Sound Off !

Submit an Article

Create your article in a Word document, which you will use as the attachment in the form below (which requires such an attachment). Include a title and identify the author. The word count must be 500 words or less, which you can verify by clicking Tools > Word Count or Review > Word Count on the Word menu bar. To simplify the submission process, any article — whether written by a classmate, spouse, or partner — should be submitted using the classmate's email address. Fill out the mail form below. Then click "Send Email." Your submission will be sent to Bill Galvin '64, and you'll receive an immediate acknowledgment for your records. Note that the attachment upload will not work on an iPad or iPhone; you have to use a PC or Mac.

Submit a Reply

Create your reply in a Word document, which you will use as the attachment in the form below (which requires such an attachment). Include a title, identify the author, and identify the article to which you are replying. The word count must be 500 words or less, which you can verify by clicking Tools > Word Count or Review > Word Count on the Word menu bar. Fill out the mail form below. Then click "Send Email." Your submission will be sent to Bill Galvin '64, and you'll receive an immediate acknowledgment for your records. Note that the attachment upload will not work on an iPad or iPhone; you have to use a PC or Mac.

Purpose

The "Sound Off!" forum was created shortly before our 50th Reunion in 2014 to encourage online conversations among classmates and spouses or partners about significant current issues, and to renew — or create new — relationships among classmates. After our reunion, Sound Off! activity lapsed. Even the Yale campus unrest in late 2015 (read about it) was not sufficient to bring Sound Off! back from the dead. Nevertheless, the Sound Off! archives are preserved here, for reference if for nothing else.

Rules

To have an article or reply posted, please follow these rules:

• Civil discourse is required — be "hard on the issues, soft on the people"
• No personal attacks or vulgarity
• No more than 500 words

If your submission does not comply with these rules, it will be returned to you for rework.

Structure

To allow topics of interest to be more easily located, the following hierarchical structure of categories and subcategories has been established. This hierarchy will be expanded, contracted, or modified as necessary to accommodate the range of articles submitted.

• Culture
  • Arts
  • Mass Media
  • Popular Culture
  • Sports and Recreation
• Health
  • Aging and Self-Care
  • Exercise
  • Medicine
  • Mental Health
  • Public Health
• Philosophy and Religion
  • Belief Systems
  • Ethics
  • Mythology
  • Philosophy
• Science and Technology
  • Applied Science
  • Earth Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Physical Sciences
• Society
  • Campus Issues
  • Crime
  • Government and Politics
  • Rights
  • War and Peace

Email Sent

The email submitting your article has been sent. You'll receive an immediate acknowledgment for your records.

Email Sent

The email submitting your reply has been sent. You'll receive an immediate acknowledgment for your records.

List by Date (latest first)

• David Turner "My Letter to President Salovey" (2/3/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply to Tony Lavely "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty (Thoreau)" (2/2/16)
• Tony Lavely "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty (Thoreau)" (1/31/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (2/2/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply to Sam Francis "Empathy for President Salovey" (1/13/16)
• Sam Francis "Empathy for President Salovey" (1/13/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (1/13/16)
• Waldo Johnston "Whatever happened to 'For God, for Country, and for Yale'?" (1/12/16)
• Howard Gillette's reply to Phil Anderson "Free Speech on Campus" (12/31/15)
• Neil Hoffmann's reply to Stephen Passek "How Far is Too Far?" (12/30/15)
• Stephen P. Passek "How Far is Too Far?" (12/28/15)
• Neil Hoffmann's reply (12/30/15)
• Phil Anderson "Free Speech on Campus" (12/22/15)
• Howard Gillette's reply (12/31/15)
• Charlie Payne "Politically Correct At All Times" (12/22/15)
• Jim Rogers "Jingle Bells" (12/21/15)
• Sam Lanckton's reply to Rabbi Van Lanckton "My Spiritual Journey" (4/19/15)
• Quincy Rodgers "Leviathan" (6/3/14)
• Gene Van Loan "Did We Blow Our Chance? Reflections on the Kaiser-Moderated Ashcroft/Lieberman Discussion" (5/31/14)
• John Hanold's reply to Wally Winter "Reflections on Bill Coffin" (5/25/14)
• Russell Sunshine "Out of Work: Opportunities and Risks" (4/1/14)
• Russell Sunshine "Out of Work: Transitioning to a Post-Employment America" (4/1/14)
• Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (3/13/14)
• John Witherspoon's reply to Mike Price "Were You There for Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' Speech?" (2/7/14)
• John Witherspoon's reply to Sam Francis "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (2/7/14)
• Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (1/25/14)
• Jim Currie's reply (3/13/14)
• Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (1/21/14)
• Sam Francis's reply (1/25/14)
• Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis's reply (3/13/14)
• Bill McGaughey's reply to Tony Lee "9/11: Fact or Fiction?" (1/15/14)
• Giles Crane's reply to Ward Cates "The 'A' Words — Abortion and AIDS: Let's Presume Good Faith" (1/14/14)
• John Wylie "What is that Red-White-and-Blue Card Doing in All of Our Wallets?" (1/3/14)
• Waldo Johnston's reply to Tom Rowe "Nonpartisan Districting: A Solution to Political Polarization?" (1/3/14)
• Charles Goldman's reply to "On Finding a Positive Self-Identity for a Person like Me" (12/21/13)
• Tony Lee's reply to John Evans's reply to Tony Lee "9/11: Fact or Fiction?" (12/11/13)
• John Evans's reply to Tony Lee "9/11: Fact or Fiction?" (12/3/13)
• Tony Lee's reply (12/11/13)
• Steve Floman "On Yale Football" (11/29/13)
• Tony Lavely's reply to Howard Gillette "Remembering John Kennedy" (11/23/13)
• Howard Gillette "Remembering John Kennedy" (11/13/13)
• Tony Lavely's reply (11/23/13)
• Peter Bradford's reply to Robert Whitby "We Must Have More Nuclear Power" (11/3/13)
• Sam Francis "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (11/1/13)
• Jim Currie's reply (1/21/14)
• Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply (1/25/14)
• John Witherspoon's reply (2/7/14)
• Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply (3/13/14)
• Ward Cates "The 'A' Words – Abortion and AIDS: Let's Presume Good Faith" (10/20/13)
• Giles Crane's reply (1/14/14)
• John Wylie's reply to Rabbi Van Lanckton "My Spiritual Journey" (10/19/13)
• Tony Lee "9/11: Fact or Fiction?" (10/15/13)
• John Evans's reply (12/3/13)
• Tony Lee's reply to John Evans's reply (12/11/13)
• Bill McGaughey's reply (1/15/14)
• John Wylie's reply to "On Finding a Positive Self-Identity for a Person like Me" " (10/10/13)
• William McGaughey "On Finding a Positive Self-Identity for a Person like Me" (10/9/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply (12/21/13)
• John Wylie's reply (10/10/13)
• Tony Lee "Martin Luther King's Unfulfilled Dream" (9/22/13)
• Tom Walton "Traditional Land Rights in the Solomon Islands"
  (9/20/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply to Gordon Davis's "Closing the Books on Global Climate Change" (9/19/13)
• John Wylie's reply to Nate Jessup's "An Urgent Philosophic Journey" (9/17/13)
• Tony Lavely "Why Do People Dislike Other People So Much?" (9/17/13)
• Nate Jessup "An Urgent Philosophic Journey" (9/15/13)
• John Wylie's reply (9/17/13)
• Bob Musil "Yale and Affirmative Action" (9/14/13)
• Dan Berman "Public Ownership: What's Not to Like?" (9/13/13)
• John Jeavons "Our Soil, Our Future" (9/13/13)
• Tom Rowe "Nonpartisan Districting: A Solution to Political Polarization?" (9/4/13)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (1/3/14)
• Ron Brunner "Adaptive Governance" (9/3/13)
• Roger Thompson "My Spiritual Journey" (9/3/13)
• Francis Snyder "Mutual Respect: Interconnected and Pluralistic" (9/2/13)
• Mike Price "Were You There for Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' Speech?" (8/29/13)
• John Witherspoon's reply (2/7/14)
• Wally Winter "Reflections on Bill Coffin" (8/29/13)
• John Hanold's reply (5/25/14)
• Sandy McKleroy "My Spiritual Journey" (8/28/13)
• Bruce Driver "Two Related Rants" (8/27/13)
• Joe Wishcamper "Examining Inherited Beliefs" (8/25/13)
• Edward Massey "Elegant Aging" (8/25/13)
• Jim Turchik "The Spiritual Journey of James B. Turchik M.D." (8/24/13)
• Fred Buell "It Would Be Nice to Have Some Environmental (and Social) Common Sense" (8/22/13)
• Andy Harris "Northwest Coal Export Terminals: A Boon to the Economy or a Threat to our Health?" (8/19/13)
• Robert Whitby "We Must Have More Nuclear Power" (8/19/13)
• Jim Miner "A Postmodern Spiritual Journey" (8/18/13)
• Nick von Baillou "My Spiritual Journey" (8/18/13)
• Robert Hilgendorf "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (8/18/13)
• Al Rossiter "Prison From the Inside" (8/16/13)
• Robert Hilgendorf "Is America on Life Support?" (8/13/13)
• Sam Callaway "Edward Snowden — Hero or Traitor?" (8/12/13)
• Ronald Parlato "How Did Liberals Get So Uptight?" (7/30/13)
• Sam Crocker "Gun-Control Legislation" (7/30/13)
• Ronald Parlato "Why Have Murder Rates Gone Down? Not Because of Gun Control" (7/29/13)
• Ronald Parlato "Stop Affirmative Action" (7/29/13)
• Ronald Parlato "Dismantle Foreign Assistance" (7/29/13)
• Jon McBride "Beyond War: A New Way of Thinking" (7/23/13)
• Syd Lea "One Poet's Way" (7/23/13)
• Van Lanckton "My Spiritual Journey" (7/23/13)
• Sam Lanckton's reply (4/19/15)
• John Wylie's reply (10/19/13)
• Frank Hotchkiss "Being a Buddhist" (7/23/13)
• Gordon Davis "Closing the Books on Global Climate Change"
  (7/23/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply (9/19/13)

List by Author

• Anderson, Phil "Free Speech on Campus" (12/22/15)
• Howard Gillette's reply (12/31/15)
• Berman, Dan "Public Ownership: What's Not to Like?" (9/13/13)
• Brunner, Ron "Adaptive Governance" (9/3/13)
• Buell, Fred "It Would Be Nice to Have Some Environmental (and Social) Common Sense" (8/22/13)
• Callaway, Sam "Edward Snowden — Hero or Traitor?" (8/12/13)
• Cates, Ward "The 'A' Words – Abortion and AIDS: Let's Presume Good Faith" (10/20/13)
• Giles Crane's reply (1/14/14)
• Crocker, Sam "Gun-Control Legislation" (7/30/13)
• Davis, Gordon "Closing the Books on Global Climate Change" (7/23/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply (9/19/13)
• Driver, Bruce "Two Related Rants" (8/27/13)
• Floman, Steve "On Yale Football" (11/29/13)
• Francis, Sam "Empathy for President Salovey" (1/13/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (1/13/16)
• Francis, Sam "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (11/1/13)
• Jim Currie's reply (1/21/14)
• Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply (1/25/14)
• John Witherspoon's reply (2/7/14)
• Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply (3/13/14)
• Gillette, Howard "Remembering John Kennedy" (11/13/13)
• Tony Lavely's reply (11/23/13)
• Harris, Andy "Northwest Coal Export Terminals: A Boon to the Economy or a Threat to our Health?" (8/19/13)
• Hilgendorf, Robert "Is America on Life Support?" (8/13/13)
• Hilgendorf, Robert "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (8/18/13)
• Hotchkiss, Frank "Being a Buddhist" (7/23/13)
• Jeavons, John "Our Soil, Our Future" (9/13/13)
• Jessup, Nate "An Urgent Philosophic Journey" (9/15/13)
• John Wylie's reply (9/17/13)
• Johnston, Waldo "Whatever happened to 'For God, for Country, and for Yale'?" (1/12/16)
• Lanckton, Van "My Spiritual Journey" (7/23/13)
• Sam Lanckton's reply (4/19/15)
• John Wylie's reply (10/19/13)
• Lavely, Tony "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty (Thoreau)" (1/31/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (2/2/16)
• Lavely, Tony "Why Do People Dislike Other People So Much?" (9/17/13)
• Lea, Syd "One Poet's Way" (7/23/13)
• Lee, Tony "9/11: Fact or Fiction?" (10/15/13)
• John Evans's reply (12/3/13)
• Tony Lee's reply to John Evans's reply (12/11/13)
• Bill McGaughey's reply (1/15/14)
• Lee, Tony "Martin Luther King's Unfulfilled Dream" (9/22/13)
• Massey, Edward "Elegant Aging" (8/25/13)
• McBride, Jon "Beyond War: A New Way of Thinking" (7/23/13)
• McGaughey, William "On Finding a Positive Self-Identity for a Person like Me" (10/9/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply (12/21/13)
• John Wylie's reply (10/10/13)
• McKleroy, Sandy "My Spiritual Journey" (8/28/13)
• Miner, Jim "A Postmodern Spiritual Journey" (8/18/13)
• Musil, Bob "Yale and Affirmative Action" (9/14/13)
• Parlato, Ronald "Dismantle Foreign Assistance" (7/29/13)
• Parlato, Ronald "How Did Liberals Get So Uptight?" (7/30/13)
• Parlato, Ronald "Stop Affirmative Action" (7/29/13)
• Parlato, Ronald "Why Have Murder Rates Gone Down? Not Because of Gun Control" (7/29/13)
• Passek, Stephen P. "How Far is Too Far?" (12/28/15)
• Neil Hoffmann's reply (12/30/15)
• Payne, Charlie "Politically Correct At All Times" (12/22/15)
• Price, Mike "Were You There for Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' Speech?" (8/29/13)
• John Witherspoon's reply (2/7/14)
• Rodgers, Quincy "Leviathan" (6/3/14)
• Rogers, Jim "Jingle Bells" (12/21/15)
• Rossiter, Al "Prison From the Inside" (8/16/13)
• Rowe, Tom "Nonpartisan Districting: A Solution to Political Polarization?" (9/4/13)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (1/3/14)
• Snyder, Francis "Mutual Respect: Interconnected and Pluralistic" (9/2/13)
• Sunshine, Russell "Out of Work: Opportunities and Risks" (4/1/14)
• Sunshine, Russell "Out of Work: Transitioning to a Post-Employment America" (4/1/14)
• Thompson, Roger "My Spiritual Journey" (9/3/13)
• Turchik, Jim "The Spiritual Journey of James B. Turchik M.D." (8/24/13)
• Turner, David "My Letter to President Salovey" (2/3/16)
• Van Loan, Gene "Did We Blow Our Chance? Reflections on the Kaiser-Moderated Ashcroft/Lieberman Discussion" (5/31/14)
• von Baillou, Nick "My Spiritual Journey" (8/18/13)
• Walton, Tom "Traditional Land Rights in the Solomon Islands" (9/20/13)
• Whitby, Robert "We Must Have More Nuclear Power" (8/19/13)
• Peter Bradford's reply (11/3/13)
• Winter, Wally "Reflections on Bill Coffin" (8/29/13)
• John Hanold's reply (5/25/14)
• Wishcamper, Joe "Examining Inherited Beliefs" (8/25/13)
• Wylie, John "What is that Red-White-and-Blue Card Doing in All of Our Wallets?" (1/3/14)

