1980_12 The Daily Collegian December 1980

              Pag«2
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
M**w>d**y, Det^eMoer fl, 19eo
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
God, scientists
To the Editor.
I would like to address a few points
in Professor Jones' Nov. 19 letter to
the Collegian. He asserts that scientists
who use such wild evolutionary ex¬
planations a* 'Monster mutations,*
yet shudder at the notion of an 'outside
guiding Cod' stand in eminent danger of
ceasing to be scientific.
To begin with, I must ask, 'What is
Cod outside of?* I assume that Prof.
Jones means outside of the natural
world, for if Cod were a subject of the
natural world. Cod would not be Cod.
Since the natural world is for the sci¬
entist the empiral world, and Cod is not
a subject of the natural world, then Cod
Is not a subject of the empirical world.
Furthermore, if Cod is not a subject
of the empirical world, then Cod is not
a possible subject of scientific concern.
The hypothesis of 'monster muta¬
tions- Is, on the other hand, at least
subject to empirical verification. It
may be an Ill-found hypothesis, but as
far as I know a scientist who formulates
a poor hypothesis does not cease to be
scientific.
However, a person who postulates an
outside guiding force to explain evo¬
lution Is not working scientifically,
for Cod can never be a subject of scien¬
tific concern.
Professor Jones also stated, in refer¬
ence to the idea that Cod is the first
cause of life, that 'in the explanation of
scientific phenomena all reasonable pos¬
sible causes should be explored, Uught,
tested, and refined. *
I assume that he is suggesting that the
hypothesis, "Cod Is the first cause of
life," be tested scientifically. Professor
Jones, it seems, is asking the impos¬
sible; the above assertion cannot be em¬
pirically confirmed.
Professor Jones also suggests that a
thelstic explanation of the anomolie*
and gaps in the evolutionary theory ex¬
plains 'more of the evidence than an
atheistic one.*
In another letter to the Collegian,
he says that the unexplained peculiar¬
ities of gravity and nuclear forces,
the mysteries of life, thought, and mem¬
ory are all reasonable evidence of Cod's
existence. _ _
a In every case the notion of Cod is used
to explain the unknown, or the unknown
Is used as evidence of Cod's existence.
At we have already shown, Cod is un¬
knowable, and what Professor Jones
suggests Is that we explain the unknown
with that which is forever unknowable.
In effect, he Is saying that we don't
know and that we never will.
Furthermore, I question that leeps
from the assertion that there are myster¬
ies to the claim that there ts a Cod.
Professor Jones also maintains
"a really sharp Occam's razor—say as
sharp as the one that cuts out Cod as the
first cause of life-might also cut out
big chunks of the evolutionary theory-
on the basis that it is unnecessary
and unproven speculation.*
There are some weaknesses In this
claim. Briefly Occam's razor is the
maxim, 'What can be done with fewer
Is done in vain with more.*
Scientists feel that the postulate
that Cod Is the first cause of life must be
eliminated as an unnecessary hypoth¬
esis. This seems a fair use of Occum's
maxim.
At this point Professor Jones might
note that eliminating a possible hypo¬
thesis Is quite a different matter from
trimming an argument of 'unnecessary
and unproven specualtion.'
Furthermore, If the speculation is
unnecessary to the argument, then its
elimination won't affect the validity of
the argument, but will merely simplify
It.
Alto, unproven speculation is not
within the province of Occum's maxim;
it sUnds or falls on its proof or disproof
but not on its necessity to the argument.
Professor Jones further states that he
is not a proponent of a 'sharp razor*;
he appears to have carried his metaphor
to an absurd conclusion.
There is only one Occum's razor,
and those who employ it can not choose
to use It sharpened or dulled. Their
choice is whether or not to use it at all.
Mark Donahue
Rape Awarness seminar
to be held this month
The CSUF Employee Development
Department, headed by Doug
Calhoun, is sponsoring a three-part
Rape Awareness seminar being held,
this month upstairs In the Old cafe¬
teria, room 200.
Part one, having to do with the
legal aspects of rape, was held Wed.,
Dec. 3 from noon to 2 p.m.. The
panel, moderated by Dr. Merry Salehi
of the Psychology Dept., consisted of
Sargent Mefvin King of the Fresno
Police Dept., Sargent Harold
McKinney of the Fresno County
Sheriff's Dept., Clovis police Chief
Jerry Calvin, and campus police Chief
William Anderson.
