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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 (9309 previous messages)

rshow55 - 04:15pm Feb 26, 2003 EST (# 9310 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.

Labour MPs revolt over Iraq · Biggest revolt of Blair's premiership · 122 MPs break Labour whip http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,903575,00.html Matthew Tempest, political correspondent Wednesday February 26, 2003

Tony Blair tonight suffered the biggest Commons revolt of his premiership as 199 MPs rejected his course of action over Iraq.

"Despite investing masses of political and parliamentary capital, the government has still failed to persuade a third of the House of Commons.

"At this crucial stage, that sends a potent signal to the government of both Britain and the United States."

Enough of a signal for considerable care. In the evolution of the law - hard fought cases make for the most important advances - where people care - look carefully.

But it isn't as good as it sometimes seems - because people are so concerned about "their place in the group" - and about authority.

If you read Lecture Notes: Introductory Psychology by Prof. Evan Pritchard http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~epritch1/social98a.html including the section of Jonestown and Milgram's Obedience Study . . . it is clear why "rational debate" so often fails - because "rationality" isn't the whole story - and people neither fully admit - nor even fully know their own motives - both because of repression

. Repress Yourself By LAUREN SLATER http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/23/magazine/23REPRESSION.html

- - and because people usually don't check facts - and often enough even deny things before their eyes . . .

. The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Chrisian Anderson http://www.deoxy.org/emperors.htm

But all the same, progress gets made - opinions are swayed by evidence and the needs of others - and some things may be working out now.

But there's an enormous shortfall from progress that could be made, because - so often - people are not expected to actually look for evidence - and face it - at the level of

" here, look for yourself"

and the social rejoinder

" please, tell me what you see."

Often enough - when discussion goes on - people do have to admit that they really do see that the King is naked - and they may see that nakedness more clearly than before, as well.

Last time, it seems to me, deliberations at the Security Council made a lot of sense in the end. Maybe they will this time, too.

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