You might have read about the father of a Marine killed in Iraq who won a multi-million dollar judgment against a Kansas church whose members protested at his son's funeral -- carry signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers." There will be appeals, and it is unlikely the father will ever collect a nickel, but good for him!
The best way to stop fanaticism is to make it costly for the fanatic. The Salem witch trials -- 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, 29 convicted, 19 (fourteen women, five men) hanged, 5 accused people died while in prison and one man was crushed with large stones because he refused to enter a plea -- finally stopped when one of the accused filed a counter suit for libel and slander. Whoops, suddenly calling your neighbor a minion of the devil could cost you a few chickens and your cow.
My last boss once said among a group that my eccentricities were thoughtfully developed and carefully rehearsed. What he was saying of course was that I was a fake wacko, with the 'fake" part being what I objected to. Although I could use the eggs and milk, I didn't sue.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
But you didn't object to the "whacko" part...
Speaking as a person whose mother thinks of herself as Melanie Wilkes from Gone With The Wind:
Eccentricities are more than welcome here. Y'all come on down!
I have proudly stood with The Patriot Riders as a vanguard against these dumbasses. Nice to see that they are really getting it where it hurts.
Post a Comment