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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?

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rshow55 - 07:14pm Aug 26, 2003 EST (# 13428 of 13430)
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.

Jorian319 has a point - and though I often agree with you, Almarst , and even though Jorian319 may miss your points - it might be better if you see some of his. The collective interest is important - and people often miss it. But individual hard work and concerted effort are important, too.

That doesn't devalue much that you say.

But Americans do get a lot of good things done - and many earn their life style. Neither ignorance nor laziness brought that about. Nor is exploitation much of the explanation, either.

Rage has its uses - but it is only so useful. Hard work matters.

Almarst , you sometimes make the point that hard work, to pay off, has to occur in a framework of ideas and human institutions that permit the work to pay off. That's important, but not the whole story.

There are some problems that require collective decisions - and I've been involved with problems like that. Everything Eisenhower wanted me to do - the "Robert Showalter" problems - were like that.

The technical jobs weren't insurmountable (for example, the optimal design jobs done at AEA were straightforward) but every one of them required, and continues to require - some help from a nation state http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.iUK1bmZ8Bov.0@.f28e622/14942

The solar energy project set out (with some responses to comments by you and gisterme ) is an example of just that situation. And getting that project implemented would be worth more to the US national security than anything that can possibly happen in Iraq.

13039 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.iUK1bmZ8Bov.0@.f28e622/14716

13040 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.iUK1bmZ8Bov.0@.f28e622/14717

13041 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.iUK1bmZ8Bov.0@.f28e622/14718

13042 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.iUK1bmZ8Bov.0@.f28e622/14719

Large scale jobs of that kind have an important role to play. I've been preoccupied by such things.

But almarst , you've been functioning, in large part, as a Russian stand-in - and most of the problems that Russia has, and has had for a long time - involve inadequacies in areas where the "rugged individualism" of Americans works well.

Rage isn't enough for you to adress the problems that you need to - as much as I admire a great deal that you say.

fredmoore - 06:01am Aug 27, 2003 EST (# 13429 of 13430)

Lou,

Nice joke. You really told that to your class?

In keeping with the maxim "always return a joke told", I offer the following:

Rshow the butler was summoned by the Lord of the Manor (aka you know who).

"Rshow, the Vicar is coming for tea, would you go down to the village and buy a bottle of whisky, a box of cigars, and two ounces of snuff"

It was a long walk to the village and when halfway back, Rshow realised that he had forgotten the snuff, It was too far to walk back to the village so he decided to improvise. He found three dog turds and crushed then into a powder. When he returned to the manor, the Master checked the purchases.

"Do you smell dog turds Rshow?"

"No my Lord, I can't say that I do."

Then the Vicar arrived. and immediately got stuck into the scotch.

"Can you smell dog turd Vicar?", asked the Lord.

"Can't say I can, old chap", replied the Vicar, "but then, I do happen to have a heavy cold."

"In that case have some snuff", said the Lord.

The Vicar reached out and took a sniff up each nostril.

"By Jove!", said the Vicar, "You do get the best snuff. That's cleared my head completely ..... I can smell the dog sh$t now."