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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.

manjumicha - 01:26am Dec 15, 2002 EST (# 6631 of 6649)

I mean you don't seriously believe that Bush' advisors are all foaming in their mouths with the praises of "peaceful * dimplomatic" approach to NK because they think it will win them a nobel peace prize like Carter got?

gisterme - 01:29am Dec 15, 2002 EST (# 6632 of 6649)

manjumicha 12/15/02 1:08am

"I think NK spy subs gained the respect of even its most ardent enemies....a spy sub carrying commandos for infiltration is not exactly a attack sub, is it..."

I'd say that depends on who you ask, manju. If that same sub were caught delivering SK commandos to NK I'm certain it would be called an attack sub by the NKs. Would you disagree?

"...NK is oen of a few submarine manufacturing nations..."

Right. That goes along with the great NK maritime tradition and extensive planet-wide experience in submarine warfare. Wasn't it the NK submarine fleet that practically wiped out the Japanese navy and merchant marine in WWII? No? Hmmm. Now that I think about it, it was the American submarines that did that. The NKs should worry more about feeding their people than building obsolete submarine designs.

"...China has bought some of theirs as well. I bet CNN hasn't informed you of it yet..."

CNN seems to try to present China in the most positive light possible here in the US. If the Chinese have to buy their submarines from NK they're in worse shape than is generally thought. No doubt that's why CNN wouldn't have reported on that.

"...Another NK specialities are submerged missile boats....they are known as carrier killers. Can't tell you why...:-)

Nor can I guess for myself. I know that nothing that would fit that description has been tested by NK. Several US submarines from WWII would have fit that description. I think they sank at least three Japanese Carriers. I think a couple of British carriers fell to German U-boats as well. Those are the only tested submersible "carrier killers" on record.

"...you will have to guess on it cause I reached 10 line limit on gisterm related response..."

Are you sure you didn't just run out of after-thoughts?

gisterme - 01:43am Dec 15, 2002 EST (# 6633 of 6649)

"...Historically that has been the problem of empires that attacked NK and collapsed of the wounds sustained from it. I think Russiand and Chinese know it and have advised their US counterparts in rather strong terms..."

I'd say that Chinese intervention to prop up Stalin's NK puppet government (at the time) was an advisement in strong terms. But the history just as strongly implies that NK and SK would have become a single unified nation without that Chinese intervention. The NK people would now be enjoying the same prosperity that the SK people do. Oh well. Likewise when the NKs had earlier invaded SK and the UN intervened they prevented the SKs from having the same kind of prosperity that the NKs now have. The SKs should be and are grateful for that!

I'll bet that if you gave the average NK citizen on the street a choice between his standard of living the average SK standard of living he'd head south just about every time.

"...oops. 10 line limit...sorry"

Manju, if you'd call IBM or HP and ask them nicely, they might install a bigger brain for you. You might be able to burst forward through the ten-line barrier. :-)

gisterme - 01:53am Dec 15, 2002 EST (# 6634 of 6649)

manjumicha 12/15/02 1:26am

"...I mean you don't seriously believe that Bush' advisors are all foaming in their mouths with the praises of "peaceful * dimplomatic" approach to NK because they think it will win them a nobel peace prize like Carter got?"

Hadn't noticed anybody foaming at the mouth WRT that particular topic, manju; but if they were it wouldn't be because they needed a nobel prize. It would be because they would hope not to do harm to millions of innocent starving NK citizens who are powerless to do anything about their dictator.

So long as there is a chance that the man may come to his senses, why not take it?

manjumicha - 01:58am Dec 15, 2002 EST (# 6635 of 6649)

gisterme

It has been fun. But now my movies got here os I will have to check out of here.

Seriously, you might broaden your horizons a bit...just because it has not been reported as a successful test in DOD sponsored journal doesn;t mean it doesn;t exist. NKs have pretty advanced stealth technology when it comes to submerged attack boats equipped with silkworms. They are invisible on radar, even the most advanced Japanese ones (yes they are better than US ones) Those "worms" fly 5 feet above water to destroy the carrier group. Equipped with a tactical nuke, juts one of those boats will wipe out $30 billion worth of US equipmemts in 10 seconds. That is called the asymetrical warefare in layman's terms. Adios and peace (if not out of your heart then out of necessity).

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