>> ^Drachen_Jager:

Toys like this are the biggest problem the US military faces. It's easy for people in congress to push crap like this through for billions of dollars while their campaign supporters rake in the bucks. It's so much harder to scam taxpayers for billions every year when you're actually expected to deliver a product! That's why armoured humvees and soldier training take a back seat to stuff like this that will probably never be used on a battlefield.



I think that there is much merit in the points you made.

However, I submit that the weapons utility may indeed see field application. Tank mounted eventually perhaps, but base protection from airborne assault more likely sooner. Moreover, within the Phalanx role protecting ships as a replacement to present projectile hardware or as adjunct resource.

This is corollary development to the airborne missile defense technology that is being tested as well.

Energy weaponry has tbeen a dream of more than the sci-fi crowd for how long. It is inevitable is it not?

>> ^Drachen_Jager:

...the United States NEEDS this kind of trickery ...

This is not a United States weapon, it's Russian.



^I love this propaganda from Russia Today calling it a "missile defense system". I don't see it intercepting any missiles in the demonstration.
I'm comforted though that they will only sell this to reliable end-users.

>> ^EndAll:
I at least contributed more than an "Exactly." and offered my opinions and perspective in a respectable manner, while you go the route of mocking me with snarky sarcasm and evade any real response to what I said.


Because I don't generally see any point in debating empty rhetoric with anything other than snark. Otherwise I'd be on LGF all day trying to convince people that Obama isn't a secret muslim, and Soros doesn't control the media.

This flourish of "the worlds wealthiest and most powerful people" is either misinformed, or just empty rhetoric. It's so easy to be willfully ignorant of actual achievements people make when you already hate them.

Here's a few things Obama has done thus far, that I'm not sure how they benefit the "most powerful":

• $19billion for electronic medical records
• Stopped the anti-missile defense plan in Poland
• The Obama administration and Russia announced plans to begin talks on a new START treaty to reduce nuclear arsenals to approximately 1,500.
• Signed an executive order to close CIA secret prisons.
• Signed an executive order to ban torture and subject all interrogations to Army Field Manual Standards that conform to the Geneva Conventions.
• $2,500.00 tax credit for college students
• $2billion for advanced car battery R&D
• $2 billion for Byrne Grants, which funds anti-gang and anti-gun task forces.
• Public Land Management Act of 2009 has put under federal protection more than two million acres of wilderness, thousands of miles of river and a host of national trails and parks. The conservation effort - the largest in the last 15 years - came with the stroke of a pen
• Obama's meetings with Turkish and Armenian officials, Turkey and Armenia announced plans to normalize relations.
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended Gaza aid conference, pledging $900 million in aid in order to "foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized."


There's more, but it apparently doesn't matter to a lot of people. Unless he's ended both invasions/occupations of Afgh/Iraq, personally kidnapped and murdered those responsible for the economic clusterfuck, landed Bush/Cheney in the Hague for war crimes, and given everyone a beautiful pony, he hasn't done shit!

