Newspaper Page Text
LETTERS p.o. box 1027, Athens, gai sogos
PANIC LETTER
NO. f
Mr. Lesemann, your article on
Widespread Panics hometown show was
not only incorrect, it was quite misleading.
The article [ T/»e Fuse. The Proud The
Trash The Crowd. " April 22] was incorrect
in a few respects to say the least. Now you
may not be a Panic connoisseur, but from
where I’m standing, it seems like you
should at least get your facts straight about
a band that broke all attendance records for
a CD release party, one that brings enor
mous notoriety and respect to this college
town, and one as talented as they are. hav
ing been a mainstay ambassador for Athens
for over 12 years.
Please get your set lists correct or do
not bother to print the incorrect attempts
at one. keep them at home where you can
impress your less knowledgeable friends.
For the record, there was no “Pleas." "Radio
Child" or "Space Wrangler" in the first set.
And after talking to fans there and on the
Spreadnet alike, the tempo seemed pretty
lively to us; and no "soothing effect" was
needed for such a mellow group, a crowd
even the police said was well-behaved.
"Radio Child" did rear its funky head in the
second set though, but this must have been
when the night “had become a blur to us
(you)." And as far as not asking you what
the encore was... hmmm... I guess you
were a little intoxicated because "Space
Wrangler" was the last song of the three-
song encore, but strangely you remember it
as being in the first set while claiming not
to remember the encore. Thanks for the
flame space.
Anonymous
PANIC LETTER
NO. 2
Whether or not Ballard is a Panic fan or
not. for the sake of literary and journalistic
integrity as well as musical history, he did a
piss, poor job with his article regarding the
history of Widespread Panic ["Barstools and
Dreamers. “ April 15J. I mean, why in the
world would you print errors from a guy
that obviously has not l>een in touch with
their music for that long? 1) T Livitz did
not join Panic in ‘8** & 2) Jojo Herman did
not join Panic in ‘91. Simple facts that are
blatantly Incorrect!
This is not a personal assault on Ballard
L. However, for a publication in a town rich
with nusical history, enriched by the Panic
mind you. offering half-ass interpretations
is preposterous! Panic puts together the
CORRECTION
• Last week's ABC listed the all-day Island Jam” at Gasoline /.Uey as taking place on Friday, May 8.
when it in fact took place on Saturday, May 9. Flagpole apologizes for the error.
Write to FLAGPOLE at LETTERS, P. 0. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603; or via the Internet at
mail@flagpole.coin. Letters may be edited for style, clarity and space considerations.
WRAP SAHtVlO//
EKT EVERY BITE TUB hi TUMP
M»D VELL, SO 6000/
SWIEF0I? NEW SVRFKY 11
largest album release party in the history of
the world — hell they brought more people
to Athens than the Olympics — and you
show them homage by misprinting or incor
rectly printing info. Shape Up!
William Emile Bond III
Kapolei, Hawaii
Lesemann responds: [to the first letterJ:
Thanhs for the correction A few of those
songs sound sort of similar The hand did
play the songs slower than the album ver
sions. The “soothing effect" didn 't stop a few
ugly scenes by thf* front of the stage, either I
saw two girls trampled by the heaving crou d
Not too mellow, huh?
I To the second letter] For the record.
Lavitz officially joined in 1991, Herman in
1992
SOPHISTRY
Tom l.essl claims in his letter [“Who
Made Us?” Letters. April 29J that Barry
Palevitz rejects the argument-from-design
merely because it’s old. Not so: Palevitz
rejects it because it’s wrong. In his “Essay
Concerning Human Understanding (1690),"
John lx>cke made the case authoritatively
against ideas that pre-exist experience.
Almost a century later, in his “Dialogues
Concerning Natural Religion (1779)," David
Hume engaged in a devastating critique of
rational arguments for the existence of God.
Since the latter part of the 18th century, sci
ence has been growing ever more rigorous
in its epistemological methods, and. by
doing so. has copiously demonstrated that
Locke and Hume were right all along.
Science has long abandoned the argument-
from-design as irrelevant to its endeavors
Lessl’s argument is based on a hodge
podge of sophistry, non-sequiturs and false
hoods. Not only does he deliberately mis
read Palevitz when he accuses him of
rejecting ideas because of their age, but he
makes — again! — the hackneyed creation
ist claim that scientists ultimately regard
science with as much complacency as reli
gionists regards religion. Indeed, one of the
most bare-faced lies that creationists con
stantly invoke is that non-theistic. naturalis
tic science is just as much a religion as is lit
eral belief in the Bible.
But where Lessl seriously steps out of
line is his resorting to personal slander,
accusing Palevitz of "liking" evolutionary
naturalism not only because it furnishes
him with a “metaphysical" ontological
explanation, but — perhaps more impor
tantly — because it’s a source of money
and political power.
I have been reading and studying cre
ationist arguments for close to 20 years. I
have yet to discover one that is rhetorically
sound or intellectually tenable, much less
scientifically persuasive. I am not sure how
non-professional creationist zealots mea
sure up intellectually in their jobs or daily
lives, but. in my experience, every creation
ist argument 1 have come across seems to
proceed from a mind that can charitably be
described as wanting for sophistication, if
not brashness.
Lessl’s argument does have one merit,
however. It confirms the principle that the
foremost duty of ignorance should be
silence.
Francis Assaf
Athens
Assaf is a professor of French at UGA
FLAGPOLE
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Q FLAGPOLE MAY 13, 1998