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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.

gisterme - 07:43pm Oct 24, 2002 EST (# 5200 of 5206)

commondata 10/24/02 5:11am

"...While we're being emotive (which I think is an excellent idea) you might like to consider 2 World Trade Centres full of children going down every month as a deliberate result of US policy..."

If that were happening I would be apalled. However, that's not what's happening and you know it. Saddam could have ended the sanctions any time he wanted to. Saddam could have spent the "oil for food" money on food instead of weapons and palaces. US policy has nothing to do with Saddam's decision to bleed his people. They're just his pawns in a game of world opinion that he's hoping to turn against his enemies. You certainly seem to be on Saddam's side in his game. So in a way, you personally are helping starve those people by giving Saddam your support. Why do you try to transfer responsibility for Saddam's atrocities to others? Are you related to him?

"...When have I ever defended an attrocity?"

You defend an atrocity each and every time you try to place the blame for the atrocity at the feet of those who don't deserve it. You do that regularly, commondata.

mazza9 - 07:50pm Oct 24, 2002 EST (# 5201 of 5206)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

go get'em gisterme, (I'm in an aliterative mood!)

gisterme - 08:12pm Oct 24, 2002 EST (# 5202 of 5206)

mazza9 10/24/02 7:50pm

"...(I'm in an aliterative mood!)"

Aliterative? Now there's a two-dollar word! :-)

WRT the space university idea, I think it's a fine concept but not a very practical one given today's technology. We'll need to understand the nature of space itself a little better before we'll be able to get there with anything but giant expensive precision-guided bottle rockets.

We're currently building the ISS which, in a way, is exactly a space university. It's a place to learn about space and about living and doing productive things in zero G. The cost is not small. Just the space station. Perhaps we'll learn what we need to learn aboard the ISS to make a true space university of the sort you envision feasible someday.

rshow55 - 08:17pm Oct 24, 2002 EST (# 5203 of 5206)
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 10/24/02 7:43pm . . the search facility is back, and if you search commondata - - you'll find a very distinguished sequence of fine postings - that make points that can be checked.

We ought to be at a point where checking is justified - indeed, morally forcing - - - 5117-51119 rshow55 10/22/02 4:22pm

A symbol and synonym for justice involves balance - - - we have to worry about balance in the case of Iraq, and in other cases, too.

Is the United States really blameless for the agony and death in Iraq? How many people, in how many countries, agree with that? (It wouldn't be hard to check . )

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.

If some leaders could ask for checking - - in a way that would validate work by major journalistic organizations - a great deal could be accomplished.

Foundations, in the US and elsewhere, could and would subsidize the work, if that validation occurred.

Tens of thousands, millions and tens of millions of lives might be saved. And the life prospects of billions of people might be improved - - if a few leaders showed the necessary courage. For example, leaders who are, and will be, meeting in Mexico.

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