Reality, not fantasy

Dear Editor:

Two recent letter writers illustrate just how far many of us have immersed ourselves in a world of make-believe.
Firstly, the evidence for evolution, some 3.5 billion years of it, is overwhelming. It comes from our ability to look back in time through fossils like those found in Morgan County, and, more conclusively, through the tracing of DNA sequencing.

Books such as Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne, The Ancestor’s Tale by Richard Dawkins and Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel clearly present the evidence and should be read by everyone. The real world and its origins are far more awe-inspiring than the ones our ancient ancestors, in their ignorance, conjured up.

Secondly, the evidence that President Obama is a natural born U.S. citizen is also overwhelming. Like your letter writer, Mr. Obama had to produce his birth certificate to get his driver’s license and his passport. The State of Hawaii has officially attested to the authenticity of his birth certificate (called a “certificate of live birth” there). There were also birth notices in two Hawaiian newspapers at the time.

Political and business leaders tried out the world of make-believe too (some still dwell comfortably there). They told us that cutting taxes for the wealthy among us would somehow bring prosperity to all. They thought two wars could be fought without raising the money to pay for them. Demand for new houses could be created by lending money to people that lacked the means to pay it back, and it would somehow all work out. Human activities couldn’t really be changing the climate. Now we know the product of such fantastical thinking.

Fantasy has its place, but we must recognize it as such. By getting a grip on reality, we’re much more likely to come to grips with the real problems we face.

Gary Stewart