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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 - 09:16pm Sep 3, 2001 EST (#8395 of 8407)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

On September 25th, I had an all day "web meeting" with "beckq" that started with

MD266 rshowalt 9/25/00 7:32am ... MD267 rshowalt 9/25/00 7:33am
MD268 rshowalt 9/25/00 7:35am MD269 rshowalt 9/25/00 7:36am

and ended with this exchange:

MD301 beckq 9/25/00 5:03pm ... MD302 rshowalt 9/25/00 5:15pm
MD303 rshowalt 9/25/00 5:17pm . . . MD304 rshowalt 9/25/00 5:28pm

I felt then, and still feel, that those were interesting postings.

I assumed, at that time, that I was conversing with William Jefferson Clinton. But I have been told on this thread that that my presumption was incorrect.

Whether it was Clinton or not, beckq seemed both motivated and well informed.

I'd like to repeat the standing offer in MD304 rshowalt 9/25/00 5:28pm

rshowalter - 09:35pm Sep 3, 2001 EST (#8396 of 8407)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

The late Stephen Jay Kline , of Stanford University and the NAE, nominated as "the most distinguished theoretical and experimental fluid mechanician in the 20th century" by the Japanese Society of Mechanical Engineers, was my close friend and partner for many years. I believe that he made efforts to "bring me in" for a long time. He wrote a letter I'm proud of.

. http://www.wisc.edu/rshowalt/klinerec

I spoke at Steve's memorial service in Stanford Chapel -- http://www.wisc.edu/rshowalt/klineul .

rshowalter - 09:36pm Sep 3, 2001 EST (#8397 of 8407)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

It is surprisingly difficult to get things checked.

The world would be somewhat more comfortable, richer, and more comfortable, if it was somewhat easier.

lunarchick - 10:14pm Sep 3, 2001 EST (#8398 of 8407)
lunarchick@www.com

Lunar is back on line. The ISP changed the passwords, pulled the phones - that's a novel way to manage clients, (i thought they'd gone) but no! ... what wonderful ways the 'private sector' implement re the running of business. Begs the question re the public sector - if the private are this crazy - then how crazy can Government sector become? What if the Government/Private connection goes haywire?

lunarchick - 10:21pm Sep 3, 2001 EST (#8399 of 8407)
lunarchick@www.com

Interesting that the Aussie Government are hell bent on allowing a communications business (OPTUS) - that's the one that carries our military secrets to the USA and visaV - to be sold to Singapore.

Seems that all international calls are kept for 60 days ... anyone auditioning for drama school might see this as an audition source - a government paid, spying captive audience ... monitoring and listening to the words you speak! Combing the air for 'classified' words such as _________ and _______ and ________ .. so if anyone wants to ensure their auditions ARE heard then spinkle the conversation with all the bogus claptrap one can conjour! Anything to keep people in jobs when times are hard.

rshowalter - 10:31pm Sep 3, 2001 EST (#8400 of 8407)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

In order to fight the cold war, and "preserve" the United States cultural traditions on the surface -- come Government-private-business connections went very haywire indeed, starting in the 1950's.

And now things are a mess, and this is one that will take some care, so I hope the whole world is watching while we fix it.

The things Eisenhower warned about in his farewell adress have happened - - - and we have a situation that needs to be fixed.

What it takes, for starers, is "islands of technical fact" that can be established, for the entire world to see --- beyond politics ... or at least beyond political question for all but a few diehards -- obviously crazy to most domestic and foreign observers.

"Islands of technical fact" would be the start we need.

"A place to stand."

From there, things could be sorted out. It wouldn't be easy -- but it could be done.

If leaders in a few nation states wanted the checking needed, that checking would happen.

Without some force, this fraud could go on, not forever, but until the probable end of the world.

Missile defense, as this administration is proposing it, is not just 'a small mistake".

It is a mass of deceptions and corruptions -- which cannot stand the light of day -- and casts much light on how the "military industrial complex" has come to work.

Showing how bad it is, and how many ways it is bad, would go a long way toward dismantling the fictions that now endanger the world.

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