Jack Hannold writes that Carson is a brilliant neurosurgeon, but that does not mean his brilliance illuminates other areas of knowledge.
To the Editor:
In his recent letter, "Dr. Ben Carson's smarts not up for debate," Jay Rodgers missed the subtle humor in columnist Milton Hinton's assessment (Aug. 23) of the only black candidate vying for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
Hinton wrote that Carson "supposedly is highly intelligent, yet he fails to realize that just because Democrats have supported a black candidate does not mean that Republicans will follow suit," citing the previous cases of Alan Keyes and Herman Cain.
Carson was an accomplished neurosurgeon before his retirement in 2013. But his impressive achievements in his field don't qualify him as an oracle in areas where he has no special knowledge. If they did, we'd have to accord the same deference to the views of the late physicist William Shockley.
Like Carson, Shockley was a star in his profession. He shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for his role in the invention of the junction transistor. But following his career in physics, Shockley's forays in other "sciences" were far from admirable. He was, for example, an unabashed eugenicist who suggested paying people with IQ's below 100 if they volunteered for sterilization.
Shockley's writings on eugenics were funded in the 1970s by the Pioneer Fund, whose founders praised Nazi Germany's Nuremberg Laws in the 1930s and later supported America's Jim Crow laws.
Had the Pioneer Fund and its allies' views succeeded, it's not likely that Carson would have become a top neurosurgeon. Carson knows his medical specialty, but apparently can't see the irony when he espouses antediluvian social views that look as backward today as the Pioneer Fund's views looked years ago.
Jack Hannold
Clayton
Expand supermarket choice beyond ShopRite
To the Editor:
I thank the Times for the informative article "Deptford's probably not getting a supermarket anytime soon, and here's why."
A lack of supermarket variety seems to be a Gloucester County problem. I live in the Glassboro/Pitman area, and have three supermarkets nearby. But they are all ShopRite. Please do not consider adding another one of those, but do something.
EDITORIAL: Grocery basket empty in Deptford's full-cart press
I suggest a Wegman's or Whole Foods. More research can be done on the feasibility of stores such as these. I hope this can be done soon.
It would be good if mayors of surrounding communities could come up with a solution to best fit all residents of our county. There are vacant buildings and lots in many areas.
Mary Hitchner
Pitman
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