By TERRY GOLDMAN
Los Alamos

As always, when I read John Bartlit, I am aware that I should not try to comment myself on the issue he has discussed because Bartlit has already done it as well as it can be done.

However, the Sunday 7 June LA Monitor column on the uselessness (at best) of either-or (choose one) questions and stances, as opposed to finding other, creative solutions to problems, also reminded me of a surprisingly relevant skit on the old Jack Benny comedy show. (So old it was on one of only three national networks of black-and-white TV!)

In the skit, Benny is accosted by a man with a gun who demands, “Your money or your life”. The man becomes impatient as Benny hesitates. At the repetition of the demand Benny replies with exasperation, “I’m thinking! I’m thinking!” Necessarily, the skit ends there with laughter, leaving us without any useful answer to that fundamental question.

Thanks again, John.