Culture: Arts

• Syd Lea "One Poet's Way" (7/23/13)

Culture: Mass Media

No articles have been submitted.

Culture: Popular Culture

No articles have been submitted.

Culture: Sports and Recreation

• Steve Floman "On Yale Football" (11/29/13)

Health: Aging and Self-Care

• John Wylie "What is that Red-White-and-Blue Card Doing in All of Our Wallets?" (1/3/14)
• Edward Massey "Elegant Aging" (8/25/13)

Health: Exercise

No articles have been submitted.

Health: Medicine

No articles have been submitted.

Health: Mental Health

No articles have been submitted.

Health: Public Health

• Giles Crane "Reply to Ward Cates 'The 'A' Words — Abortion and AIDS: Let's Presume Good Faith' " (1/14/14)
• Ward Cates "The 'A' Words – Abortion and AIDS: Let's Presume Good Faith" (10/20/13)
• Giles Crane's reply (1/14/14)
• Andy Harris "Northwest Coal Export Terminals: A Boon to the Economy or a Threat to our Health?" (8/19/13)

Philosophy and Religion: Belief Systems

• Tony Lavely "Why Do People Dislike Other People So Much?" (9/17/13)
• Roger Thompson "My Spiritual Journey" (9/3/13)
• Wally Winter "Reflections on Bill Coffin" (8/29/13)
• John Hanold's reply (5/25/14)
• Sandy McKleroy "My Spiritual Journey" (8/28/13)
• Joe Wishcamper "Examining Inherited Beliefs" (8/25/13)
• Jim Turchik "The Spiritual Journey of James B. Turchik M.D." (8/24/13)
• Jim Miner "A Postmodern Spiritual Journey" (8/18/13)
• Nick von Baillou "My Spiritual Journey" (8/18/13)
• Robert Hilgendorf "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (8/18/13)
• Van Lanckton "My Spiritual Journey" (7/23/13)
• Sam Lanckton's reply (4/19/15)
• John Wylie's reply (10/19/13)
• Frank Hotchkiss "Being a Buddhist" (7/23/13)

Philosophy and Religion: Ethics

• Sam Callaway "Edward Snowden — Hero or Traitor?" (8/12/13)

Philosophy and Religion: Mythology

No articles have been submitted.

