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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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lunarchick - 12:20am Dec 12, 2002 EST (# 6540 of 6543)

" During the 90s .... Saddam chose to build palaces and placate his synchophants with amusement parks and perks "

reads like Michaei Jackson's diary

lunarchick - 05:58am Dec 12, 2002 EST (# 6541 of 6543)

On BUSH - Phillip ADAMS
(The Weekend Australian 1Dec2002) says

The regime has all it’s ducks in a row.

Mid-term mandate

President’s men control :

White House
Congress
Supreme Court
Court - ominous
Compliant media

internet free speech

Adams says ‘nonetheless those ducks in a row will, in due course, transform into chickens – if not vultures -- coming home to roost.

Adams notes that Lieven London Books Review says the
Aim of the planned war in Iraq is to Remove Saddam
Create a ramshackle coalition of ethnic groups /warlords
Subservient to USA

Bush ascendency due to :

Jeb
Fudged election
Big Oil (funded campaign & want reward of c Iraq oil field)
Stacked supreme court
And effective backing from Osma Bin Laden Al Qi’ada promoted Bush
From problematic to a Man-with-a-mission
Question re oil price hike

Greater share of the cake for Republican and corporate upper echelons

The poor will get ‘dramatically’ poorer

Cuts in welfare

The new American DARK AGES

Wars on Drugs & Terror use budget

Prison building equals University Building budget

Barbarity of death penalty in firm place

Abortion – driven back to the dark alley

Whitehouse/Christian coalition will eliminate sex education

Book bans & burning

Darwin evolution theory disallowed

Civil liberties further eroded

Racial & religious differences intensified and manipulated

No – to alternative Energy

American Jews encouraged to become Republicans

“ Fundamentalist Christians in the US back Israel wrt The 2nd Coming while Israelis still wait for the 1st coming”

Bin Laden (if alive) will watch US’s huge Muslin body count

“ Behold the vortex of violence and hatred and mutual incomprehension that will give us ............ Armageddon in slow motion “

Phil says “forgive my optimism, I’ve tried to spare you the worst case scenario”

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rshow55 - 06:58am Dec 12, 2002 EST (# 6542 of 6543)
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.

lunarchick 12/12/02 5:58am ...

"Adams says ‘nonetheless those ducks in a row will, in due course, transform into chickens – if not vultures -- coming home to roost."

But there are sensible people - some in the United States - and there's some hope for that reason. (At any point in time - you can easily set out predictions of disaster that are plausible - though Adams' are too plausible for my comfort.)

Suppose one sets aside consideration of all sensible people in the United States - or dismisses them as corrupt. (Just for an argument.)

If leaders and sensible people from other nations could ask questions and, using power they actually have insist on true answers and decent accomodations - - things could go much better.

Some things need to be reframed, and there is plenty to fear if it doesn't happen. But work by people like Adams means that questions are being asked. Some of them need to be asked forcefully.

And from the right direction. Commondata suggests that I make a CD disk of this thread, edited for only specifically missile defense issues - and send it to everyone in the House of Commons. If a single member of the House of Commons wrote me (a letter I could show) suggesting that - I could get the job done (it would take money, for secretarial services, to do it right.) If someone in power, using their own name asked for my involvement - then I could be effectively involved - could fund the involvement - and have some decent chance that the output I produced would be attended to.

Any of a thousand people, if they really wanted, could assist in an exactly similar way - if they asked - - and were prepared to use their names.

It hasn't happened. Perhaps I'm just offering an arbitrary example - but I'd like to be this specific - - if Adams, or people at the New York Times - or other intellectuals who are deeply concerned, or any celebrity on Joey Berlin's short list, wanted to actually effect decisions - they'd have to do more than talk - there would have to be at least some action - at the level of personal risk - to get things sorted out. Especially action to get questions of fact set out - in ways that would work in a court of law - to closure. (The internet would be good for that -given just a bit of organization.)

To point with alarm and say:

" Behold the vortex of violence and hatred and mutual incomprehension that will give us ............ Armageddon in slow motion “

For paltry costs in money and personal risk - we could do much better than that.

But somehow it takes usages that are "just not done."

I'd be happier if people thought a while longer about "what it is to be a human being" - and faced up to how often their cherished social usages classify otherwise easy solutions out of existence.

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