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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 - 04:49pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8419 of 8426)
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.

If Iraq Balks, Blair Expects U.N. to Approve Military Action By JOEL BRINKLEY http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/31/international/31CND_IRAQ.html

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 — Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, speaking just ahead of his meeting with President Bush this afternoon, indicated that he expected the United Nations to authorize military action if Iraq is still judged to be uncooperative when weapons inspectors report again to the Security Council on Feb. 14.

But we should look for ways to make it possible - in human terms for the Iraqis to cooperate - as the human beings they are. The process of trying to do that, with international cooperation - is just the process needed to justify military action if indeed it does turn out to be justified.

I don't think anybody has to trust the Iraqis unreasonably. They aren't suicidal. Deterrance is part of the mix - as it has to be between any pair of nation states - something Kissinger has been very clear about.

rshow55 - 04:58pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8420 of 8426)
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.

A question was asked about my (lack of) credentials.

I was given an enormously concentrated, careful, expensive education by the government - and access to essentially everything I asked for that could possibly be useful to me as I tried to solve the "Robert Showalter problems" I was given. A lot better education, I'll wager, than a Rhodes Scholar gets.

I was "contained" because it was clear that I had such an unusual, and necessarily deniable background that I'd never have a conventional set of credentials. Essentially everything I did, for a long time, was classified. I thought, given the stakes, that that was reasonable. I've kept my promises as best I could - and as well, I think, as anyone could have done.

The deal was that I'd keep my promises, and the government would use the things I'd been asked to work so hard to get.

I've done my damndest to keep my side of the bargain - and if people started to check - that would become clear.

Checking on a great deal else is necessary, as well. We're in a mess where, if anybody with rank objects, nothing can be checked. That's dangerous - and, much too often, a denial of hope for the world.

We should fix it. I stand by what I've been saying, for a long time - that you can see if you click "rshow55" in the upper left hand corner of my postings.

Since the US government has had some troubles accomodating me - they ought to consider the possibility that they may have inflexibilities - including inflexibilities that they themselves don't understand -that need to be better handled - in the United States' own interest - and the interest of the rest of the world.

rshow55 - 05:14pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8421 of 8426)
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.

We need to make peace with Islam, as well - including the people now committed to radical forms of Islam.

That should be possible - has to be possible.

I think that if people with some connections and rank would talk to me - I could be of substantial help. There are limits to what one can do - even on such a superb soapbox as this thread provides - without some face to face contact.

For example - there are things I can't communicate to gisterme and people in the Bush administration - so it can possibly work -without someone talking to me face to face. Last November, I sent a postcard that included a request. I'd like to repeat the request. But more than that - there are patterns of checking to closure that do take enough resources to get up to the standard that everybody expects in jury trials - where the standard is "here, look for yourself" - and a lot of evidence is organized to be part of that persuasion.

A big problem involves repression - in every political, organizational, and psychological sense.

When gisterme reacts with contempt to this poem - I know there's a problem.

Adults need secrets, lies, and fictions

To live within their contradictions.

That's something that four year olds should be taught. Something that adults should assume. If they did - we could solve a lot of problems that are insoluble now. But not without resources.

To avert billion dollar losses in war - it can reasonably take millions. I work hard - lunarchick works hard - but there are limits to what can be done unless there are enough resources to take some key things to closure.

Also, closure has to be permitted. Not forbidden by convention, as now.

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