The Nuclear Disaster in the Soviet Union

The nuclear disaster in the Ukraine brings to mind questions of the problems that would occur if even a limited nuclear war were to happen. I look at the map on your front page (April 30) and can’t imagine how many people live in the shaded area of radiation. What a chance we are taking with our precious planet. What small percentage of our nuclear arsenals would be necessary to explode to have radiation clouds blanket us?

We rely too much on technology to solve our problems. We look to others to solve our problems. What we need to do is look to ourselves. Change will not come from Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, or Congress. Change will come from the people--from individuals, from a personal conviction that something is wrong and we need to work with others to do something about it.

The defense industry has been asked to help defend us, but what we have asked them to make now threatens the survival of all life. We must start a relentless search for alternatives.

Thank goodness my family doesn’t live near Kiev--but my heart goes out to all who do. I promise myself and all touched by this tragedy that I will search out actions that make my world a safer place, starting with this one small letter to the editor.

JANICE ALTON

Thousand Oaks