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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 - 09:47pm Dec 28, 2002 EST (# 7107 of 7114)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

I object to the constant US bashing by the non sequiters who choose to advance their positions at the cost of my family's sacrifice. A great uncle was a member of the famous WWI Rainbow division. This army division took pride in the fact that all of the races and cultures of the United States were represented. He was gased on those fields of Flanders and was fortunate to survive, although mentally impaired. My father's cousin waded through the bodies as he was "fortunate' enough to be assigned to the second wave to land on Omaha beach! Wounded in France he would carry a steel plate in his head for the remainder of his life. My Dad was in the Navy armed guard. He manned a 4" naval gun on Liberty ships and made six crossings. One of his missions was to participate in the southern invasion of France in Aug of 44. While he never fired a shot in anger he still went in harms way.

Robert, you sit in judgement of my supposed ugliness and ignore the patently false and mean spirited statements that abound. You have absolutely no right to sit in judgement of me. Keep those opinions to yourself.

thewow - 10:12pm Dec 28, 2002 EST (# 7108 of 7114)

think everyone should just go to http://the-wow.tk/ and everything will be much better off :-D

rshow55 - 10:37pm Dec 28, 2002 EST (# 7109 of 7114)
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.

thewow 12/28/02 10:12pm . . reference will make you shut down your computer.

Somebody worked at it.

almarst2002 - 11:50pm Dec 28, 2002 EST (# 7110 of 7114)

mazza9 12/28/02 9:47pm

"advance their positions at the cost of my family's sacrifice"

You can't be serious, can you?

rshow55 - 12:40am Dec 29, 2002 EST (# 7111 of 7114)
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.

almarst2002 12/28/02 11:50pm . . . a lot of Americans need to learn some basic lessons of history - and of proportion.

7105-6 rshow55 12/28/02 8:29pm got some deflection from Mazza, and an unknown poster, thewow 12/28/02 10:12pm who posted a reference that will crash your computer (thought this thread has gone on a while - I can't recall that happening before.) But rshow55 12/28/02 8:29pm is makes points worth asking - even if some people don't like the questions.

The situation in North Korea is dangerous - - and a lot of people may be killed unless some things are handled right.

Any resolution that works stably for any length of time is going to need the support - - not just the passive acquiescence, but the real support of most of the individual people and most of the nation states in the world.

That means that, though military power is an essential part of getting to a solution - quite a lot of talking is going to be required, as well.

Talking that convinces.

Straight talking.

Talking that finds and reinforces shared space - and that is reinforced by clear evidence, where people of good will can say "here - look for yourself" - - and where people asked to look do look - with minds open enough so that things can focus.

We're in a situation where current conventions that rule out checking - and restrict conversation and consideration of evidence - are dangerous . Because we're in a situation where mistakes can be so dangerous.

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