New York Times on the Web Forums Science

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?

rshowalter - 12:57pm Apr 6, 2001 EST (#2055 of 2057)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

A , I looked at http://www.fair.org/ for a minute. Not enough to see as much as I'd have liked. But enough to see that there is feedback there - and it often isn't enough to change things that should probably be changed.

The reason I suggested rshowalter 4/6/01 6:50am is that you need an institutional pattern for feedback that is at the complexity and level of the stories themselves -- as a continuous source of corrective signalling. And with the internet, it would be easy to do.

Our press would be much purified if such a feedback existed -- up close and personal -- a story at at time. Orgnizations like FAIR -- though admirable in many other ways, can't provide that --- and they can be, and are, marginalized. Their truth is "somehow, too weak" much too often.

almarst-2001 4/6/01 10:35am contains a very important comment, that I'm repeating now:

" On free press:

" In my view, the Putin faces a very tough chalange. The socio-economic situation in Russia is on a verge of catastrophy. It is extreamly importand at such a time to improve a public sentiment and offer some hope for the better future to provide an incentive for productivity and investment in Russia. The press can play a very critical role in shaping the public sentiment. Objectively, the free press should present the very bleak picture of the current situation which, in turn, will make it even worst. On the other hand, there is no way back to the Goverment controlled press which will not be trusted and viewed as a pure propaganda tool. It is unlikely the Russian Government will master the influencing of the mass media as successfully as it is done in a West. It will be one of the very difficalt task the Putin will have to face.

When you say

" Objectively, the free press should present the very bleak picture of the current situation which, in turn, will make it even worse."

I disagree. The govenment, to a very large extent, but not wholly, sets the agenda. The truth would be the most hopeful thing you could tell the Russian people, so long as they were clear that "secular redemptive solutions" were going to have to be possible -- that the situation was just too complicated for retributive justice -- and that people were going to have to face the past, forgive themselves and each other enough to work for the future, and find RUSSIAN ways to make complex cooperation, from where they are.

rshowalter - 12:58pm Apr 6, 2001 EST (#2056 of 2057)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I think if you told Russians the truth -- you'd be serving Russia very well.

Here are suggestions that I think might be quite practical, for Putin himself, and for other Russians.

I wouldn't be surprised if, in his business, he's killed somebody -- maybe because it seemed necessary, maybe sometimes even by mistake. Who would be surprised? So admit it, at least in general, give a reasonable context, and explain that you're doing the best you can, everything considered. Almost everybody will understand --- few will be scandalized.

I wouldn't be surprised if, at some time in his life, he's done something selfish -- something he'd like to hide -- well so has everybody else. What is he doing, now and how does his conduct measure up everything considered?

Could it be that even Putin himself might have been less than perfect in his moral relations? If he were not prudish about that, perhaps the Russian people wouldnt' be either.

What I say of Putin could be said of other leaders as well. I'm not saying morals don't matter. Or that anger or blame may be inappropriate. But it is weights that have to be considered in a leader --life is too complicated to do anything else.

Americans don't know this, but they should know it. Russians should know it, too.

rshowalter - 01:00pm Apr 6, 2001 EST (#2057 of 2057)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

It is important that Russia, as a nation, stop lying so much, and find ways to set up complex cooperations, and feedbacks, that are truthful enough, and smooth enough, so that the nation can work well for itself and other nations.

Truth is your only hope -- because anything else in a system that must be run by feedback - with the feedbacks too complicated to predict, is just too dangerous.

If you are careful, and do the job well, the truth "warts and all" will work for you.

EVERYBODY in Russia is, to some real extent, ashamed of your past. You all have to find ways to get over that. Lying isn't the answer. Truth, and acknowledgement of what is needed to go forward, is the answer.

Your country needs Secular Redemption, and needs to find ways to get so that it can function, so it can get past "chain breakers" http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?13@@.ee7ec3f/119

The three poems set out in rshowalter "Science News Poetry" 2/14/01 9:09am all apply directly.

Russian needs a self-correcting, basically free press - or at least one subject to truth. By the way, it would be perfectly possible, if you implemented the "commment on the internet" convention for stories, for Russian government officials to comment, specifically, when coverage was "not constructive" -- maybe in this way, it could become more constructive, in Russia's interest, yet in an honest way.

The whole world, seeing that, would be impressed, and would want to deal with Putin, and Russia, and want to help it into workable cooperative relations.

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense