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.

rshow55 - 09:30am Jul 12, 2003 EST (# 12974 of 12977)
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.

How many career intelligence professionals could stand up to gisterme - who goes out of his way to be a bully - and how many professionals of that kind have achieved and maintained high rank? Is Bush so very different from gisterme? Or different at all?

Similar points have been discussed on this thread for some time. For instance, there's been a lot of discussion of Osprey - and sometimes I've even thought it might have been influential discussion. It started with my commented on statements of General James L. Jones - then Commandant of the Marine Corps, now commander of NATO.

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md00100s/md978_981.htm

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md00100s/md982_984.htm

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md00100s/md985_986.htm

Gen. James L. Jones "disputed the claim of some critics that he and his service have become so enamored of the Osprey that they are blind to its vulnerabilities.

- ``I would resist with all my moral fiber the idea that we would willingly or knowingly try to bring aboard a program -- the V-22 or anything else -- that we've so fallen in love with that we would put people at risk,'' he said. ``We just simply wouldn't do that, and I don't think we've done that.''

- If the Osprey is deemed unsafe, ``I will guarantee you that I will have no reservations whatsoever in recommending a different course''

I expressed concerns. I also wrote General Jones, c/o a Marine Corps web site, sent him a copy of a Kipling poem Soldier an' Sailor Too http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?13@@.ee79f4e/1702 and said why I was doing it.

( I like many of Kipling's poems : http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.DBbwbH2Zpof.845292@.f28e622/3983

(3 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense