To the Editor

A Letter to the NYTimes:

Re “Two Conventions With No Shortage of Contrasts” (Political Memo, Sept. 4):

Choosing the most disturbing aspect of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night might be difficult for some of your readers, but for me there was a clear winner: the “Drill, baby, drill!” chants from the audience.

Whether staged or spontaneous, those gleeful words showed a level of ignorance and recklessness that should be inconceivable today. It was as if global warming — the real social, political and economic challenge of the century — simply did not exist.

The moment I realized what they were chanting, I felt real sadness and fear for my 2-year-old child. We have to do better, and we have to do better now.

Dan Carsen

Birmingham, Ala., Sept. 4, 2008