Missile Test Failure

* It may be too early to write missile defense off. It will be around at least until the November election. Both Al Gore and more so George W. Bush will waste precious political capital on debating an issue that’s really not that important to most voters.

Failure of missile defense could mean rearmament. In 1998, North Korea launched a three-stage missile over Japan, dropping one stage in the Sea of Japan and a second stage on the Pacific side of Japan; the final stage, which was allegedly a satellite, fell 4,000 miles away, near Alaska.

The U.S. and Japan are in a defense partnership that essentially keeps Japan unarmed. But things may be changing. According to a Chinese newspaper called the Apple Daily, Japan more than doubled its importation of fissile material to 1.2 tons per year from 0.5 tons per year in 1999. Moreover, the Japanese have poured billions into their “commercial” H-2 satellite launcher (which could easily double as a ICBM) despite the fact that its costs are not internationally competitive.

The missile test failure may add pressure on the Japanese to “go ballistic.”

DANIEL BARKLEY

Irvine

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How many such fiascoes does it take to prove that “Star Wars” and its technical gimmickry just will not work? Or will we continue to waste effort and money on what amounts to a high-tech version of the Works Progress Administration, which also has most harmful effects on international relations?

HORACE GAIMS

Los Angeles

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“Star Wars,” a.k.a. the national missile defense system, is the greatest fraud and theft of tax dollars imposed on the U.S. people and the greatest threat to world peace. It’s bad science, bad politics and an unconscionable waste of resources.

TANJA WINTER

La Jolla