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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.

wrcooper - 10:53am Jul 24, 2003 EST (# 13125 of 13267)

In re: http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.Z9exbJU7wf8.2132290@.f28e622/14796

gisterme

Do I suppose Bob's a masochist?

No.

I think Bob's actually a nice guy--and if he's accurate in some of what he told me about his past, he's probably a pretty smart guy, too--who's confused about things. He believes that he's been handed a raw deal by a group of shady people and their successors in government who hired him to do defense work in his earlier days. He believes there's an on-going...dare I say, conspiracy?...to keep him lowly and under wraps.

Now, I'm no psychiatrist, but I'd have to say..in my unprofessional opinion...that Bob exhibits what I'd suspect were symptoms of delusionality and paranoia. But, of course, if they're really out to get you, then it's not paranoia. And I have no way of knowing if he's really involved in some sort of long-standing squabble with the goverment in which he has a legitimate beef. When I met him, he struck me, on the surface, as a pretty normal guy. Smart, articulate, a serious mien, direct eye contact. His wife was a nice lady. Everybody smiled...somewhat. I didn't see any smoke coming out of his ears; he was dressed cleanly and neatly. No obvious signs of mental disturbance. So...I think either there's some truth in what he says, or else he's a poor old soul who's gone round the bend slightly. But I have no doubt of his sincerity.

Anyway, I think he wants to do something worthy with his life and feels trapped or blocked. I think he's projected his inner demons onto nefarious forces outside him, imaging vast conspiracies in the dark heart of Washington, DC. Do I think he was hired to do mathematical work on fluid dynamics when he was a youth? Probably. I have no reason to think otherwise. But I think he's probably overblown his own importance in the grand scheme of things, and he's constructed an elaborate fantasy to explain the slow progress and misfortunes of his career.

All in all, I liked Bob on my short meeting with him. As always, I wish him well. I did apologize to him and his wife for the little cruel joke I played on him by posting the parody message in which I pretended to be George Johnson. I had gotten tired and somewhat pissed off at being told I was lying about my identity--I had denied being Johnson numerous times, and yet he kept on saying I was--and so I struck back by making mean sport of it. Just that one time, though. I hope he pulls through all this and doesn't have too many regrets once he realizes that he's been pursuing a will-o'-the-wisp in believing he's been hobnobbing around in this forum with powerful, influential people. Sad, really, don't you think?

Anyway, carry on.

fredmoore - 10:56am Jul 24, 2003 EST (# 13126 of 13267)

The ball's been dropped

I pick it up

and run like hell for the goal

of missile defence and connecting the dots

to shattering symmetries with no knots

So here is the thing to halt missile rains

we need a KAEP, a plan for our pains

make everyone the 'man' to have fruit for his toil

not just a jive, not just for those dipped in oil

so let's raise a toast

and this is no boast

KAEP puts the ball past the post.

gisterme - 06:27pm Jul 24, 2003 EST (# 13127 of 13267)

bbbuck - 01:37am Jul 24, 2003 EST (# 13123 of ...) http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?16@13.Z9exbJU7wf8.2132290@.f28e622/14802

"...[You owe me 2 cents]..."

Brilliant, bbbuck! :-) You got it! If our paths ever cross I'll buy you dinner. Only problem is, how would we know if our paths were crossing? They might have crossed already for all I know.

almarst2002 - 09:14pm Jul 24, 2003 EST (# 13128 of 13267)

How Many Iraqis Have We Killed? http://www.nationinstitute.org/tomdispatch/index.mhtml?pid=842

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