Chinese Missile Destroys Satellite in Space

Chinese agents have been stealing U.S. technology to improve their own military capability.

We are properly concerned because the PRC's improved military capabilities may make for a much more dangerous future.

We are properly concerned because the PRC's improved military capabilities may make for a much more dangerous future. Contingency plans, on both sides, will have to be updated and counter-measures and counter-counter-measures worked out. This tug of war between Offense and Defense have been going on since someone threw a coconut at their opponent. It's doubtful that the PRC will share its anti-satellite technology with either the DPRK, or Iran, though that too is going to keep some Colonels and their staffs worried for a long time. Oh well ...

We are properly concerned because the PRC's improved military capabilities may make for a much more dangerous future. Contingency plans, on both sides, will have to be updated and counter-measures and counter-counter-measures worked out. This tug of war between Offense and Defense have been going on since someone threw a coconut at their opponent. It's doubtful that the PRC will share its anti-satellite technology with either the DPRK, or Iran, though that too is going to keep some Colonels and their staffs worried for a long time. Oh well ...

We are properly concerned because the PRC's improved military capabilities may make for a much more dangerous future. Contingency plans, on both sides, will have to be updated and counter-measures and counter-counter-measures worked out. This tug of war between Offense and Defense have been going on since someone threw a coconut at their opponent. It's doubtful that the PRC will share its anti-satellite technology with either the DPRK, or Iran, though that too is going to keep some Colonels and their staffs worried for a long time. Oh well ...

asherman wrote:

Chinese agents have been stealing U.S. technology to improve their own military capability.

It's nice to know that America would never stoop so low as to do anything like that.

And it's telling to see how you reacted to an essentially non-judgmental statement by Asherman. I've reread his comment several times, and try as I might I can't find a judgment value about the Chinese hidden or blatant in his words. Yet you felt compelled to counter with a response that is unquestionably an implied knock against America.

Why?

The nature of your response is not atypical for a certain group of politically like minded people.

Why do you and your fellows feel such a need to take America down a peg that you will go so far as to manufacture an opportunity to do so?

Do you feel that America is such an international monster that context should never be a bar to revealing it's malignancy?

Do you think that self-loathing is somehow the ultimate reflection of intellectual sophistication?

Do you think that power, without exception, corrupts?

asherman wrote:

We are properly concerned because the PRC's improved military capabilities may make for a much more dangerous future.

But then if we militarize space who are we to tell the world they don't have the right to militarize space? Just who started this ball rolling, us or China? Other countries do have the right to defend themselves against our weapon systems. Do you conservatives agree?

I for one not only disagree, I think your argument is naive and childish.

Who are we?

We are America. An admittedly flawed nation but the least likely on earth with the ability to militarize space to, by doing so, present a threat to the rest of the world. How many times and in how many ways is it necessary for America to prove that unlike all of the other "superpowers" throughout history, it does not have designs on world domination?

The sort of "Who are we?" question you pose is suggestive not of moral relativism, but moral inconsequence.

Can we not distinguish between a democratic America and a tyrannical China? Does democracy make a significant difference as respects the will and abilities of a nation?



If the world has "a much more dangerous future" because of China's improved military capability then who is responsible for that?

China, clearly.

You are very clearly suggesting that China's militarization is a natural response to American aggression.

Rubbish.

You go further to suggest that Chinese militarization is a natural response to the aggression of George Bush.

More rubbish.

The increased militarization of China pre-dates the presidency of George Bush. China is not so technologically advanced as to be able to come up with a satellite killer in the six years since Madman W took office.





If we insist on feeding our military-industrial complex to make more effective weapons that can destroy other countries; if we are going to use lies and cooked intelligence to attack countries that are of no threat to us, then we are encouraging countries like China to develope better military weapons. Bush has shown the world that we can no longer be trusted to keep world peace. We have now become the crazies that will use our military to implement foreign policy and promote our ideology, all for the good or the world of course.

Bush has made great strides in turning America on its head. We went from being the good guys to being the bad guys. We have created division and great instability in the Middle East. We have attack and are now threating to attack another nation that is of no threat to us. On top of that we are threating to use nuclear weapons, to bring about a nuclear war.

So why should we be surprised or shocked that China is developing technology to defend herself against our weapon systems? What choice have we given her or the rest of the world?

Asherman expressed neither shock nor surprise.

Your final question goes beyond establishing a moral equivalence between democratic America and autocratic China, to the perverse suggestion that America is, in fact, the Bad Guy.

So what is your answer?

America disarms and the rest of the poor scared world follows suit?