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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.

rshow55 - 07:32am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11686 of 11701)

If the TRUTH IS KNOWN - Why do the lies persist?

That's an important procedural question.

Some procedures are harder to block than others, and there are new opportunities as technology evolves.

The Senate's Useful Farm Bill http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/18/opinion/_18MON2.html contains an interesting reference to a relatively new tactic, that was effective where the old patterns explained so clearly by Ralph Reed in MD111621-11624 rshow55 2/19/02 7:52am .... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22380-2002Feb16.html . . can so often block compromises that an informed American people would wish to support. Here are words from the editorial:

The House and the Senate have now passed differing farm bills. While neither bill is ideal, the Senate's is far superior.

It's ... a tribute to the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that put together a Web site showing in graphic detail how the big farmers grab most of the money. These revelations caused no end of constructive embarrassment among farm-state senators.

There are ways to get around old patterns. They are evolving.

But the missile defense programs are more elaborately and ruthlessly defended from truthful argument than US farm programs have ever been.

The "right to lie" , and the means to maintain the lies forcefully, are central to an "American system" - - modelled on Nazi usages, that concerned Eisenhower deeply, and that he warned of in his Farewell address. http://www.geocities.com/~newgeneration/ikefw.htm

Eisenhower asked the country to act, and it did not or could not. It is important, for the United States and the whole world, to sort some things out now.

It is no accident that the TRUTH IS "KNOWN" - - yet lies persist. That occurs because a great deal of apparatus and hard work maintains the lies. Some things about the "culture of lying" need to change.

lchic - 08:28am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11687 of 11701)

.. public interest would be a starter .. ?

rshow55 - 08:44am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11688 of 11701)

Public interest that could be sustained -- and one thing that requires is patterns where people who want to be interested can see things in enough coordination, together, to draw conclusions.

Things have to be presented in ways people can actually understand. And when there are inconsistencies - - there have to be ways of showing them, and showing evidence that people can understand, regarding those inconsistencies.

A central point is that things have to "match up" that are now fragmented -- because too seperated in space and time.

Often, fragmented because there are people motivated to keep them fragmented -- and procedures and "traditions" that keep them fragmented.

Ways of misinforming and muddling public opinion that Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers never dreamed of have become powerful. Mostly they rest on techniques of fragmentation - burying information in distacting detail, and isolating people.

Hitler went unchecked.

We have to learn to do better now. We can.

lchic - 08:58am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11689 of 11701)

Patterns - Movies

Ever walked into a half shown movie?
Had to pick-up the pieces and determine what's happening?
Perhaps people have less than half a picture of MD and are not sure of the patterns - the start or the end game.
Movies/plays are often written in three parts .. the beginning, middle and end ... excepting the end has a climax of turmoil which goes on to be resolved as the interlinked stories/patterns all play themselves out .. people leaving the theatre with everything 'in place' in their heads.

The 'truth' of the past half century might be a 'new-to-you' as yet unrevealed pattern. Truth patterns might play out and 'fit' into minds more easily than the 'pattern of lies' that has been put out as 'dis-information' over past years.

Of course CONGRESS could have a hearing into the matter .. or .. simply remove much funding from missile production and upkeep ... redeploying redundant minds towards more useful humanitarian work.

lchic - 09:13am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11690 of 11701)

Movie - script - making it 'work'
http://www.writersconference.com/crew/progmain.html

rshow55 - 09:53am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11691 of 11701)

An illustrated script of a movie that works . . . Casablanca !

http://www.edict.com.hk/movies/casablanca/casablanca1.htm

lchic - 11:36am Feb 21, 2002 EST (#11692 of 11701)

A comment on Hubble: cntruniv "Science in the News" 2/20/02 2:49pm

Looking down on earth: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1829000/1829852.stm

http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/wallpaper_display.php?pic=earthatnight_1024.jpg

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