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Greetings:<br><br>
If "significant cognitive functioning" (beautiful description
of the traditional view!) is not the way we sort out persons from
non-persons, then please join with me in extending unconditional
compassion to all the animals that are killed every day to feed the
several billion carnivorous maws all over the world.<br><br>
This is an unnecessary slaughter because we can grow complete vegetable
protein at a much lower cost and with much less damage to the
environment. Just as the earth and its atmosphere cannot bear
developing countries owning as many cars as we do, neither can the earth
bear the increased meat consumption that these countries are
experiencing. <br><br>
Both addictions, one to oil and the other to animal flesh, will be the
end of us. Millions of acres of the Amazonian rain forest are cut
ever year to make way for raising beef cattle, pouring tons of CO2 and
CH4 (from bovine stomachs) into the air.<br><br>
If the tradition distinction between persons and non-persons is ignored,
then the only moral option is to recognize that all life has a serious
moral right to live.<br><br>
Veggie Burgers Forever!<br><br>
Nick Gier<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>Oh professor, how you cling to a
specious distinction. You may view "significant cognitive
functioning" as helpful in defining personhood so as to rationalize
killing, but it is still the taking of a human life. For humans who
were allowed to grow to adulthood unmolested to decide to kill those who
have yet to develope fully is the very height of callousness and
insensetivity. You can blame tradition all you like but as I
pointed out, tradition is frequently wrong and in this case you are
tragically wrong along with it.<br>
</font> <br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>What kind of an ethical vacuum do
you live in which regards the murder of the innocent as a "good
tradition?" If you truly believe this, you are not being
intellectually honest, but rather morally bankrupt.<br>
</font> <br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>Now go grow some compassion.
-T</font> <br>
<dl>
<dd>----- Original Message ----- <br>
<dd>From:</b> <a href="mailto:ngier@uidaho.edu">Nick Gier</a> <br>
<dd>To:</b>
<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a> <br>
<dd>Sent:</b> Thursday, January 25, 2007 8:59 AM<br>
<dd>Subject:</b> [Vision2020] African Americans and Fetuses<br><br>
<dd>Greetings:<br><br>
<dd>The traditional view of moral and legal persons, coming from our
combined religious, moral, and legal histories, eventually won out with
regard to recognizing African Americans as full moral and legal
persons. In my article on abortion I've applied the same definition
to the early fetus and the logic of the definition does not fit. To
force fit a definition is simple intellectual dishonesty.<br><br>
<dd>Therefore, there is no moral equivalence between recognizing people
of color as persons and fetuses before 25 weeks.<br><br>
<dd>Just being a good conservative by preserving good
traditions,<br><br>
<dd>Nick Gier<br><br>
<dd>At 07:25 AM 1/25/2007, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<dd><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>Yes Nick, and under our laws in
1850, black folks could be held as slaves. The point is professor,
that it is high time the rights the rest of us enjoy are extended to
today's disenfranchised: the unborn. How disappointing to see you
on the wrong side of history this time. Would you have rationalized
the Dred Scott decision in its day?<br>
</font>
<dd> <br>
<dd><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>Tragic.<br>
</font>
<dd> <br>
<dd><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>-T</font>
<dl>
<dd>----- Original Message -----
<dd>From: <a href="mailto:ngier@uidaho.edu">Nick Gier</a>
<dd>To: <a href="mailto:tonytime@clearwire.net">Tony</a>
<dd>Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:31 AM
<dd>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] One More "Killer" Released
Because of DNA<br>
<dd>Greetings:<br>
<dd>Under our laws the crime of murder can happen only against moral and
legal persons. Our religious, moral, and legal tradition does not
recognize first and second trimester fetuses as persons. Once again
I provide the link for my essay on abortion:
<a href="http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/abortion.htm" eudora="autourl">
www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/abortion.htm</a>.
<dd>Fetuses are of course biological human beings from conception on, but
so are thousands of other animal species. As a vegetarian I'm quite
willing to shift to a consistent pro-life position, but I believe that
most people are not willing to do this. The moral ball is in their
court, and it's their serve.<br>
<dd>Veggie Burgers Forever!<br>
<dd>Nick Gier<br>
<dd>At 09:22 AM 1/24/2007, you
wrote:<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<dd>Nick, I was heartened to see you change your mind with regard to
abortion. You are absolutely correct that the state should not be in the
business of premeditated murder, especially in the case of those who are
innocent in EVERY case. It is such a joy to see reason and compassion
prevail. Best, -T ----- Original Message ----- From:
<nickgier@adelphia.net> To: <vision2020@moscow.com> Sent:
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:57 AM Subject: [Vision2020] One More
"Killer" Released Because of DNA > Greetings: > >
Fortunately, most DNA exonerations are happening with prisoners who are
> still alive. The real injustice, however, is those, now over
100, who > were executed before the tests could be done. > > The
state should not be in the business of premeditated murder, especially
> if it cannot be sure of that its victims are guilty. > > Nick
Gier > > January 24, 2007, NY Times > With DNA From Exhumed
Body, Man Finally Wins Freedom > By FERNANDA SANTOS > > AUBURN,
N.Y., Jan. 23 — Roy Brown, who spent 15 yeears in prison on a > murder
conviction and uncovered evidence while there that linked another >
man to the crime, was released from prison on Tuesday after DNA tests on
> the other man’s exhumed body matched saliva on a nightshirt at the
crime > scene. > > After 15 years behind bars, Mr. Brown stepped
out of court into a light > snowfall and gently pushed his way through
a cluster of relatives who vied > for his attention. The reception was
fine, he said, but he is too sick > with liver disease to stand on his
feet for long. > > “Changes have got to be made, man,” Mr.
Brown said later at a lawyer’s > office across the street, answering
questions in a monotone as he rested > awkwardly in a black swivel
chair. “They say the wheels of justice move > slowly, but you know
what? The wheels of justice are flat.” > > Mr. Brown, 46, is the
eighth person in New York State exonerated through > DNA evidence in
the past 13 months, more than in any other state during > the same
period. > > The DNA tests that freed him confirmed the results of
his own jailhouse > investigation, in which he discovered documents
that incriminated Barry > Bench, a volunteer firefighter, in the
murder of Sabina Kulakowski, 49, a > social worker who had lived with
Mr. Bench’s brother until months before > her death. Earlier DNA
tests conducted by Mr. Brown’s lawyers linked Mr. > Bench’s
daughter, Katherine Eckstadt, to the genetic code lifted from the >
saliva on Ms. Kulakowski’s nightshirt. > >
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communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>
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>
<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" eudora="autourl">
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a> >
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Palouse since
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http://www.fsr.net
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<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" eudora="autourl">
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a>
=======================================================</blockquote>
<dd>"Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it
to human affairs."
<dd>--Ralph Waldo Emerson<br>
<dd>"Abstract truth has no value unless it incarnates in human
beings who represent it, by proving their readiness to die for it."
<dd> --Mohandas Gandhi<br>
<dd>"Modern physics has taught us that the nature of any system
cannot be discovered by dividing it into its component parts and studying
each part by itself. . . .We must keep our attention fixed on the whole
and on the interconnection between the parts. The same is true of our
intellectual life. It is impossible to make a clear cut between science,
religion, and art. The whole is never equal simply to the sum of its
various parts." --Ma<font size=1>x Planck<br><br>
</font>
<dd>Nicholas F. Gier
<dd>Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, University of Idaho
<dd>1037 Colt Rd., Moscow, ID 83843
<dd>
<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/home.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/home.htm</a>
<dd>208-882-9212/FAX 885-8950
<dd>President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
<dd>
<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/ift.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/ift.htm</a></blockquote>
</dl><br>
<dd>"Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it
to human affairs."<br>
<dd>--Ralph Waldo Emerson<br><br>
<dd>"Abstract truth has no value unless it incarnates in human
beings who represent it, by proving their readiness to die for
it."<br>
<dd> --Mohandas Gandhi<br><br>
<dd>"Modern physics has taught us that the nature of any system
cannot be discovered by dividing it into its component parts and studying
each part by itself. . . .We must keep our attention fixed on the whole
and on the interconnection between the parts. The same is true of our
intellectual life. It is impossible to make a clear cut between science,
religion, and art. The whole is never equal simply to the sum of its
various parts." --Ma<font size=1>x Planck<br><br>
</font>
<dd>Nicholas F. Gier<br>
<dd>Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, University of
Idaho<br>
<dd>1037 Colt Rd., Moscow, ID 83843<br>
<dd>
<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/home.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/home.htm</a><br>
<dd>208-882-9212/FAX 885-8950<br>
<dd>President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO<br>
<dd>
<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/ift.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/ift.htm</a><br><br>
<hr>
<dd>=======================================================<br>
<dd> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br>
<dd> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
<br>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.fsr.net /" eudora="autourl">
http://www.fsr.net
</a> <br>
<dd>
<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" eudora="autourl">
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
<dd>=======================================================<br>
</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
</dl><font size=2>"Truth is the summit of being; justice is the
application of it to human affairs."<br>
--Ralph Waldo Emerson<br><br>
"Abstract truth has no value unless it incarnates in human beings
who represent it, by proving their readiness to die for it."<br>
--Mohandas Gandhi<br><br>
"Modern physics has taught us that the nature of any system cannot
be discovered by dividing it into its component parts and studying each
part by itself. . . .We must keep our attention fixed on the whole and on
the interconnection between the parts. The same is true of our
intellectual life. It is impossible to make a clear cut between science,
religion, and art. The whole is never equal simply to the sum of its
various parts." --Ma</font><font size=1>x Planck<br><br>
</font>Nicholas F. Gier<br>
Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, University of Idaho<br>
1037 Colt Rd., Moscow, ID 83843<br>
<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/home.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/home.htm<br>
</a>208-882-9212/FAX 885-8950<br>
President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO<br>
<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/ift.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/ift.htm<br><br>
</a></body>
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