Occasionally, something in the news makes me want to respond.
Happily, newspapers give their readers an opportunity to do so,
and I have occasionally submitted letters of my own.
My first attempt was in high school, when I wrote to the Lincoln Journal Star to
argue against an earlier reader's letter suggesting that
Republicans increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court
to pack it with conservatives. In retrospect, it wasn't a great
letter (mostly because the opposing side was just so weak), but
seeing my ideas taken seriously by the local paper felt awfully
good. That success may have encouraged me to try again later.
Since getting to Chicago, I think that I've sent five letters
to the Chicago Tribune, most of them in response to stories that
I'd read in the paper. The three that were actually accepted are
reproduced below (in the form in which they were published: some
editing always seemed to happen, whether just an extra paragraph
break or the removal of most of a paragraph entirely). The
Tribune seems to choose their own title, whether you suggest one
or not. And the other two? To be honest, they really weren't as
good. : )
For those who are interested, I've also put the original versions of the letters
that I submitted online, along with a bit more background on what
each one was talking about.
Failed terror — August 30, 2001
I was appalled by the tone of the front-page article regarding
suicide bombings in the Middle East. In the article, the subject
of failed terrorist attacks was presented in a format usually
reserved for tragedies: It featured an interview with a grieving
parent—whose son was arrested before he could detonate
himself—and comments by a political leader distressed by the
situation because failed attempts made it harder to recruit new
suicide bombers.
The subtitle of the article, "Radicals lament rash of thwarted
suicide bombings," is far too similar to headlines like "Parents
lament rash of schoolyard shootings" for comfort.
In a satirical publication, this article might have been
appropriate as dark humor ("Lots of things can go wrong when
someone is strapped with explosives," we are told). As serious
news in a serious newspaper, it shows an astonishing lack of
sensitivity.
There is no place for terrorism in a civilized world. The
tragedy occurs when it happens, not when it fails.
Bad politics —November 10, 2002
The best candidates were missing from the ballot on Tuesday,
pushed aside in the primaries by entrenched political
dynasties. Before I moved to Chicago, I hardly believed that
politics this bad still existed in our country. I hope the people
of Illinois realize that it doesn't have to be this way.
Pursuing answers — August 22, 2005
As a scientist, I applaud the Tribune's call for teachers to
"inform students that today's science doesn't have every answer,"
as the Aug. 14 editorial stated. That is the very essence of
science.
But we must also teach that science can advance only when we
seek those answers. By contrast, intelligent design asserts that
many scientific questions are forever unanswerable. That claim is
based on faith, not reason, and an overwhelming majority of
scientists—religious or not—insist that such arguments
have no place in a science class. Encourage students to ask deep
questions and to seek meaning in nature. But don't ask teachers to
present unscientific methods as a valid alternative within science
itself.