 |
 |
----- Original Message ----- From: "rayilynlee" <[log in to unmask]> To: "Rick McGirr" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2005 8:32 AM Subject: Re: Bush bashing/the US Constitution > Rick, thank you for keeping this conversation alive. > > It became clear to me this morning that people who say we were founded by > Christians are certainly correct. The question is what kind of government > did they found? Not a theocracy. > > Iraq is a Muslim country, but we hope they will not reaffirm that Allah is > just Allah in their constitution if they ever do get it written and > ratified because theocracies as we learned in our Colonial Period lead to > intolerance and killing. > > The US Constitution contains nothing about an eye for a eye or coveting > your neighbor's wife, it is about the separation, division and balance of > powers of men not gods, as expressed by European Enlightenment political > philosophers like Baron Montesquieu, not Jesus Christ. > > I guess I have taught the Constitution so long that these facts are > self-evident to me and I can't get into the mind-set of someone who has > never studied it and follows some religious leader. > > I'd like folks to know about the role of Deism in the structure of our > constitution too, but my hands are giving out and they would no doubt find > the analogy of the watchmaker boring. > > Ray > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rick McGirr" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 5:38 AM > Subject: Bush bashing > > >>I understand all of those who are frustrated with the Bush bashers. >> I'm a Bush basher too, and sometimes we just get carried away. >> There's just so much to bash. >> >> I hope you will forgive me, and Rayilynn and others, for getting >> frustrated with so many policies which we not only don't agree with, >> but which we also see as detrimental to human progress over all, and >> to Parkinson's research specifically. It's really hard to keep your >> mouth and your typewriter shut when so much of what you see your >> leader doing goes against your moral fibre. And here's another >> departure point for another round of arguing about who has morals and >> who doesn't. >> >> My wife is a Unitarian, and her car carries a sticker that says, "We >> are all family. We all have value." And we all have values. If you >> can't stand to even read what I say about my values, then don't open >> my emails. I would also suggest doing a Google on the word, >> "tolerance". >> >> If you get the listserv as a digest, in just one email, I think there >> should be a way to receive postings separately, as I do, so you can >> delete messages from people you don't agree with. Luckily, you can't >> delete people who nay-say what you believe in. If that upsets you >> overmuch, again, I apologize. In making a political statement, I >> really don't want to upset your applecart of plenty, but it's stacked >> so high that a little bump in the road could cause an apple-anche >> (sorry, had to do that. tee hee) But to me, someone has to state the >> obvious: the emperor has no clothes! >> >> Ray has been fighting for all of us, and she's been fighting this >> disease longer than I have. Far as I'm concerned, she can say >> whatever she wants. >> >> And so can you. What's wrong with that? >> >> Enjoy Fall! >> Rick McGirr >> Email: [log in to unmask] >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: >> mailto:[log in to unmask] >> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn