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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 - 03:51pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8846 of 8869)
lunarchick@www.com

Alex mentioned 'OIL' kindoms. Oil == Energy. Energy == Power. Power drives equipment. Equipment + Power within process help do. DOing creates wealth. A problem for the OIL kindoms was they gained income without DOing - the DOing was the task of the external oil companies.

Moving away from oil=power is giving the world economies chances to DO and WORK and continue.

Americans as a mass won't have to RUN out of their country today, won't have to live in refugee camps, won't have to seek a safehaven, won't have their language, culture, education, workskills stripped and life chances denied.

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Refugees who have to learn a new language, speak it with an accent, and have to start the work ladder from the bottom wrung, don't climb so high. When they speak with an accent there's a mistaken belief that their intelligence is limited, that they don't have the skills required for promotion they become the second class / underclass ... are frustrated and can't break through ...

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So while America weeps, it still has a right to feel lucky - on the global perspective.

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On inquiring of someone what they thought of the WTC matter yesterday ... the response was ... that they'd been through WAR.

The people wanted and were working for REFORMS.

America sided with the RIGHT.

Refugees flowed out of that country.

That country, that country, that ......

How many times has America sided with the Status Quo, rather than looked to the needs of the people within emerging nations - right around the globe?

This failure to SEE the people equates with the USA following the NAZI doctrines in its rotted central core ....

While the world watches America - yes, with empathy for the 'PEOPLE' marginalised, lost, and the feels the tears of children in The City of Orphans ..... America has to be aware that people elsewhere have suffered and suffered and suffered, have reached out to America, without THEM being SEEN nor HEARD. There are people in the world who've been DYING and are DYING ... who NEED alleviation from their suffering.

rshowalter - 03:54pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8847 of 8869)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Totally disproportinate threats, especially threats that are prohibitively expensive to use, don't help.

Which is one excellent reason, among several, why it makes sense to get rid of nuclear weapons.

By the way, terrorists often justify their actions, by saying "as long as the United States does not renounce first use of nuclear weapons, we can do anything."

A lot of people find that a pretty logical argument.

lunarchick - 03:59pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8848 of 8869)
lunarchick@www.com

TV's word was .... the American politicians and public won't want money wasted on the BwshShield ... rather, they want their money to be spent on conventional security.

How are Directors of Carlyle feeling today as the potential of anticipated military-technical-commissions slip away?

lunarchick - 04:05pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8849 of 8869)
lunarchick@www.com

American people have the 'don't rock the boat' attitude regarding unity of power within their country - this i found arises from their Civil War .. the Old_Timers of which were still around in 1913 pre Great War.

One problem with the 'don't rock the boat' concept is a failure by the American people to really LOOK at their government. A failure to audit, to check, to question.

Will the WTC_NY/Pentagon_DC events arouse their critical appraisal powers wrt the core and direction of their government?

rshowalter - 04:06pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8850 of 8869)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

that seems to me to be a fair question.

In a context.

The NUCLEAR THREAT INITIATIVE has a MISSION STATEMENT that I believe is beautiful : MD8426 rshowalter 9/4/01 11:11am

" “To strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. We will also work to build the trust, transparency, and security which are preconditions to the ultimate fulfillment of the Nonproliferation Treaty's goals and ambitions.”

This was written by people, like Sam Nunn, who have close connections to US policy.

Sensible people know the most basic things about what peace takes.

While we're dealing with terrorism, (and the linked issues of nuclear terror, whether delivery is by missile or rowboat) we need to remember what peace is going to take.

And work toward it, not classify it out of existence.

For reasons that have looked to me, too often, to be motivated for reasons that go against the reasonable interests of the United States of America.

rshowalter - 04:21pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8851 of 8869)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Can negotiated peace be done once - done right?

MD8075 lunarchick 8/23/01 9:57pm

Do it once do it right - relates to process. If all the truth's/facts aren't on the table, then doing it once, and doing it right won't happen.

MD8076 rshowalter 8/23/01 10:13pm

Terrorism has to be handled for peace to be possible -- it is one of the problems.

We need "win-win" solutions for most of the people in the world, or peace won't stick.

Those solutions are there to be found.

lunarchick - 04:25pm Sep 12, 2001 EST (#8852 of 8869)
lunarchick@www.com

GU thread re Chomsky

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