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Dawn of the Airborne Laser
Yonzie writes "As you may have heard, there are a number of competing franchises working on a functional laser weapon. Popular Science has an interesting story about `The Wall of Fire', an airborne laser designed to fit in the belly of a 747. Apparently, this is powerful and precise enough to destroy enemy intercontinental and intermediate-range missiles in mid-flight.
I can imagine the use of laser turrets as protection against missiles, but I really can't see the use of a laser mounted in a 747. IMHO, it's way too slow compared to the missiles, and will not be able to scramble fast enough." This is the big daddy of the JSF laser that we've mentioned before.
--this is true except for two points. As a proof of concept platform they can be shown to work. The US will most liklley go back to a 24/7 aircap of planes in the air. We did that from the early cold war until some time in the clinton administration. We ALWAYS had some bombers in the air. They could conceivably do that with these new birds once they have a fleet of them. Point two, I don't see anyplace in the fine print that says you couldn't use these against normal old aeryplanes, or ground based targets for that matter. I mean it IS the deathray thing, and it's still in the musket stage as far as it's evolution is concerned. It's only going to get more powerful and easier to aim and have more bool-eets in the clip with advancing technology, to mangle an analogy.
With that said, I am more askeered right now of my own government than anything else. That scripted "question and answer" dog and pony show last night was pure fiction. Slick, but still fiction. Wasn't a single hardball question asked. He had the questions in front of him and was calling on the reporters in turn off a list, then just reading the canned answers. He's worked on his delivery, it's getting better and the scriptwriters are getting better but it's still *acting*. Notice he said it was "his government". I thought that was cute. The skeery part is he BELIEVES THAT.
All in all though, my opinion is we need a missile defense, it's just a natural logical progression. Within 10 to 15 years the planet earth gonna have to decide once and for all who is getting the oil and who ain't, because there SURE ain't enough so that 6 billion people will all have cars and central heating and whatnot, it just slap ain't gonna happen. And china gonna be RIGHT there with the huge giganto army, all the tech their manufacturing plants can pump out, and a need for oil and water they can't ignore. Things gonna get pretty interesting then, if not even before then.
What we need more though right now besides missile defense is to get rid of the D and R parties,never elect another one to even tree warden or dogcatcher, they stole the government and run it like warring gangs on crack and booze...waitaminit, I bet that's part of it! It's..embarrasing. And we need to stop letting the CFR and those sortsa folks determine how our government should be. It ain't their government.
Ya, I know, wishful thinking, computerised voting just blew any chance we had of true reform, that and all the military following ANY order they are given no matter how illegal or unconstitutional, and congress being lapdogs.
Sorry for the ramble, just events lately are looking pretty lame, stupid and dangerous to me, and what is really bogus is I predicted this stuff(some in writing, some I just remember thinking back then and talking about) happening way back when I was in junior high in the early 60's, and it more or less has come true right on schedule. And I am NOT looking forward to the domestic attacks that will be starting once he invades, I give that a pretty fair odds-on of happening now. Saddam is a nutcase, but he's one of dozens you can point at, and not really all that powerful.
This whole war deal is in layers of political and economic reality, last night got itterated the very top most superficial layer, IMO..
Peace, security, and prosperity for all? Who could ever want something so banal.
Bartender! Mod parent down -50!
Too bad this nutcase went on his political crusade after he retired. If he even thought of saying what he's spewing now, he'd be courtmartialled and tried for treason.
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I wonder when this guy suffered his first mental break?
Check out the article at:
http://www.mediamonitors.net/robertmbowman1.htm
This guy's commentary does an about-face as often as a demented D.I. who's been a D.I. for one-too-many stints.
The real reason that America is a target for terrorism is that we support the right of the Nation of Israel to exist, and the Arab Muslims want the Israeli's "exterminated".
I think we should just turn Iraq into a sea of molten glass, and then march into Gaza and string-up Mr. Araffat by his 'nads!