LETTERS: STAR WARS FOR ISRAEL

To the editor:

For so many years liberals ridiculed the idea that a nation could protect itself from nuclear missiles, the most devastating weapons ever devised. You may remember all their claims that it couldn't be done, that it would be tremendously expensive and that it would take decades to build. They said it would violate international treaties, and the plan for such a system was just futile.

Well, now our liberal administration has made a deal to build just such a system. It will cost an estimated $500 million, use existing technology and be up and running in five years.

Oops. Silly me. I thought it was for America, but it's not. It will be for Israel. Secretary of Defense William Perry agrees with the Israeli prime minister that it will be a great contribution to the security of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, America will remain defenseless against missiles. President Clinton vetoed our latest defense bill, because it contained a program for building missile defenses for the United States by the year 2003.

What's going on here? Bill Clinton was just in Tel Aviv and committed $100 million to supply Israel with training and technical assistance to fight terrorism. Wasn't there an old saying about charity should begin at home?

EVELYN SIMS

Carthage, Mo.