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From: @S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC:ckaun@aids-unix
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Star Wars
Message-ID: <1574@mordor.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 28-Apr-85 15:47:08 EDT
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Posted: Sun Apr 28 15:47:08 1985
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From: ckaun@aids-unix (Carl Kaun)


There are areas of valid controversy concerning SDI, where only
opinion and estimation serves to guide decision.  These I think
are best discussed in another newsgroup, but I am enough struck
by a failure to use facts when they are readily available (e.g. in
a dictionary or almanac) in John Mill's recent posting to this newsgroup,
that I am compelled to respond.

> ... I would say it is a fair quess that more than half of the U.S. 
>  population lives in and around these seven.  Boston, New York, D.C.,
>  Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

In fact, together these cities and their surrounding metropolitan 
areas contain about 34.4 million people, comprising somewhat less
than 15% of the total U.S. population of 232.6 million people.  Mr.
Mills could have gotten the total to 17+% if he had mentioned
Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Detroit instead of Boston,
D.C., and Seattle.  In fact, one must combine the metropolitan
areas of the 71 largest such areas in the country to total
half of the U.S. population.

Nor can one infer that seven warheads would kill this many people, since
a metropolitan area is quite extensive, and since there is no predicting
which few of the warheads, many targeted on military and other
non-civilian targets, might elude a 99.9% effective system.  (Of course,
it may also be currently argued that a 99.9% effective system is
unrealistic.)

My point is not to argue the merits of SDI.  It is to argue for 
the use of realistic facts where possible, so that we do not 
lead ourselves or others astray in carelessness.  And I do find
I am more interested in discussions about space colonization,
or even commercialization, on this newsgroup.

Carl Kaun (ckaun@aids-unix)