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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?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

gisterme - 08:54pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11280 of 11295)

rshow55 2/5/02 8:42pm

"...Perhaps Paul Krugman is right when he writes that we're " ending an era of laxity, in which nobody asked hard questions as long as everything looked O.K."..."

There's a difference between "hard questions" and questions that are only asked with the expectation that they'll not be answered. The motivation for asking the second kind of questions becomes obvious when the right answers to the first kind are ignored and those "answered hard questions" are replaced by another attempt at questions of the second kind.

lchic - 09:00pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11281 of 11295)

... my heart goes out to you Gisterme ... :)

gisterme - 09:01pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11282 of 11295)

rshow55 2/5/02 8:42pm

"...OUT. Gotta cook"

lchic 2/5/02 8:53pm

"...I've heard of the 'faith based Presidency' .. isn't it where the people are locked out, and the ones who think they know do ALL the cooking!

Ah Hah! The missing link! The smoking gun! Showalter does work for the Bush administration! He hee. Or maybe he just thinks he should be president... :-)

lchic - 09:03pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11283 of 11295)

No capital 'P' ... trust your salary package stays intact.

gisterme - 09:04pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11284 of 11295)

lchic 2/5/02 9:00pm

"...my heart goes out to you Gisterme ... :)"

Why thank you, lchic. I'm completely sincere in what I say. I trust that you are too.

lchic - 09:20pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11285 of 11295)

Note an Aussie is again EMPEROR of the EMPIRE STATE .. the first to the top ... not too many clothes - but some!

gisterme - 09:23pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11286 of 11295)

"No capital 'P' ... trust your salary package stays intact."

I'm not worried about such things, lchic. :-) I have faith that I can do well under any conditions because I have good health, many gifts, talents and friends that I place my trust in...friends who trust in me. My experience has been that all that really happens when life takes an unexpected turn is the presentation of new opportunities. I believe that that experience is largely because of my own positive attitude and willingnes to act in a generally positive way even when things are tough. I'm sincerely greatful to be able to say that.

gisterme - 09:24pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11287 of 11295)

"...not too many clothes - but some!"

Let's thank our lucky stars! :-)

gisterme - 09:32pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11288 of 11295)

rshow55 2/5/02 8:33pm

"...how about some real checking, gisterme , not "your word" - - or my word - - - real umpires..."

Nobody's asking you to accept my word about a particular technical point...no trust is required when there are relevant published references like the ones that have been presented.

Those are the ultimate umpires.

lchic - 09:41pm Feb 5, 2002 EST (#11289 of 11295)

Emperor of Umpires !

(6 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense