Re: 'In response to Terrell and Zajic's letters' [Village News, Benson letter, 4/21/22]

Boy, it's hard to know where to start!

My letter was in defense of the manufacture and use of EVs and their associated batteries.

In the second paragraph of your letter you stated, "they never debate any real issues," and then you ramble on for a dozen more paragraphs about things having nothing to do with the subject matter at hand.

You state that I can't fact check some mining numbers because the information was removed. Then I wonder how Judy Willis got these numbers. Did they come from those 'reliable' news sources you cite?

The yield of various mineral deposits in mines differs greatly from place to place. Many mines recover multiple minerals at once. I'm not even sure you could get this information if you were a shareholder in each company. I was simply wondering what her source was. One source I like for this type of information is Jennifer Krill at Earthworks. But even she has difficulty in obtaining accurate information.

In poor countries, child labor is used in many industries including the petroleum industry. That does not make it right, and I am not defending it. For me it is not "save the planet, but damn these children" but save the planet for the children.

I too, drive a non-electric truck and have rooftop solar. I have no problem with anyone doing the same. Today's internal combustion engine has thousands of parts under the hood. Many are made from materials which also must be mined for. Probably a third of the parts under the hood are there to reduce the amount of pollution these vehicles emit. EVs have no need for these parts, and their overall parts count is in the hundreds. I will not wait for China to do the right thing before I do. We should be a technology leader when possible.

So God gave us oil and gas but not minerals? Yes, we should be good stewards of this planet, but I believe both the mining industry and the oil industry need to be better at this. Common sense says to me if I can drive a vehicle charged by the sun, it would be better than driving one that burns fossil fuels. That is why I have an Aptera on order.

As for the rest of your letter, you do not know my opinion on all these other, non-related issues, so I don't want to go down that road. But I do feel compelled to add just one comment.

In your hypothetical bathroom rape, it sounds like you believe the victim should not have any say in whether or not she bears this rapist's child. I do not agree.

I am sorry I made you want to cry. Either you did not understand my letter or you were already on the brink.

Glenn Zajic