Letter: Preventing nuclear war should be first priority

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.

Thanks to the Las Vegas Sun on Jan. 20 for running Cragg Hines' column, "Iraq situation could impact willingness to deal with Iran." We are wasting valuable resources in Iraq that we will need to combat the most serious threat this nation has ever faced: nuclear terrorism.

Al-Qaida terrorists are planning an "America Hiroshima." They have the money and the resolve, and it is easy to transport such a weapon across our porous borders.

All the terrorists need is a nuclear warhead. Such a device could come from any one of several sources. A bomb could be manufactured from enriched uranium currently being produced from scores of nuclear power plants around the world. A device could be purchased from one of the spin-off Soviet states where they are currently being guarded by unpaid soldiers. Or a nuclear weapon could be given to al-Qaida by North Korea or Iran.

We need to be prepared to take military action against individuals or nations that pose a nuclear threat. However, we are expending all of our resources (money, military personnel and public resolve) in Iraq, a country that does not pose a threat. Our resources are not inexhaustible. They should be reserved to combat nuclear terrorism.

Albert G. Marquis

Las Vegas