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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 - 09:49am Jun 17, 2003 EST (# 12565 of 12573)
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.

She posted this poem on the Guardian, titled "Wrapping our future in betterment" http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee9cff9/2379 and I appreciated it a lot.

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Poisoning minds can be a problem - and it is in the economic and cultural interest of the TIMES to stand for cleansing minds - for right answers - for fairness - for a common culture that works - morally and practically and aestheticially. That's what most people buy the paper for and spend time on the paper for.

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Fairness is an important issue - and often a complicated one. I think it is important that people get what they deserve - and that can raise complicated issues. The objective truth often has to be considered.

These posts from Nov 2001 are incomplete - but I think interesting, and involve high stakes for me, for the TIMES, and for the culture.

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md00100s/md510.htm http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md00100s/md511.htm

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md00100s/md511.htm includes this:

kalter.rauch - 05:47am Nov 20, 2000 EST (#511 of 525) Earth vs <^> <^> <^>

Rshowalt

From: Give the public what they want, dept.

No, I'm sorry I am completely unaware of your ordeal under the media gauntlet. What did the Times have to "check out"...whether or not you were some bum begging quarters so you could go use the dripping public terminal down at the bus depot to spam your "wisdom" the world over ?!?!?

Yah, well, I know yer type ye leaky old gaffer...and ye better stay in yer nasty burrow under the bridge when I come round wif Steel Reserve in me belly, and Steel Martins on my toes......

I'm guessing that kalter.rauch is a NYT employee - and believe that employee is George Johnson. The TIMES management must know for sure - or could easily find out.

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8557 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.34iPbLUYgLf.1230379@.f28e622/10084

12541 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.34iPbLUYgLf.1230379@.f28e622/14196">rshow55 6/14/03 11:03pm</a>

I'm not an assassin - like "Bourne" - - nor a "lost genius" like "Will" - - I've been working, with focus and discipline, doing the best I can to serve my society and fit into it . . .

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Fairness is an important issue - and often a complicated one. I think it is important that people get what they deserve - and that can raise complicated issues. Sometimes there are both praise and blame - both payment and penalty - to be reasonably considered. The objective truth often has to be known if any of that is to make sense. That's expected of The New York Times.

This piece has great stuff on the importance of fairness:

Brain Experts Now Follow the Money By SANDRA BLAKESLEE http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/17/science/17NEUR.html

People are efficient, rational beings who tirelessly act in their own self-interest. They make financial decisions based on reason, not emotion. And naturally, most save money for that proverbial rainy day.

Right?

Well, no.

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We need solutions to problems that are fair - and that's not an unreasonable dream. It is very practical.

lchic - 10:06am Jun 17, 2003 EST (# 12566 of 12573)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Tell this guy - david.fickling@guardian.co.uk - he wrote it "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,978593,00.html

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