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The. Canadian Chammpion SO UR READERS WRITE These 'luddites ' really reent human growth Dear Editor: 1 recently (May 7) opposed unfair reductions of speed limnita along our busy road and defended the rigbt of commuting taxpayers to speedy, effective travel moutes. Unexpected support came in the formn of a front page article in the Champion (May 11) reporting a study that predicts traffic "gndl" in Halton Region. The article quoted Halton Hilîs Mayor Mail Serjeantson: "Halton's growth may already be hurting frem the constant traffic logianl. Clearly, I am not alone in seeing the need for speedy, effective travel routes." However, today's 'Luddites' are stroggling to pre- vent such progreas, as indicated by recent letters to The Champion. A Luddite was any 1 9th century crafisman whose job was tbreatened by mechaniza- tion, and who sought govemment intervention agains -t such progress. When tihe government failed to aide with the Luddites, some sahotaged modem equipment rather than take advantage of tbe new pmosperity. Frrst. Diane McCurdy publicly (Champion May il) asked for an individual envimonmrental assessment on the proposed extension of James Snow Parkway. She fears a wood lot wili be "cul in two" while another might hecome isolated fromn some ampbibians that May wisb 10 breed there. Those are bier reasons for being agamnst plans for a ild designed to help accom- modale the travels of an expected 50,000 buman beings. She's against businesses tbat will prosper as they make more goods and services available within our community, saving us a trip 10 Mississauga, Brampton or Toronto. Sbe's against tbe concomitant economic gain possible to citizens of a gmowing Halton and is- ing property values. She' s against ail the jobs that ferrecl natural habitats, purs mrn in the saine cisss sucb growth will create. She's against the children the Luddites. b>' IMAM1n J such productive people may hope to afford to raise. At mot, love of nature is flot their motivation, instead To oppose the enhancement of humnan life on an fliro- they resent human growth that is flot their own, and if IOJer iW sy an argument suggests hier dislike of progresa is they should be ignored. greater than bier love of nature. Richard Bramwuil 878-49~f4. Dave Toderick (May 21) caps defend a siil posi- Milton tion with a nested pair of logical fallacies. Like Ms- McCurdy, hie wants to prevent "significant environ- mental effectW" - which means promote wood lots TD D O ASHO PTe irs fallacy lies in citing David Suzuki assup-~ s F a h s 1)a it is "absurd Ibat humans could be SO arrogant aa to 'T i-ah r believe that they could even hegin to understand the reiteraling Dr. Suzuki's dlaim, Mr. Toderick bas comn- to the action - mitted the logîcal fallacy known as the 'argumentw et ritsa - from reverence', with Dr. Suzuki as the 'revered spo rieet or because il agrees with someone whom hie believes is his favourite movie unimpeachable. This is the lamest trick in the advertis- - with a DSS or ing world. It does not malter wbetber Mr. Toderick's Epesusatellite.I authority is Wayne Gretzky or Meryl Streep. If no M DSS EXPRESSVU rational argument is actually given then there is no W. AISo Carry reason to helieve him. 1bremîum Qu.IIty Rtotors a Antennas e Pro-Ampe Why is the error a nested pair? The statement M.A toIe elr Toderick chose to repeat is itself a logical error. It PA A tOI e * eCH iS* OS IB commits the 'fallacy of self-exclusion' in which the P N S NCaIE H ISa1o HS speaker believes that bis proposition does not apply 10 Repaire to Most him. Mr. Todenick and the pseudo-scientist Dr. Suzulti TV' & VCR's seek to convince us that the impact of buman activityI on tbe environmient is catastrophic, yet they simultane- (, 7 %> j$<. ously argue that mankind cannot tnily know tbe nature l e-IA and scope of that impact. A rational response 10 such nonsense would be: "If mankind cannot kniow, then 8 8 7 7 these people attack buman progresa. wben they could ('tl's Sl Cenr ) pool tbeir resources to purchase and defend their pre- Ber_ "2 -le Market - -ve 80 -edr Iil =àfUII opinion ~~1I J~ f