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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.

wrcooper - 11:44pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8441 of 8454)

Ichic:

Are you calling gisterme a liar? Why? Because he disagrees with you about the need for ballistic missile defense?

How would you feel if gisterme suddenly started denouncing you as a fraud and liar? On no more grounds than those you assert for making him out to be falsely representing his identity?

What if the tables were turned?

It would be rather silly, wouldn't it? You shouting at him that he's a fraud, and him shouting right back at you that you're a fraud. b gisterme denies he's connected with the Bush administration. Other than the fact some of his words parallel the position taken by the administration on missile defense, why does that mean he is in the administration.

Lots of people profess the Nicene creed. Does that mean they're priests or work in the Vatican City?

Why are you such a putz?

fredmoore - 11:45pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8442 of 8454)

Wrcooper ...

'I think we're wasting our money trying to buy a system that will never likely be able to accomplish its goal. It will start another arms race, this time between systems capable of defeating the interceptors and newer and improved generations of interceptors. Is that what we really want?'

Research into a Missile Defence Shield gives a pointed focus and a wide baseline to working with Superconductors and Lasers ... any MD breakthroughs will be secondary to the advent of new tools based on Lasers and Superconductors. The goal of National Defence can galvanise scientific thought in these areas in ways that ordinary stand-alone University research cannot.

One particular outcome of MD research I envisage is a successful Cold Fusion containment. In fact it may be necessary to solve the CF problem before an EFFECTIVE laser shield is commissioned

Cheers

lchic - 11:50pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8443 of 8454)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Isn't the point about American Foreign Policy, over the past fifty years, that, they've most often backed the team in power regardless of the democratic demands of people for change .... and that in part is because the USA has 'wanted to know who it's dealing with' ... a defunct regime has had more appeal than an emergent desire for change - into the modern era.

The jihad wackos ... are these a global randomism that seemingly have obtuse leadership ... the question is ... how to reign them in.

A UN approach to international order -- rather than a USA flag seems IMPORTANT!

~~~~~

Showalter seems to have retired from the board tonight .... said he was looking forward to visiting the Chicago Museum ....

'Oh to be a fly on the wall'

lchic - 11:54pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8444 of 8454)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

I must have made good points prior to

wrcooper - 11:44pm Jan 31, 2003 EST (# 8441 of 8443)

posting - thanks for the endorsement Cooper :)

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense