Everything that Trisha said I would say "ditto."

I feel that there should be a reverence for all species.  I don't mean to
imply that I thank man is the dominant species in terms of value.  We all
know where that ideology came from, and I think it's been misused over the
years.  The question for me is this: If a dog is drowning and a child is
drowning and I can only save one, who would I save?  I know I would save the
child and grieve forever for the dog.

This question first appeared in my mind with a lasting impact during a
conversation with a friend who was a former battalion chief in a local
municipal fire department.  When he was a captain, his crew was running
lights and sirens to a call.  The captain sits in the front seat next to the
driver, with two firefighters right behind sitting backwards (in a four man
engine company).  He said that suddenly a dog ran in front of the engine and
the only way to avoid hitting him would be to swerve in such a way that would
present a danger to the crew and a car in the next lane.  He told me he said
to the driver to hit the dog -- that it was the only way.  It was a heart
wrenching story, but I don't see that he had a choice.  That's the way I
think about it too, I suppose, but not without grief for the animal.

My only heartburn with Singer's philosophy is that he thinks that babies
under the age of 28 days, and people who are not self-aware due to one
illness or another, shouldn't be assigned the status of persons.  My real big
heartburn with him is his push to teach people that it's okay to kill
disabled babies under the age of 28 days, if that's what the parents want, in
order to allow them to have a healthy child in the future and increase the
family's happiness.  He wants some species of animals to have the status of
persons but I think that's the wrong approach.  Apes are not people.  That
doesn't mean they shouldn't be given regard for quality of life issues and so
forth, but they're not people.

With regard to Trisha's comments about her beliefs about Paganism, I
apologize to her and the list for not talking about this earlier.  I have
learned a great deal from Trisha since I've met her.  My life is richer now
having the opportunity to learn about her beliefs.  It seems like our history
hasn't changed.  We still vilify Paganism and Pagans.  Really, I think the
real reason we are not burning witches is the same reason we can't lynch
blacks and kill disabled people outright.  We just can't get away with it
anymore.  What we do is what we can get away with, and that is to persecute
people and beliefs we don't understand or don't like to the extent that the
law allows, and to the extent of our own beliefs and conceptions.  And we
definitely push the envelope on that.

I've seen an ongoing thread about Judaism here without adverse comment.  I've
seen people say "God Bless," and so forth, too -- nobody complains.  Trisha
said something, but she holds her tongue a lot more than people stop and
realize.  A lot more.  People have talked about the Christian meaning of
Christmas, but I wonder how many realize that many of our "Christian"
celebratory customs can be attributed to the history of Pagan worship
practices.  If we have such heartburn with Pagan Witches, why do we continue
to follow in their footsteps?  For me, I am glad to know the history of
things I've been doing all my life.  I am hoping that if my Dad were alive,
he would have the wisdom to want to know these things too -- I'm hoping.
He's been dead a long time so I can't be sure anymore.

I come from a long line of Free Masons myself.  My Dad was a Mason, all my
Uncles, my Grandfather, etc., etc.  Many of the founding fathers of the
United States were Masons as well, including our first President.  The
structure of the Capitol of the US is what as known as "Masonically laid."
They use a saying called "So mote it be."  I heard that at my Dad's funeral
-- it was a Masonic service.  I've noticed that Trisha uses that saying too.
I'm not sure what it means, but it doesn't mean that my Dad was a pagan and
it doesn't mean that Trisha is a mason.  Maybe Trisha can clarify what it
does mean so I'll know.  I do know that my Episcopal Priest, George Flemming,
was dead set against Masonry.  His predecessor, Tom Jackson, is a Mason.  I
love them both.  Fr. George is dead now, but I love his memory.  I just think
he was operating upon a misconception.  I love Fr. Tom too -- whatever -- I'm
rambling.

I was in Job's Daughters when I was a teenager, and am a member of the Order
of the Eastern Star (OES) now.  I have never been active in Star though.
When I was a teenager, a friend told me that "Jobies" were Satan worshipers
because we said the Lord's prayer backwards.  We didn't.  It was said exactly
the way it is written in the KJV.  The emblem of the Eastern Star is a
pentagram, and it's positioned exactly the same way that it is positioned in
Satan worship circles -- with a star pointed downward.  Pagans position the
pentagram differently -- with two stars pointed downward.  I am not a Satan
worshipper though, and that is not the focus of the OES.  In fact, the
Masonic order is not a religion, although that is what many believe.

But the point is that I understand some of the persecution Trisha has
suffered.  I understand more since we've been friends because almost every
time I mention that I have a friend who is a Pagan Witch, I get a raised
eyebrow and I have to explain.  If they understood what they were
persecuting, they would be burning Native Americans at the stake too
(uh...well, we sort of did that too, didn't we)?

Anyway, I'm glad to know Trisha and my life is much richer because I do know
her.  I love her.

Betty