Can We Defend Ourselves? The Heritage Foundation says, "No."

"The Southeast Michigan Committee recently screened 33 Minutes: Protecting America in the New Missile Age. This is a thrilling, one-hour documentary that tells the story of the very real threat foreign enemies pose to every one of us. The truth is brutal - no matter where on Earth a missile is launched from, it would take 33 minutes or less to hit the U.S. target it was programmed to destroy. Despite this present and growing danger, our government has failed to build the missile defense systems capable of defending us against such attacks." Watch the trailer on the Heritage Foundation site.

President Reagan proposed a anti-missle defense system in the '80's that was visionary (labeled derisively at the time as "Star Wars" by the opponents). During the "Mutually Assured Destruction Doctrine" (MADD) era, an anti-missle defense system was considered destablizing, as that would permit the perception that we could launch a preemptive strike and then be able to defend against the retaliatory strike from the USSR. That lessened support for the defense.

Now that deterring a nuclear attack from a major super power is less of a concern than during the Cold War, that concern about "destabilizing" no longer is relevant. What is of concern is the fact that weapons of mass destruction are now or soon will be in the hands of unstable regimes or regimes which support terrorists that within 10 years could have the capability of striking the US via intercontinental ballistic missile. For example, North Korea has been testing its missles and has continued to defy international pressure to stop its nuclear program. Will we be ready to defy its demands once it has the capability to hold us hostage with a threat of attack?

Funding the construction of an anti-ballistic missile defense system now when the economy is weakened, when the American people are tired of funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and when the US budget deficit is already enormous will face tough opposition. But, defending our country is the number one priority stated in the US Constitution, and a priority it would be folly to ignore.

Comments? Arguments?