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Well, we all seem to have some grasp of how the military build up game is played.

For extra points, can anyone tell me how it ends?

a stick- a sword- a bow- a gun- a cannon- a tank- a plane- a thermonuclear weapon- Mutally Assured Destruction... what comes after that? Besides Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome?

Well, as the saying goes, World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones. :;):

But maintaining military superiority is just one factor. Economic and political change follows its own path, and is highly unpredicable. Maintaining a military force that garentees victory removes removes it as a viable path for our enemies to take.

Perhaps behave as Saddam did in order to maintain security and control of Iraq... but then that would justify another country coming in, since we went in to stop the  human rights absue...

You can be firm and strong without being a monster.

Oh, we've lost. It's just a matter of how badly at this point.

That's what I like about you, that boundless optimism and can-do spirit. 

Crap, someone's still fighting us! They've got exploding cars, it's all over!   

''Army recruiting is in a death spiral, through no fault of the Army,'' Krohn told me. Always defending uniformed personnel, he resents hard-pressed recruiters being attacked for offering unauthorized benefits to make quotas. In a recent e-mail sent to friends (mostly retired military), Krohn complained that the ''Army is having to compensate for a problem of national scope.''

The Army's dilemma is maintaining an all-volunteer service when volunteering means going in harm's way in Iraq. The dilemma extends to national policy. How can the United States maintain its global credibility against the Islamists, if military ranks cannot be filled by volunteers and there is no public will for a draft?

Krohn's e-mail describes the problem: ''Consider the implications of being unable to find sufficient volunteers, as seen by our adversaries. Has the United States lost its will to survive? What's happened to the Great Satan when so few are willing to fight to defend the country? Surely bin Laden et al are making this argument, telling supporters victory is just around the corner if they are a bit more patient. And if they're successful, the energy sources in the Mideast may be within their grasp.''

Well, here is the bet *I* am not willing to make right now:

Will SDV get the green light.

I am not entirely convinced it will, and considering Rumsfeld has the final say (when giving the suggestion to Bush) on SDV versus EELV, I am inclined to believe that the project that employs EELV will win out.

t/space is wonderful, but it ain't NASA. t/space wants ownership, and Griffin has refused (systems integration is being handled by NASA, per Her Griffin's orders).

Sorry Bill.

But the rods from god are a bad idea. Hair trigger response times have the effect of making people nervous, and they would have limited value for their planned capabilites, and cost too much given their vulnerability. [shrug] Just my perspective.

And a valid perspective it is. There's a distinction here between offensive and defensive weapons and whether they are meant for use in space of from space. A satellite to launch tungsten rods at the ground is very different from one meant to launch metal spheres at another satellite. In the latter case it makes a difference whether it's to destroy another satellite and as a defense for one. None of those systems are ready to build, it remains to be seen what's practical and economical.

It'll get worked out.

BWhite,
Did t/Space say how much there CXV would approximately weigh? And do they keep the possibility open to launch there CXV on an existing vehicle or the Falcon V? And can NASA choose to just let them build the capsule and somebody else a rocket to launch the CXV or do they expect NASA to fund the whole plan?

In this case, though, the Bush administration may have gone one step too far. The White House's high profile attack on Newsweek is a good strategy if the underlying story is untrue and will not be verified by future reporting. But if the story is true - and no one has denied it outright - then it will surely come out. No one doubts that there were serious issues about handling the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. A January 2003 memo was created to correct such abuses. Four British Guantanamo former inmates, released without charge, claim abuse of the Koran in a pending lawsuit. A book is due out soon from a former interrogator, spilling more beans. The military has already conceded that some interrogators smeared fake menstrual blood on detainees to offend their Muslim sensibilities, that one Muslim was forcibly wrapped in an Israeli flag and that one soldier brandished a Star of David at a Muslim detainee. Given that these anti-Muslim incidents have been confirmed, why should anyone trust the Gitmo leadership's denial of any wrong-doing?

*There have been many statements put out by scientists, published on reputable web sites and in magazines, that this asteroid poses no danger to Earth and will miss us.

But I suppose the issue must be continually hyped. 

--Cindy

2034?

Sounds about right on time for our Martian Explorer's to watch home get vaporized....

*America is in grave danger of becoming like that which it hates.

It's already happened. On numerous occasions.

Slavery, income tax, pre-emptive war, socialism, standing armies. . . the idea of America has always been different from the reality. A little internal crusade by self-righteous nuts; wouldn't be the first time.

*Hi Bill.  Thanks for posting that bit about Bob Jones.  I can't wait for 4 years from now, when the pendulum swings the other way...