Letters to the Editor

Serious threats need nation's attention

Professor Art Hobson recently said in a column that man-made climate change would soon be more of a threat to obliterate man-kind (human-kind, if you prefer) than nuclear warfare. I disagree because I believe our human ingenuity will enable us to survive severe climate change effects, but I see no answer to tyrants like Kim Jong-un of North Korea or the religious zealots of the Middle East who may soon have access to atomic weapons.

If we survive these threats, will we then destroy ourselves by genetic manipulation such as discussed in the Time magazine issue of July 4, 2016? It is now possible through a technique known as CRISPR/cas9 to reprogram the cells not just of humans but also of plants, insects and other living organisms. The potential of this technique to be employed as a weapon of mass destruction by rogue states or terrorists has led the director of National Intelligence James Clapper to include gene-editing techniques like CRISPR to a list of mass destruction threats. All the above is according to the Time article.

I completed a Ph.D. in 1954 with a minor in genetics just as Watson and Crick announced the breaking of the genetic code, and while I haven't used genetics in my research I have eagerly followed its rapid development. I was, however, surprised by the rapid advancement of our ability to manipulate organisms with gene-editing techniques.

This is not only a scientific question but a philosophical and religious one. Where will it all end? A catastrophic meteor strike such as the one that eliminated the dinosaurs one hundred sixty five million years ago is a remote possibility. We may now have or soon may have an ability to divert such a meteor.

I hope we may be able to have a rational discussion of all of these questions before another presidential election gets all our attention. Congress should be concerned with all of these threats, as should we all.

George A. Bradley

Springdale

A path to becoming better human beings

In response to Mike Alexy's July 27 letter regarding the Fayetteville library: The reason for millage taxes is to improve the community you live in even if you don't directly benefit. Overall, you will benefit from young people, who certainly can't afford taxes, using the library. Their learning experiences and the gift of reading will improve your community for years to come. The more informed a citizen becomes, the better choices they will make both in their personal and public lives.

This also applies to the people in your community who at present cannot afford to own property but through their use of the activities and resources available at a public library will improve their lives and the lives of their children.

Remember, you are investing in the future of your community. I may not be quite to the curmudgeon stage of my life but I am retired and believe strongly that we should all strive to help everyone become better humans using whatever means we have at our disposal.

Sharon Howell

Bentonville

Commentary on 08/01/2016

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