Word: shield
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...those shown to be sensitive to the plant, scientists at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland have developed a cream that can be applied daily and that prevents the toxin from reaching the skin. To shield fire fighters from the plant's toxic smoke, the researchers are also developing a specially treated material that can be fashioned into protective clothing and masks...
Best of all, the Soviets would probably not do anything as foolish as start a fight. If they were to do so, however, they would probably not come back to fight another day: realizing the futility of their earth-based spears against the new, space-based American shield, the Soviets might set down, or at least phase out, their missiles and other weapons of aggression. Following the American example, they too would shift to defense rather than retaliation. The world would be a safer place. Reagan has even suggested that the U.S. might some day share its defensive technology with...
Unfortunately a feasible ABM system remains a dream. It is the modern-day version of the French Maginot line--a large and expensive shield that will give us the illusion of safety, but will fail us should the final crisis ever come. Even the attempt to erect a ballistic missile defense will prove disastrous to national security. If we press ahead with Reagan's "star wars" concept, we will alienate our allies, spark a new arms race, and waste billions of dollars that could be better spent on conventional defense or social programs...
...EVEN MORE practical and immediate objection to the porposed system lies in the complex technology required. Even if only ten warheads breached our shield, they would wreak destruction on a scale never before witnessed by man. Yet in a full-scale attack, ten thousand warheads would be launched. They would come from all directions at the same time and at high speed. To stop every one would require, as a recent Foreign Affairs article by William E. Burrows points out, "a defensive system able to react with almost unbelievable speed and flawless lethality...
...build such a system even in the absence of a Soviet response would be a daunting task. However, as many years as we take to develop an ABM system, the Soviets will use to think up a means of circumventing it. Every proposed version of the "star wars" shield has an easily exploited weakness. The Russians could preemptively attack laser satellites. They could confuse tracking systems with thousands of decoy rockets. They could fire submarine-based missiles on low trajectories which couldn't be spotted. Of course, we might be able to solve some of these problems. But the Russians...