Philosophy and Religion: Philosophy

• Nate Jessup "An Urgent Philosophic Journey" (9/15/13)
• John Wylie's reply (9/17/13)

Science and Technology: Applied Science

No articles have been submitted.

Science and Technology: Earth Sciences

• John Jeavons "Our Soil, Our Future" (9/13/13)
• Gordon Davis "Closing the Books on Global Climate Change" (7/23/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply (9/19/13)

Science and Technology: Engineering

No articles have been submitted.

Science and Technology: Physical Sciences

• Sam Francis "How Did the Universe Begin, How Will It End, and How Do We Know?" (11/1/13)
• Jim Currie's reply (1/21/14)
• Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply (1/25/14)
• John Witherspoon's reply (2/7/14)
• Jim Currie's reply to Sam Francis's reply to Jim Currie's reply (3/13/14)

Society: Campus Issues

• David Turner "My Letter to President Salovey" (2/3/16)
• Tony Lavely "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty (Thoreau)" (1/31/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (2/2/16)
• Sam Francis "Empathy for President Salovey" (1/13/16)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (1/13/16)
• Waldo Johnston "Whatever happened to 'For God, for Country, and for Yale'?" (1/12/16)
• Stephen P. Passek "How Far is Too Far?" (12/28/15)
• Neil Hoffmann's reply (12/30/15)
• Phil Anderson "Free Speech on Campus" (12/22/15)
• Howard Gillette's reply (12/31/15)
• Charlie Payne "Politically Correct At All Times" (12/22/15)
• Jim Rogers "Jingle Bells" (12/21/15)
• Ronald Parlato "Stop Affirmative Action" (7/29/13)

Society: Crime

• Al Rossiter "Prison From the Inside" (8/16/13)

Society: Government and Politics

• Quincy Rodgers "Leviathan" (6/3/14)
• Gene Van Loan "Did We Blow Our Chance? Reflections on the Kaiser-Moderated Ashcroft/Lieberman Discussion" (5/31/14)
• Russell Sunshine "Out of Work: Opportunities and Risks" (4/1/14)
• Russell Sunshine "Out of Work: Transitioning to a Post-Employment America" (4/1/14)
• Howard Gillette "Remembering John Kennedy" (11/13/13)
• Tony Lavely's reply (11/23/13)
• Tony Lee "9/11: Fact or Fiction?" (10/15/13)
• John Evans's reply (12/3/13)
• Tony Lee's reply to John Evans's reply (12/11/13)
• Bill McGaughey's reply (1/15/14)
• Dan Berman "Public Ownership: What's Not to Like?" (9/13/13)
• Tom Rowe "Nonpartisan Districting: A Solution to Political Polarization?" (9/4/13)
• Waldo Johnston's reply (1/3/14)
• Ron Brunner "Adaptive Governance" (9/3/13)
• Francis Snyder "Mutual Respect: Interconnected and Pluralistic" (9/2/13)
• Bruce Driver "Two Related Rants" (8/27/13)
• Fred Buell "It Would Be Nice to Have Some Environmental (and Social) Common Sense" (8/22/13)
• Robert Whitby "We Must Have More Nuclear Power" (8/19/13)
• Peter Bradford's reply (11/3/13)
• Robert Hilgendorf "Is America on Life Support?" (8/13/13)
• Ronald Parlato "How Did Liberals Get So Uptight?" (7/30/13)
• Ronald Parlato "Dismantle Foreign Assistance" (7/29/13)

Society: Rights

• William McGaughey "On Finding a Positive Self-Identity for a Person like Me" (10/9/13)
• Charles Goldman's reply (12/21/13)
• John Wylie's reply (10/10/13)
• Tony Lee "Martin Luther King's Unfulfilled Dream" (9/22/13)
• Tom Walton "Traditional Land Rights in the Solomon Islands"
  (9/20/13)
• Bob Musil "Yale and Affirmative Action" (9/14/13)
• Mike Price "Were You There for Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' Speech?" (8/29/13)
• John Witherspoon's reply (2/7/14)
• Sam Crocker "Gun-Control Legislation" (7/30/13)
• Ronald Parlato "Why Have Murder Rates Gone Down? Not Because of Gun Control" (7/29/13)

Society: War and Peace

• Jon McBride "Beyond War: A New Way of Thinking" (7/23/13)