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From: ignatz@ihuxx.UUCP (Dave Ihnat, Chicago, IL)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Star Wars Defense Plan
Message-ID: <827@ihuxx.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Aug-84 21:39:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxx.827
Posted: Thu Aug 16 21:39:06 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Aug-84 00:25:50 EDT
References: <966@ulysses.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
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Gary Perlman has express extreme distress at the idea of the 'Star
Wars' defense plan.  Now, I am not defending the current plan--or
sacking it--here.  What I think about it will wait for another time.

What I'm getting on to say is more general:  The apparent attitude
that "Anything we come up with won't stop everything, so why bother at
all??"  This has been the heart of MAD philosophy, and I firmly
believe that it's the major reason we still are sitting like two
cowboys at a poker table, with cocked six-shooters at each others'
heads, after more than 30 years.  Trouble is, there are other players
joining the game.

The truly dangerous and terrifying thing about the position espoused
by Gary is that it will *never* admit the possibility of a defense
system.  For the same argument will be coupled with the "If they think
their missiles will be stopped by a system that will take 5 years to
implement, they'll attack sometime sooner to prevent it."  And with
these two arguments, the human race is doomed to wait...and wait...and wait...
with no respite, and no recourse, until some one of these damnfool
overgrown kids with their hellish toys pushes the goddamn button.  And
all I and my loved ones can do is sit at the top of the Sears Tower
and toast the end of the world.  For the kids, despite grand words and
protestations of love of peace, aren't ever going to say, "Ok.  I'll
decommission 50 missiles.  How about you see my 50, and raise me 50?"
Frankly, I wouldn't either.  For I wouldn't trust either side, nor any
of the ones joining the club.

The current Star Wars defense may not work.  In fact, I think 95% is
an *extremely* over-confident statement, given the complexity of the
problem.  But I DO want to see someone, somewhere, in our government
say, "THIS IS IT.  I am THROUGH sitting with a loaded missile at my
head--first priority will NOT be a first-strike capability.  It will
be the capability to laugh at THEIR first-strike capability."

How?  Hell, I don't know.  It's not my field.  But it takes money,
research, and time to solve these things.  And if we don't start
somewhere, we're doomed to this ghastly, unending, MAD course of
action.

	Dave Ihnat
	ihuxx!ignatz