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.

rshow55 - 12:22pm Feb 16, 2003 EST (# 8987 of 8991)
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.

http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,896778,00.html - - the idea of having the US military control Iraq for a year seems entirely sensible - if war has to happen - and the idea of salvaging parts of the Iraqi infrastructure that work seems sensible, too.

A year might not be long enough. If the US military could teach the Baath party what it knows about administration - the results seem to me like they might be pretty sensible. Modern Iraq, for all the horrors - has done some good things. Literacy is excellent, for instance. A lot of administration has been good by most standards, as well.

I hope the Iraqi situation is resolved without war. But if war comes - continuity might be a very good thing - the Baath's are messy, but not Nazi - and there will be disorder enough - whatever the invaders do.

In addition - the plan of interfacing with the Baath party melds well with ideas about giving Saddam and his top people an exit.

almarst2002 - 12:31pm Feb 16, 2003 EST (# 8988 of 8991)

"It is much too easy for people, including almarst , to discount honest and worthwhile ideals on the part of the US and the UK"

Sunday morning saw Kashi touring TV studios admitting she had never been to Iraq, was born in Kuwait of Iraqi refugee parents and had arrived in Britain at the age of three months. - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=37686067

Her pro-war letter to Blair, quoted by the prime minister to make a "moral case for war and removing Saddam" said, "I want to ask those who support the anti-war movement their motives and reasons behind such support... you are still blind to the bigger truths in Iraq... Saddam has murdered more than 1 m people Iraqis... Are you willing to allow him to kill another million?"

But Kashi has been attacked by, among others, veteran socialist and anti-war Labour MP Tony Benn, who said she had no credentials for advising the West to kill innocent Iraqis in war.

lchic - 12:41pm Feb 16, 2003 EST (# 8989 of 8991)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

" ... under pressure from Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states, Washington was preparing to leave Iraq under the control of President Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. "

Isn't the Baath Party the Blood-Baath-Party ... Saddam's own ilk, own clan?

lchic - 12:45pm Feb 16, 2003 EST (# 8990 of 8991)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

The Iraq push is 'off the rails' because it's chasing intangibles ... weapons 'on paper'

Had the push been for HUMAN RIGHTS in Iraq

then people would have 'understood' the need to oust dictators in Iraq and elsewhere ....

(1 following message)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense