And it fails again

So, according to the washingtonpost.com the missile defense system failed its test. Again.

Everyone who was surprised by that please raise your hand.

*looking around*

*still looking*

Right. Noone. This thing will never work and it doesn't protect us from the current danger. It protects us from the supposed danger of 20 years ago - that the USSR is going to launch nukes at us. Or maybe China.

The current danger is more that the leftover uranium from unprotected places like ex-USSR facilities gets into the hands of "bad guys", smuggled into the U.S. through our unproctected borders and ports, and set to damage a high population center with a dirty bomb. Russia and China have no current incentive to go to war with us. China might at some point over Taiwan. But right now we're too occupied in the middle east to turn a concerned eye to the eradication of democracy and rights in Russia, or to the growing force of China's mostly state-controlled system on our economy.

But a nuke, launched from afar, coming into the country... highly unlikely. And if it was, to hit and knock it down? Our most precise missles don't hit 100% of the time on a target that's stationary. Surface to surface with line of sight is still less than 100%. Surface to air with line of sight is less than 90%. Without line of sight, it drops tremendously. Missiles move too fast for anything but the most minute corrections to be made in time. So why are we spending all this money on such a fancy concept that is completely beyond our capabilities? Why are we not spending the money on things that would actually protect us - like border and port security? Like improving police and fire and other emergency personnel response? Like getting enough reserve medicine in case of an attack with bio weapons.

But no, we need the fancy idea of shooting missiles out of the air.