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greytone · 06-22-2003, 07:47 AM

I explained my unpopular views on TFP v 3.0 at length and I will do so again if this can stay civil.

As a side note, I recently had the opportunity to briefly discuss the one child problem with several tour guides in Shangai and Beijing. They are very carefull about what they say, but they seemed to think of it as a reasonable and very necessary policy. They have very different views about individual rights than we do.

I said years ago that abortion on a world wide scale would be very anti-woman. That is coming true. In northern India, young men are unable to find wives, because most of the woman of their generation were aborted because there is strong social pressure to have sons. India outlawed gender selection abortions close to a decade ago, but it will have major effects for at least one more generation. I understand that much the same situation exists in rural China. But rural families are allowed to have a second child if the first is a girl.

I believe that the most dangerous thing that could occur in our nation is if any religious group gains power and is able to legislate their moral code. I certainly do not think that my churches rules should become law.

The prime responsibility and role of our government is to protect our individual rights. In a civilized society, that means protecting the weak from the tyranny of the strong and the majority.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a fetus is a member of homo sapiens with a unigue genome and that it meets every meaningful definition of life. It's cells are reproducing and maintaing homeostasis.

Does it have a soul? I don't know, and more importantly, it is not a question that should be addressed by the government. When governments get in the business of defining "human life" we end up with such atrocities as genocide and slavery.

Society has an interest in intervening in cases of child abuse. The same logic applies to abortion if you believe that the fetus is alive. Wether the fetus is alive or not is absolutely not a matter of opinion or choice. Either it is, or it is not. Either one side is right or the other is. I believe that society needs to err on the side of protecting the rights of the unborn.

I am going to go ahead and answer some of the things that some of you are going to want to say about me.

1) I don't think that the government should interfere in other areas of sexual freedom, except to protect minors.

2) I am opposed to the death penalty, although different logic applies because the life involved is not innocent. It may have a role in frontier societies for reasons of self preservation.

3) I would use deadly force to protect innocent life.

4) I don't give a shit what you do; but if there are consequences to your choices (ie conception) you are the one who has to deal with it; not me, or your child, or society in general.

06-22-2003, 07:47 AM	#12 (permalink)
greytone Junkie	I explained my unpopular views on TFP v 3.0 at length and I will do so again if this can stay civil. As a side note, I recently had the opportunity to briefly discuss the one child problem with several tour guides in Shangai and Beijing. They are very carefull about what they say, but they seemed to think of it as a reasonable and very necessary policy. They have very different views about individual rights than we do. I said years ago that abortion on a world wide scale would be very anti-woman. That is coming true. In northern India, young men are unable to find wives, because most of the woman of their generation were aborted because there is strong social pressure to have sons. India outlawed gender selection abortions close to a decade ago, but it will have major effects for at least one more generation. I understand that much the same situation exists in rural China. But rural families are allowed to have a second child if the first is a girl. I believe that the most dangerous thing that could occur in our nation is if any religious group gains power and is able to legislate their moral code. I certainly do not think that my churches rules should become law. The prime responsibility and role of our government is to protect our individual rights. In a civilized society, that means protecting the weak from the tyranny of the strong and the majority. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a fetus is a member of homo sapiens with a unigue genome and that it meets every meaningful definition of life. It's cells are reproducing and maintaing homeostasis. Does it have a soul? I don't know, and more importantly, it is not a question that should be addressed by the government. When governments get in the business of defining "human life" we end up with such atrocities as genocide and slavery. Society has an interest in intervening in cases of child abuse. The same logic applies to abortion if you believe that the fetus is alive. Wether the fetus is alive or not is absolutely not a matter of opinion or choice. Either it is, or it is not. Either one side is right or the other is. I believe that society needs to err on the side of protecting the rights of the unborn. I am going to go ahead and answer some of the things that some of you are going to want to say about me. 1) I don't think that the government should interfere in other areas of sexual freedom, except to protect minors. 2) I am opposed to the death penalty, although different logic applies because the life involved is not innocent. It may have a role in frontier societies for reasons of self preservation. 3) I would use deadly force to protect innocent life. 4) I don't give a shit what you do; but if there are consequences to your choices (ie conception) you are the one who has to deal with it; not me, or your child, or society in general. __________________ I was there to see beautiful naked women. So was everybody else. It's a common failing. Robert A Heinlein in "They Do It With Mirrors"