In reply to Guenter Hoernig’s letter, I would like to thank him for not disputing any of the facts in my original letter.
On being ignorant, it would appear that Mr. Hoernig is ignorant of the fact that the Middle East is considered to be the number one flash point in the world that could lead to another world war. And I cannot see any amount of Hubbard (whoops Hubble) telescopes being of much help if one does break out, except perhaps to give a grandstand view of a war that could leave much of the world inhabitable. He may also be ignorant of the fact that contrary to what the Americans had hoped for, many of the Middle East Arab countries that have recently rid themselves of dictators have now elected radical Islam parties to power.
Many of the young politicians and activists in the parties went to the madrasas and were indoctrinated in ways that can only lead to a huge confrontation with the ‘infidels’, which take in both myself and Mr. Hoernig.
I, and many others, have pointed out that much of the radical brand of Islam taught at the madrasas has been indoctrinated into the mostly poor students who attended the madrasas, as their parents sent them there as it was the only way they could get any education. If a fraction of the money spent on the Hubble telescope program and sending troops into Afghanistan had been spent on providing decent schools that taught the students how to think not what to think, we would not have half the problems we have now and perhaps, just perhaps, the World Trade Center towers might still be standing.
In fact, I used to curl with Carmen Costaine, who worked out at White Lake, and we had several polite conversations on the age-old subject of ‘science for science’s sake,’ so I am not going to waste time rehashing the age-old arguments on that subject.
However, as I tried to make clear, even one light year is one heck of a long way to travel if a nuclear war should break out, so should we not be spending our time and brains in improving life on Earth so it is tolerable enough for everyone to live in peace?
I know I do not want my children and grandchildren to grow up and see the wreckage that was caused (by what are now long outdated bombs) on Coventry where I was born. Several science fiction writers have written, postulating what it will be like after a nuclear war, and as Will Rogers would have said, “It ain’t pretty.”
Brian Sutch
Penticton