To the Editor: I read the recent guest column by Abigail Marsh '99 with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. I was amused by the accusations against a D columnist for 'logical fallacies' in the context of a piece that itself is a shining example of ad hominem argument.
To the Editor: Your coverage of Surgeon General nominee David Satcher's recent speech at Dartmouth indicated that the only opposition to his approval is from the National Rifle Association.
To the Editor: I would hope that Brian Reilly recognizes that a reasonable and open discussion of the morality of abortion deserves more than the loosely reasoned "spiel" he presented in his column this past Wednesday ["A Brave New World: No Fetus Can Beat Us," July 23, 1997]. As someone who disagrees with his conclusions and holds to different opinions, I would at least like to respect his arguments, but I cannot.
This Saturday, Feb. 15, marks the birthday of Susan B. Anthony. Many know that Anthony fought for social reform and women's suffrage, but few know that she was radically opposed to abortion and the social structures that led women to seek abortions.
A classic case of conflicting principles exists in the case of sex-selective abortions. One horn of the dilemma has the "women's movement" enshrining the right to abortion as fundamental.
The friendships which we form at Dartmouth will remain some of our fondest memories of our years here.
Even more lamentable than President Clinton's apparent inability to pick a policy and stick with it is his allegiance to certain extreme elements within the Democratic party.
Yale Law Professor Stephen Carter writes, "Too many commentators in the media, in politics, and in the academy, make a casual habit of insulting their religious opponents instead of debating with them," in the paperback foreword to "The Culture of Disbelief." What is most unfortunate about Carter's statement is its accuracy. Last Friday's edition of the Valley News ran a front-page story on the defeat of an assisted suicide bill in the New Hampshire State Legislature.
I don't get the chance to watch much television while at Dartmouth, but this past break gave me the opportunity to catch up on what I have been missing for the past 12 weeks or so.
We are all political animals by nature. That is Aristotle's assessment, as valid today as it ever was.