Letters to the Editor: We’re watching ‘a dangerous escalation of the nuclear arms race’ in real time

To the editor: Eighty years ago, more than 200,000 people were killed by two atomic bombs dropped in Japan. Humanity did not recoil from that horror. Instead, we went on to stockpile around 70,000 nuclear warheads.

As a recent op-ed points out, Kathryn Bigelow’s movie “A House of Dynamite” reminds us of this ever-present existential threat we live with (“The threat of nuclear war never went away,” Oct. 27). Bigelow’s essential message is that a livable world requires fewer nuclear weapons. We have reduced the global stockpile of nuclear weapons to about 12,000, yet in Bigelow’s movie, it is a single warhead that is racing to instantly wipe out millions of lives.

Another Los Angeles Times article in that same edition described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s veiled threat to use Russia’s newly enhanced cruise missiles, a dangerous escalation of the nuclear arms race (“Putin says Russia’s nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully,” Oct. 29). This is not a scary story; rather, it is a scary reality. There is no way this ends well except by working together to save ourselves. Humanity shares a common fate, whether it be good or bad.

Phil Beauchamp, Chino Hills

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To the editor: The atomic-powered missiles being developed by Russia and boasted about by Putin appear to be a message to President Trump: “We will not blink again.”

On the other hand, Trump has said we have a nuclear submarine that’s “the greatest in the world,” poised “right off [Russia’s] shores” so it doesn’t “need to go 8,000 miles.” Are these two leaders playing with fire?

It appears nuclear statements from the United States and Russia may have, in the long (or even short) run, apocalyptic results, and could become Trump and Putin’s self-fulfilling prophecy. I sure hope that is not the case.

Hugo Pastore, Harbor City

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To the editor: The most dangerous villain in the world is waging war on a sovereign nation and boasting about conducting successful tests on a nuclear-capable underwater weapon.

So how does the Trump administration respond? By sending members of our Navy to international waters off Venezuela to kill civilians (“Mexican president condemns U.S. strikes that killed 14 alleged drug traffickers,” Oct. 28). It looks to the rest of the world like we have elected cowards and mob bosses in Washington to run our country.

Mary Montes, West Hills