A brief list I came across to jog your memory:
3/18/8 – Obama caught world-wide attention for his moving speech on race relations 7/24/8 - Obama lays the foundation for a new era of international relations and began inspiring renewed hope in American leadership during his campaign speech in Berlin 11/6/8 – Obama’s victory was hailed as a promise of hope for the world. 12/1/8 – Obama began plans to restore U.N. ambassador to cabinet rank. 1/22/9 - Appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East peace 1/22/9 – Ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay 1/22/9 – Ordered comprehensive review of detention policies 1/22/9 – Prohibited use of torture 1/22/9 - Signed an executive order to close CIA secret prisons 1/23/9 – Lifted “Global Gag Rule” on international health groups 1/26/9 – Began to address climate change by increasing fuel standards for automobiles 1/26/9 – Appointed Special Envoy for Climate Change 1/27/9 - Signs Lily Ledbetter “Fair Pay” Act 2/1/9 – Expanded healthcare for children by signing SCHIP 2/5/9 - Again addressed energy conservation by increasing standards for appliances. 2/24/9 – Directed almost $1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America’s health 2/25/9 - Initiated international efforts to reduce mercury emissions worldwide 2/27/9 – Committed to responsibly ending the war in Iraq 4/1/9 – Agreed to negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia. 4/1/9 – Enhanced U.S. – China relations 4/2/9 - Led global response to the economic crisis through the G20, obtaining commitments of $1.1 trillion to safeguard the world’s most vulnerable economies 4/4/9 - Renewed dialog with NATO and other key allies 4/5/9 – Announced new strategy to responsible address international nuclear proliferation 4/13/9 – Began easing tension with Cuba through new policy stance 4/17/9 - Secured $5 billion in aid commitments "to bolster Pakistan's economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism" 4/22/9 - Developed the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. 5/8/9 – Proposed International Affaires budget that included funds to create a civilian response corps -- teams of civilian experts in rule of law, policing, transitional governance, economics, engineering, and other areas critical to helping rebuild war-torn societies; Provide $40 million for a "stabilization bridge fund," which would provide rapid response funds for the State Department to help stabilize a crisis situation. 6/4/9 - Gave historic address to the Muslim World in Cairo - "American is not at war with Islam" Foreign affairs experts insist that Obama's engagement with the Muslim world has been remarkable. "He has been able to dramatically change America's image in that region" 8/4/9 - Used DIPLOMACY to free 2 American journalists from a North Korea prison 9/18/9 - De-escalation of nuclear tension through repurposing of missile defense prompting Russia to withdraw its missile plan.

This doesn't even address the recent nuclear de-escalation of Iran (they have revealed a heartofore hidden nuclear facility, and agreed to sell their weapons-grade nuclear material to Russia) due to DIPLOMACY. Neither does it address his wise actions in the Somali pirate situation, saving american lives.

The public option itself won't receive direct taxpayer funding.

So then why does every proposed bill in congress to date require 700+ billion in additional taxes? I hate arguments that ignore basic, fundamental logic and common sense and try to hide behind weasel-speak and (Wilson!) lies. "Public option won't receive direct taxpayer funding." Yeah - right. There may not be a pile of money labeled "Direct Taxpayer Funding For Public Health Insurance" but you and I both know quite well that the public funding of insurance is going to be subsidized by taxes.

This is why Wilson called Obama a liar. Obama also hides truth behind weasel-speak, mumbo-jumbo, and flat out BS.

CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF OBAMA LIES.

Today Obama CUT missle defense in Europe, essentially turning his back on Poland & the Czechs. Now - I don't have a problem with less money going to government. But how did Obama describe his CUTS in defense?

To put it simply, our new missile defense architecture in Europe will provide stronger, smarter, and swifter defenses of American forces and America's allies. It is more comprehensive than the previous program; it deploys capabilities that are proven and cost-effective; and it sustains and builds upon our commitment to protect the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats; and it ensures and enhances the protection of all our NATO allies.

In a word... BULL! He CUT the program, and his speech is all weasel-speak puffery about how it's stronger, bigger, and protects all our allies. How is it more comprehensive? What proven technology is it using? How does it stop long range missiles? HOW will it ensure protection for Poland & the Czechs? And neolibs everywhere are nodding their heads thinking this guy is intelligent, when all he's doing is slinging complete BS and hoping everyone is too stupid or bored to bother with such things as 'details', 'proof', and 'logic'.

That's why Wilson is right to call him a liar. And that's why it is completely true to say that Obama & neolibs are lying when they say that public health care 'option' won't use taxes. I mean - just how stupid does a person have to be to BELIEVE that load of hotspur?

I love the framing of the original question too:

GARRETT: In your speech this morning, you said the Cold War reached its conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years. Mr. President, are the Russian sensitivities so fragile that you can't say the Cold War was won? The West won it? And it was led by a combination of Democratic and Republican American presidents?

Seriously? What journalism school did you go to? Let's just say for the sake of argument that the entire topic of "why didn't you say we won" is important. If you were a real journalist, mostly interested in trying to reveal the answer, wouldn't you ask it more like this?

NetRunner: In your speech this morning, you said the Cold War reached its conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, carefully avoiding characterizing the end of the conflict as a victory for the United States. Don't you believe that the United States did in fact prevail in that conflict? If so, why didn't you say that in your speech this morning?

It's still incisive, it's still challenging, and at the same time doesn't make it look like you're a partisan hack who's just trying to trump up a bogus charge about the President being ignorant or disloyal to his country.

