It is a sign of intellectual vacuity when a writer has to resort to ad hominem attacks.
This is what Frederic Spieler did when he wrote “Conservative Arguments In Griffin’s Column Not True.”
He goes so far as to wish Bryan Griffin ill in his job prospects once he completes his graduate studies. What’s next, hoping Griffin’s mother gets hit by the cross-town bus?
He also uses a common vulgarity in his attempt to summarize Griffin’s column. Spieler’s tone is hostile because his substance is weak. He admits ignorance of what happened with the Spikedance fish in Arizona, an example which illustrates the unintended consequences and self-defeating effects of so many environmental regulations.
Spieler claims conventional light bulbs release more mercury than CFL bulbs. (They don’t. The claim is that power plants release mercury.) You’ve been living around conventional light bulbs all your life. Are you suffering from mercury poisoning? Of course not. But drop a CFL bulb and now you’ve got a mercury spill right at your feet. Good luck with the cleanup.
Spieler’s tone is argumentative, but in terms of real arguments he ends up conceding much to Griffin. Towards the end of his column,
Spieler admits it’s a debatable question as to whether environmental restrictions hurt the poor in the Third World. And in his last paragraph he admits “there are actual flaws with liberalism as well as our government.” Which was Bryan Griffin’s point all along. Score one for Griffin, zip for Spieler.
