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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.

lchic - 10:34pm Feb 18, 2002 EST (#11615 of 11624)

'honorable cloak of truthfulness

It occurs to me that with modern Enterprise Accounting systems it ought now to be possible to put Congress at the Apex of all Military Expenditures .. and allow the people's representatives to 'view' expenditure usages top down.

Enterprise systems are now so advanced that every cent within an Organisation can be accounted for regarding allocation.

Such accuracy would make the President very happy, the military happy, the Administration extremely happy, the Congress glad because they will be equipped to report back to voters.

Transparency demands accountability - such a wise way to utilise computing power!

almarst-2001 - 11:00pm Feb 18, 2002 EST (#11616 of 11624)

The Western "civilization" "Humanitarian" action in pictures - http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/kosovo-imint.htm

lchic - 05:35am Feb 19, 2002 EST (#11617 of 11624)

G'day Almarst_2001 good to see you back on the thread!

lchic - 05:39am Feb 19, 2002 EST (#11618 of 11624)

Missile Defence Shield (TV Oz)

With Australia’s role in the proposed US National Missile Defence System in question – this is a timely report on the science behind missile defence.

Australia is one of only three countries that strongly supports the US’s National Missile Defence system (along with India and Poland). We will even have part of the system on our soil at Pine Gap.

The defensive shield won’t cover us – it’s purely for America – so we ask: why is Australia supporting it?

Some say a missile defence shield is irrelevant since September 11; these days there are far greater threats to the United States than Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.

And the American Physical Society, the organization that represents that country’s physicists, claims the shield is unlikely to work anyway. http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/promo.htm

lchic - 06:55am Feb 19, 2002 EST (#11619 of 11624)

Alex have you followed the Axis of Evil
;)

Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the"Axis of Evil," Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of his State of the Union address.

Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil... we're the best."

Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil.

"They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."

THE AXIS PANDEMIC
International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was swift, as within minutes, France surrendered.

Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what became a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan, and Serbia said they had formed the Axis of Somewhat Evil, forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the Axis of Occasionally Evil, while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the Axis of Not So Much Evil Really As Just Generally Disagreeable.

With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, and Rwanda applied to be called the Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host the Olympics; Canada, Mexico, and Australia formed the Ax! is of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Nasty Thoughts About America, while Spain, Scotland, and New Zealand established the Axis of Countries That Should Be Allowed to Ask Sheep to Wear Lipstick.

"That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do," said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.

While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted approval for most axes, although he rejected the establishment of the Axis of Countries Whose Names End in "Guay," accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges.

Israel, meanwhile, insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but privately, world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.

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