American Technological Flaws

[dypr512]

HI I NEED SOME HELP WITH A PROJECT. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY PAST TECHNOLOGICAL FAILURES OF THE U.S. GOVT.? (example: XYZ, a WWI system was supposed to be used to detect enemy ships. It failed because too many civilians were killed during testing and was later shut down by the U.S. Govt. ) please reply asap

 

[NightTrain]

Sure, start with the Space Program. It's still killing people to this day.

 

[NightTrain]

BTW... this should probably be in the 'Chat' forum rather than the War in Iraq.

 

[dypr512]

how do i get to the chat forum? and the technological flaw doesnt necessarily have to kill ppl...that was just my b.s. example

 

[janeeng]

All you have to do is go to the main page and scroll down to CHAT!

 

[NightTrain]

There have been many, many failures... what are you driving at here?

 

[Dan]

Speaking of failures, I think your 'caps lock' button is broke and stuck in a permanent 'on' position.

DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS, ITS ANNOYING!!!

Oh, and welcome to the board!

 

[janeeng]

hahaha, your such a wise ass Dan! but true! caps are a bit annoying!

 

[Dan]

hahaha, your such a wise ass Dan

I know it!

 

[5stringJeff]

Originally posted by Dan
DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS, ITS ANNOYING!!!

My alter ego on Yahoo is the_all_caps_man. TAKE A WILD GUESS AS TO WHAT ALL MY MESSAGES LOOK LIKE ON THOSE BOARDS. BECUASE EVERYONE WHO TYPES IN ALL CAPS IS SO COOL!

 

[NightTrain]

Hey, love the Baghdad Bob get-up there, Jeff! lmao!

 

[northern_P_O_V]

This may not be what you are looking for, but check out AT&T. I don't think they exist as a company anymore. They were affectionatly known as American Thugs and Thieves.

During WWII they were promoting (to the US) the technology to detect Nazi subs, but were also selling the Germans the shipping schedules of convoys across the Atlantic (conflict of interest?)

On the same topic, Henry Ford seen having his picture taken with Hitler in 1937 for all his work in mechanizing the Germany army.

Finally, the idea of dome of protection over America is worth consideration. Do you want to rely on a system that is supposed to protect you from missiles that will only ever be tested once?

There are some problems that have too many variables to be solved in real time.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

 

[dypr512]

yea...i think that would help somewhat...i basically am against SURTASS and i need a historical event that i can compare it to and say that "remember _______ ... yea that caused problems after testing it....therefore SURTASS will also.

 

[5stringJeff]

Originally posted by northern_P_O_V
This may not be what you are looking for, but check out AT&T. I don't think they exist as a company anymore. They were affectionatly known as American Thugs and Thieves.

Last I checked, they were alive and well, still overcharging for long distance... and hey, compared to WolrdCon, AT&T are saints!

 

[Bry]

Originally posted by dypr512
HI I NEED SOME HELP WITH A PROJECT. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY PAST TECHNOLOGICAL FAILURES OF THE U.S. GOVT.? (example: XYZ, a WWI system was supposed to be used to detect enemy ships. It failed because too many civilians were killed during testing and was later shut down by the U.S. Govt. ) please reply asap

Hey. I just looked up the project you were referencing, and I think you're right, it's a bad idea.

