Several weeks ago in a letter to the editor, one of your readers suggested that you exercise judgment as to which letters you print.
I agreed, although as a lifelong member of the American Civil Liberties Union, I am wary of limitations placed upon our First Amendment rights. Thus, I support your providing space to arch conservatives like Larry Penner and Dr. Stephen Morris even though I suffer from agita when I read their prose.
As we know, freedom of speech must have limitations. One of these should be that nonsense and illogical argument have no place in the Great Neck News.
The letter by Joanne Greenfield captioned “Contrary to advertisement, tobacco does not kill” falls into the category of specious reasoning. She cites the fact that both her parents were heavy smokers, yet her father lived to 87 and her mother to 92.
The flaw in this argument is generalizing from a very limited sample – in this case – two. If one of my Queens College students made such an argument, I would, patiently, explain why such reasoning is specious. I would argue by analogy that if we have a few cold days this spring, it doesn’t negate the reality of global warming.
Or, if one plantation owner in the south treated his slaves kindly, this doesn’t obviate the historic necessity to end slavery.
Sadly, Ms. Greenfield blunders on…”Pretty soon doctors will tell us that drinking water is hazardous to our health and that breathing can cause cancer.”
Actually, these are facts. Just ask folks in Third World countries who drink polluted water, or West Virginia coal-miners who breathe in carcinogens. And I don’t suppose Ms. Greenfield ever heard of the “Clean Air and Water Act” first passed by Congress in 1963.
Please Ms. Greenfield – give me a break.
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
