Editor,
What would we do if we discovered the religious beliefs of an American Indian tribe or another non-Christian religion were seriously life-threatening to our children and the planet?
Let's say, for example, they opposed birth control - even though the United Nations projects the human race will swell from 6.5 billion to 9.1 billion people in less than 50 years.
Let's say they were indifferent to global warming - even though the world's biggest study of climate change warns that global warming may be twice as catastrophic as previously thought.
Let's say they were opposed to stem cell research even though the National Academy of Sciences, citing a lack of leadership by the Bush administration, is proposing its own guidelines modeled after the approach to recombinant DNA research.
Let's say they were equally indifferent to scientific data indicating the protective ozone layer over the Arctic has thinned this winter to the lowest levels since records began.
This loss of ozone allows more harmful ultraviolet light to reach the Earth's surface, making children and outdoor enthusiasts more vulnerable to skin cancer - a disease that is dramatically increasing.
How could any rational adult be indifferent to these indisputable medical and scientific facts?
Well, because the Bush presidency espouses just these anti-science and anti-life policies, we should ask our president that question.
Perhaps it has something to do with his evangelical expectation that the universe is slated to go up in a cloud of Armageddon smoke any day now.
What happened to all the grown-ups?
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W. Christopher Epler
UNM adjunct faculty
