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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.

lunarchick - 10:20am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5705 of 5715)

Vile - 'Poster'!

lunarchick - 10:26am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5706 of 5715)

Al-Jazeera TV station

TV suggests 'visual image'

which is something more than 'audio'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,838943,00.html

Al-Jazeera might move towards making educational provision, for the ME mono-lingual zone, to enhance educational development.

mazza9 - 10:46am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5707 of 5715)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

Cave Dwellers are always shocked when exposed to the blinding light of truth! Truth is beauty and beauty is truth.

rshow55 - 10:56am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5708 of 5715)
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.

George Johnson likes the allegory of the cave - and has used it often.

It isn't all there is to be said about getting a connection between ideas and reality.

I thought Mazza's suggestion in 5704 mazza9 11/13/02 9:58am was vile - but not very surprising. I'm not feeling the least bit suicidal - though I have taken risks - knowing I was taking them - and will continue to do so.

Now, from time to time Mazza points out that the military researchers can do some new things - often impressive things in their way.

But considering all of the different ways attacks can come - how much does this amount to as effective defense?

N! gets big VERY fast as N increases - the world is complicated - people and socio-technical systems are fragile - and we ought to know that.

Our defenses are unstable - and there are races that one can be sure to lose. We're undefended against very many threats that are already well developed - and many others not far away.

We need to recognize the vulnerabilities we have - be strong where we can be - and make reasonable adjustments. We can.

One key thing to watch about Mazza (and Gisterme, sometimes, too) is how by reducing another person's status - they dismiss arguments.

That can get wrong anwers.

lunarchick - 11:00am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5709 of 5715)

Present tense - 'are always' Cave man speaks!

lunarchick - 11:07am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5710 of 5715)

Iraq - Iran

difference

In Iraq the cash from oil flows to Saddam

In Iran the cash from oil flows to Cleric

~~~~~~~~

Historically clerics don't have to be 'backward looking'

They can reach for the stars, moon, or sun

~~~~~~

The actual people of Iraq and Iran .... would have similar progressive goals ... modernisation being thwarted by factors outside their immediate control

lunarchick - 11:14am Nov 13, 2002 EST (# 5711 of 5715)

Iran Iraq 1986

The petroleum sector accounts for more than 99 percent of Iraqi and 95 percent of Iranian revenue

http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/012786/860127006.html

Links - for 'Today's News' USA
see

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