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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 - 08:26am Sep 10, 2002 EST (# 4253 of 4255)
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.

This week's WEEK IN REVIEW section, UNSEEN: A SPECIAL SECTION ON INTELLIGENCE
, was superb journalism and superb public service. It pushes the "state of the art"
and the resources of the TIMES just about as far as art and resources can reasonably go.
I'm deeply respectful and impressed. And also impressed at how limited, and weak, the effort will be,
for reasons of protocol and format - in an area where truth is "somehow too weak" and
needs to be stronger.

These are wonderful pieces. In the real world, with constraints as they are,
I'm hard pressed to see how any higher journalistic function could possibly be expected:

. Little Change in a System That Failed
By JAMES RISEN and DAVID JOHNSTON http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08RISE.html

. Learning to Spy With Allies
By DOUGLAS FRANTZ http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08FRAN.html

. Bin Laden's Guys Have Cloaks and Daggers, Too
By DEXTER FILKINS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08FILK.html

. The Imperial Presidency vs. the Imperial Judiciary
By LINDA GREENHOUSEhttp://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08GREE.html

. Eyes in the Sky, Ears to the Wall, and Still Wanting
By JAMES BAMFORD http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08BAMF.html

. Learning to Spy With Allies
By DOUGLAS FRANTZ

. Bin Laden's Guys Have Cloaks and Daggers, Too
By DEXTER FILKINS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08FILK.html

. Eyes in the Sky, Ears to the Wall, and Still Wanting
By JAMES BAMFORD http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08BAMF.html

. Spy History 101: America's Intelligence Quotient
By SAM ROBERTS http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/weekinreview/08ROBE.html

. Interactive Feature: Of hiding and seeking
javascript:pop_me_up2('/packages/khtml/2002/09/08/weekinreview/20020908_SECRETS_GRAPHIC.html','600_450','width=600,height=450,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes');

These pieces are superb. If they have biases, and idosyncracies, they are
clear - - and could be clearly questioned.

How influential will these pieces be? How widely and how thoroughly will they
be discussed? Will the points raised that should be taken to closure get to closure -
in the ways that the founding fathers envisioned and assumed?

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense