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From: ir708@sdcc6.ucsd.EDU (ir708)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.taxes,net.religion,net.politics
Subject: Re: RE. Scopes II
Message-ID: <2819@sdcc6.ucsd.EDU>
Date: Tue, 19-Aug-86 16:06:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcc6.2819
Posted: Tue Aug 19 16:06:45 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Aug-86 04:05:31 EDT
References: <4513@decwrl.DEC.COM> <2456@watdcsu.UUCP> <19925@rochester.ARPA> <2041@mtgzz.UUCP> <20170@rochester.ARPA>
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In article <20170@rochester.ARPA> ray@rochester.ARPA (Ray Frank) writes:
>In article <2041@mtgzz.UUCP>, eme@mtgzz.UUCP (e.m.eades) writes:
>> 
>> Ray now you are getting ridiculous.  Its easy to lose freedoms alittle bit
>> at a time, they slowly get erroded away.  Remember, Hitler was an elected
>> official and the Germany government voted away their democracy for a
>> dictatorship.  Alittle paranoia about our freedoms keeps us alert.  We
>> are the ones who are the checks on our government.
>> 
>> -Beth Eades
>
>A little paranoia is good.  Too bad we don't have just a little paranoia.
>What we do have is a lot of paranoia.  Why aren't people paranoid about
>other things such as abortions?  Killing an unborn child or a child that will
>be born deformed could lead to societies killing of what they deem to be 
>worthless lives such as old people or mentally or physically handicapped 
>people.  Sounds like selective, self serving paranoia to me.  I can sound just
>as paranoid as some of these other people, ie, eliminating prayers in school
>will lead to children becoming atheists, or the use of sexually oriented 
>television programming will lead our children in promiscuity, or the use
>of violence in movies and television will lead to a greater crime rate, etc.
>
>ray

These are circular arguments. The anti-abortion argument claims
the fetus is a human being. The pro-choice argument claims the mother
is a human being.

The pro-prayer in school argument claims it is
necessary to have prayer in child's daily life for moral fortitude.
The anti prayer in school argument claims prayer belongs in the home
and church.

The anti-sexually-oriented media argument claims moral
degeneration of our children, the anti-anti-sexually-oriented media
argument claims first amendment/anti-censorship, same for the violence
issue.

One side yells "look out for the lightning," the other says "the
thunder can make you go deaf." There's no direct point to point
argument here.

In the end, we each know our own values of human lives, and the qualities
of life and live/vote by them. We raise our children to think as we do,
and similarly find friends who support our ideas. Gut reactions aren't
going to change. I have never known anyone to change sides without it
coming from inside/personal life experiences in matters such as these
unless there was an external motivation involved.

Finally, I know, I'll flame myself:
This doesn't belong in net.taxes, does it? It belongs in net.abortion,
net.religion, and net.tv-violence (or whatever!)