Unraveling the DNA Myth

Harper's Magazine ^ | February 2002 | Barry Commoner

[aruanan]

What Commoner is doing (and this is typical) is to say that there are unknowns with X which could cause horrible problems and that until we know what they are and that X can be proven to be safe we should tightly control X (according to his definitions of "safe" and "control"). Constructing a possible boogie-man and then portarying himself and his program (whatever that happens to be) as the means of keeping people safe from the (as-yet-unproven) dangers of the boogie-man (or even that he exists) is entirely self-serving. To point this out is not to "attack the man rather than to answer his questions". There are many things in common use which are definitely not safe, which are actually dangerous, but which are indispensable in daily life. To say that someone must answer his concerns when his concerns are of a nature that they are inherently unanswerable (or unreasonable) is itself unreasonable. That's awfully close to "Can you prove that you're not a witch? Ah ha. You refuse to answer this reasonable question. Only someone with something to hide, such as his being a witch, would refuse to furnish proof.Your silence just shows that my question was reasonable from the outset."

[TomB]

Bump for later reading and comment.

(it's times like these that I regret sleeping through most of my genetics and cell bio classes)

[tpaine]

"What Commoner is doing (and this is typical) is to say that there are unknowns with X which could cause horrible problems and that until we know what they are and that X can be proven to be safe we should tightly control X (according to his definitions of "safe" and "control"). Constructing a possible boogie-man and then portarying himself and his program (whatever that happens to be) as the means of keeping people safe from the (as-yet-unproven) dangers of the boogie-man (or even that he exists) is entirely self-serving."

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Very well said. -- Describes todays prohibitionist mentality & the tactics of the authoritarian left and right to a 'T'.

Both sides of the political spectrum are advocating more government control, -- using these methods. --- And our free republic is dying.

[Phaedrus]

What Commoner is doing . . .

Well, thanks for the guidance but please recall that I'm the one who posted the article and gave it emphasis by bolding. I'm quite beyond needing explanations.

[Slingshot]

**I'm awarding you an "A" for irritation, Slingshot. Do you have something useful to say?**

Phaedrus, I meant to irritate only tpaine who has accused us all of reading betty boop and then saying, "Me too!!

I meant no irritation to anyone else. Please forgive me, I won't do it again.

Have a most wondrous day.

[Phaedrus]

My apologies to you, Slingshot.

[muawiyah]

Whether I say "God" or not is my business and none of your own. This is still America. I suggest you tend to yor own rituals first and leave mine alone.

[Agamemnon]

You spout your mind on this thread and have the conceit to think that your silly reasoning is "none of [my] business," when by the simple fact that you posted made it the business of any reader on the forum. Are you somehow beyond intellectual scrutiny of the forum in which you chose to post?

Agnostics like yourself always get your shorts twisted when in your foolish pride you just can't bring yourself to recognize that you just stepped into the obvious but refuse to admit it, that's all.