Letters to the Editor (Editorial Policies)
Posted on February 26, 2007

Objectivity knows no scientific persuasion

Climatologists and politicians alike have recently devoted much attention to the increases in CO2 and greenhouse gas concentrations, as well as the “recent” heating of the Earth’s climate. Naturally, we hear the often-quoted assertion; “higher CO2 emissions and greenhouse gas concentrations will have major consequences for life on earth.” The fact that two variables are highly correlated says very little, if anything at all, about causality.

The earth’s climate system is extremely complex and we have only limited knowledge of many of its aspects. In fact, solar activity and solar motion variations are found to explain much of the variability in the earth’s climate. Based on empirical data, levels of such solar activity followed that of our climate very closely, hitting low points during the Little Ice Age around 1600 A.D. and sitting at much higher levels today. Claims that the earth is warmer than it was 600 years ago are undisputable, but is rather misleading considering the fact we were in a cooling period. If we had rather looked back 800 years, we would find a cooling. This is a very common practice when conducting statistical studies.

The problem with today’s society is we lack the ability and/or desire to be objective and question the experts’ assertions. Scientists’ continuing inability to predict with confidence a season, let alone a week, in advance should be cause for hesitation when projections of decades to centuries are made. I exercise my right to be objective, and I suggest others do the same.

Matthew P. Davlin, alumnus, class of 2006

Snowballing class warfare

I must say, the House Editorial from Feb. 22 on the “politics of snow” was one of the most ridiculous and laughable pieces I have ever read. Have we stooped to such lows that the “political correctness police” are now after Mother Nature? Since when has weather been a conspiracy against the disenfranchised of society? 

Perhaps the editorial board didn’t realize that the conditions disrupted life for everyone in Harrisonburg — not just the “car-less” working class. Several inches of ice are difficult if not impossible to dig through, no matter how much money you make in a year. Was the mass of poorer residents more diligent in shoveling than wealthier ones? Judging by the fact that school was canceled for the remainder of the week, probably not — so let’s not blame class disparities. In addition, the ice didn’t discriminate between Benzes and buses, so any luxury-car owner had as much trouble moving his Beamer as HDPT had moving its buses. And well-to-do JMU students were just as likely as Harrisonburg’s immigrant population to slip on sidewalks walking to the supermarket. The snow and ice weren’t “catering” to a certain social class; weather knows no Marxist philosophy. 

True, common courtesy (and respect for the laws) would be nice, and citizens should have the decency to shovel their sidewalks. But let’s not blow things out of proportion; just because snow is white doesn’t mean its objective is to “oppress the already oppressed.”

Kathryn Manning, sophomore history and political science major

‘Blackness’ is not the man, but is part of the man

The debate that has begun, the debate we’ll all continue to hear about, over the degree of Barack Obama’s ‘’blackness’’ is irresponsible media attempting to skew real issues. To correct The Breeze, his father was an immigrant goat herder from Kenya, not Nigeria. Though Obama is not directly descended from African-American slaves, I don’t imagine the lives of his ancestors in colonial Africa could really have been much easier. Neither do I want to diminish the terrible reality that was slavery here in America. If you want to split hairs over how, where and by whom someone was discriminated against, be my guest. As a man of both Anglo and African decent, I’m sure Obama has had quite a struggle with identity and this struggle is a credit to his character and accomplishments. I also believe that he offers us a very real and very sharp contrast to the silver-spoon-fed, rich white men that have had a stranglehold over the White House since its construction. I will not vote for Obama, however, because of his blackness or whiteness. I will vote for Obama based on his refreshing rhetoric and his ability to make people believe in a system that has disenfranchised so many of us. Our generation has a chance to change the way of politics, and I encourage you all to vote for whom you agree with, but listen and learn, don’t just look.

Brian Tynan, junior international affairs major