Offering up U.S. nukes

Re “North Korea upset by U.S. stance,” July 8

Marc Joel Simon

Encino

So, North Korea might be dragging its feet on what appears to be the goal of the United States: to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

I, for one, can understand its reluctance. We live in a country that is predictably unpredictable. Often, it seems, we choose a military option before negotiations because … we can.

If the United States is really serious about denuclearization, why don’t we offer to decrease our arsenal using the same incremental gauges that we ask other countries to use?

We could be leading the world in this process because … we can. Lynne Juarez

Claremont

Negotiations take time. Parties introduce new items and rescind others. Alas, this is the essence of both politics and communication.

A longer negotiation process between North Korea and the United States will render a better deal. We need to give both parties enough time to work out their differences.

The statement signed by President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was a positive development. As such, it should be written about with proper regard.

Sometimes, I feel as though reading the newspaper is the equivalent of reading a Boston Red Sox program at Yankee Stadium. Stephen Bonick

Los Angeles

Trump has lied three times in his last three “reelection” rallies, saying North Korea has returned the remains of 200 U.S. service members.

It hasn’t returned the remains of even one. You call statements like these “falsehoods” when they are blatant lies.

Of course, there have been more than 3,000 such lies uttered by the president since his inauguration, and no one calls them what they really are. So, why don’t you call Trump what he is — a liar — and do it on the front page? Sheila Winston

Woodland Hills

On April 27, the president, commenting on the North Korea negotiations, said: “The United States in the past was played like a fiddle.”

Mr. President, you just got played like a chamber orchestra. Matt Giorgi

Brea