Letter: Missile defenses won’t save Hawaii from attack

Instead of publishing U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono’s concerns about the lack of missile defense for Hawaii, you should have just taken out a free full-page ad for Lockheed Martin (“Hirono concerned about lack of missile defense,” Star-Advertiser, March 14).

The article was so biased. Reporter Kevin Knodell gave several paragraphs to Riki Ellison, a lobbyist for the missile defense industry, and zero voice to local experts on the military such as myself, Ann Wright and Kyle Kajihiro, just to name a few.

Missile defense cannot protect Hawaii from nuclear attack because the U.S. has only 44 intercontinental interceptors to counter thousands of nuclear missiles coming from China, North Korea or Russia. Local systems like Aegis Ashore at the Pacific Missile Range Facility are untested and inadequate to defend Hawaii.

The truth Hawaii’s congressional delegation doesn’t seem to grasp is that only diplomacy and the abolition of nuclear weapons can protect Hawaii. Please be fairer in your reporting.

Lynda Williams

Hilo

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