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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?

gisterme - 02:29am Sep 25, 2001 EST (#9845 of 9849)

rshowalter wrote( rshowalter 9/24/01 4:59pm ):

"...Perhaps, after some more bloodshed, which can now be expected, and some escalation of percieved risk, people might try looking hard at the kind of truth that takes some staffing, some digging, and some discussion..."

No doubt, Robert. And how many more innocent Amricans will be slaughtered while that's going on? Ten thousand this time? Get a grip, Robert.

"...I think the approach, or one like it, could go a long way towards solving some key problems, discussed on this thread and elsewhere."

I think the approach that these animals have brought upon themselves will solve a lot more problems much more quickly and decisively than yours, Robert. It may make them do their worst while they can, but I have a sense that their time isn't long.

'Shame you can't figure out how to get a job out of all this, Robert. After all, there seems to be even less interest in this MD lillypad than before, if that's possible.

Feeling a bit OBE, Robert? :-)

gisterme - 02:56am Sep 25, 2001 EST (#9846 of 9849)

rshowalter wrote( rshowalter 9/24/01 4:59pm ):

"...Compacency is still strong, and the idea that key issues can actually be checked is too unacceptable..."

What a load coming from the king of checker-talker but not checker-doer. :-)

First of all, what makes you think "key issues" are not "checked"? Just what do you mean by "checked"? Please fill me in. Checked by whom...you?

You're trying to weave your false illusion as usual, Robert, making statements that refer to a presumption of guilt. That's clever but not very honest. The other problem with the approach is that only about 1% of the truly mentally challenged population of the US is dumb enough to buy that stuff.

The US people must be much different than wherever it is that you are from, Robert. If you knew them, you wouldn't expect them to pay any attention to the kind of silly stuff you write. Americans have a gift for simplicity and practicality of solutions. They have common sense, Robert. That's your worst enemy and, oh well, those folks have come, seen, heard and left. Got better things to do no doubt.

Were it not for a couple of old fahrts like myself and dirac, this forum would be the central and principal black-hole of boredom in the World Wide Web Universe. :-)

rshowalter - 09:59am Sep 25, 2001 EST (#9847 of 9849)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Gisterme , it must be a very satisfying, exciting, proud, busy time for you. Some things are going right - and I'm glad of that.

All the same, I think you might be missing some things.

For instance, suppose this war on terrorism, that you barely thought about two weeks ago, but now seems so all consuming, goes exactly as you hope?

What happens next?

With your busy schedule, and all your responsibilities, I appreciate your staying up so late, to write this board, and write it so eloquently, too, no matter what you said.

I happened to look about an hour after wrote it, and went back to bed. Thought I'd sleep on it, and read the paper in the morning. Did the sleeping, but not all the reading yet. Interesting news day.

Friedman's piece this morning is a fine one. He talks about a failure of our collective imagination. Perhaps my imagination has failed me, and you have it all straight. In every way that matters.

But perhaps, seeing that fewer than 100 guys have been able to throw the country into this much of an emotional change, we ought to worry that our imaginations might still be missing some things that could matter.

I stand by everything I've said, just now. But wonder, aside from the defamatory tone or your response, how much actual inconsistency there is between what I'm saying (about a small proposal, after all, involving hundreds of thousands, or millions, not your tens of billions) and the worthwhile things you're doing?

Even if everything you're doing is right and worthwhile.

rshowalter - 10:28am Sep 25, 2001 EST (#9848 of 9849)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Terrorism Game Theory By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/25/opinion/25FRIE.html

rshowalter - 12:37pm Sep 25, 2001 EST (#9849 of 9849)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I've been making a working assumption, and Dawn Riley has as well, that almarst had good contacts, perhaps very close contacts, with Putin's staff. Counting postings, and looking at context, I believe it reasonable that gisterme and others have made similar assumptions. Whether the assumptions are exactly true, at the level of ideas, there are analogies that would be almost as useful as contacts, for some purposes.

Missile defense is one issue, a very important issue, among a number in Russian - American relations.

If my assumptions are correct, and I believe that they are at least reasonable, it seems to me that one can argue that this board has done good service to the interests of the United States of America.

And been of some help to Russia, as well.

Putin Calls for 'Ideological and Political Isolation' of Terrorists by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Attacks-Germany-Russia.html

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