Prepare for the worst

After watching the docu-drama 13 Days about the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, I’ve been thinking about North Korea and its reckless intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

With North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un developing reliable nucleartipped warheads able to strike the continental U.S. and its allies without mercy, the majority of U.S. citizens seem unconcerned by the gravity of such a threat from an unstable nation.

I believe North Korea could be the catalyst which starts World War III. Not to alarm anyone—these missiles could strike numerous cities, each unleashing the power of 100 Hiroshima-type bombs, causing terror of apocalyptic prophecy.

With intense trepidation we have learned very little in the last 50 years. I recommend as a good summer reading Hiroshima by John Hersey, Tomorrow! by Philip Wylie, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, and On the Beach by Nevil Shute.

Pray for the best but prepare for the worst. Remember Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, with the A-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Are we the intelligent species we think we are? If so, why haven’t we solved the complex problems we now face—with extinction being at the top of the list?

TOM KNIGHT Little Rock