LETTERS: ARGUMENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE -- OR NOT

To the editor:

Thanks so much for the Nov. 7 publishing of my letter regarding global warming. I have to admit Alan Journet stimulated my thinking with his response. I was disappointed that he chose a sort of personal ad hominem attack on my opinion (as well as Mr. Wille's). I didn't read Mr. Journet's original letter, but the character of a zealot thundering his righteousness at the cowering masses of ignoramuses arrayed before him was more or less what I had in mind when I wrote my letter. Consequently, it dovetailed nicely with the fray that was under way between Mr. Journet and other correspondents.

In recent months I've moved away from using the term "extreme" to describe the ends of the spectrum of political and economic philosophy. The word is overused and doesn't seem to adequately convey the concept of consequences, so I'm experimenting with tagging conservatives and liberals with the words "responsible" or "irresponsible." I think both kinds exist in both philosophies (the middle, filled with warm, wet oatmeal, is an area I don't visit much). The difference between irresponsible and responsible is straightforward: Do they care a whit about the real-world consequences on real people of the actions they espouse? Much of my concern about the issue of global warming revolves around this characterization.

It's apparent that Mr. Journet is neither a scientist nor an engineer, perhaps not much on history or economics either, but he is right about many of us being in denial. This is not some simple issue that can be fixed with the installation of a few more scrubbers on the industrial smokestacks or a little tweaking of the processor that controls our car's engine operation. The implementation of a ratified treaty as currently written will change your life. It will affect how well you live, ho you work, perhaps where you work and where you live, how you transport yourself from place to place, the economic output of this nation and its relative position in the global economy. If you're satisfied that this issue is in the hands of responsible people who know all they need to know to justify the forthcoming courses of action, go back to sleep. In the meantime, two things are easily predictable: 1. The relentless push to use a very old theory to control our lives will continue. 2. The climate will continue to unabashedly manifest its unique and completely uncontrollable version of chaos.

BOB RATHBURN

Piedmont