Look for information on the Osprey, which was such a debacle that they had to take it out of service for complete redesign and retesting. Also, the Patriot missile is highly questionable hardware. In the first gulf war, it was celebrated for having shot down a scud, though later it was determined that the scud just fell apart for being the expensive bottle rocket on steroids that it is. Check out reports on projects by the Army Corps of Engineers as they are notorious for their complete disregard for environmental damage. Also, above ground testing of nuclear weapons may claim a much higher toll than previously thought and still advertised. Those radioactive particles stay in the atmosphere and don't go away quickly. They say we inhale one or two of those particles still every time we breath. Some speculate that they may be connected to the increased rate of cancer world wide (see also Chernobyl. an interesting side note, those provinces of France which voted for Le Pen were the same provinces that were most directly affected by the fallout from chernobyl.) Also, look at the A-10, an extremely effective tank hunter in areas where air superiority has been established, the plane is so slow it can hardly get out of it's own way. It uses rounds of depleted uranium to penetrate armor. The problem is that uranium stays there and keeps on killing for years after the tank pilot is dead and gone. In Kosovo, the US's failure to notify allies about the use of depleted uranium: only Spanish, Italian, and Polish(? I don't remember for sure which was the third country, but it may have been Poland) troops were stationed in areas where the depleted uranium shells were used, and many became very sick and several died as a direct result, not to mention the locals that have to live there. The same problem occured in Iraq I in which the same rounds were used to decimate the column of Iraqi troops and ordinance retreating from Kuwait. Many thousands were massacred in that maneuver directly, and it is thought that the resulting radiation exposure has claimed the lives of many thousands of children in ensuing years. Speaking of which, in Cambodia during Vietnam, the US dropped cluster bombs which upon release separate into many small bomblets. Intended as anti-personel ordinance, thousands of these unexploded bomblets still lie where they fell, and to this day claim the lives of thousands of Cambodian children each year. (The US refuses to provide even a procedure of disarmament to the aid organizations which are there trying desperately to clean up the mess.) The M-16 assault rifle is a notoriously unreliable piece of shit (especially compared to the old reliable AK-47, which is now, I believe, produced under license by three different gun manufacturers in the US: not all AK-47s in the world indicate past arms deals with the USSR.) There are, of course, many many more examples, but you'll have to do your own research. Some of this stuff may be hard to find. I know Noam Chomsky has documented alot of this information i.e. he provides the resources to his information so you don't just have to take his word for it, and he's easy to find on the web. Just typein his name at any search engine.

Good Luck. i hope this response arrives on time, and let me know if you need more help.

-Bry

 

[Bry]

Oh yeah, the use of chemicals lik Agent Orange for jungle clearing in Vietnam is a biggie too. To this day, Vietnam has one of the highest rates of birthdefects in the entire world, not to mention the ecological disasters which continue there.

 

[Bry]

I'm thinking I might have missed your deadline, but i remember some articles too about some supposed CIA agents doing experiments with LSD as a possible weapon for tainting water supplies in major cities. As I recall, the whole thing read like scenes taken from the life of Hunter S. Thompson, but it might be interesting to check it out.

With specific regard to the sonar system you are trying to critique, I don't think you need much help. I simply don't think that the need to detect such a big budget item as an advanced nuclear powered submarine is there, much as the development of the new generation of air superiority fighters seems largely superfluous. The technology we are already using is so far above and beyond the actual threats to our national security, that it just seems obscene. Noone is going to be challenging our technology ever, the threat arrives to New York in a suitcase. The days of these types of weapons is long gone, it seems to me, and continued investment in these programs is one of the biggest wastes of money i can think of.

-Bry

 

[NightTrain]

Agreed, Bry, that we own the most advanced airframes & avionics on the planet (although the Brits have a few nice systems), but it gets down to this :

Next time there's air to air dogfighting, (say, China or DPRK) would it be better to have our F/A 18s going up against SU 29s and perhaps losing a few of our pilots?

Or would it be best to spend the money and have our boys fighting in the F-22 Raptor with zero losses? I understand the Raptor can run circles around anything we currently have in the USAF - needless to say, it will far outclass anything the bad guys can send up against it.

 

[Bry]

I'd rather spend that money on reforming our pathetic public education system and try very very hard not to find ourselves at war with China. Just my opinion.

My dad was an airforce pilot, and I grew up learning the stats. i can tell you the max velocity, range, and armament of every fighter up to about 1989, from the US, USSR, and Europe. I even remember pouring over the Popular Science articles on the stats surrounding the competition they had for which model would represent the next generation. I too think the raptor is one bad ass piece of hardware. But as I said, I don't think it responds to the real threats we face, and it is very, very expensive.

 

[dypr512]

Hey everyone...just want to give out an update.

The plan that i was working on for my debate class is believe or not already in action! It was put into action around Aug. 26th 2003 by a U.S. Fed Judge and SURTASS LFA has been banned and the Navy is NOT allowed to use it!
Victory and All who are wid me should be happy

Thanks y'all