Dear Editor
Dear Editor LBJ Henry F. Graff tries in vain to palliate the unpleasant picture of our 36th President painted by Robert A. Caro in The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power ("What Made Lyndon...
...But Graffs tu quoque argument to the effect that all politicians are that way is irrelevant...
...Potsdam, N. Y. Gary F. Kelly Headmaster The Clarkson School Diane Ravitch replies: Gary Kelly fails to offer a single example of a quotation that was taken out of context, because none was...
...One would wonder why she failed to mention sections of the book called "Talking with Parents About Sex," "Loving and Being Together as Sexual People," or "Values and Decisions About Sex...
...It is probably true that no recent Chief Executive could emerge unscathed from scrutiny as unflinching and merciless as Caro's of Johnson...
...It is certainly true that there are some irresponsible "do it if it feels good" sex educators and poorly designed sex education programs...
...I am not entirely clear on what she means by the "new" sex education...
...The New Leader welcomes comment and criticism on any of its features, but letters should not exceed 300 words...
...Good sex education has always been, and will always be, a matter of two things...
...The other is the opportunity to sort through all of the complex issues relating to values, morality and personal decision making...
...Just ask the Vietnam veterans forced to risk their lives over Vietcong territory about the shockingly high mortality rate among helicopter personnel...
...As I explained in the article, the "new sex education" teaches that there is no such thing as right and wrong when it comes to sexual behavior, while the old sex education "merely" teaches the physiology of human reproduction...
...One is the truth about human sexual anatomy, physiology and behavior...
...The film was a cartoonish bloodbath without much dramatic justification...
...I personally believe that most school curricula in sex education do a poor job of reaching young people...
...Helicopter Safety I happen to share Robert Asahina's low opinion of Sylvester Stallone's shoot-'em-up, First Blood ("From Pretentious to Ridiculous," NL, November 29, 1982...
...Dear Editor LBJ Henry F. Graff tries in vain to palliate the unpleasant picture of our 36th President painted by Robert A. Caro in The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power ("What Made Lyndon Run," NL, December 13, 1982...
...Whether Ravitch wishes to accept it or not, the diversity of human sexual individuality is extensive...
...A helicopter can be grounded all too easily...
...In my reading, Caro is hardly shocked because LBJ was no Boy Scout, nor are there any claims in the book that he was uniquely demonic among Presidents...
...First Blood's implausibility lies elsewhere...
...Nevertheless, your critic needs a correction when he maintains that it is unbelievable for the Stallone character to ward off a helicopter by throwing a rock at it...
...Miami Beach Ronald Mead Sex Education As is so often the case with authors who have an investment in proving a single hypothesis, Diane Rav-itch ("The New Sex Education," NL, December 13, 1982) has highlighted out-of-context bits and pieces of my book...
...Kelly's throw-away line about "the diversity of human sexual individuality" is an oblique reference to the "anything goes" relativism that lies at the heart of sex education controversies today...
...Chicago Arthur MacRae...
...I have attempted to build more positive directions in all of my books and articles, and more recently in my work as editor of the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy (published by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists...
...This strikes me as a rather startling assessment for a book that has achieved international acclaim for its emphasis on responsible decision making, loving relationships, and interpersonal communication...
...The quality of Ravitch's journalism and the validity of her assertions are certainly called into question by such omissions...
...Helicopters are extremely delicate, and their rotors can be destroyed by even very small debris in the air...
...Sexual ignorance today continues to prove dangerous and hurtful...
...or examine the final report on the helicopter crash that aborted Jimmy Carter's hare-brained attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran...
...Learning A bout Sex, to demonstrate that it teaches "anything people do to each other sexually is good as long as it feels good...
...The book is filled with exercises that challenge young people to think through just how ready they really are for sex...
Vol. 66 • February 1983 • No. 3
