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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 - 09:33am May 29, 2003 EST (# 12159 of 12159)
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.

I was sorry to see this:

New York Times Reporter Bragg Resigns By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-NY-Times-Suspension.html Filed at 7:38 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Rick Bragg has resigned from The New York Times after the newspaper suspended him over a story that carried his byline but was reported largely by a freelancer.

The resignation came Wednesday as the Times tried to rebound from a scandal in which the newspaper found fraud, plagiarism and inaccuracies in 36 of 73 recent articles by reporter Jayson Blair.

Bragg, who had blamed his suspension on what he called a ``torturous atmosphere'' at the newspaper since Blair's May 1 resignation, said he offered his resignation Wednesday evening.

I've referred to Bragg with respect on a number of occasions on this thread:

160 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/192

752 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/945

1151 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/1468

4581 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/5785

" I went to a talk by Rick Bragg last night . . I gave Bragg copy of the disk http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/3936 rshowalt 7/19/02 9:16am described in the text of 4572 rshow55 9/26/02 5:15pm http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/5774 , along with a printed copy of that text...

8500 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/10027

- - - - - -

I don't know if Bragg actually looked at the disk I gave him, or the email I sent him. But if he did, he might of wondered what the rules and ethics of the NYT were, dealing with this thread, or with me. He might have seen this, for instance - dealing with http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/4270 my involvements with the TIMES (and with George Johnson ) and wondered what the rules were - ethically and operationally. He may have felt that he was operating well within the de facto rules. He was so proud of his TIMES involvement that I have to believe that's how he felt.

In human terms, the byline mistake Bragg made ( could he have gotten credit for his stringer, under the rules?) seems minor compared to patterns of conduct I've seen on this thread by "the poster" - who I must assume Times management knows about.

I've been setting out things that news people might be motivated to check - if they check anything.

2764 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/3445

Verbal deal between M. Robert Showalter and William J. Casey for Showalter's work situation, as set out, to the what he claims is the best of his knowledge and belief, by Showalter.

When a journalist with position says that The New York Times "has no policy on authenticity" - http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.sYhKbDgfbYV.2526749@.f28e622/13787 that's as serious evidence of shortcoming, in the news business, as the shortcomings of the US military shown in the Vietnam War.

Something needs to be done.

As a manager, it seems to me unfortunate indeed for the TIMES to have lost Bragg - one of its great stars - I can't know the details of how the interaction resulting in Bragg's (resignation-dismissal) - but the result seems sad. I wonder if it was really necessary.

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense