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.

wrcooper - 12:40am Oct 15, 2003 EST (# 15045 of 15067)

In re: http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.UsrvbnVpODi.2598785@.f28e622/16754

Of course! I agree with you completely. I've had many enjoyable moments as a forum participant, and I have, actually, no and then, learned something valuable. However, I am addicted. I do admit it. I've wanted to bug out many times in the past and managed to stay away for a time, and then found myself creeping back. Just like quitting smoking and starting up again. First, just pausing in front of the cigarette rack and looking. Lurking a little, reading the odd post. Then taking a drag off a friend's smoke in an unguarded moment. Posting a one-line message in a forum where nobody knows you. Buying a pack, guiltily and sitting on it, unopened for a few days. Reading as many posts as one used when one was posting in a frenzy. Finally, lighting up and smoking that first cigarette. Writing a long post in a familiar forum and waiting, checking back every few minutes, for the first response. "wrcooper's back! Hey, Will, where've you been?" A deep sigh of relief. Sitting down the next day and smoking the whole pack. Writing ten posts and getting right back into the fray, breathing deeply, sucking in the glorious white haze.

Oh, yes, pleasurable, yes, entertainment, yes, yes, yes, and an addiction, yesssssss.

But I'm making progress. And if suddenly you notice, it's been awhile since you've seen my login name. You're wondering, "Where is he?" Think this: "Maybe he's made it. Maybe he's really beaten it. Go, Will, go!" Yes, by God, I may be in some library somewhere, my laptop lit and the first two or three chapters of a fine manuscript already etched in photons and stored in digital memory. I'll think of you all and hope that you, too, will someday break free. I'll be waiting for you...over there. We'll drink a glass of Scotch and reminisce about the bad old days. "Hi, I'm Will," I'll say. "I'm an addict." "Hi, Will," you'll say. It'll be fun. Entertaining, too.

gisterme - 12:42am Oct 15, 2003 EST (# 15046 of 15067)

Will -

"Now, dear fellow, I have to be honest with you..."

I'll thank you to always do that.

"...You disappoint me. You made a great show of putting rshow55 on your "Ignore Posts list," and now I see you trading barbs with him and lchic and cantabb ..."

Ahh, Will, you're so right. Call it a weak moment. :-)

"...I thought you had learned your lesson and had sworn off that evil brew. Alas, poor gisterme . "

Alas indeed. Actually I don't really read much of rshow's, lchic's or cantabb's stuff. So there's not really that much time wasted...but sometimes...uughh...I just can't resist. :-)

"...We have, you may have noticed, actually started discussing missile defense again, and I hoped, rather, that you'd join in..."

I'd been away for awhile, Will, and being some 700+ posts behind, I'm just getting around to noticing that. I almost didn't see it because it had already been swept away by other "stuff", rshow, cantabb and lchic mostly. Good thing I noticed an on topic post while I was looking back to answer something else. Otherwise, except for your mention, I would have missed it completely.

"...Is there any hope you'll bring your eloquence and analytical verve to the real substance of this forum?..."

I'll be absolutely delighted if I can contriubute some of those things. I'm still trying to catch up some. A lot's just going to get skipped. I'll bet the world will continue anyway. :-) Can you give me a link where the MD "on topic" stuff began? I'd really appreciate that...it might prevent a lot of "skim boredom".

How was the hiking in the White Mountains?

gisterme - 12:59am Oct 15, 2003 EST (# 15047 of 15067)

"...Oh, yes, pleasurable, yes, entertainment, yes, yes, yes, and an addiction, yesssssss...."

You're absolutely right, Will. At least this hasn't yet been shown to cause lung cancer. :-)

"...And if suddenly you notice, it's been awhile since you've seen my login name. You're wondering, "Where is he?" Think this: "Maybe he's made it. Maybe he's really beaten it. Go, Will, go!" Yes, by God, I may be in some library somewhere, my laptop lit and the first two or three chapters of a fine manuscript already etched in photons and stored in digital memory. I'll think of you all and hope that you, too, will someday break free. I'll be waiting for you...over there. We'll drink a glass of Scotch and reminisce about the bad old days. "Hi, I'm Will," I'll say. "I'm an addict." "Hi, Will," you'll say. It'll be fun. Entertaining, too..."

That's brilliant! :-)

And when we think "maybe he made it" we'll ask ourselves..."Gee...'wonder what he does for fun now?".

Maybe we need to start a support group. ;-]

bluestar23 - 01:09am Oct 15, 2003 EST (# 15048 of 15067)

It's important not to downplay the sheer entertainment value of Showalter and his "World Asset.." it clogs up the thread something fierce, but...

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense