IN DEFENSE OF FISKING. "Fisking isn't a waste of time. If you're doing it right, you'll be taking a mini-course in your subject through gathering info and rebuttals.

"Take these columns I write. When I get mail that elucidates, in a few lines, how much I "suck," I learn nothing. The letter writer probably learns nothing.

"But when I was Fisked last week by a member of Peace Project, I learned loads of new stuff. Having my arguments overrun like a French platoon forced me to go back and read through the articles I'd skimmed to make my points. Trying to rebut my accuser led me to reading stuff I'd never heard of.

"We all have midterms to study for and it may reasonably be said that doing any of this is a waste of time ... but I disagree. It's never a waste of time to wallow in your own ignorance and look for a way out. Getting in the habit of defending every little thing you say is a good way to weed stupid ideas out of your head."

That's from a column by David Weigel at the Northwestern Chronicle.

The Superintendent wishes to thank Atlantic Blog for discovering that Northwestern Chronicle was back on line.