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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?

rshowalter - 11:32pm Aug 20, 2001 EST (#7945 of 7969)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I hope Russians, Americans, and others enjoy the beautiful and wonderful links from Dawn Riley's MD7544 lunarchick 7/28/01 5:18pm

rshowalter - 11:34pm Aug 20, 2001 EST (#7946 of 7969)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

There's a problem with long and complex -- and another problem with short.
MD7562 rshowalter 7/29/01 4:48am

Sometimes the truth is "somehow, too weak" ... MD4528 rshowalter 6/5/01 9:48pm
... but it can gain strength, with effort, and that is becoming much more true, because the internet can so much strengthen the power of one. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sdc/tank-1.jpg

Ideas, when they are checked for consistency and hold up, again and again, have a power of their own. And people are persuaded, and come to act to together.

People backed only by military power and lies can find themselves, after a time "somehow, too weak" themselves.

lunarchick - 06:33am Aug 21, 2001 EST (#7947 of 7969)
lunarchick@www.com

... the guillotine was only abolished in France by Mitterrand's undemocratic, personal decree, against the popular wishes of the vast majority of the French population, which was still in favor of capital punishment (Flying into turbulance/Peter Martin)

This is why people need leadership. It takes them out of the 'past' into the present and new futures. People generally might advocate the death penalty .. yet cases are more complex. The high percentage of poor who end up in USA prisons could be a reflection on the fact that the poor have the hardest struggle and least support. Children of working mothers (night shift) are left to their own devices. People live in ghetto neighbourhoods. The kids have educational deficits. Some have behavioural problems. It takes a whole village to raise a child.

On Putin - problems re regional governors. Martin didn't expand here re the layers of government .. and the lower layers failing to implement reforms.

With respect to the death penalty, Russia is inline with the EU.

America is behind and out of step with the modern world.

lunarchick - 07:20am Aug 21, 2001 EST (#7948 of 7969)
lunarchick@www.com

Change. How to change an organisation? Small question, big problem. Does it start with funding allocations. Does it start with political redefinement of Vision. Where does it start?

Change is a factor integral to business strategic decision shaping.

Here change may be influenced by competitors, market demand, innovation.

In a service industry - military complex - the managers through the lines will be familiar with 'change' and implementing small changes.

The big shakeout has to come from top down relating to new definitions of function.

The role of the modern forces in the modern world isn't so much about annhialation, rather - negotiated peace. How can the 'service' industry be used to assist world peace processes ?

bilbobaggins0 - 07:21am Aug 21, 2001 EST (#7949 of 7969)
Bush is NOT my president.

Bush's "missile defense" program is another ruse by the repugs to enrich fat cat defense contractors, on a system of which we have no need, and an agenda that will further destabilize the world militarily.

Bush is a unilateralist, and a nitwit, a dangerous combination.

lunarchick - 07:23am Aug 21, 2001 EST (#7950 of 7969)
lunarchick@www.com

Then military purpose and usage does need review!

rshowalter - 09:05am Aug 21, 2001 EST (#7951 of 7969)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

For such reviews, correct information is crucial.

And our current frameworks are not conducive to correct information, when somebody in power objects. When deceptions go on enough, and NOTHING can be checked -- an enormous amount of hope is denied, and enormous risks come in.

That's a point I've been making, with Dawn, again and again on this thread. A point much related to points made in a NYT editorial today.

Reviving a Misconceived Secrecy Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/21/opinion/21TUE2.html

Journalists do take care:
http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee7b085/193

And TRUTH is important -- sloppiness is dangerous -- a point I tried to make clearly, referring to a "culture of deception", in MD380 rshowalt 10/5/00 5:54pm

After decades of deception, at a time when the Cold War should have been over long since, determination of FACTS - on which people can base action -- is the only reasonable hope.

If many more people felt morally forced to determine the truth, on matters on which consequential action depends, we'd all be much safer.

Things need to be CHECKED, when the consequences of the information count enough so that the checking is justified.

When it counts enough, neither people nor sources should be trusted unconditionally -- we live along continuums of trust and distrust.

But things CAN be checked to closure. On matters of huge import, such as missile defense, and related military balances, they need to be.

lunarchick - 02:47pm Aug 21, 2001 EST (#7952 of 7969)
lunarchick@www.com

tibet1959 "Chinese Politics" 8/20/01 12:21pm Powell-China

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