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 [F] New York Times on the Web Forums  / Science  /

    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.


Earliest Messages Previous Messages Recent Messages Outline (12268 previous messages)

robkettenburg03 - 09:50am Jun 1, 2003 EST (# 12269 of 12273)

And I would like to say for the record that 'jorian319' are actually a GROUP of people that work for the U.S. government who CONSPIRE AGAINST HONORABLY DISCHARGED SOLDIERS ON BEHALF OF THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN EXCHANGE FOR MONEY TO SUPPORT THEIR COCAINE HABBIT.

I have filed a civil suit against them. Rshow55 and lchic are next...

robkettenburg03 - 09:50am Jun 1, 2003 EST (# 12270 of 12273)

TRUTH, LIES, AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION - http://billmon.org.v.sabren.com/archives/000172.html

My NEW Home Page - http://www.geocities.com/robkettenburg2002

rshow55 - 10:08am Jun 1, 2003 EST (# 12271 of 12273)
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.

Friedman's piece today is beautiful.

12204 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.DUdabTiJcxS.3117157@.f28e622/13841

12205 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.DUdabTiJcxS.3117157@.f28e622/13842

12206 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.DUdabTiJcxS.3117157@.f28e622/13843

12207 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.DUdabTiJcxS.3117157@.f28e622/13844

I'm reposting rshow55 - 06:44pm Jan 4, 2003 EST (# 7331 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.DUdabTiJcxS.3117157@.f28e622/8854 with a few added words dealing with General Eisenhower's involvement.

Back when I was just a sprog, just starting out - at Cornell, some people working at the request of Dwight D. Eisenhower took some special interest in me - and I had, if you'll forgive the awkward phrase "hot and cold running tutors."

And I worked my a*s off, did just the best I can -worked as hard as Johnny Depp worked - and with about the same level of attention.

A time came when one set of tutors were teaching me combat usages, while with another set under W. Flugge's direction has me slogging through Russell and Whitehead's Principia , and Godel's Proof . There was an exact, sharp analogy - a phrase I used, from the combat training - applied to the mathematical - logical -that fit then, and fit here.

" You cannot pull yourself out of your own a*shole. "

You can't even think about doing so. You have no tools that can do such a thing, and can't even define the task.

In combat, that's a phrase used when you argue that a patrol, pinned down, can't extricate itself and needs to be rescued.

That phrase clarifies a number of things in mathematical logic around Godel's Proof, too - and gives a sense of things that statistics, properly applied, can almost do that logic can't do at all. Hopeful things. Even magically beautiful things, if the statistics and logic are combined.

Chinese, Russians, North Koreans, Iraqis, and Americans, too are in somewhat similar situations - where they can't sort their problems out. And where even if they wanted to do better (as they often do) and knew in an abstract sense that doing better might be possible - they can't make the transition.

AEA was set up by me, with Casey kibbitzing, in response to discussions we had both had with Dwight D. Eisenhower, and as a continuation of efforts I'd worked on under Dwight and Milton Eisenhower's direction , partly to address these problems. There are times when you need planning - in great detail - applied to the level of assemblies - and then - at least at the level of simulation - or prototyping - you have to actually try the solution out - and then - when you have it working - make a transfer - step by step - to modify an system without killing it.

It takes more nodes than the US can muster - with the best will in the world (something that may be lacking sometimes, but is present sometimes) without some help from some independent actors - and Russia and China are the ones that would work by far the best with respect to the North Koreans.

The money required wouldn't be hard to find, so far as I can tell. The good will and honesty look harder. If they were present - a lot looks sortable, without anybody being more honest or noble than they are now. There's enough time - though not so much to spare.

_ _ _ _ _ _

I should be able to tell everyone anything they actually need to know, and do everything I actually have valid reason to do - without any reasonable violations of security laws - using procedures that are workable, honest, and not too expensive.

- - -

References to Gode's proof, and a related combat question:

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md0100

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