If CHINA isn't a threat, why are they attacking U.S. SPACECRAFT?

Question

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2121111&C=america

Defense News | September 28, 2006
By VAGO MURADIAN

China has fired high-power lasers at U.S. spy satellites flying over its territory in what experts see as a test of Chinese ability to blind the spacecraft, according to sources.

It remains unclear how many times the ground-based laser was tested against U.S. spacecraft or whether it was successful.

According to top officials, however, China not only has the capability, but has exercised it. It is not clear when China first used lasers to attack American satellites. Sources would only say that there have been several tests over the past several years.

A former Pentagon official put it more bluntly.“The Air Force is trying to put a happy face on this,” he said. “It’s not that they don’t know what do. It’s that they don’t have the money in their space budget. It’s that simple.”

Answer 1

US is flying spy craft over Chinese territory. why shouldn't the Chinese shoot them down?

would the US allow any country to do the same? hypocrite.

Answer 2

Mr. Mayor
Stop insulting other people and be judgemental.
You are one of those people who needs to realize that in terms of threat level, the US is doing no better than other country. If the US can invade any country it wishes, then it's a threat. Whomever have any WMD is a threat. China have every right to have whatever the US have. Because, why not? You don't get to get everything all the time.
Stop being hypocritical and go to your class. You might get a better job instead of watching your factory job going to a Chinese.

Answer 3

Every country is a threat, even the US. I am sick of this "Threat" crap.

Does the US have any WMD? Some digging reveled it does.

Through the non-profit American Type Culture Collection and the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. government under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush sold or sent biological samples to Iraq under Saddam Hussein up until 1989. These materials included anthrax, West Nile virus and botulism, as well as Brucella melitensis, which damages major organs, and Clostridium perfringens, which causes gas gangrene. Some of these materials were used for Iraq's biological weapons research program, while others were used for vaccine development.

The U.S. conducted an extensive nuclear testing program. 1054 tests were conducted between 1945 and 1992. The exact number of nuclear devices detonated is unclear because some tests involved multiple devices while a few failed to explode or were designed not to create a nuclear explosion.
Currently, the United States nuclear arsenal is deployed in three areas:
• Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs;
• Sea-based, nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs; and
• Air-based nuclear weapons of the U.S. Air Force's heavy bomber group
The United States is one of the five "Nuclear Weapons States" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which the US ratified in 1968. On October 13, 1999, the U.S. Senate rejected ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, having previously ratified the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963. The U.S. has not, however, tested a nuclear weapon since 1992, though it has tested many non-nuclear components and has developed powerful supercomputers in an attempt to duplicate the knowledge gained from testing without the actual tests themselves.
In the early 1990s, the U.S. shifted out of the mode of developing new nuclear weapons and instead devotes most of its nuclear efforts into stockpile stewardship, maintaining and dismantling its now-aging arsenal. The administration of George W. Bush decided in 2003 to engage in research about a new generation of small nuclear weapons, especially "earth penetrators" .
The US Air Force currently operates just over 500 ICBMs at around 15 missile complexes located primarily in the northern Rocky Mountain states and the Dakotas. These are of the Minuteman III and Peacekeeper ICBM variants. Peacekeeper missiles are being phased out by 2005. All USAF Minuteman II missiles have been destroyed in accordance to START, and their launch silos sealed or sold to the public. To comply with the START II most US multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, have been eliminated and replaced with single warhead missiles. However, since the abandonment of the START II treaty, the U.S. is said to be considering retaining 800 warheads on 500 missiles.

Number of Depleted Uranium US and other country processes:

Country Organization DU Stocks (in tons) Reported
USA 480,000
Russia 460,000
France 190,000
UK 30,000
Germany 16,000
Japan 10,000
China 2,000
South Korea 200
South Africa 73
TOTAL 1,188,273


The US also processes large number of cluster bombs.The use of cluster bombs is hotly opposed by many individuals and groups, such as the Red Cross, the NGO Cluster Munition Coalition and the United Nations, because of the high proportion of civilians that have fallen victim to the weapon.

Speaking of hypocracy...

Answer 4

I have a comment for Astrid Nannerl. WHANNNNNN, WHANNNN.
Stop your crying.

Judging by your avatar I must assume that your sympathies lie with China.

Though you provide an ample amount of information that I am sure you just learned in your History or Poly Sci class this semester, you just ignored the question and started your rant.

You just used obfuscation to cloud the issue instead of answering the question. It has nothing to do with WMD, and nothing to do with the US's possession of WMDs.

It's about if China is a treat to the US, and the answer is, yes, they are a major threat to the US. China's military has already stated that it will become necessary for China to go to war with the US by 2015 in order for China to expand its influence and eventually dominate the world. They have already stolen may military technological secrets from the US, and are in the process of increasing the technological prowess of their military. In addition, they are already moving away from their current "brown" water navy and have started to construct a true blue water navy, which can only be used for two things invading Taiwan and engaging the US navy.

But just to retort your statement. Of course, the US has WMDs and by treaty we are allowed to have nuclear WMD. The US is in the process of destroying all of its chemical and biological WDMs agreed upon also by treaty. This is not hypocrisy. The whole point of not allowing any more countries to develop nuclear weapons is to help ensure that such weapons are never intentionally or accidentally used. The more countries that have nuclear weapons the higher the likelihood that they could be used, stolen, or sold to third parties that would use them.

The US has demonstrated amazing stewardship of its nuclear arsenal. They have only used the less destructive fission bombs twice, only to save live during a bloody declared war, and have not used one in over 60 years.

I don't think any other country that does not currently already have nuclear weapons (or suspected of having them) could demonstrate a similar record, and I would not want to gamble on it.

Answer 5

let me get this right

we launch spy satellites send them over china
china blinds them and we view THEM as a threat

your azz backwards

if you sent a spy anything into my yard

YOU would be a threat and i would be knocking on your door ready to blow you away

get it right

Answer 6

Oh it sounds like "by" is a fascist, extreme asian supremacist who wants to kill all people who don't look like "good" chinese. Quick we must shame him with idiotic rhetoric!!! He wants China to rise up and destroy Western Civilization.

Answer 7

sure... let's make it a trifecta!

i'm sure after afghanistan and iraq, china will be a cakewalk. it's only 50 times larger, but i'm sure it won't be a problem!

Answer 8

Its not an attack, geez


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/americanleftparty/