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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?

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rshow55 - 10:00am Nov 12, 2002 EST (# 5654 of 5671)
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.

Thank God, things are "a little bit more complicated thant that" here.

Complicated enough to admit of some solutions.

Some excellent solutions this time - if we're willing to do the work to accomodate distrust in humanly practical ways.

Absolute power may corrupt absolutely - but the US does not have absolute power - and a lot of Americans - including George Bush and his advisors - actually know it. For all they sometimes bluster.

almarst2002 - 10:04am Nov 12, 2002 EST (# 5655 of 5671)

A very good site - http://www.accuracy.org/

rshow55 - 10:10am Nov 12, 2002 EST (# 5656 of 5671)
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.

I'll look.

Iraq Parliament Rejects U.N. Call, Leaving Decision to Hussein By NEIL MacFARQUHAR http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/international/12CND-IRAQ.html

"The vote came after foreign ministers of the Arab League, meeting in Cairo on Sunday, said accepting the inspections was the best way to avoid yet another war in the region.

"It also followed a recommendation by Mr. Hussein's son, Odai, an influential figure in Iraq, for acceptance of the resolution, but with the condition that inspection teams have Arab members.

"In Washington, the White House today dismissed the rejection as mere "political theater" and said it awaited Baghdad's official response.

Theater can be important - and the actions of Parliament look important to me - they tell the world that Saddam does have some significantly solid support - the idea that the Iraqi nation will defect to United States forces in the event of war is a dangerous myth.

All the same, I hope Odai's recommendation is the one followed - with everything possible done to make the inspections work in the reasonable interest of the Iraqi people.

That could, and should, be in Saddam's interest, too. And the world's interest. Including Russia's interests. And the interests of the United States, as well.

rshow55 - 10:16am Nov 12, 2002 EST (# 5657 of 5671)
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.

almarst2002 11/12/02 10:04am - - it does look like a very good site.

Almarst , Lchic and I did a lot of talking about problems with press distortion - much connected to a book titled "News and the Culture of Lying."

For a lot of things, we need to find ways to lie less - - and to check, to clean things up - when it matters enough. It's a matter of life and death.

Here's a good poem about something that has gone on too long, too widely - that has degraded discourse all over the world.

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense