New York Times on the Web Forums Science

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 - 11:09pm Dec 7, 2002 EST (# 6367 of 6377)

'Salter Duck' - The guy speaking (above) on Netherlands radio re world water supply was Steven SALTER.

Links related
(he wants to raise the water table in Saudi by 20')
will include:

<sup>http://www.iclei.org/efacts/ocean.htm

Rain Machine concept
An British Engineer has devised a concept to end droughts around the world. A "Rain Machine" that sucks water out of the oceans.
Audio
http://www.abc.net.au/southcoast/stories/s575230.htm
EU
http://www.wave-energy.net/Overview/intOverview.htm</sup>

lunarchick - 11:37pm Dec 7, 2002 EST (# 6368 of 6377)

http://www.mech.ed.ac.uk/research/wavepower/

lunarchick - 01:02am Dec 8, 2002 EST (# 6369 of 6377)

EU - Turkey - culture - standards

" ... population of 67 million Turkey would join the EU as the second largest member; by 2020 it would be the largest. Human rights still don't compare with Western European standards and the military has an 'oversight' role in the country's government that leaves Western observers shaking their heads in disbelief.
http://www.observer.co.uk/europe/story/0,11363,856084,00.html

rshow55 - 06:10pm Dec 8, 2002 EST (# 6370 of 6377)
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.

Bush, Iraq and Sister Souljah By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/08/opinion/08FRIE.html is very important.

I wonder, though.

Considering everything - could things be going well?

There's surely plenty to fear. But a lot of able people are working - and the worst doesn't always happen.

I wonder, how many things would have to happen to keep the bad things Friedman mentions from happening - if people stayed scared, and were careful? A lot of people seem to be acting reasonably scared, and reasonably careful, now.

I'm scared, for instance. Spent some time reading the last 300 postings - and some of that time was spent laughing.

Though not all of it. Maybe things will go terribly.

But the worst doesn't always happen.

Compared to what people were thinking during the 8 weeks of negotiation about Iraq at the UN Security Council - a lot of things have gone impressively - and maybe impressively well.

As Senator Lugar says, we are dealing with delicate judgements:

Senators Urge Bush to Release Evidence of Banned Arms in Iraq By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/08/politics/08WIRE-IRAQ.html

"It may very well be that the advice of our allies will be that we ought to go very public, that we ought to have worldwide opinion," said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the next Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman. "I think these are delicate judgments."

Suppose the things that matter to international peace, set out in Iraq States Its Case by MOHAMMED ALDOURI http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/17/opinion/17ALDO.htm are honored? Iraq ceases to be a threat to its neighbors, or the United States.

What would the advice of our allies be? Would the presence of a bit of deception, in spots, change that advice?

4365 rshow55 9/18/02 9:26am

I've sometimes been impressed by gisterme's recent postings - sometimes positively, though not always. I've also sometimes wondered whether the administration gisterme serves is being competent. Sometimes, for all its faults, I suspect so, in some limited but important areas. Maybe, in a lurching cooperation with Saudis and others, we're muddling through.

Though, on missile defense, and related issues in defense spending, there are huge errors.

If other nations started asking forceful questions - - not only of Iraq, but of the United States, as well, a lot of good might come.

Bush, Iraq and Sister Souljah By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/08/opinion/08FRIE.html . . . is written to emphasize concerns - and the concerns are not overdrawn. But still, a short list of reasonable actions, forcefully executed - could make a big, positive difference.

How many wise, honest moves on the part of powerful Americans, Iraqis, Saudis, and members and close allies of the EU nation would it take to make the world a much better place? Counting, it doesn't seem to be too many.

(7 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense