Editor,
Bob Anderson's letter earlier this month in the Daily Lobo calling for an emergency evacuation plan for Albuquerque piqued my curiosity.
Mr. Anderson is identified as a "UNM instructor" - my first thought was the question: instructor of what? Is this the same fellow who wanted to close down UNM to protest bombing the Taliban? Not finding a definitive listing for Mr. Anderson in the directory, a cursory search, grant you, I turned to course listings for likely candidates.
Given the obvious absence of physical knowledge exhibited in the letter, and being reasonably sure that none of the sciences offer a course in "irrational assumptions based on nonexistent data," I thought I'd try philosophy. No luck, but there may be a germ of an idea here.
I tried for something in the realm of theater. Maybe a course in "black humor sans comedy." Not there, either. Just as well, since I'd hoped to find Richard Berthold listed there - at least he has style.
Nope. Possibly business - "fear mongering free of facts." Close, but no cigar. I even considered something along the lines of "whomever's studies," maybe "becoming the victim before assault." All to no avail.
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Looking back over the letter, I finally stumbled on the obvious. Must be something in the area of political or social studies. Something along the lines of "exercising civil liberties to help create a dictatorship" or "think for me - please."
After all, Mr. Anderson wants someone to tell him "where to go, what route to take, how we would be fed, clothed, what we would need to take."
His concern for, and ignorance of, the concept of critical mass apparently has many facets. I can't imagine much of a traffic jam after a few hundred megaton thermonuclear detonation, but hey, it helps to be prepared.
Speaking from own ignorance, and as a great fool myself, I feel comfortable quoting Robert Heinlein, "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."
John Bauer
UNM staff
