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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.

mazza9 - 02:55pm Aug 24, 2002 EST (# 3966 of 3973)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

lchic

Barnard also spoke of effective and efficient in the management process. So what? You are neither effective or efficient since you will not converse. You'd rather pontificate and obfuscate.

Robert how many meaningless posts have you made re MISSILE DEFENSE? We all know that you've wandered far afield but you appear to be the self appointed archivist and can do the count.

LouMazza

bennieray - 04:29pm Aug 24, 2002 EST (# 3967 of 3973)

the forum leader asks- Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible? no it is not necessary. what is necessary is to take care of our human planet. half the world lives in poverty and yet we have leaders who are mouthpieces of the military industry to create this absurdity. there should be a revolution and overthrow these misleaders who insist on draining our wealth and nuclearizing outer space while our fellows around the globe are suffering in unprecedented numbers.

"Come ye masters of wars

ye who build the big guns

you that build the death planes You that build all the bombs

you that hide behind walls

you that hide behind desks

I just want you to know I can see through your masks.

You that never done nothin

But build to destroy

You play with my world

Like it's your little toy

You put a gun in my hand

And you hide from my eyes

And you turn and run farther

When the fast bullets fly.

How much do I know

To talk out of turn

You might say I'm young

You might say I'm unlearned

But there's one thing I know

Though I'm younger than you

Even Jesus would never

Forgive what you do...

excerpts from Bob Dylan's Masters of War

rshow55 - 06:37pm Aug 24, 2002 EST (# 3968 of 3973)
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.

Lou Mazza, it seems to me that I have every right, for a while, to ignore your direct questions. Lchic does, too. We've interacted with you a long time.

The power to muddle is the power to destroy -- and sometimes it seems to me that Mazza's against closure in all its forms. There's been plenty about missile defense on this thread, including many points Mazza has deflected and ignored from MD 84 rshow55 3/2/02 11:52am and the postings of MD1075-76 rshow55 4/4/02 1:20pm Many times, when I've raised technical issues, Mazza's ignored me.

I'll try to respond to every reasonable, technically sensible thing Mazza says about missile defense -- as I have often done, with a good deal of effort, for a long time past. I don't feel the need to respond to every comment Mazza makes. And I don't think I need to appreciate his emotional needs all the time - or exactly when he asks. Nor does lchic. Just now, I'm concentrating on other things.

Lchic and I are trying to take a particular line of argument to closure. For some background, click "rshow55". I think that Lchic's postings summarizing Deming are a fine contribution lchic 8/24/02 2:30pm . . . Deming's points - widely respected, can reasonably be applied to our "missile defense" efforts, as well. But I'm using reading as an example just now.

rshow55 - 06:38pm Aug 24, 2002 EST (# 3969 of 3973)
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.

Reading instruction is important. People care, and have to. I've watched a lot of reading instruction - often it is an agony, and ordeal, for everybody involved - and especially for the students who struggle with it the most - and often, it seems to me, try most desperately. People in the schools are clear that reading matters, and try hard. They feel strongly. The highest possible stakes are involved in the future of children.

No one has to deny the efforts expended. The fact remains that there is a major "quality" failure -- with major reading problems for 4 out of 10 children - and reading progress usually THE biggest rate controlling factor in education for most other students - all through school and, very often, thoughout their adult lives. Many are deeply scarred - whole lives are blighted. There are also stunning correllations between illiteracy and crime.

. Mayor Bloomberg's Test: Teaching the Teachers How to Teach Reading by BRENT STAPLES http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/23/opinion/23FRI4.html

gives a vivid human sense of the stakes, and makes practical suggestions.

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