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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?

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rshow55 - 07:49am Mar 29, 2003 EST (# 10687 of 10691)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

The world could still end - and in September 2000, when lchic and I started posting on this thread - the risks were much greater. My guess, then, was that there was a risk, running about 10% per year - that the world would blow up. For reasons I've known something about (though, of course, everybody can misjudge - we can only do the best we can.) Now, I think that risk is probably down by a factor of ten or more.

It seems to me that, for all the ugliness and stupidity - and all the deception and degradation and muddle - there's been progress.

If leaders of nation states only had a little courage - we'd be so close to a safer, more just world. Right now.

There are basic incompatibilities between Islamic and European culture - that won't change, and probably shouldn't. We have very different notions of order - and value different orders. Differently.

But both they, and we, could do considerably better than we're doing. And both they, and we, ought to do some changing - reducing ugliness, and getting things to work.

Some basic things need to be checked.

For basic reasons, lies are ugly.

And mistakes are expensive.

10579 - 81 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.dkP7aVkL6jW.0@.f28e622/12129 might be interesting to many. There's been much discussion, on TV and throughout the media, on what the administration's plans and assumptions were when the decision to invade was taken.

1080 starts: Here is gisterme - 06:43pm Mar 14, 2003 EST (# 9944 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.dkP7aVkL6jW.0@.f28e622/11489 in its entirety:

I thought that full reposting worthwhile - I wish people would pay attention to it, and what it means.

A number of cites from this thread on the article Repress Yourself , especially connected to the shuttle matter, have been set out on the thread devoted to Slater's article

114 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.dkP7aVkL6jW.0@.f39a52e/114 to 126 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.dkP7aVkL6jW.0@.f39a52e/126

153-54 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@28.dkP7aVkL6jW.0@.f39a52e/153

The lengths to which NASA has gone to keep itself from good decisions - set out in NASA Was Asked to 'Beg' for Help on Shuttle Photos by MATTHEW L. WALD with EDWARD WONG http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/14/national/nationalspecial/14SHUT.html - ought to give responsible, patriotic Americans pause. But will the lesson be remembered. This is how our human organizations work.

Checking has to be obligatory. Now, checking to closure is impossible when anybody with any real power actually objects.

We have to find ways to do better than that, when it matters enough.

It wouldn't be so hard, from where we are - but some people with power would have to actually have to courage to ask.

lchic - 07:52am Mar 29, 2003 EST (# 10688 of 10691)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

SIX

6 second war

6 minute war

6 hour war

6 day war

6 week war

6 month war

6 year war

SIX

lchic - 08:37am Mar 29, 2003 EST (# 10689 of 10691)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Strategists are saying - downUnder - that 'the war' isn't a video game ....

seems it was 'planned' as thou it were !

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