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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.

commondata - 12:48pm Jan 7, 2003 EST (# 7455 of 7459)

Ricin attack suspects seized in London

Ricin is a potent protein toxin derived from the beans of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). Castor beans are ubiquitous worldwide, and the toxin is fairly easily produced. Ricin is therefore a potentially widely available toxin. When inhaled as a small particle aerosol, this toxin may produce pathologic changes within 8 hours and severe respiratory symptoms followed by acute hypoxic respiratory failure in 36-72 hours. When ingested, ricin causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms followed by vascular collapse and death.

I travel the underground every day and I want to know why a war in Iraq? Act now against war.

But if Blair had told us that we had to go to war to stop Saruman of Isengard from sending his orcs against the good people of Rohan, it would scarcely seem less plausible than the threat of Saddam of Iraq dropping bombs on America.

almarst2002 - 03:27pm Jan 7, 2003 EST (# 7456 of 7459)

U.N. Sees 500,000 Iraqi Casualties at Start of War - http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2004746

Guide to Sanctions - http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/casi/guide/

fredmoore - 03:33pm Jan 7, 2003 EST (# 7457 of 7459)

bbbuck 1/7/03 12:48pm

Hey Buck,

I look forward to your posts ... even something as serious as MD needs a bit of balanced humour from time to time.

As for my posts ... Although this forum is Missile Defence, it is valid to point to areas where a capitalist society is weak in order to bring a holistic strength to the discussion. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Specific weaknesses of capitalism such as social inequity and environmental degradation make the nation vulnerable to attack from powers without and within. Addressing those weaknesses in creative ways is a superior MD as it reduces the animus directed toward the US while benefitting the nation as a whole.

lunarchick - 04:46pm Jan 7, 2003 EST (# 7458 of 7459)

MD == MIND DIMENSION

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