To the editor:

Perhaps people would feel better about the current battle over evolution if they saw it in historical perspective. Things like this have happened before. Some examples:

¢ In Stalin’s Russia, when the communists outlawed modern genetics and sent geneticists to die in Siberia.

¢ In Hitler’s Germany, when the Nazis outlawed most of modern physics – “Jewish physics” they called it – and sent Jewish physicists fleeing for their lives.

¢ In early modern Europe, when the Catholic Inquisition threatened torture and burning to any “heretic” who claimed that the earth revolved around the sun.

¢ In recent modern Europe, when the church banned certain works of science – including Darwin.

¢ In Mao’s China, when the Cultural Revolution outlawed western art and learning, with teachers imprisoned and executed.

¢ In Afghanistan under the Taliban, when:.

Well, you get the idea. Compared to this, our current ruckus is small potatoes.

In the long run, most people are reasonable. Common sense eventually wins. Most true believers are peaceful, although they have their bully-boys. But when the true believers capture political power, then we all should be afraid.

James B. Taylor,

Lawrence