Vote to Deploy Missile Defense

Re “Missiles: Get It Right,” editorial March 18:

Even a limited missile defense system will not be right. It both violates the ABM treaty and is unlikely to work in practice. Worse, the real threat is not a rogue state’s missiles but its warheads. If Saddam Hussein et al. want to “nuke” us, why build costly missiles when they can float bombs over on ships and set them off in harbors or from trucks? Our borders are sieves for drugs and illegal aliens; what makes anyone think we can keep out bombs?

As for protecting against an accidental Russian launch, the idea is to reduce arsenals through START, not build more weapons.

It was just this macho nonsense that led to the thousands of H-bombs that make us feel so threatened in the first place. Use the missile money to combat terrorism by other means, and we will all sleep more soundly.

THOMAS E. BRAUN

Glendale

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I must admit that I agree with Gennady Gerasimov (Commentary, March 15). The current competition between Democrats and Republicans in their pursuit of an ABM would seem ludicrous if it were not so financially serious. The unbelievable waste of resources and funds that otherwise could be addressed to health, education and, yes, even the deficit would be tragic. The threat of a missile attack by some “rogue state” indeed verges on the paranoid, and as Gerasimov states, the 200 or so anti-missile devices that we would employ will not be a major obstacle for Russia’s 3,000-plus missiles.

The real motivation for pursuing this ABM strategy is, simply stated, money and votes. Huge profits for the winning defense companies, taxes for the respective communities, jobs for constituencies and those appreciative votes.

ARNIE SILVERMAN

Dana Point

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So the U.S. Senate recently voted, 99-0, to deploy “Star Wars” as soon as possible. Interesting. When President Ronald Reagan proposed the same idea in the 1980s, he was excoriated by the liberal media. The liberal media were proved wrong when Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative proved to be precisely what was most responsible for bringing the Cold War to a victorious conclusion.

The Senate’s vote is irrefutable proof that Reagan was right. It would be nice to see 10% of the bias directed against Reagan redirected toward him in the way of praise and perhaps some thanks for the fact that we live in peace due in large part to his leadership.

STEVEN R. TRAVERS

Hermosa Beach