Ultimately Obama would've answered the question I phrased the same way, though it would have given him less wiggle room to imply that my question's frame was somehow excluding the actions of other countries...

Personally though, if I'd had an opportunity to ask Obama questions while on a mission to Russia, I would've talked about the plans for setting up missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, what's being done to secure "loose nukes", whether we can expect Russia to help us diplomatically in preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons, and maybe toss in a few things about environmental or trade policy...

I sure as shit wouldn't waste my time trying to accuse him of hating America because he didn't speak to the Russians as if he was some conquering emperor who came to receive the pleas of mercy from a defeated, evil, foe.

The purpose is to enable "remote power" - separating the energy storage mechanism from the device that is moving.

This (laser pulse) is also the proposed mechanism to power space elevators.

It's good to see someone is using the work that came from the "star wars" project, because as a missile defense system, it was a pretty damn sorry excuse and a large waste of money. The highest (unclassified) success rate was hitting only 85% of targets. That seems good at first, but when targets are ICBM's, that 15% that gets through from USSR would level every major american city. Epic Fail indeed.

>> ^quantumushroom:
Media stooge: "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! BUSH IS WASTING MONEY ON EXPENSIVE TOYS WHILE PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS!"



Two points:
1) I don't think I ever heard any pundit say something like that because Bush never had the intellectual curiosity to want cool new toys.

which leads me to...

2) Unless you consider Bush's expensive toys to be DoD masturbatory dreams like missile 'defense', in which case we are talking a order of magnitude more expensive and thus more irresponsible.

QM, I'm sure you've felt for a while that people have unfairly blamed Bush for a lot of things and attacked him for trivial things, and in many cases you are right. Of course, in many cases you are wrong. And if it has really bothered you that much, then perhaps you should be the better person and not engage in similar behavior just because a Democrat is in office.

HE SAYS AX INSTEAD OF ASK! hahaha! *dies*

Oh shit, the galactic cruise missile defense shields are down, and Barnako is chasing my starhopper. Gotta go.

>> ^volumptuous:
Meh.
Alex Jones and the "false flag" operation conspiracy may be poetic, but it also happens to be 100% wrong.
The "truth movement" and WTC7 fetishists failed a long time ago.



really..... if u rob a store down on the corner, it will be caught on cctv, yet no airport cctv-footage excists of any the alleged terrorists! r u kiddin me...

why is there no footage from the 16 cameras that were supposed to have caught the pentagon plane on tape been made public? no,no,no....before you come with some bullshit spin-answer, answer why isnt any of the footage been made public. if it was a plane, then it was plane, why hide it?

oh, and what happen to the pentagon missile-defense system? thats right, it happen to be not functional that day, just like the whole air-defence....they just happen to be doing a once-a-year drill, on the excact day the biggest assult on u.s soil was made!!!!hahaha....man, this is so sick.

oh, and why was the biggest crime in the u.s ever, never treated as crime-case?
(ground 0 was never declared a crime scene!)


HEY, WHY IS OSAMA NOT ON THE FBI MOST WANTED LIST FOR 9/11? THATS RIGHT, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE, SILLY BUSH JUST HAD TO TELL YOU 5-10 TIMES THAT OSAMA DID IT, AND GUESS WHAT.....YOU BELIEVED IT.....


u say the movement failed, where is your evidence? stop takin authority as truth......

Lol follow your dream. He does deserve a little credit for being the best at missile defense i think. But the second part was way crazy, at 4:00 it was hilarious. Is his book out yet? where can i pick one up?? I might follow his advise to get girls, pose and put my number on there

Though I'll disagree that the reasons for the Iraq war were intentionally dubious, I'll agree with just about everything else you said. This is a very nice essay, Farhad. Though the retaliation against Al Qaeda was unarguably unavoidable, I've said that the Iraq war was the "right war in the right place at the wrong time" and I still think it was. The intel community failed in ... intel ... and Bush and congress and the CIA and generals and the whole F-ing Government failed in judgment. And now, politicians are failing in comparing Russia's incursion into Georgia with the US incursion into Iraq so they can, as you said, avoid the comparison in general. It IS comparable in a number of ways, though I'm seeing the Russian move as one to actually CLAIM new territory... territory it BITTERLY lost, while America would love to get the F out of Iraq and let them rule themselves. Of course we want them to remain friends... a democratic foothold in the middle east... a chance to somewhat westernize a part of the middle east that is not Israel, Qatar, or UAE. I also think Russia and hard-line Putin in particular wants to send a message to the Ukraine (especially) and other nearby ex-USSR nations, that Russia is MOTHER Russia and they are just ex-Russian provinces allowed to exist by the Mother. A bit of psychological warfare in action.

