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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.


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rshow55 - 01:22pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#672 of 715) Delete Message

Superb references! lchic 3/18/02 11:51am

When facts are clear, or can be clarified -- certain answers about what cannot be done are often possible -- and both clear and simple to explain.

Looking at the decisions trees - - including those in http://www.mindtools.com/dectree.html and other good references above -- - a tremendous amount hinges on questions of "how much?" Questions of "how much?" and "of what" usually require words, pictures, and quantitative information together, to fully understand - language alone, including language that "sounds very good" -- often can't suffice.

Intelligent decision making has long been a part of our technical culture. The people advocating the "missile defense" boondoggle in the forms that have been acknowledged so far must be using them.

Either they are lying on many decisive matters or they are criminally negligent in their duties, or both.

But for decision trees, or any rational decision making to be useful - the facts have to be determined -- and unless there are rules for getting specific things clear - - nothing ever closes.

A time comes when the question are:

What could you prove in court, and how would you go about it?

How is it possible to get enough force to bear to force decent decisions?

The whole civilized world now has a big interest in getting some facts straight about "missile defense" - - because it connects to so much.

If leaders of nations with an interest in getting some of these facts straight asked for that clarity -- in an organized way -- they'd get it.

Just getting "admissions" wouldn't be enough -- there are admissions that the MD systems can't work here -- very likely from ranking people. But things have to be taken to closure - - and the logic has to be connected to decision makers who can make decisions from which consequences can flow.

lchic - 03:43pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#673 of 715)

When reading up on Islamic philosophy on the previous MD board it was seen that Islam was put in place to give standards. It was NOT set in stone. The concept was that as economies advanced and improvements came, so did their use of the rules.

The attitude of Islam Clericks that their law matters more than the people subjected to it - is weired logic .... people matter!

The woman in Northern Nigeria (sentenced to death by stoning) on an insignificant matter shows that people should have a HUMAN RIGHT to access civil law - where she would have no case to answer.

------------

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL are now speaking up regarding the abuse of power over individuals - ethnics/disidents/alternateIdeas/SeeOUTSIDEthebox - post Sept11.

There are thousands of people who have been rounded up and imprisoned worldwide who are guilty of nothing more than being themselves.

Amnesty have concerns that some leaders believe that Sept11 has 'given them permission' to place extreme violence on disenfranchised, underdog, populations - who are looking for recognition and improved rights.

-----

mazza9 - 03:56pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#674 of 715)
Louis Mazza

lchic:

We agree on the "treatment" of woman. 15 Saudi girls were chased back into a school fire and to their death because they were exiting the school without the "proper Islamc dress"! Now the Saudis are questioning their Islamic code police. These keepers of the rules placed Islamic dress code above the safety of the individual. "Talk about the law of rules rather than the rule of law!"

LouMazza

almarst-2001 - 05:46pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#675 of 715)

mazza - "The Iranian airliner crew was culpable in its shoot down. There are international "rules of the road" regarding air operations in a declared war zone. The aircraft did not follow the rules and as such was deemed a hazard. "

The USS Vincennes shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655 on July 3, 1988 which resulted in the deaths of over 290 innocent passengers, and the U.S. Navy's attempted cover-up. - http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5260/vince.html

almarst-2001 - 05:57pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#676 of 715)

This was ugly!

mazza,

Where is your sense of reality, if not a shame?

Can't you see the truth just because it does not fir your picture?

Here it is, thousends miles from America, the US Navy occupies the International waters shared by many regional nations and declares it a war zone! Your military background should have helped you to understand that those US ships are constantly on a move, crossing all Air and Sea lines of communications.

Following this logic, the current Global War on Terrorists makes most of the Planet the War Zone. The Global Shooting Range.

Do you ever try to see things by someone else eyes?

almarst-2001 - 07:07pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#677 of 715)

This was ugly...

Imaging you happend to be unfortunate to be born in one of the countries the US bombed since WWII.

Imaging one of your family, your child, happend to be a "colateral damage".

Would you be capable to do some ugly thing?

I thing I would.

almarst-2001 - 07:19pm Mar 18, 2002 EST (#678 of 715)

On Islam.

As any religion, is open for interpretation. By the people.

The Inquisition was an interpretation of Christianity.

The humanitarian bombing - an interpretation of Civility, Freedom and Democracy.

Speaking of the Golden Rule... Or the famost Christian "another cheek"... Or the Holocoust... Or Hirosima and Nagasaki... Or the usage of Gas in a WWI. Or the carpet bombing and Agent Orange, or the DU ammunition and cluster bombs... Or the land mines...

It seem not all the evil was invented by Islam.

But they may learn. Fast.

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