Don’t Trust N. Korea

In his Sept. 5 Opinion article, Frank Gibney rails against development of the missile defense system as unnecessary and unworkable. He asserts, “Washington [should] resume the long-proposed trade-offs of aid and energy in return for North Korea halting its nuclear buildup.” North Korea has proved it will not honor such agreements and developed its current nuclear capability after specifically agreeing not to do so in return for aid during the Clinton era. How can Gibney seriously advocate a repeat of that fiasco?

As for missile defense being unnecessary because “there is scant likelihood that Kim’s Taepo Dong missile will ever be fired”: I, for one, am not willing to accept that notion as fact, or the associated risks of doing so.

Jackson L. Forney

Nipomo