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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.

gisterme - 07:38pm Jul 27, 2003 EST (# 13166 of 13267)

Fred...

WRT Rob K's posts in general...

"...On the other hand the negativity in your posts is overwhelming and we all on this forum are wondering if you actually know how to take your own advice..."

I'll second that assertion.

fredmoore - 07:44pm Jul 27, 2003 EST (# 13167 of 13267)

Book him on a five-oh Danno!

gisterme - 09:50pm Jul 27, 2003 EST (# 13168 of 13267)

Woof!

wrcooper - 10:19pm Jul 27, 2003 EST (# 13169 of 13267)

Robert,

No offense, but I saw nothing of substance in your earlier posts. Only vague hints, wordy evasions and murky references. I f I had received such missives, my first inclination would have been to file them under Wandering Amok Crackpot--Keep Out (WACKO). Sorry. I don't want to be harsh and brutal about it, but what you wrote was absolutely off the wall. I'm not surprised you received no reply.

Why didn't you include any concrete description of your past activities, associations, etc.? The minimal information you provided me at our meeting? You can hardly expect anybody to take you seriously based on the prolix mess you just copied to the forum. It contained nothing of import or interest. It had all the earmarkings of a garden variety paranoiac's ramblings about his fears the gubments out to git 'im.

I feel for you , man, but you need to learn how to write shorter and to the point. If you want serious people to take you seriously, then you'd better make a case, backed up with facts and documents and a credible history. What you posted here today doesn't cut it, not be a long shot.

Sorry to break it to you.

fredmoore - 10:28am Jul 28, 2003 EST (# 13170 of 13267)

He's a Cooper, makes barrels, with hoops and coops

and lengths of timber shaped in loops

and when he sees prolixity

he demands the facts, documential history

but here's the point

when with Johnson he's anoint'

he barrels his foe

with familial floe.

But will it trap

our undaunted chap?

It might but I don't think so.

So let's have a drink to the star of the show

Mr Robert Showalter who will post and post

till the barrel's full of Rpork and the stars no longer Rglow.

FM2468

wrcooper - 02:12pm Jul 28, 2003 EST (# 13171 of 13267)

fredmoore posts his doggerel

By the metric barrelful.

On any subject he will rhyme,

Flaunt and brandish a verbal chime;

He’ll ring us out a satirical song

With a tingle & a tinkle & a ding-a-ling dong.

Alas, poor fredmoore is no poet

His arch amphigory does show it.

Ne’ertheless we do admire

His poetastering fire,

And hope he’ll keep it up, fredmoore,

The more to serve us, we implore.

fredmoore - 03:07pm Jul 28, 2003 EST (# 13172 of 13267)

Amphigory, doggerel, barrels and bricks

without a KAEP we're pulling our *****s

With an F.B.I. thrown in for good measure

we'll be driving laser printers around at our leisure.

No pollution, no smog and more power than ever

low cost and low weight, my God its so clever

and our fuels will last longer

till cold fusion gets stronger.

Ah, but meanwhile, back at the ranch

hydrogen economies make us all blanche

they'll go nowhere just to Europe and back

cost us a mozza, our paychecks attack

but nevermind some who have vision

experiment privately to make the decision.

So can we get out of our fossil fuel rut?

Stay tuned to this station the door is not shut.

(95 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense