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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 - 12:55am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9244 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

Talibhan - pre Tragic Tuesday

lunarchick - 12:59am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9245 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

Up Yours ! GU Thread

lunarchick - 01:23am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9246 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

! -- long-shot

lunarchick - 01:44am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9247 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

.. why justice on individuals makes most sense .. Roll Call

lunarchick - 02:36am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9248 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

Pakistan: http://www.dawn.com/2001/09/17/

lunarchick - 02:37am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9249 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

edithwild1a "Science News Poetry" 9/16/01 11:10pm

rshowalter - 09:11am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9250 of 9261)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Very important pieces:

Of Human Missiles by WILLIAM SAFIRE http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/opinion/17SAFI.html

A Look in the Mirror By BOB HERBERT http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/opinion/17HERB.html

New York Notes: 8 Million Survivors, in Need of Affection by GAIL COLLINS http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/opinion/17MON3.html

As we consider these things, there's no reason why we can't listen to almarst's concerns, and the concerns of many people, all over the world. Indeed, it is practical that we do so. Nothing wrong with our mourning, nothing wrong with our feeling unity, nothing wrong with noticing all the wonderful things about the American community.

We need to make it better. Safire makes the point that we must make contact, at the level of minds, and hearts, and common interests, with a large number of moslems, a majority of moslems -- all over the world. Not because it is "the right thing to do" in any abstract sense, though one might say that too. But because, for decency and safety, and even survival, we need to do so.

Thomas Friedman was on MNBC last night, and I was impressed with what he said. The terrorists, as he said, were destroyers. The terrorists, as he said, are evil. The terrorists, as he said, aren't clear what they can reasonably do that is positive. The terrorists are, in many, many ways, ugly . I agree with all of that.

We need to be clear about how they are ugly, and how ugly they are - - in ways that they , and people who support them, can understand.

We need to be clear about how they are evil, and how evil they are - - in ways that they , and the people who support them, can understand.

lunarchick - 09:12am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9251 of 9261)
lunarchick@www.com

2,500,000 : 5000
2500 : 5
500 : 1
An elsewhere place : NY
Other : NY
No one noticed : The world stood still
Congo : NY

rshowalter - 09:15am Sep 17, 2001 EST (#9252 of 9261)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

We need to do this, talking to people, millions of people, who have positive aesthetic and intellectual responses to these terrorists, and who hate the United States.

To make them see how ugly their assumptions are - how ugly the consequences of their assumptions are - - we're going to have to understand their assumptions, in ways that they can listen to.

That means that we will have to be willing to discuss some of our own assumptions, too.

Wars, and cold wars, and all kinds of military struggles have a logic of their own -- and it is a logic that goes to extermination, or utter, complete domination.

Casey knew that. He also knew when pushing that logic all the way was operationally impossible, and morally repugnant.

He knew we needed end games, and that, for the Cold War, we didn't have them. I may not be as smart or successful as a lot of other people, but I have thought, and thought a good deal, about end games, at Casey's suggestion, and on the basis of concerns he had, delivered to me in detail.

We need workable end games for the Cold War, and for our struggle with terrorists, too.

There are very practical reasons to want to avoid cycles of horror and reprisal without end.

People who hate us are too many to kill. Far too many for us to totally dominate. And it would be unbearably ugly for us to try to do so.

Do we have to fight? Sure.

But we have to fight in a way where fighting can decently end.

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