Colorado Springs Gazette, 4-17-08
On June 30th,
2004, I first became a regular contributor to the Gazette. Today marks my 100th column. Stop the presses! Good thing I number files on my web site, or
I probably wouldn’t have noticed either.
A lot has
happened in four years. We’ve seen a
Michael Moore film about how awful America is, a Michael Moore film about how
awful America is, a national story at the Air Force Academy, a national story
at the Air Force Academy, a pastor resign as a result of a sex scandal, a
governor resign as a result of a sex scandal, and a governor resign as a result
of a sex scandal. Plus ca change, I
suppose.
On the
personal front, I’ve played a jazz gig with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, had a
classmate win a Nobel Prize, and had another diagnosed with terminal cancer
before giving a world-famous “Last Lecture”.
(I’m pleased to say he’s still with us).
I’ve endured the trauma of a daughter on Accutane, and sent my son off
to college. Those have all been fun to
share with you.
It’s the
email, though, that’s the best part. I
get a ton of it, and while I can’t always respond I read everything you send
me. Some of you like me, some of you
don’t, but it’s always interesting to learn what you think.
Some
responses are predictable. When I
suggest that government taxes too much and spends too much, I hear from liberals about fairness, the
wonderful European welfare state, and how awful Republicans are. When I write that consenting adults ought to
be allowed to do what they want, I hear from social conservatives about God’s
law, the importance of social order, and my own personal moral bankruptcy.
So it
goes. Clearly, when it comes to
convincing you that free markets and civil liberties are two sides of the same
coin, I still have some work to do.
But other
times, people surprise me. A column I
wrote about apostrophes got me more feedback than anything I’d written in a
long time. I had no idea people were so
passionate about language. On two
occasions, alert readers caught grammatical errors. That’s horribly embarrassing, but much
appreciated. Sticklers of the world
unite!
Sometimes
people will point out flaws in my reasoning or aspects of an issue I’ve
missed. That’s always gratifying, but
keep in mind that I’ve only got about seven hundred words. That means I’ve got to make tough
choices. Some good points will
inevitably wind up in the recycle bin.
Other times
you’ll just say “Right on!” “Great stuff!”
“Keep it up!” After reading a
particularly vitriolic email or two, those are always nice.
It’s a
shame how many emails I get, pro or con, that never make it to the letters page
because people don’t bother. Many of
them could be published as is, just by adding gtop@gazette.com
to the ‘To’ field. It’s a real
shame. More of you should speak
out! America works better with more
speech, not less.
Some issues
of interest to me will always be a tough sell in this town. These include mathematics education,
legalization of victimless crimes, and
gay rights. The hardest battle here, though, is fighting for reason.
I know
whenever I write something about why creationism is nonsense, ESP is bunk, ghostbusting is stupid, and astrology is an embarrassment,
I’m going to hear the same tired responses.
I’ve got a worldview I can’t see outside of, there are all sorts of true
things that can’t be proven, I can’t make life in a test tube, evolution is
just a theory, evolution is a religion.
C’mon, people, which is it?
These are,
I believe, either wrong or simply miss the point. Outside of Colorado Springs, most of what I write
on scientific topics wouldn’t be controversial.
In town, however, it’s clear that I’ve got my work cut out for me. But as my Mom and Dad taught me, giving up in
despair is not an option.
So I’d like
to thank everyone for your responses to these last one hundred columns, pro or
con. I’ve got some interesting things
planned for the next four years, so let’s keep talking Life is more interesting when it’s shared.