Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2006/11/28/letters_to_the_editor.php
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Well I Think YOU Are Damaging To The Globe
Hi there Jeremy [Teicher],
My name is Andrew Klein and I will be writing policy for the state of Vermont during my senior year, and hope to become a senior policy maker in the United States. I don’t mean to patronize you, but only to advise harshly. Your article in the Review (“Follies of the Sustainability Saga,” TDR, 11/10/06) is damaging to the globe, and perpetuates the domestic mindset of most Americans. You are wrong. I don’t usually write to contributors of writing to publications on campus because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You, however, are an exception so feel special and please take in what I have to tell you.
The European Union, Nations [sic] in Southeast Asia, Africa, Russia, Canada, and most nations of the UN incorporate both the practice of sustainability into their actions and also write the ideals into their policies. The United States does not abide by this mentality as much as it should, and maybe that’s the mindset you’ve grown up with -- I certainly did not have much “sustainable influence” in my family. I’ve learned though. Have you ever watched international news? Everyone is concerned with sustainability on local, regional, and national levels in these countries (namely: the world) and the news reporters explain to the public the new forms of energy that industries are adopting and sustainable practices of transportation and living that must be incorporated so as to avoid a decline in global agricultural production, fossil fuels, and general economic decline. Even NPR in the USA is talking about sustainability more and more.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6121166.stm
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2032.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6096084.stm
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/thomar497.html
In sum, the economy, agriculture (our food), the political structure, and ultimately the state of the world as we know it depend on sustainable practices all over the globe.
Dartmouth is a place to understand the global perspective. I found the best way to do that is take an upper level course or make some international friends and ask them what they think about policies in the US compared to other countries.
I wish you well in your Dartmouth Experience, and hope that you change your mind about the existence of the world while you are at college.
Good luck with your term,
Andrew Klein ‘08
Editors Respond: Good points all, Mr. Klein. However, you neglected to substantively address any of the points made in Mr. Teicher’s article, which focused upon Dartmouth’s dismal sustainability initiatives, and not global warming writ large.
Up Close and Personal
Hello!
I saw that there was a little satirical piece on the emails I had sent out to the school on behalf of “Untamed.” I am fine with the view The Review takes of Untamed and my project, but you did not ask for my permission in printing my personal Hinman Box. It was completely unacceptable.
Kathryn Fay ‘09
Editors Respond: That was our oversight; we regret the error. Here’s to hoping you at least receive anonymous love letters.
No “Wah-Hoo-Wah?”
To the editor:
My family -- wife and two sons -- and I attended the Brown game a few weeks ago. I did not attend Dartmouth. In fact I did not attend college. But we were on vacation in New England and I wanted to experience football in autumn in NE, at an Ivy League college no less.
It so happened that a few days before we left for NE, I found the book “Poisoned Ivy” in the Los Angeles Public Library (I live in L.A.). There I learned about the banning of the Indian mascot, among other liberal insanity -- such as the time when Shaun Teevens dressed up in Indian garb and went out on the ice at a hockey game, and the 5,000 Dartmouth fans went wild with delight, but Teevens ended up getting disciplined for it. I love that kind of stuff, that courage and rebellion on the side of right.
Anyway, reading the book gave me an interest in Dartmouth, and especially in TDR. I had heard of TDR before. I read Dinesh D’Souza’s book Letters to a Young Conservative, in which he talks about TDR’s founding and the hostility it encountered. What struck me was the sense of humor he and TDR maintained in the face of the hostility, which was illustrated in Poisoned Ivy as well. I imagine St. Thomas More would fit in well with the TDR attitude.
So I went to TDR’s website, and there I read, “To anyone who would like to fight against the lame Big Green nickname, the real Dartmouth supporters can be found high up in the stands with their tomahawks chopping while their chants scare the children away.” I looked forward to seeing this, but was disappointed. The only Indian I saw was on one guy’s hat, which he apparently ordered from TDR. But not one “Wah-Hoo-Wah”. Were you guys all at some conservative college journalism convention or something?
Speaking of the “lame Big Green nickname,” my 10-year-old son asked me, at the game, what D’s mascot was. I explained to him that it used to be the Indian, but some people claimed it was offensive, so they changed it to Big Green. His reply: “Their mascot is a color?”
Anyway, it was a very enjoyable game, with (as you know) the Indians coming from behind in the fourth quarter and winning in OT. I absolutely dug the stadium. I’m a USC fan, and I like the “Old School” L.A. Coliseum. But D’s stadium is REALLY Old School. My favorite thing? The men’s room: Wood plank floors, a loooong tin trough in which to urinate, bare light bulbs and a single sink at each end. Old. School. Boy. Even the aforementioned 10-year-old, who generally has little patience for my nostalgic enthusiasms (old movies, old cars), said, “I gotta admit, this is pretty cool.”
My main point in writing is to say that I admire the work you do at TDR -- your courage in standing up for common sense, and also the excellence of the product. I really enjoy reading TDR online. In particular, I enjoyed the editorial, “Let it Be, Just Let it Be” (TDR 11/10/06). Extremely well put. It used to be that conservatives were thought of as strict and stuffy and No Fun. Now it’s the liberals who are getting all restrictive and grouchy and gloomy, the old fuddy-duds. Lighten up, for God’s sake.
Keep it up! God Bless!
Mark Johnson
Glendora, CA
Editors Respond: We should note that we are also petitioning to install spittoons throughout Memorial Stadium, and possibly a cigarette vending machine.
Let’s Be Frank About It, Then
Dear Editor,
Thanks for the good article on Mr. Sager’s travels in Morocco (“TDR Travelogue: An American in Fez,” TDR 10/13/06) – very interesting and informative. I have just one minor quibble concerning the Glen Beck remark: Glen can be a little over the top but as one of the ‘far right’ I want to say that Glen is at least performing a valuable service in trying to alert the public to the dangers of Islam. This is a rarity in the MSM [mainstream media] which blithely ignores the problem or stupidly blames everything on Bush.
Everyone should take the time to read the Koran and become familiar with the life of Mohammed. If this were done there would be no more ‘cultural misunderstandings’. It would be quite apparent to all that the goal of Islam is jihad and world domination.
So please – don’t go Dhimmi on us. If the salt loses its flavor we are screwed.
Keep up the good work.
Barrie Sellers
I Would, but I’m Busy
go [sic] eat a dick and die and never blitz me again.
Aurora Wells ’10
Editors Respond: Well can I at least take you to dinner this weekend?