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 [F] 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.


Earliest Messages Previous Messages Recent Messages Outline (7318 previous messages)

rshow55 - 03:13pm Jan 4, 2003 EST (# 7319 of 7323) Delete Message
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.

Every once in a while, I've used the term "social contract" - as other people sometimes do, as well. I mean, and think others mean, something like this:

Some things - the things that matter - can and must be sorted out in a way that works - with livable order, symmetry, and harmony from both sides point of view. That isn't easy - but when it matters enough to do the work, and stay honest, it is possible.

In the places where things are going most wrong, there are either no social contracts at all that are either clear or stable - or the "agreements" involved are wrenchingly ugly. We need to work to fix these things, when we can - and should think hard about doing so, before we choose to kill each other, or intervene massively in systems we have little equity in - and know nothing like enough about.

Although, sometimes, there may be no alternative but to meet bad manners with worse manners.

I've sometimes had to be a little abrupt, myself. I apologize for that - with some sincerity. I've done the best I could, under a good deal of pressure.

Speaking of manners - I am being just as respectful of President Bush, and the leaders of other nation states, as I can figure out to be - subject to my limitations and circumstances. A lot of things stink.

Though some other things are beautiful.

Weapons of mass destruction are inherently unstable and ugly - and we should get rid of them. I made a suggestion, that I thought was good, and at the right level, to a poster I had good reason to believe was Bill Clinton on September 25, 2000 - and did so when I had good reason to believe that he should be able to read what I was writing, at the level that corresponded to his place and his duties. I made a guess, that may have been wrong, that Clinton had been competently and honestly briefed. I knew perfectly well that I could only present structures - without being able to do details (my assignnment, over and above all else, was to find workable structures - not details) but I think the proposal, at the level of structure, may be worth another look. The first response I made to "becq" concerned explosive instability, and might be worth a glance, as well. MD6505 rshow55 12/11/02 5:25pm links to the part of that sequence still on this thread, starting at rshow55 4/21/02 2:11pm

almarst2002 - 04:00pm Jan 4, 2003 EST (# 7320 of 7323)

"...no country can act alone to police the world..." - http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030104&Category=API&ArtNo=301040713&Ref=AR

almarst2002 - 04:07pm Jan 4, 2003 EST (# 7321 of 7323)

Common Myths in Iraq Coverage - http://www.fair.org/activism/iraq-myths.html

lunarchick - 04:13pm Jan 4, 2003 EST (# 7322 of 7323)

The curls of culture see

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