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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.

lchic - 02:24pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4381 of 4409)

MiddleEast in the making "" As the most powerful leader in the Islamic world, the conqueror of Constantinople, and a great general, Mehmet's personal position was unassailable.... Opposing Mehmet meant opposing the Sword of Islam. http://www.humanities.ualberta.ca/ottoman/rulers.htm

wrcooper - 02:29pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4382 of 4409)

People who wish to discuss missile defense issues may wish to place rshow55 and lchic on their "Ignore Posts list." Go to "Preferences " and enter their handles into your "Ignore Posts list."

It's easier than scrolling.

lchic - 02:33pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4383 of 4409)

Rumsfeld heckled at Congress meeting

""As I listened to those comments, it struck me what a wonderful thing free speech is," Mr Rumsfeld observed

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,794460,00.html

More Free Speech for the USA ?!

lchic - 03:39pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4384 of 4409)

Think-think http://faculty.washington.edu/wcalvin/bk8/img/levels.jpg

bbbuck - 03:48pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4385 of 4409)
Bring back Hampton Stevens - What is wrong with expressing your opinion outside the office?

What would we do without l(ooney)chic?

to wrcooper:
yes they spent billions on the CIA and have nothing to show for it. (Well unless you call installing and proping up puppet governments something).
It's doubtful any research money or current program will help us stop an idiot from nuking us.
But it gives them something to talk about instead of the failures of our 'espionage' agencies.

rshow55 - 04:52pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4386 of 4409)
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.

Well, maybe they do some things.

My email has been closed off, pretty often. Was open a while - then closed - but it is unusable, but to some degree viewable. An email from FAIR was in the trash - and I hadn't trashed it.

No wonder I've felt isolated for a while.

Not happy about that. People who care about civil liberties ought to be concerned.

wrcooper - 05:42pm Sep 18, 2002 EST (# 4387 of 4409)

bbbuck 9/18/02 3:48pm

They're spending a lot of our tax dollars on the BMD program. That money could be better spent elsewhere. This mammouth undertaking is not just a make-busy diversion.

We should certainly be developing laser technology, and the BMD research might produce spin-offs that would be valuable. However, why not put the money into laser reserch without weaponizing the program? Let's develop powerful pulsed exemer lasers for launching lightcraft or for other peaceful purposes. But let's not kid ourselves that such devices would deter a determined foe from delivering--one way or another--a weapon of mass destruction to the US homeland.

The events of 9/11/2001 showed us that determined enemies can inflict great pain on us for little investment. The BMD program ignores that lesson.

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