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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 - 01:40pm Feb 27, 2003 EST (# 9325 of 9340)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

WRCooper

I respect your right to choose the venue and method of discussion you prefer. I agree with your observations re Robert. I am mystified that the NY Times continues to allow him to hijack and terrorize the members of this forum, with his running dog lchic. But cum se cum saw!

Hi Ho!

gisterme - 03:04pm Feb 27, 2003 EST (# 9326 of 9340)

lchic - 07:30am Feb 27, 2003 EST (# 9318 of ...) <a href="/webin/WebX?14@28.breoazby4Gc.341887@.f28e622/10852">lchic 2/27/03 7:30am</a>

"...Isn't this exactly proving Showalter's point ... people like to be liked within a social grouping..."

What person doesn't like to be liked under any circumstances, regarless of "social grouping"? That's just a feature of human nature. It's the feature of human nature that provides the overall human bias toward good rather than evil. It provides the context that makes application of the Golden Rule possible. Good people will like us and treat us well if we treat them the way that we'd like to be treated.

I can only feel pity for those whose basis of opinion about the motiviations of social behavior is reduced to "all action must somehow be self serving ". After all, how could one believe that unless it were the basis of their own motivation? Dedication to self service is a morally bankrupt position. That's a point that's been proven, not just by Showalter, but by the whole of human history.

"...The BIG question being ... when do they work for the group ... and when do they stand-up for truth?..."

What group would that be, lchic? The Truth is objective reality eventhough it is not fully known to any person or "group". It transcends all social and political boundaries. That brings to mind that what Jesus once said of the Spirit applies equally well to the Truth (and I paraphrase). "The Spirit is like the wind in the trees. You can't see it directly or tell just where it comes from or goes; but you can see that it's blowing the leaves." Therefore a lot about the Spirit (and the Truth) can be learned by carefully observing the activity of the "leaves".

This also brings to mind a bit of folk wisdom from Will Rogers, a wonderful, down-to-earth observer of "leaves" (again I paraphrase): "Even when you're on the right track, if you just sit there, sooner or later you'll be run over.".

That simple observation would certainly seem to apply to all sorts of historical dogma including the philosopical, politcal and religious. That's because dogma is static, a human proclamation of absolute truth; but the revelation of Truth is an ongoing dynamic process. Dogma is soon blown away just like a dead leaf.

So to answer your BIG question, lchic, to whomever sincerely and fervenly seeks the Truth, it will gradually be revealed, if only in part. The acquistion of truthful knowledge is always building on what has already been learned but never claiming there is not more to be found. The fruit of such effort is never self-serving but rather manifests itself as service toward the good of all.

gisterme - 03:32pm Feb 27, 2003 EST (# 9327 of 9340)

Will -

I hope you'll reconsider your decision to stop participating in this forum just because the topics have evolved away from "Missile Defense". You're about the only reasonable and rational opponent to MD that's posted here lately, and after all, BMD is a topic that there's not much more to say about once it's already been said.

You and Lou and I have have learned an important lesson (again I paraphrase Jesus): "Cast not thy pearls before swine lest they trample them under foot and turn again and rend you".

IMHO that's something good that's come to us all from this forum.

I move that you stick around for a while, Will. Your comments and opinions are welcome so far as I'm concerned. Would anybody second that motion?

lchic - 04:01pm Feb 27, 2003 EST (# 9328 of 9340)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Gisterme ... let's use this phrase 'Good people will like us and treat us well if we treat them the way that we'd like to be treated.'

This way .... 'The Good people of Iraq will like us and treat us well if we treat them the way that we'd like to be treated.'

The Good people don't like to be UNDER falling BOMBS.

(12 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense