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 [F] New York Times on the Web Forums  / Resource Area for Forum Hosts and Moderators  /

    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.


Earliest Messages Previous Messages Recent Messages Outline (5092 previous messages)

rshow55 - 10:20pm Oct 20, 2002 EST (# 5093 of 17697)
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.

Perhaps things are going very well, and international discussions are going well. If you take Iraq at its word, subject to checking that if offers - - we are a long way from a justification for war:

Iraq States Its Case By MOHAMMED ALDOURI http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/17/opinion/17ALDO.html

"After so many years of fear from war, the threat of war and suffering, the people of Iraq and their government in Baghdad are eager for peace. We have no intention of attacking anyone, now or in the future, with weapons of any kind. If we are attacked, we will surely defend ourselves with all means possible. But bear in mind that we have no nuclear or biological or chemical weapons, and we have no intention of acquiring them.

"We are not asking the people of the United States or of any member state of the United Nations to trust in our word, but to send the weapons inspectors to our country to look wherever they wish unconditionally.

They're saying "you don't have to trust us - - you can check us." We shouldn't be reluctant to do that - and to remember how many different ways there are to check and cross-check. If the UN gets something like active cooperation from Iraq - there may be some hidden residual capacities - but there won't be much - and Iraq will not be in a good position to use anything it has left in any militarily sane way.

Iraq has made a major concession - both moral and practical - in its amnesty.

Iraq Announces Amnesty for Its Prisoners By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- "The Iraqi government announced an amnesty Sunday for all Iraqi prisoners . . "

One need not trust Saddam, nor like him, to think that Hussein and Mobs Virtually Empty Iraq's Prisons By JOHN F. BURNS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/21/international/middleeast/21IRAQ.html reports an act of great consequence.

If Iraq can effectively reintegrate those prisoners, it will show a distinct "regime change" in the ways that matter to many, many people.

. . .

Iraq has offered to be checked and tested. That testing is coming. It started today. Perhaps this is a time, not only for care, but also for hope. Secular Redemption http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee7b085/391 will be hard, this time - - but it is interesting that the leaders of Iraq are standing up to the challenge - not sitting passively by.

. . . .

The North Koreans are not sitting passively by either. This is a time for hope - and good judgement. Perhaps a good time for a sermon.

. When the foundations are shaking. http://www.wisc.edu/rshowalt/sermon.html

I like the whole of James Slatton's sermon - but after the first nine minutes - it is mostly secular.

The last thirty seconds - are particularly memorable - and the last word - which resonates for me. . . . Judgement.

We could use some judgement. Some care. Some luck, too.

lchic - 10:46pm Oct 20, 2002 EST (# 5094 of 17697)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

Iraq Iran ... an interesting thought:

If Iran is run by committee - religious elders (somewhat out of step with the mass of their population), yet holding power via the returns from oil as recently noted in a Friedman-Op-Ed

And Iraq is run by a one-man-President - again financed by oil

Then in a race which will move faster the

    Iran | 'commitee - flowing against the will of it's people'
    or
    Iraq | directed by a President
Just looking on, it would seem that were the President of Iraq to have visions of a great future for his country, then, he might be in a position to move ahead faster than Iran.

And, now his personal wealth is in place, then the guy could move for Status and a place in history.

To do that he needs a strategic plan that ensures Iraq's future.

As I've stated (above) much of the knowledge of the past century that was hard won, is now freely available. The tools of economic peace are there fot the using of.

~~~~~~~

Not knowing the real previous relationship between Saddam and the USA .... it may well be that he casts his past actions in the light of the 'unknown USA foreign policy' ... whatever it was, where-ever it lies ... perhaps a part of those 10billion documents kept under lock and key labelled 'never to be released' somewhere in Washington.

lchic - 10:51pm Oct 20, 2002 EST (# 5095 of 17697)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

Iraq moving to release 'most' prisoners will provide interesting year-end statistics .... per 100,000 head of population .... how will Iraq compare with the 680+ and 640+ detainees of the USA and RU respectively?

The thousands released back into the population can now assist to turn Iraq's economic wheels ... providing investment is forthcoming.

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