Letters to the Editor

In protest of a missile shield

I agree with the opinion of Josh Fredman in his June 27 editorial, "The Real Fireworks."

Frankly, we cannot shoot down an incoming ballistic missile with our current level of technology. We can get really close to doing this -- only missing by a few hundred miles -- but we are not on the bull's-eye quite yet.

Even if we could shoot down enemy missiles, we have signed important treaties to provide stability during the Cold War, promising we will not develop an anti-ballistic missile system.

China has somewhere near 18 nuclear missiles capable of reaching the United States. If we build a system and tout its ability to neutralize those missiles, I guarantee you China will build more. We would spawn another arms race that would dwarf that of the Cold War.

CIA Director George Tennant identified that our primary nuclear threat is not that of a rouge nation firing a missile at the United States, but acts of terrorism such as the smuggling of a weapon of mass destruction into the country. No missile system can intercept a terrorist who brings us a bomb in a suitcase.

Our resources are better served elsewhere.

Chad Savaikie

senior, political science