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.

lchic - 10:06am Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3325 of 3340)

There is a connection between Hunger and War. (Note how a moniker with a 4post posting history - is as familiar with these threads as say ..... George Johnson ... )

There is a connection between Hunger and War. Destruction of the economic infrastructure in war zones reduces incomes, interupts supplies of primary product, goods and services, and ... leads to famine and deaths!

Note the concern whereby a drill piece broke wrt the rescue of men trapped in a flooded mine. Here the auto-drill 'went for' the wall of a former flooded mine. Nine Homeland lives absorb the national interest. Contrast this with the millions suffering and dying in war zones - how much 'interest' do they generate?

So, a country that has difficulties with a small drilling hitch, thinks it has the right to point and fire NUKE missiles at other Nations - willyNilly - without regard for consequences.

lchic - 10:22am Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3326 of 3340)

David McCourt, RCN's chairman and CEO - come on down - meet Cooper!
wrcooper 7/27/02 12:28am

lchic - 01:24pm Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3327 of 3340)

http://www.economist.com/

rshow55 - 07:36pm Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3328 of 3340)

I've had a busy day. Somehow, my main computer was knocked down hard enough, 9 days ago, that it has stayed in the shop since. I think the technician was good, and wasted little time. To get the machine to function, my Windows had to be reloaded, and all my programs reloaded as well. So far as I know, no data of significance was lost. Time and trouble have had to be expended.

I've been making do with a laptop, and a much slower connection than I've been used to. That's slowed me down, and been hard on my eyes. Since I got the computer back yesterday, I've had to do a lot of nutsy-boltsy work. I haven't taken time to respond to cooper, mazza, et al as I'd wish to. I will do so.

I'll do some checking. On issues where I find I'm wrong, some apologizing. If that's necessary.

MD3206 rshowalt 7/21/02 7:32am

Detail and the Golden Rule http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@244.zVafax4sarZ.8@.eece621/0 .... starts with discussion of some issues of national security law, and discussions between me and the CIA.

Issues that aren't closed yet, but that are getting nearer to closure.

And yes, based on evidence and conversation, I think the U. S. government cares what people say on this thread.

I've made some progress, with some much appreciated help on this thread. Here is my central problem - which exists in a context.

"If I was free of security limitations - or had clear limitations, and that was in writing, or otherwise clearly checkable then I could interact with people in workable ways - for collaborations and business relationships that fit real needs, in real circumstances."

Given some context set out in MD2116 rshow55 5/9/02 9:34am , MD2770-2782 rshow55 6/29/02 7:59am and elsewhere, and remembering my own limitations of energy and courage, getting free of security limitations has been a problem for me.

Perhaps some other people might have had similar problems, and similar hesitations, under similar circumstances.

Back tomorrow.

lchic - 08:14pm Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3329 of 3340)

When 'the french' gifted 'the statue' to America - it was in the expectation that it too would become a democracy!

Were it one, then Showalter would be free to function, the constraints sorted. He has a lifetime's work to contribute, he wants to contribute, to take the USA towards insightful world leadership in areas that matter - those affecting 'people'.

Where there is war and conflict, hunger and famine follow. That's real adults, real children, real pain, suffering, starvation and deaths. It can be curbed.

Real people would be happier and have 'real lives', active, productive, fulfilling lives to look forward to and plan. Not the graveyard!

lchic - 08:51pm Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3330 of 3340)

"" People ..... would decide that I was a human male; very few would think that I was female polar bear. .....

Science utterly fails to address the problem of source impedance in obtaining information, concentrating on precision and repeatability - which may create an illusion of accuracy - to give its results. As information about reality becomes more and more difficult to obtain, the source impedance of that information distorts our view of what is actually occurring in the phenomena that are being measured. http://www.hal-pc.org/~rcanup/errors.html

wondered if above was 'a thought' for MD issues

lchic - 09:34pm Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3331 of 3340)

What would Occam have had to say about 'MD and the threat to the earth were he here today - Accidents inevitable?'

^{http://home.xnet.com/~blatura/skep_1.html#1.6
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~dld/Occam.html}

lchic - 09:56pm Jul 27, 2002 EST (#3332 of 3340)

Bush is testing
^{http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/story/0,7369,764631,00.html}

"" It culminated last month in the disclosure by the White House that a 'pre-emptive strike policy' - including first use of nuclear weapons

(8 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense