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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.

lchic - 08:19pm Feb 19, 2002 EST (#11639 of 11662)

The Roman Catholic Church (RC) is an institution. The problem with 'institutions' is that they lose track of the reason for their existence.

Superficially the Church has the mission to lessen the gap between the people and their perception of their god.

Institutions handle excessive budgets. There are always those who want their piece of the cake!

As with the American Government. The military complex was established in the early Fourties. The reason then was for America to be effective in war. The bombing of Pearl Harbour was the signal to enter the war. WWII ended. Later the cold war began. The military machinery kept running and does to this day ..... $$$$$$$$ ...

It's historically unique for a major power to keep on churning out excessive military product post war ... ususally investment would be resumed within the domestic structure of a country.

So why hasn't this happened in the USA.

Interesting how mAzzA found the comment re 1947 'off topic' ... when it had a MORAL and ETHICAL component .. with respect to the Nazi philosophy!

So what's stopped the American Government - Congress from cutting back on military spending and moving towards improved domestic flows.

It's almost as if there is a S H A D O W administration that if preventing the USA from resuming a normal economy devoted to National Economic Functioning.

rshow55 - 08:26pm Feb 19, 2002 EST (#11640 of 11662)

There is . . . and it was carefully built . . . but that was long ago, and it is now out of control.

. . . .

From almarst's reference:

"The role of the U.S. and British governments in protecting and employing Nazi and fascist mass murderers will also probably not be fully disclosed or incorporated into history books in our lifetimes."

I hope it is. They were major contributors, especially in the beginning, to the "shadow government."

But at the same time, the horrors of the gulag, are quite real, too. There are horrors enough to go around.

We need to build a better future.

Part of that is making sure that the real security needs of many or all peoples, definitely including the Americans, are well served -- better served than today.

really out.

lchic - 08:47pm Feb 19, 2002 EST (#11641 of 11662)

British Camp X-ray prisoners sue US government (Lycos News)

Two Brits captured in Afghanistan and held in Cuba have sued members of the Bush administration and the US military.

They have challenged the US President arguing they are entitled to the same legal rights as American detainee John Walker Lindh.

The families of Shafiq Rasul and Asif Iqbal both from Tipton in the West Midlands, say they are being unlawfully held "incommunicado."

The prisoners are being held indefinitely with 300 others at Camp X-ray.

Their families say British citizens should be treated with as much respect as Mr Lindh - who has been given a lawyer and a trial in a state court.

A lawyer for the British pair says the case "tests the power of the federal government and the President of the US to hold whomever he chooses simply because he does not like them."

He added: "We are asking that British citizens be treated with as much respect as Americans."

President Bush ordered detainees at Camp X-ray be held and not given protections as prisoners of war because he believes they are dangerous Taliban and al Qaida fighters.

But lawyers say the situation "violates the US Constitution's guarantee of due process, to which any foreign nationals are entitled".

They accuse Mr Bush, his defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and commanders running Camp X-ray of withholding the right to a lawyer from the prisoners.

Lawyers also fear representation will be denied Camp X-ray prisoners, even as they appear before a military tribunal with the power to carry out the death penalty.

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An Aussie is a prisoner there too - so far the Aussie Government have not stood-up for the guy. Seems as if Australia is the 51st US State.

Interestingly this week the Aussie PM has been challenged re his deliberate use of refugees as scapegoats in his recent election campaign. A note from an Aussie to a 'letters' page said

"You can get to the bottom of a 'thief', but, you can never get to the bottom of a 'liar'. "

Seems truth and lies are important to members of the general public!

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