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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 - 07:43pm Feb 12, 2003 EST (# 8848 of 8869)
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 - 07:18pm Feb 12, 2003 EST (# 8845 is an excellent post.

To Some in Europe, the Major Problem Is Bush the Cowboy By DAVID E. SANGER http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/24/international/europe/24ALLI.html

One senior diplomat predicted the next few weeks "will be the defining moment on whether the United States decides to stay within the international system."

If the United States chooses not to - the "international system" will have to get itself organized. It would face some clear - and basically simple choices.

The key problems of the world need to be solved - and can be. It may be necessary to do it, and possible to do it - without the cooperation of the Bush administration.

If the US goes outside the international system - why should it continue to have bases in Europe and Asia? In my view - if the US chooses to go outside of the international system - it shouldn't.

If European and Asian countries asked the US to leave - and did not welcome visits from its naval vessels - or tolerate on an untaxed basis close approaches by its miltary ships or overflights from its military aircraft - the "power" of the United States might amount to surprisingly little.

And problems - including the problems of terrorism, North Korea, and Iraq - might be well solved.

almarst2002 - 07:43pm Feb 12, 2003 EST (# 8849 of 8869)

Robert,

Do you understand the importance of honor and self-respect in a non-Anglo-Saxon cultures?

Do you understand the reaction of those cultures to the display of arrogant overhelming treatening foreign Power?

Can you predict what to expect from this conflict?

rshow55 - 08:08pm Feb 12, 2003 EST (# 8850 of 8869)
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.

Almarst asks:

"Do you understand the importance of honor and self-respect in a non-Anglo-Saxon cultures?

It is not essentially different from the importance of honor and self-respect in Anglo-Saxon cultures - or Russian cultures - or other cultures.

"Do you understand the reaction of those cultures to the display of arrogant overhelming treatening foreign Power?

When threatened enough, people fight. I've been making that point since Sept 25, 2000 - repeatedly.

"Can you predict what to expect from this conflict?

If leaders of other nation states act reasonably - and ask that facts get checked - I'd predict that the carnage would be pretty controlled - and that people should be able to sort things out much better than today.

The United States has problems - makes mistakes - and is doing some over-reaching. But it is a long way from NAZI Germany - Bush is very different from Hitler - a lot of people in a lot of nations are acting pretty reasonably - - and if people do a "just average" job of keeping their heads - from where things are - things should go fine.

On rationality - I think the world would be a lot safer if people looked more carefully at the "Putin Briefing" initially written on this thread in March 2001, that is set out in Mankind's Inhumanity #340 - 356 http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee7b085/383

We've come a long way since Muddle In Moscow http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=533129

If the things that ought to be checked - that easily could be checked - were checked in public - a great deal could get better. It would take some courage, and action, from some leaders.

. I'm out for the rest of the night.

almarst2002 - 08:12pm Feb 12, 2003 EST (# 8851 of 8869)

"Ignoring all the blatant Qaeda hooks to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan; ignoring the fact that bin Laden has never had any use for the drinking, smoking, womanizing, secular Saddam; ignoring the fact that Saddam has no proven record of sharing weapons with Al Qaeda, the Bushies have been hell-bent on making the Sept. 11 connection." - http://www.iht.com/articles/86554.html

almarst2002 - 08:18pm Feb 12, 2003 EST (# 8852 of 8869)

The behavier demonstrated during the current crisis exposed the fact that US and British Governments are immune of SHAME.

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