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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 - 10:57am Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9175 of 9192)
lunarchick@www.com

Comparison made:

New York had 3 hours of terrorism.

Other people have lived with it year-in year-out .. half the world suffers under the war of terrorism.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/default.stm

lunarchick - 11:02am Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9176 of 9192)
lunarchick@www.com

A point made is the seeming alliance (in the MidEast terrorist mind) of Iraq_Palestine_Afghan situations ...

Note three open sores -
- shows failure to negotiate to closure
If these can't be closed then why fan the flmes higher and kill many innocent civillians.

lunarchick - 11:04am Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9177 of 9192)
lunarchick@www.com

The guys picked up are SAUDI ... additional again to the above triangle ... so is the logic of hitting Afghanistan made to fit?

lunarchick - 11:18am Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9178 of 9192)
lunarchick@www.com

Finally they've agreed the incursion represents a serious threat to all outdoors activity and have put up more than $120 million to try to eradicate it.

Just doing a mental comparison here.
The cost of trying to erradicate Fire Ants around the City is $120m.
The cost of putting Afghan refugees on a military boat, and sailing them towards Nauru - a matter not resolved - will have been a similar cost for one month ... with high ongoing costs.

Small countries have limited funds to deploy.

The USA also has 'limited funds' to deploy towards the Bwsh war. Has Bwsh thought about the costs involved; the value of the life on ONE individual; the cost of extracating from a war; the opportunity cost of doing something POSITIVE rather than NEGATIVE wrt Tragic Tuesday's dead.

It doesn't seem to be right that the President of Crawford should beat-up a war without the fullest discussions and debate in open forum ... UNITED NATIONS ????

lunarchick - 11:27am Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9179 of 9192)
lunarchick@www.com

Bombay : the black pages by Gregory Berglund

Berglund makes excellent Talking Point points ..

lunarchick - 11:40am Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9180 of 9192)
lunarchick@www.com

Fred Halliday - London School of Economics

..... The most stirring element of Professor Hallidays' thought-provoking lecture was the message that the fate of each nation lies in the hands of its people and leader. Middle Eastern states have a responsibility to mould their own destinies- primarily through accelerated investment in better quality education, liberation of women and wider economic/political liberalisation.

The problem lies in the low quality of present leadership (corrupt and consumer orientated ruling elites) and the worse quality of the opposing forces ranged against them (the Leninist/ revolutionary rhetoric of the early Sixties & Seventies having been replaced by the Islamicist propaganda of the previous and present decade.) Perhaps the Middle East more than anywhere else is guilty of falling into the trap of repetitive rhetoric. It must surely be time for the region to take its place in a more global political and diplomatic context whilst maintaining its cultural diversity and, in effect, re-take the reins of control from western hegemony.

http://www.caabu.org/press/articles/halliday_report.html

almarst-2001 - 03:35pm Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9181 of 9192)

SEC. OF DEFENSE DOES NOT RULE OUT NUKES AS LAST RESORT - http://www.drudgereport.com/flash19.htm Sun Sep 16 2001 14:03:41 ET

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld this morning refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons in America's coming battle with terrorists.

Appearing on ABC's THIS WEEK, Rumsfeld was asked if a possible tactical nuclear strike would be used.

"Can we rule out the use of nuclear weapons?" questioned ABC's Sam Donaldson.

RUMSFELD: You know, that subject--we have an amazing accomplishment that's been achieved on the part of human beings. We've had this unbelievably powerful weapon, nuclear weapons, since what 55 years now plus, and it's not been fired in anger since 1945. That's an amazing accomplishment. I think it reflects a sensitivity on the part of successive presidents that they ought to find as many other ways to deal with problems as is possible.

DONALDSON: I'll have to think about your answer. I don't think the answer was no.

almarst-2001 - 03:38pm Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9182 of 9192)

Cheney Says U.S. Gave Orders to Shoot Down Airliners - http://us.news2.yimg.com/f/42/31/7m/dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20010916/ts/attack_cheney_shoot_dc_2.html

almarst-2001 - 03:45pm Sep 16, 2001 EST (#9183 of 9192)

US public undaunted by deaths of innocents in anti-terror operation: polls - http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/article.html?s=asia/headlines/010917/world/afp/US_public_undaunted_by_deaths_of_innocents_in_anti-terror_operation__polls.html

This flies directly to the faces of the chearleaders of "humanitarian" bombing of Serbia.

One should only wonder if the next War Crimes Tribunal will call the American President to answer?

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