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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.

mazza9 - 01:30am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9060 of 9072)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

Fredmoore: You speak of jury trials and connecting the dots. In a perfect world truth would never be issue but the reality.

I was a forman on a murder trial. Five young men set out on a Saturday night in Dallas to mug someone. This was their intention. This was their action. The death, to them, was incidental. Indeed the reason the victim was shot was because he, (a Hispanic gentleman) cursed his attackers, (African American gentlemen). He cursed them, used the N word and was shot in cold blood. This information was derived from one of the gentlemen who was trying to mitigate his actions.

Our jury stood at 10 - 2 to convict. Just like the movie "12 angry Men" there was concern about the punishment but not the crime. "This poor 19 year old would be 52 before he could stand for parole. Couldn't we show some mercy", the two asked. I then read two statements from the trial record. One by our plantiff, where he explained how the shooter had walked back to the victim and placed two bullets in the victimns's head while the victim lay in the middle of the street battered by the mugging. The other statement was from the Grandson who had come to pick up his grandfather because Grandad had called for a pickup. He arrived in the area and experienced a sinking feeling in his heart when he saw the sheet draped body in the mmiddle of the road. When he asked the police who the victim was his worst fears were realized. Grandad had just come out of the Bronco Bowl and was too tight to drive. He had been accosted because he ahd a cell phone. I asked the two who sought a innocent verdict, "Who will reverse the verdict meted out on the street that night. Who will parole the grandson from a life without his Grandad?

Truth and Justice are never easy or perfect. We pursue these attributes as we should but don't fall into Robert's trap and think that "all we have to do is......" Nobody but the almighty has that ability. He'll judge at the appropriate time, we shold just try to follow his son's lead.

Besides this forum is about science and the topic is missile defense. Not DOTS! DOTS is a chewy candy that sticks in you teeth. My dentist doesn't recommeend DOTS.

fredmoore - 04:13am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9061 of 9072)

COUNTRIES LOW ON FREE SPEECH ARE HIGH ON PROTESTS.

There is a strong correlation between the number of peace protesters in each country and the suppression of free speech in each of those countries. If ordinary people feel they can voice an opinion in recognised media forums then they are less inclined to the kind of depression and rage which leads to on-street protests.

So called democratic countries like Australia and France with opportunistic governments who kill such forums under the pretext of national security need to know that the US which is under the greatest threat from terrorism chooses to keep such forums alive and in consequence has lower protests as a percentage of population than all other countries.

The game is up. In the name of world unity, government opportunistic free rides from public opinion by suppressing free speech must cease. It would be in the US's interest to pressure countries such as Australia and France to allow public forums in their media with a view to relieving tensions in public opinion that arise solely from lack of freedom of information and free interchanhge of ideas at a media level. Public media forums are necessary safety valves in modern legitimate democracies.

'Pretend' democracies can be every bit as dangerous to the fight against terrorism as Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. They are a danger to the war against terror and to world peace and therefore a danger for us all.

If the US can allow free public access to media in difficult times then there is no 'security' reason for its allies to deny it.

Mazza ... MD is infested with public opinion sucking vampires and just when you thought I was a sensible bona fide poster .....

Doh! You can't have seen that Quentin Tarantino film!

almarst2002 - 06:57am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9062 of 9072)

"Are you completely without relevant memory?"

How many dead bodies would make your memory "relevant"?

almarst2002 - 06:59am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9063 of 9072)

fredmoore - 04:13am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9061 of 9062) - "free speech"

Are you employed by a Fox News?

almarst2002 - 07:01am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9064 of 9072)

Some people exist in a different "dimensions"...

lchic - 07:28am Feb 18, 2003 EST (# 9065 of 9072)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Just put them on 'ignore' as they we

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