Part two of the seminar, which will
be held Dec. 10, will concern the
physical and psychological ramifica¬
tions of rape for both the rapist and
the victim, and will be moderated by
Dr. Charles Dean, chairman of the
Criminology Department.
Guest speakers will include Nancy
McCabe, Executive Director of the
Rape Counseling Service In Fresno,
Dr. Ceorge F. Solomon-Director of
Medical Education out of the Fresno
County Mental Health Department,
and a representative from the District
Attorney's Office.
Part three, to be held on Dec. 17,
will consist of an actual tear gas train¬
ing session, taught by members of the
campus criminology department. A
$10.00 fee will be required for this
session, and upon completion of the
course participants will be Issued a
permit which will authorize you to
purchase a tear gas aerosai weapon.
The cost for the tear gas unit is
$12,95.
I III I I  il i Ii i i    lV' I ii*
J
I
I
► I.
TWCiKrvOrA
Emergencies
To the Editor:
TRAHSITTOfJ
In the article on Emergency Medical
Procedures appearing in the Dec. 3
issue of the Daily Collegian, I felt I
was misquoted.
I have no objection to individuals cal¬
ling the campus police in a simple med¬
ical emergency. The police are impor-
Unt to the campus; however, .time is
also of importance in many injury situ¬
ations, i.e., in cardiac arrest, brain
death begins in about four minutes. If
a person has been determined to be
without breathing or pulse. Advanced
Life Support Procedures should be in¬
stituted at once.
Advanced Life Support (defibril¬
lation, cardiac drugs, communication
with an emergency room physician,
etc.) provided only by paramedics.
To delay calling the firemen while a
police officer and a nurse walking or
driving from the Health Center arrive on
the scene, and then determine that a
serious situation exists, and then call
the paramedics, Is a poor sequence to
follow.
If a person is non-breathing or has no
cardiac activity, this constitutes a
very serious situation, and the paramed¬
ics should be called immediately.
CPR   as   provided   by   laypersons.
Letters Policy
The Daily Collegian a lira was letters to
the editor. ALL LETTERS must be type-
nurses, police, etc. is great, but in and
of Itself will not usually restore life.
Adjunctive equipment is needed.
Most adults have the good judgement
not to call the paramedics for a hang nail
or a bloody nose. There are very few
abuses of the EMS system.
To wait for a police man to arrive and
make the decision as to whether Para¬
medics are needed is just not sensible
when a true emergency exists. Minutes
do count I
Sherman K. Sowby
Lecturer
, Health Science
/ " >
The Daily Collegian
exceed two pages In length. Letters that
are NOT typewritten WILL NOT be pub¬
lished. Typewriters are available In
the library. The editor reserves the right
to edit letters for length and grammar.
*M| ClI al     U pari*   Xbrsmm <i       I
o*aoaaa> m CuanraAa Btaa. Vtt^mwtj, Fraaaa. and
a» **aa*aar> em% O****** aajaana ■» aaa
*******»**■»; *t
r^SSZSLaZr*
am  Ml* l>l .KmmsSXafar, IWt? V—,.
Aaa CMa*. Daa» laaaar, jSn Snia     -
aa rmml Baa*. Ja* Otaaaaaaaa, Tsm, *V
Jaaa,  Omxmm Mar,  »«*«*,
*,r—a***.
tea   Win   Ora»  AM,   Bsmt
O~a.ailiw0a.aai ,m.ii,tai* i.
,liil.*jiH**J..ii«. 5*g*WO*a»*
II i ■< ■ III aa     Cmm*.rmim.m
W7**llU    ajn   III i In
rwo**.<
> 0**> Ca**rW, ****** ■! lliail mx a.
Caa—a   Mt**«   .   ■*.   COLT   aaa*.
tat: bam ana)**, mn+mm bbbjm*-
u iitii*,. txmmn-rmu.
Tm.Dm4, Ca***a_ k a _t_ f *. C
■       I if I   rwaa      IQTAI
e.IiHi.i ■
•Vtf
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Page)
Brown speaks on Love Canal issue
Immense toxic waste problem
facing the United States
By Judy Heaaa
Love Canal was not an isolated incident. In fact, California has its own toxic
waste problem that will shortly surpass the problem in New York, the Journalist
who broke the Love Canal story told students Thursday.
Michael Brown told students In the moderately filled CU lounge that California
even imports waste material. He said waste material in California is often dumped
In sandy soil and seeps through to water supplies underground.
