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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?

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rshow55 - 09:46am Jan 25, 2003 EST (# 8028 of 8040)
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.

These links are well worth looking at - if we are to come to decent accomodations on problems that have been afflicting us - in the interests of everybody of human decency involved, on both the Islamic and Christian side.

The bolded citation below refers to AISHA bint Abi Bakr. Mohammed married Aisha when she was 6, consummated the marriage when Aisha was 9, and died in Aisha's arms when Aisha was 19.

http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/muh4.html http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/wives1.html

http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/wives2.html

http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/wives2.html http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/wives2.html

There are things that are unchangeable - that we have to adapt to honorably. The past has happened. It effects what can be done. The notion of honor in Christiandom and in Islam have similarities, but some deep differences as well. We need to find solutions that are honorable, and show disciplined beauty - from both sides. Exterminatory solutions are too expensive, ugly and impractical to choose or fall into by default. We cannot reasonably ask for "solutions" (from our point of view) that the men and women of Islam would not choose for themselves. These are probems we have to face well enough to come to better arrangements - much better arrangements - in the Middle East, and in the world. Good solutions have to work for Iraq, for Saudi Arabia, for the Palestinians, or other Islamic nations - and have to work for the rest of the world, as well. If we're careful, we can do a lot better than we've been doing.

rshow55 - 10:20am Jan 25, 2003 EST (# 8029 of 8040)
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.

I very much prefer Christianity to Islam, personally - because of my background, and also because the sexual arrangements of Islam - even setting aside issues of gender equity - have required arrangements so expensive and inflexible that Islamic nations have had a very hard time accomodating modernity. The awkwardness of some Saudi arrangements testify to how hard these accomodations are - even when a lot of money is available.

All the same, anyone who thinks that Christendom has all the good answers about male-female relations - and that Islam has none of them - should think again. The stories of Rita Hayworth - and Princess Diana - and the doings of Ali Khan and many others - have a lot to tell us - and include plenty of reason for caution and forbearance between Christians and Muslims - and some reasonable reasons for hostitily, as well. Not enough reason for much killing, if things are handled decently, as they can be.

More than anything else - the conflicts with radical Islam are about sex - sex inextricably linked to religion - and these are problems that are too touchy and complicated to be resolved by something so simple as a war (short of extermination.)

The Islamic nations know they have to change some things - and are working pretty hard, within their constraints, to do so. I've been impressed, personally, by some flexibilities that Saddam has shown.

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