To the author: I was a teenager in 1962 when the Cuban Missile Crisis threatened nuclear war. I remember the fear I had when I heard adults discuss the politics of all this. (“Russia escalates nuclear tensions as Ukraine’s allies promise more weapons”, April 26) Now, I’m the adult in the room discussing the dilemma of the nuclear threat facing the world. I am now more in tune with the politics of the situation. Fear is still there, but it is mixed with a great deal of anger, because the existence of humanity is in the hands of some boys with their toys. My bomb is bigger than yours. And there is nothing that I can do about it. Rod Lawrence, Los Angeles .. To the author: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Kyiv was just a ploy. It really wants to annex the separatist regions of Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. To show how much Russia loves them, it destroys their cities and kills civilians. Makes sense? Mary Rouse, Los Angeles .. To the author: Putin has measured the West, which he considers extremely weak, in a diabolical and horrible way. The West is worried about what to do or not to do, when and if Putin uses nuclear weapons. News flash: It is already happening before our eyes, but slowly. Putin achieves the same results with a nuclear tactic decimating cities over weeks instead of a moment, which would otherwise elicit a unified response. The West’s response is tantamount to a failed policy of appeasement that has plunged much of the world into a false sense of security in the years leading up to World War II. When we realize that we are already in a “war to end all wars” right now, our leaders hope that they will have learned from the mistakes of the 20th century and understand exactly what needs to be done to avoid the reign of terror. James Maddox, Los Angeles This story first appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
