China and Russia seem to be convinced it will work...they are the ones b.itching about it the most. Why would they be b.itching if it was a waste of money?

You have to define what you mean by "not working." If a $5.00 relay malfunctions which is old technology, and that prevents the test from succeeding, you have not proved that missile defense technology doesn't work. About a month ago they tested the airborn laser. It worked. This stuff is for real. There is a reason why Clinton expanded the program after criticizing it during his first campaign. There is a reason why the Soviets went bankrupt trying to match it.

The idea that it won't work is based on non-technical types, who don't know their limitations, being awed by the possibility of it working. However, if you think about it, we are surrounded by technologies that might have seemed awesome before they were demonstrated.

Wow.. that sounds neat. Forsure it can hit alibaba going 45mph in is pickup truck while he drives a dirtynuke across the mex/us border. Right?


It's inevitable that we'll need one of these. Just hope the feds are spending our monies properly.

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan
The United Church of the Latter Day Tangential Tarts

Let's talk for a second about the costs of the social net of services that liberals have pushed through over the last 40 years...and how it dwarfs, by a significant margin, any paltry amount we may have been spending on missile testing...

The U.S.'s hidden debt for Medicare and Social Security is TEN TIMES THE AMOUNT OF ALL OTHER FEDERAL DEBT

bah. It kills me how you all are constantly talking about what better things we could be doing with our money without even realizing how the average American family's portion that they will owe for medicare and social security in coming years for current and boomer retirees is almost $500,000 per family.

An amount that makes me physically ill just thinking about it because it represents an amount that I can't make in ten years of work.

So, before y'all start ranting and raving about how the defense industry is taking food out of the mouths of children, why don't you spend an equal amount of time chastizing seniors and baby boomers who have voted themselves an unprecedented slew of social programs and benefits that require us to DOUBLE OUR CURRENT TAX RATES TO PAY FOR THEM WHEN THE BOOMERS START RETIRING.

Gah...anything defense related, and you people are whining about wasting taxpayer's dollars, but nary a word about the AARP and how they've sold our future generations down the river to subsidize their own retirements.

Read it and weep.

Catz

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

Hey Missmartypants with the social agenda, this the national missile defense system thread.


Go take yer housekeeping problems somewhere else and let the boys play with our missiles

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan
The United Church of the Latter Day Tangential Tarts

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan
The United Church of the Latter Day Tangential Tarts

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Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers December 04, 2004

Missile interceptor to be installed

In-Depth Coverage
By Janene Scully/Associate Editor

Countdown clocks ticking off minutes, hours and days will hit zero with this week's installation of the first missile-defense interceptor at Vandenberg Air Force Base. On a remote section of northern Vandenberg early Tuesday morning, crews expect to begin lowering the first missile-defense interceptor to its underground home. Rain or heavy wind could force the crews to postpone their work, officials warned.

The missile, and a second to be added this month, join six already in place in silos at Fort Greely, Alaska, for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense segment designed to shoot down limited, long-range missiles fired at the United States. "When they become operational at a later date, the interceptors will be integrated with radars and other sensors to an extensive command, control, battle-management and communication system ...," the Missile Defense Agency said in a written statement.

This week's work at Vandenberg culminates months of construction to ready silos, once used for unarmed Minuteman and Peacekeeper tests. Two additional facilities at Vandenberg have been modified and will serve dual-use silos to launch interceptors during operationally realistic flight tests and could be used for operational interceptors.

"We have worked on it for a very long time, and people have worked very hard on it for a very long time, and it is coming to fruition," said Richard Lehner, Missile Defense Agency spokesman. "And I think people are very pleased to be doing something to actively defend the country (against missile attack)." The military doesn't plan any ceremony to mark the arrival of the controversial system. Critics have charged that the system won't work and will spark a new global arms race.

"I must confess I was really surprised that they did not have a big ribbon-cutting ceremony back on Oct. 1," said John Pike, a military analyst with GlobalSecurity.org. "I would have thought there would have been an orgy of self-congratulation and that there would been have great rejoicing and dedication of the Ronald Reagan Memorial Peace Shield, and it didn't happen."

© Copyright 2004, Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers
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new toys

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"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan
The United Church of the Latter Day Tangential Tarts

..Being the naive Immigrant I am:

Exactly where is this money for Missile Defense coming from? Is this going to be on a separate Budget? Will this be part of the money allocated for the trip to Mars and the Moon? Or are we going put it on the AMERICAN EXPRESS "BLACK" CARD? You know..the one with "no limit"....

The money for the missle defense project is coming from the defense budget and has been for years.

I suppose we have Clinton to thank for this; ever since he armed north korea with that retarded treaty, we now have an excuse to fund missile defense. Opposition has all but dissolved compared to what it was like 4 or 5 years ago.