pm Oct 23, 2002 EST (# 5175 of 5178)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

'The poster's' heartfulness comes directly from 'the contents' of this site ...

lchic - 07:52pm Oct 23, 2002 EST (# 5176 of 5178)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Moscow Theatre - tanks surround

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2002/10/item20021024043813_1.htm

rshow55 - 08:16pm Oct 23, 2002 EST (# 5177 of 5178)
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.

Section on Empathy begins here (16 related posts) :
5086 lchic 10/20/02 8:50pm

empathy and diplomacy: 5103 lchic 10/21/02 12:51am

. . .

We need to have force available, ask for change, and respond so that it has a chance to occur.

5117-9 rshow55 10/22/02 4:22pm

A symbol and synonym for justice involves balance - - - we have to worry about balance in this case.

International law, and patterns of international order, are being renegotiated . Either that, or they are being undermined.

The whole world has worry which is happening.

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