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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.

mazza9 - 11:12pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6876 of 6897)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

Senator Murray is a Clymer! To suggest that Osama is loved for his "good works" and the United States is guilty of not doing good works for the rest of the world is DUMB!

I remember kindergarten and 1st Grade in 1948 1950. We built individual CARE pacackages of soap, tooth paste and tooth brush, wash cloths and othe toiletries to send to war ravaged Europe! JFKs Peace Corp brought hope and inspiration to the poor of the world. The US eradicated small pox and other diseases in Africa and Asia. Look at our budget and the Foreign Aid that we have provided. I object to this revisionist cow patties!

lunarchick - 11:26pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6877 of 6897)

The difference between 'then' and 'now' is that today the kindyKids would collect money to buy soap from China to send to the war ravaged!

gisterme - 11:28pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6878 of 6897)

rshow55 12/18/02 9:12am

"...1. Missile defense is not only a bad strategic idea -- it is also a huge technical fraud, with no technical viability whatsoever, and that can be shown in public..."

Okay, Robert. Go ahead and show that. This is a public forum. If you can show that, why aren't you? Why are you just saying it can be done but not doing it? Five successes out of eight attempts doesn't seem like "no thechnical viability whatsoever" to me.

"...2. The US military industrial complex is now, in decisive ways, fundamentally fraudulent and corrupt...."

Decisive ways, Robert? What decisive ways? Got any evidence of this fraud and corruption? Just your say-so? Hmmm. Does that qualify as showing it in public?

"...3. For a while, the rest of the world has to take responsibility for action without dependence on the cooperation of the United States, or deference to its good judgement, until some basic issues in the United States get righted..."

Responsibility for what action, Robert? What action does the rest of the world have to take responsibility for?

What are the basic issues in the United States that have to get righted before the rest of the world no longer has to take responsibility for it's own actions?

If these three questions and statements are supposed to be some sort of concise "to do" list to solve the world's problems they fail misierably in the purpose. They aren't even very consistant among themselves.

You're not sounding like your self, Robert. Your nonsense is usually not so obvious. I hope you're not ill.

lunarchick - 11:29pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6879 of 6897)

MOI MOI Gisterme

are you advocating that the UN have 'international de-lousing days' ... everyone zapping in unison -- no where, no one, to hop to ...

What a wonderful world

lunarchick - 11:32pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6880 of 6897)

^{Carbon NanoTubes ... could these be laid end to end as a space-sewage-system .... that's a bigger problem than the 'getting there' ...}

gisterme - 11:33pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6881 of 6897)

lunarchick 12/20/02 11:29pm

"...are you advocating that the UN have 'international de-lousing days' ... everyone zapping in unison -- no where, no one, to hop to..."

Not suggesting any such thing lunarchick. I'm pointing out the folly of the concept. Besides the UN is not made up of chimpanzees, lunarchick. You could probably catch things far worse than fleas in that place... :-)

gisterme - 11:41pm Dec 20, 2002 EST (# 6882 of 6897)

lunarchick 12/20/02 11:32pm

"...Carbon NanoTubes ... could these be laid end to end as a space-sewage-system .... that's a bigger problem than the 'getting there' ..."

Might be a business opportunity for the future! There would surely be a vast demand for nano-rooter services. I'll bet those nano-tubes would get clogged up all the time! Gosh, I've personally known folks that can clog two-inch pipes!

A better idea might be to recycle all that space sewage into new space stations...new building material would be readily available so long as humans were present!

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