I REFER to Tory MEP Robert Goodwill's comments on President Bush's plans for Fylingdales: "What people are worried about, the world over, is attacks from rogue states" (May 2).

By rogue states does Mr Goodwill mean, for example, ones that tear up international agreements on global warming, and on arms control?

It seems North Yorkshire certainly needs protection from these states.

Dave Parkinson,

Haxby Road, York.

...THE justification for Star Wars, to be played at a Yorkshire base near you soon, bears little relation to any strategic reality.

The real motivating force behind this project is the huge research and development budgets of the military electronics and hardware suppliers.

Without Star Wars, they feared they would go out of business.

This project will start a new arms race and removes the stability of the last 30 years by tearing up the anti-ballistic missile treaty.

America would be able to wage nuclear war without any retaliation, as China and Russia see it.

Tony Blair is in a unique position. Without his support the project will suffer a mortal blow, because it depends on Fylingdales.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus stood up to a corrupt authority and threw the money-changers out of the temple dedicated to his Father.

With big money calling the shots in the US in this deeply-corrupt, wicked, and amoral project, I would call on church leaders such as the Archbishop of York, Dr Hope, to speak out, and tell Tony Blair, an apparently pious churchgoer, that he would be committing an appalling moral crime to allow such a thing.

Hague is useless, but I doubt Blair is much better. The only higher authority to the PM is the church, as he recognises it.

Or will the church take the side of the US and keep silent? It is not too late yet, but the bell is tolling for peace.

Chris Clayton,

Hempland Drive, York.

Updated: 11:22 Friday, May 04, 2001