Missile Derangement Syndrome
Try to understand my dilemma here.
I like Rew and Smartie from Powerliberal. I've met 'em a bunch of times at MOB events, Keegans, and at Flash's "Drinking Moderately" events. They're among the better regional leftyblogs. They did a great job covering the state DFL convention and the IP convention publicity event. They are less given to flights of raging pique and flagrant illogic than many of them, and they're both better-than-average writers in their circle.
And while correlation does not equal causation, I suspect that they have a better than even chance of slowly drifting to the right, one of these days. Not necessarily a Road to Damascus epiphany, but I think that someday, possibly after the pitter-patter of little feet invades the PowerHouse, one of these years. And Smartie will follow, of course, if he knows what's good for him.
The bad news: They have a way to go.
The good news: They're in good company.
Smartie posted on the upcoming anti-missile test:
If I was the Japanese I'd be a little concerned that the US was testing it's miserable failure missile defense system on a missile that would likely be passing right over my country.
He'd be...concerned?
On the one hand - the US. The nation that turned Japan from a genocidal dictatorship to one of the world's great democracies. The nation that brought small-l liberalism to people worldwide. The lone nation in the world that has the faintest chance in hell of designing and building a system that could protect us and our friends from missile attacks...
...vs. the "Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea", home of concentration camps and a starving people led by the world's last remaining Stalinist, a man who is building nuclear weapons for which he has no rational need.
That's right. Be nervous about the US.
Of course, Smartie is hardly alone.
Which is the scary part.
Posted by Mitch at
June 27, 2006 07:37 PM
| TrackBack
Nice quote out of context, Mitch. I wasn't saying anything more with that statement than those interceptors we fire up in the air have to come down somewhere, since I'm pretty sure they won't hit what they're aiming at.
The ABM system didn't, doesn't and won't work. It's a mutli-billion boondoggle. Remember when you guys used to be against boondoggles?
Posted by: Smartie at June 27, 2006 10:13 PM"Man will never fly. It's impossible."
--Thousands of 'Progressives'
Posted by: Eric Beltt at June 28, 2006 12:03 AMThose missles are designed to explode in the air. They don't "come down" anywhere, except as fine particulates. And they do work, Not 100%, but then vaccinations aren't 100% percent either. Will Smartie forego his next tetanus shot?
Posted by: Kermit at June 28, 2006 08:48 AMReally, you have more to worry about in a large chunk of blue, smelly ice falling out of the sky.
they do work? kermit must be driking the kool-aid. In the tests where they know the missile's path, the success rate is very very low.
Posted by: Fulcrum at June 28, 2006 09:02 AMSmartie: You forget that science and facts must be subordinated to politics. Pointing out that the U.S. ABM system rivals the DPK's missles in unreliability, no matter how accurate as a statement of fact, puts you on the side of the North Koreans. It is better to join with Eric, close your eyes, hand over your tax dollars, and wish for Tinkerbell to come back to life.
I recomend reading some of Bukharin's confessions in the great Stalin purge trials to get into the proper mindset.
'Truth' is not politically reliable because there is no promise that it will always be on Bush's side.
Posted by: RickDFL at June 28, 2006 09:09 AMI'm not going to rehash the entire argument. Anyone actually interested in the subject, as opposed to just taking potshots at me, is welcome to read more about it. This UCS/MIT Report for example provides a very good overview of why the system doesn't work and probably never will.
For additional context, Fred Kaplan at Slate has done a whole series of articles detailing at great length why the system is a failure and a massive waste of money as well.
We could be making this country a lot safer by using those tens of billions of dollars on programs to keep terrorists from getting nuclear material rather than wasting them on a missile defense system.
Posted by: Smartie at June 28, 2006 09:18 AMSorry, apparently I'm not allowed to embed links. Here's the URL for the UCS/MIT report for your cutting and pasting pleasure:
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/missile_defense/countermeasures.html
Posted by: Smartie at June 28, 2006 09:21 AMYou're right, fulc. Let's take Walter Mondale's advise and nuke 'em pre-emptively.
Posted by: Kermit at June 28, 2006 09:23 AMEh, I went to the site and read the entire post. I dont think you got it out of context. If I was Japanese, I would be far more concerned that N Korea was thinking of shooting missiles over my country that anything the US was doing. I read the comments also. More of the same old stuff. ""I'd love to hear how a "Power Liberal" believes we ought to deal with a rogue nation that already has shown a total disregard for negotiation and agreements."
Step number 1: Get mirror for GWB."
Pretty funny stuff. Doesnt explain why we are a rogue nation, or when we showed total disregard for negotiation and agreements, but why get into details. It doesnt explain why everyone hates the US and at the same time everyone can't wait to move to the US.
More stuff about how Iraq never ever had WMD's and even if he did he only killed some Kurds about 20 years ago, and even if he hid some, Clinton blew them up with missle strikes so there is was no danger. Also that Iraq didnt cause 9/11 and N Korea was contained until the Republican congress reneged on Clintons agreement with them so they had no choice to rearm. Interesting mind set.
Posted by: buzz at June 28, 2006 02:22 PMI've read the UCS/MIT report before. I remain unconvinced.
Why? Partly because we've been shooting down missiles for three decades. Different kinds of missiles, different acquisition challenges...
...so what?
I mean, it is exceedinly unscientific to try to predict the future - especially when that future is driving by what is essentially a complex engineering solution.
Remember, Smartz - they said the Panama Canal was impossible, too.
Posted by: mitch at June 28, 2006 03:31 PMchair country pad - http://www.nobadday.info/chair-country-pad.html
Posted by: chair country pad at July 15, 2006 05:24 PM