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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

lunarchick - 03:49pm Apr 3, 2001 EST (#1947 of 1952)
lunarchick@www.com

A comment on the Serbian Legal system i heard "If it is as incompetent as the attempts to arrest the xPresident - it won't be very effective"

The Chinese have removed substantial sections of that 'plane' .... and the GuardianTalk have a well done China thread ... suggesting people are voting for China over 'Bush' who has 'lost it' re international popular opinion.

Putin has addressed the Nation. Last year a long list of goals - this year comment on the goals (MTV taken over by a State company); Putin talks like a CEO (manager of a big company); Says Russia has political stability (thanks to favourable world economic situation - but this year not looking good); wants Gov to come up with impulses for an emergency plan re ECONOMIC advances - taxation not easy to collect. State of the Union - no word there on Democracy/freedom of speech / or Human Rights. MTV no longer free, no longer able to ASK Putin key Questions !!! (commentator)

lunarchick - 03:50pm Apr 3, 2001 EST (#1948 of 1952)
lunarchick@www.com

Democracy /freedom of speech / Human Rights ....

lunarchick - 04:02pm Apr 3, 2001 EST (#1949 of 1952)
lunarchick@www.com

No freedom of Speech in Russia - gives an opportunity for a 'virtual' site to set-up as a mouth piece of free speech for them - then Russia will totally lack 'control' over content.

Why wouldn't Putin want to allow 'freedom of Speach' and move to Democracy ?

If there is an ability to talk and discuss this would enhance the economy where workers in modern management systems 'contribute' their ideas. If the place is still run an Stalin method, then, people will not feel free to offer input - for fear of punishment if an idea doesn't work out.

lunarchick - 04:04pm Apr 3, 2001 EST (#1950 of 1952)
lunarchick@www.com

Bush speech on the PLANE .. emergency landing ... " our approach is to prevent it to become an international incident "

" accident has potential of undermining China/USA relationship .. Crew should be returned home "

And Bush avoided questions and walks back into WHouse.

almarst-2001 - 04:49pm Apr 3, 2001 EST (#1951 of 1952)

lunarchick 4/3/01 4:02pm

Freedom of speach in Russia.

I am watching the NTV for a number of month and am impressed by the level of critical assesements of the Kremlin and wide spectrum and the depth of the Russian and international news they cover.

Unfortunatly and thanks to the US teaching, the last Eltzin election demonstrated the power of the mass media to promote those who pay most.

While it may not be a big problem in US due to the vast number and variety of interests of rich people, the situation in Russia is different. There the very small number of extreamly rich and powerfull olligarchs aquired the large portion of mass media and combined their forces to promote the only their candidate - the sick and corrupted Eltzin, to the detriment of the whole Russia.

Since there are no fully developed and legitimate competing business interests in Russia, it seems the Putin chosed the "least of evils" to ensure support from the media for his agenda he sees as a patriotic and legitimate one.

Very soon we will know how much the freedom of press did the Russia lose.

rshowalter - 05:03pm Apr 3, 2001 EST (#1952 of 1952)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I hope Putin does the right thing for his country, and for the world -- which is to favor the truth- right answers, reasonably checked -- in ways that work for Russia -- they don't necessarily have to appeal to us, if they work -- but Russia is too complicated to run on anything but feedback -- and the information used (in diverse and unpredictable ways) has to be reliable.

So I hope he's on the side of truth, in ways that matter for his system, the human beings in it, and the world. We'll see.

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