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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 - 02:21pm Mar 10, 2002 EST (#330 of 386)

With the need to justify military expenditure comes a support for warlike, often very narrow and ugly ideas -- for instance those expressed about Europeans by semi-official "supporters" of the US government in FLYING INTO TURBULENCE by Peter Martin http://www.intellnet.org/news/articles/peter.martin.flying.into.turbulence.html

I think every political leader in Europe, and every military officer in NATO, ought to read Martin's piece -- and notice how strange it is.

The political connection between the US military and politics -- what many call the "iron triangle" consisting of the military, the military contactors, and congress -- can be enormously powerful -- sometimes unstoppable.

Clinton said that, when it came to missile defense, he was up against the "iron triangle" and could only do so much.

Americans, and people in other nations, need to be clearer about how this "iron triangle" works.

The interests of the "iron triangle" may be understandable, but they are not identical with the interests of the United States as a country. If they operationally seem to be the same, that's cause for concern, for both America and the rest of the world.

MD158 rshow55 3/3/02 2:54pm ... MD159 rshow55 3/3/02 3:02pm
MD160 rshow55 3/3/02 3:21pm ... MD162 almarst-2001 3/3/02 4:11pm

We could check some facts - - and see how they change the possible "connections of the dots" on key issues of war, peace, and decent priorities. MD84 rshow55 3/2/02 10:52am

If the VP had to discuss the validity of the ideas on which his administration has staked so much with leaders on his trip -- we and our allies might come up with more reasonable ideas and actions than ones now based on fictions.

Lies are dangerous. There are many dangerous fictions in the world -- many in Islamic nations. To handle them well, we need to be honest, and checkable, ourselves.

mazza9 - 04:44pm Mar 10, 2002 EST (#331 of 386)
Louis Mazza

RShow55:

"Your purpose, almost always - is to distract, and defocus the coherent." This is an opinion. Your stating an opinion doesn't make it fact.

To distill this hodge podge of forum posting to its essence presents the following:

1. I believe that Missile Defense can be achieved.

2. You believe that Missile Defense is not achievable.

You offer no proof and wander far afield to Viet Nam, Enron and other pointless issues. Of course to blame me of being the source of obfuscation in this forum covers up your lack of discipline.

LouMazza

almarst-2001 - 07:02pm Mar 10, 2002 EST (#332 of 386)

"iron triangle" consisting of the military, the military contactors, and congress"

So, does it seem I was right about military-industrial-political complex, wasn't I?

rshow55 - 07:36pm Mar 10, 2002 EST (#333 of 386)

yes.

mazza9 - 07:37pm Mar 10, 2002 EST (#334 of 386)
Louis Mazza

NO!

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