Sowell is getting old, literally and figuratively

Sowell is getting old, literally and figuratively

EDITOR:

It’s time for The Vindicator to find a replacement for Tom Sowell. His articles have become disjointed and rambling. This may be due to the fact he is turning 80 this June. I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but after reading his latest article, I believe the Vindy would better serve its readers by finding a new conservative columnist. His Jan. 6 article, “Intellectuals to blame for world’s woes,” is a good example.

He has met the enemy and it’s ... himself.

To him, “Intellectuals” are, “those whose careers are built on the creation and dissemination of ideas” and are the ones causing all of the world’s problems. I guess he must consider himself to be “the exception,” since any reasonable person would consider an individual that has a Ph.D. (1968) and has written at least a dozen books to be an “intellectual.”

He goes on to say that, “intellectuals generate ideas and ideas matter” since these “ideas affect the fate of whole nations and civilizations.” His main argument here is that “when some people make suicidal attacks to kill strangers who have done nothing to them, as on 9/11” they “are driven by the emotions generated by those ideas.”

I have to disagree with this reasoning. It may seem that “terrorists” are “idealist/intellectuals” but they are only “martyrs.” They take on their task for the “betterment of their brothers” and their “fellow countrymen.” And why is this? Because we are occupying their countries. Wouldn’t the residents of Youngstown be a little upset with Arab military forces moving into their town? Nothing “intellectual” about that.

If there is any disservice “the intellectuals” have done, it’s that there hasn’t been any discussion of the effects of our occupations in the Arab countries and how it fuels their terrorist activities. The mainstream media rarely make this link, and Tom Sowell doesn’t either.

A reader, Roger LaFontaine, makes this point in a letter to the editor in the same Vindy edition: “America is in Afghanistan for the sake of Americans, not Afghans.” And, “In the end the people hate the occupation so much that they are willing to sacrifice their own life to put an end to it.”

Sowell put in a plug for his new book, “Intellectuals and Society.” I guess I’ll have to buy it to find out how things work out. But, maybe not. I might be labeled an intellectual, and we all know we have too many of them already.

To be fair, I used to enjoy reading Sowell’s column, but that was years ago when he was insightful and relevant. Today the Vindy readers deserve better.

LEE WISE

Hubbard

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EDITOR:

I have been on Medicare for almost 10 years and find the coverage quite complete and without any governmental interference in any way, including choosing and retaining my own doctor.

I believe that Medicare should be available for all citizens, which will not happen if Congress passes a health-care reform bill that will soon come up for a vote without such a provision.

JAMES RAY

Youngstown