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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.

rshow55 - 09:12pm Aug 20, 2002 EST (# 3850 of 3866)

rshow55 8/20/02 8:03pm includes this:

But if I'm right, with the stakes as I describe them (subject to penalties) then I do have a duty to let people know, don't you agree?

Mazza, your mazza9 8/20/02 8:52pm doesn't disagree.

Do you want to disagree explicitly?

It does seem to me that trillion dollar errors ought to be avoided.

As for making peace, I'm working for it.

Mazza, I don't think you can find an example, that you can link, where I've tried to weaken the real military effectiveness of the United States. Can you?

If you think I have, and can cite examples, please do.

I'm working for happy endings. 3797 rshow55 8/18/02 10:38am

How a Story is Shaped http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/ducksoup/555/storyshape.html

I think happy endings are possible for all decent and truly patriotic Americans. And people of good will all over the world.

Really out. I'm thinking carefully, and want to take a little time.

Lchic , your postings are wonderful !

Journalists need to think about their duties (and their long term interests.)

lchic - 09:15pm Aug 20, 2002 EST (# 3851 of 3866)

Reviews of integrity management in the semi-independent Revenue Authorities in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda were initiated by Transparency International as part of the continuing programme to assist in fighting corruption.
http://www.transparency.org/working_papers/mwaller/uganda.html

[ thinking out loud ... does Transp look at the USA? ]

lchic - 09:19pm Aug 20, 2002 EST (# 3852 of 3866)

TI Integrity Awards

In 2000, TI launched an annual Integrity Awards programme to honour the bravery of individuals and organisations around the globe whose efforts are making a distinct difference in curbing corruption.

The programme's goal is to give greater recognition to the efforts of journalists, civil society activists, government and corporate whistleblowers who work to investigate and unmask corruption, often at great personal risk. The Integrity Awards also seek to encourage those whose example provides leadership in the global anti-corruption effort.

http://www.transparency.org/activities/awareness/a_raising_index.html#tiawards

lchic - 09:22pm Aug 20, 2002 EST (# 3853 of 3866)

Reporters suffer from "a crisis of identity from which no respectable journalist is immune," Woodruff said.

http://www-pps.aas.duke.edu/dpn/spring00/woodruff.html

[ ??? do they suffer from a crisis of identity or do they suffer from not having an inbuilt moral and ethical sense of self ? ]

almarst2002 - 09:29pm Aug 20, 2002 EST (# 3854 of 3866)

Before Sept. 11 the MD was suppose to guarantee the US the impunity to use its military against other nations. To deny the last available "poson pill".

That idea is doomed to fail. Due in the large extend to the deep contradiction between American declared "values" as understood by a general public and undeclared "interests" of a tiny shadowy group of a financial-military-political oligarchy mostly identified with one word - OIL. The spread of democracy and individual freedom coupled with a advance in individual-empowering tchnology will make such a "New World Order" way too costly.

I would argue that the ever more empowered individual was a main cause for ever shortened time-span of subsequent empires.

If the economy rules the World in Peace and War, the Al-Qaida is winning this one by a huge margin. And the margin is bound only to grow.

As I wrote here once a long time ago, the "fortress" Imperial America paralised by fear and hate of the wast unknown and foreign surrounding World will become a "city dweller" fearful of leaving his air-tight and secure building and sending the remote-controlled robots to eliminate all other forms of outside life - only to end-up dying of the "legionere" desease.

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