You are damn right that interventionism has been on the hot seat lately and no one wants to touch it with a ten-foot pole and especially when it comes to messing with a superpower like Russia... a country with more thousand nukes than I have fingers.

(sidenote)
I AM in fact a nationalist, not because I was born here and think it is innately superior for that reason... that's just ridiculous, but because I LIKE it here and I respect it most of the time above what I see elsewhere. I don't have a problem with that attitude. If you like your country, its [at least foundational] ethics, and its freedoms, don't be afraid to cheer for it... say at the Olympics for example. ahem.

I do think you're right about China and the Chinese in general as well Farhad. China is oppressive, but increasing economic prosperity and popular control should blunt the blade of their government. Still, at the moment, their treatment of the "usual folks" and their treatment of those who believe in a particular faith other than is approved by the government is detestable. I have a very close friend who worries sickly for his missionary friends who risked going there to offer Christianity to those who wanted desperately to find out more about it.

The world government idea is problematic mostly due to issues like African warlords and Islamic theocracies... as well as Catholic theocracies for that matter. I don't see Vatican City teaming up with Iran in other words any time soon, but specialization sounds like a reasonable idea. The US specializes in technological development, science, and innovation. China specializes in production. Korea is in tech as well. The UK is in... jeez I don't know, surveillance camera tech? Canada could be in oil shale and land. Most of the desert countries in sun power? Problems arise with destitute countries, but those regions could be supported by us (correction, you) rich folk. There is hope yet, just distant. First we gotta stop killing each other.

What if the US donated its missile defense rockets and its laser-equipped missile-defeating jumbo jet tech to the UN to universalize it so-to-speak to keep the thought of at least nuclear war impossible? That might ease tension... a sort of universal deterrent to ANY ICBM launch. That or all these countries could just trade more and whine less. Team up against obvious terrorists (or if you want, mass murderers in general) maybe, but otherwise communicate FAR more. Get to know each other. Learn to speak a common language on common terms.

In my opinion, the LARGEST barrier to peace is that people simply have different RULES to live by in this world. Some are faith-based. Some are science-based. Some are philosophy-based. They are not often compatible and no one has the authority but a real GOD to say what rule systems are acceptable and what are not. And don't blame just religion for it. If you do, you need to study philosophy for a bit and you'll find that religion is by far not the only obstacle to agreement on "rules of life." That my friends is the problem on this planet.

Best thing that could happen is a freaking alien attack at this point lol. Team our shit up.

That or simply let economic development go as it is going... Have you seen the talks on the increasing GLOBAL prosperity?!! They are VERY hopeful! At the rate we are going, things may get better before they get worse. Charity is often a good way to have an effect btw.

so if we fire, 50 missiles, and we have 25 patriot missile defense systems.

about 15 will get through.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the elephant in the room, you know the fact that missile defense systems have been proven to be unreliable, have a high rate of failure, often do not hit their targets... ohh and that counter measures against them are easy to develop.

>> ^Payback:
Anyone remember the news programs in Robocop? I remember one where the talking heads were reporting about a satellite destroying half the Brazilian rainforest (or something similar) and how enviromentalists are calling it a disaster of huge proportions. The one talking head turns to the other and facetiously says, "but don't they always?"
Fox News, right there. Paul Verhoeven got it right, way back in 1987.


Well, not exactly. Not to take anything away from Mr. Verhoeven, but the story was that of the Star Wars missile defense satellite laser cannon misfiring on Santa Barbara where it hit several homes, causing the deaths of 2 retired US Presidents (the needle on the trusty IronyMeter was buried with them).

But there wasn't any Fox-esque tactics to taint these fictional stories. Maybe you're thinking of RoboCop 2, which I do not know nearly as well.