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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?

gisterme - 05:35pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10598 of 10657)

"...Gisterme it's a long associative jump from Lunarchick to lchic - so very presumtious of you!..."

Heh, heh. Please forgive the presumption, lc. :-) Now, if you were lunarchick, I'd say nice to hear from you. I was genuinely sorry when lunarchick got banned. I thought it was unwarranted.

"...A big question for the world is how to 'restore' the bipolar plastic minds of the brainwashed back to normality..."

Well now, that is a big question! Firstly, what would be the definition of a "bipolar plastic mind"? It would certainly have to be more than the sum of the definitions of the words. :-) Would that be someone who has an artificial brain and holds to a particular opinion? Naa, probably not. Let's see... plastic... Ah, I've got it...maleable...flexible those are attributes of plastic. So a bipolar plastic mind would be one that holds an opion but remains changeable. Is that right? :-) Probably not what you had in mind. I'd risk ajudging that the concept of "plastic mind" would be more the result pseudo social science or even social science fiction in the context that you seem to mean...and oh, by the way, how does one determine when "normality" has been acheived? :-)

"...- can it be done - or will these guys be 'forever' walking timebombs happy to let lose on civilians in the nastiest of ways !?!..."

So long as there is evil in the world, lchic, I fear that the timebombs will continue to walk. Just to add a slender ray of hope, I'd also repeat that pools of ignorance are prerequisite to the empowerment of large-scale evil. Something can be done about wide-spread ignorance.

gisterme - 05:41pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10599 of 10657)

lchic 12/31/01 5:16pm

"Afghanistan New Year is just in! Playing football over a headless-goat!"

Better headless goats than headless people, don't you think, lchic?

lchic - 05:48pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10600 of 10657)

Reading around re minds it seems that when folks are in their teen/early_twenty years they like to see the world in terms of right-wrong, black-white, good-bad/evil. As they mature some grow out of this and have a more rounded complex wise and reasoned approach.

To give an example from Northern Ireland. A young man is put in prison - for horrific crimes. Serving time he 'grows up' and looks back on himself and his actions and reflects on the effect sensless killing and maiming has had on others. Eventually he rejects the thinking of the terrorist he was, seeking to become a wiser - mature adult, and even thought still serving time will want to actively 'help' others not to follow the path he trod. Politically he may look for ways (economic/political) that can advance his community. The Northern Irish now have the example of Southern Ireland that is using Europe to advance it's economy .. interestingly Dublin has become cosmopolitan and economically complex - whereas Belfast is polarised on two sub-branches of the one religion - still!

Seems the USA population feel they're not on a direct line to world news: tpfkaf5 "The Media and the War-- Moderated" 12/31/01 11:53am

lchic - 06:01pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10601 of 10657)

Headless: gisterme 12/31/01 5:41pm the origin of football was said to have started with use of a human head here - although there is a reluctance to be upfront - even in folklore http://www.bartleby.com/215/0207.html http://www.penda.org.uk/haxey_hood.htm

lchic - 06:07pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10602 of 10657)

Just keeping you on your toes Gisterme .. gisterme 12/31/01 2:53pm should have read Radar re runways .. good that you picked it up :)

gisterme - 06:07pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10603 of 10657)

lchic 12/31/01 5:48pm

"...So back to the guys coming into Cuba ... the question is: "can they be helped to 'normalise' and become responsible people once again?..."

Let's hope so. Still, the concept of repentance does not necessarily include a grant of pardon, at least in this life. We are still responsible for our acts wheter or not we repent.

WRT the civilian casualty story, well, it has been reported here and whether true or not any civilian casuaties in this war are regrettable to those of us who care about life. The murderers who delight in those casualties are the ones who feel that their cause is advanced by them.

Bloody men such as OBL delight in their power to cause blood letting regardless of whose blood it is so long as it is not their own. I would expect that such are beyond restoration to useful contribution to society because their continued existance is an affront to all the living whose hearts they have broken. The only way to stop men like that is to kill them...and they always try to drag along as many innocents as they can.

That's a shame.

gisterme - 06:15pm Dec 31, 2001 EST (#10604 of 10657)

lchic 12/31/01 6:07pm

"...good that you picked it up :)"

gisterme to the rescue once again! We superheros just know when to pop in... :-) (now it is getting deep)!

Don't celebrate too much lchic...all that yawning may be indicating something.

Out for tonight. I'll try not to celebrate too much either.

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