In Riverside County, various industries have dumped 32 million gallons of
waste adds and caustics into Stringfellow landfill, the New York Times reoorted
recently. The state Is closing site at a cost of $13 million because some of the
chemicals leached into groundwater and Into the Santa Ana River.
Hooker Chemical Company, the same company that dumped the chemicals into
Love Canal dumped harmful chemicals at a site in Lathrop near Stockton. Some of
the chemicals were detected In groundwater. ■«,
Brown said an old petro-chemlcal site in Fullerton 'looks Just like Love Canal,
only the houses are more expensive."
Brown said that 33 percent of the drinking wells in California contain DBCP
which he called'not a very encouraging sign."
Brown said that although health officials often downplay levels of chemicals In
water such as DBCP, saying it is nothing to feet concerned about, Brown said, *l
say worry about it. They have told us in so many states not to worry about It.
Just remember no level of carcinogens can be considered safe."
Brown was a reporter for the Niagara Gazette In 1977 when he discovered an old
hydroelectric channel in the southwestern corner of the town of Niagara. Fifty-five
gallon meul drums filled with chemical waste had been dumped there bv the
less than 9 percent of toxic chemicals
are disposed of property.'
Hooker Chemical Company. The chemicals he found were seeping Into the sewers
that led to the river. He went to city and health officials with the information.
'All they said was, 'don't worry about it. We'll take care of It," Brown told
students.
Early in 1978 he noticed nothing had been done about Love Canal, named after
.entrepreneur William Love.
'What 11 saw shocked me-multi-colored puddles, rust-colored ones, inunda¬
tions in people's lawns. I went Into their basements.. it smelted like you were In¬
side the Hooker Chemical Company,* Brown said.
'The more I looked, the more urgent It seemed.*
The first family Brown visited were the Schroeders. At the time, the Schroeders
were concerned that the chemicals had pushed their swimming pool out, Brown
said. They never thought their daughter, who was born deaf with deformed ears,
mentally retarded and with an enlarged liver, was bom that way because of the
chemicals that had seeped out of Love Canal. 'The Schroeders thought their
daughter' s problems were because of qulrkish genes, an anomaly.'
"There were all kinds of people who had emphysema, headaches, miscarriages.
There were pockets of cancer, especially female cancer,* Brown said. 'They
(Hooker Chemical Company officials) tried to tell me the chemicals they put in
Love Canal were no more harmful than table salt.'
Brown did not have the support of his own paper. After the New Yet* Time*
If-   na.,   8.-,  ***.-- —  IJ L*Bala*a*a*a.
riWW WTf IrVIV ~ aajj*a\an
JOURNALIST MICHAEL BROWN
investigated the story, the New York State Health Department declared the Love
Canal area an emergency. Pregnant women and children under the ag* of two
were told to move away. In 1978, 240 homes were evacuated. That was only the
beginning ofthe problem,' Brown said.
Brown knew from his research that the effects of the chemicals in Love Canal
See Brown page 4
Female Roomate Needed
to share a super 3 bedroom,
2 bath house in Clovis.
Platonic relationship. Call David
at 296-5363
David
Happy 23rd
PROFESSIONAL
TYPING
Term Papers
Resumes
Manuscripts
Thesis
Etc-      222-4111
Allied Offioe Servloes
1800 W. Shaw, Suite 404
s**aa«*B>af**a>«ea***s)*|8tas-as>^^
Calzoni Special
'3.50
includes crisp green salad and
tot your choice
soft drink'
DECEMBER SPECIAL Dr. Harold C Sivas
SOFT CONTACT LENSES *££*£-
Total Price
PRICE INCLUDES:
-1 Pair Soft Contacts     -OrienUtion
-Eye Examination        -Care Kit
-Contact Lens Fitting    -30 Day Fotiew-up-Ore
(AH fitting* and hm evaluation by a Doctor of Optometry).
Same day »ervie* on many soft lenses.
♦Christnsas  Oft  Certificate*  avaaabte at tfc*»«*^st»»rial price. ♦
288 W.Shaw Are., 8a
(Shew A Peach)
CloTtj, CA 99613
ice
FOR APPOINTMENT CALL
•      299-7266
OFFER   EXP1RE8: December 31.1980
Expires Dec. 17,1960
In Baa* Gaaa a r, Trme
391 W. Shaw Ave, Clovis
l^aaaollertal*»-»a<or*air*
• Weekdays & Sat. 10a.m. to 9 p.m.
I Frl. 10a.m. to 10p.m.
J 8un. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
t
!
a.m. to 9 p.m.
»: 290-0488 j