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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.

wrcooper - 11:43pm Feb 2, 2003 EST (# 8503 of 8536)

Bob Showalter:

I wanted to see what you'd post in describing our meetings. I think you captured the essence of it pretty accurately, but not entirely so from my perspective. Let me clarify a few points as I see them. Then it will be time for me to bid farewell to the forum. This has not been a pleasurable experience for me.

First, it's Will, not Bill. Small point, but I don't like the nickname Bill. Never have.

Second, I was shocked when you stated that I was trying to "kill" you in important ways. Gulp. What on earth did you mean? I have never intended you any harm whatsoever. Were you referring to the post that I deleted, the one you showed me at our meeting, in which I pretended to be "George Johnson this time"? I apologized for that, and, no, I don't clearly remember writing it. That's the level truth. I've occasionally gotten on the forums after having had a few drinks, and I've reeled off stupid comments I later regretted. I don't know if this was the case this time, but, whether it was or wasn't, I certainly never meant you harm. As I told you at the museum, I was pissed off at your continuing to assert I was George Johnson, despite my denials. Nobody likes being called a liar, Bob, which is what you were doing. I finally reacted, unfortunately, in the wrong way, by writing a sarcastic, mocking post. I apologized for it.

Third, I never conveyed the impression I was close to George Johnson. That's BS. I told you at the museum that Johnson and I have exchanged several emails over the years. The last one was in 1999, at about the time Strange Beauty got published. I showed you the signed copy he sent me. I have never met George Johnson, and I am in no way close to him personally or professionally, and I have never indicated otherwise.

Fourth, you have no obligation to believe everything people post on the board, but don't be surprised if people get angry or digusted with you when you deny what they tell you, and you persist in calling them liars. If you had any proof that somebody was lying to you, that'd be different, but all you've ever riposted with was your guesses and assumptions based on you interpretation of their posts. Without hard proof, you have no basis for making strong claims that people are lying or misrepresenting themselves. You called me a liar, basically, and were proved wrong. What about the others? You have no proof they're lying, either. Maybe it'll turn out you're just as wrong about them.

Sixth, I don't know if you owe Johnson an apology, but you certainly owe me one. I expect it, too, for asserting repeatedly in spite of my denials that I am Geroge Johnson. FYI, however, I sincerely doubt that George Johnson reads this board or has ever posted on it. I could be wrong about that, but that'd be my guess.

Seventh, I have not been "coached by a good lawyer" or any lawyer, relative to my activities on this board or in relation to my meeting with you in Chicago. Why would I? What possible reason would I have for talking to a lawyer?

Eighth, your representation of my feelings about the board is accurate. It has no influence with governmental affairs at any level, I am sure. None of the high personages in the Bush administration takes the slightest interest in it, and I would be frankly surprised if they'd even every heard of it. It is a waste of time, and I do believe you're deluding yourself in thinking otherwise.

That's it. As I said, I wish you and your wife well. I liked you, too, in some ways. I still think some of your ideas are way off base, but I have no reason to think you are mentally ill. Best of luck to you. I will continue to monitor the forum for a few more days, but this concludes my active participation in it. It hasn't been fun. It's time for me to let it go.

bbbuck - 12:07am Feb 3, 2003 EST (# 8504 of 8536)

Thank you wrcooper. Your posts about your interaction with rshow55 have been enjoyable.

Did anyone take pictures?

Anyway good luck and thank you for giving us some insight into the inimitable rshow55. I guess he's not a computer program.

I also thought, by reading his posts and his ramblings, that he was (well something), it was good to here he's as normal as can be. Hmmmmm.

Yes the language of rshow55, 'where you tried to kill him' was puzzling, but having read some of this guys stuff, I passed it off as another 'rshow55 posting posture'. Thanks for giving us the epilogue.

Now if we could just send someone down to Oz to meet lchickie our forum biographical sketches would be complete.

lchic - 01:54am Feb 3, 2003 EST (# 8505 of 8536)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

'YOUSE' GUYS REPLICATE each others stances so often you had seemed to be one and the same ...

It was as 'cheap as chips' for to visit Down-under, but now that your currency is 'falling' splat ... you'll have to be content with those local Monroe-Doctrine neighbourhoods.

Aussie PM's coming to see you, soonest, for a WAR POW-WOW ... which raises the point ...

lchic - 02:00am Feb 3, 2003 EST (# 8506 of 8536)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

REPLICATION of al-Qaeda mind-sets

Seems the muslim mob have set-up up colleges of stupidity to replicate their non-thinking, whereby each who graduates may become a rote-headed loose canon.

Raises the point again that the MEast, OilEast, Water-irrigationEast should be sorted via international law and international regulation that's done and marketed in logical steps ... may be fast .. but those steps have to be in place.

There should be a break-down as to what is wrong with al-Qaeda thought processes -- in terms of the holistic 'good' of the world.

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