Many readers of this article are probably not old enough to know about the Maginot line that France built to protect itself from German attack.
It was built along France's border with Germany during the period between the two major world wars.
It was considered the perfect and most impregnable defense any country could construct.
Unfortunately when the Germans attacked France at the beginning of World War II, they went around that fortification, making the Maginot line totally unusable and unnecessary.
Why can't anyone see the similarity of that foolish defense and the anti-missile defense we are now building in Alaska? Even if we can get the antimissile defense operational and effective, this remains a question.
Any determined aggressor can easily go around that defense.
But more important, what country today has the missiles or the power to attack the U.
S.
? Certainly not Russia or even North Korea, despite all of Korea's posturing! Who revoked the balance of power doctrine that kept the USSR and our country out of war for decades? It was a desired policy for all European countries during the nineteenth century and it worked until one country changed sides.
The vernacular of that era summarized it well: any country foolish enough to attack us would get it back in spades.
Today's terrorists will deliver any attack by hand, just like 9/11.
Why would they use costly long-range missiles, which are hard to fire accurately, especially untested missiles like Korea's? The fact is that when any low-level observer watching our radar detects an attack missile being launched, that person has to contact a higher ranked officer, if for no other reason than to confirm the sighting.
In turn that person must go up the command line to get permission to counterattack.
The only person who can authorize the pushing of the button is the president of the United States.
What shows this necessity is the little black bag that goes along with every president gives only the president the power to authorize the use of atomic weapons.
Under our laws who else has the power to start a war? The several telephone calls all take time, especially to find every person in the pecking order.
Who knows where each person will be or what she or he will be doing, especially the president? Remember, there is only a small window of time that any attack missile can be brought down.
During that short window of time will all the required telephone calls be made up and down that chain of command, with the necessary confirmations of who is actually on the telephone? This method of obtaining authorization for launching antimissiles kills the program.
It won't work if anyone along that chain of command is unavailable.
Proponents of the new antimissile program state that computers will solve these problems and properly authorize a launching within time.
What a concept! Do we leave it to a computer to decide whether our country goes to war or not.
Lives on both sides are subject to some unknown program.
In either case, suppose there is a Dr.
Strangelove type of person involved.
What are we getting into? God help us when we let computers solely protect our lives and do all our thinking!