From: heimberg@pacific.mitre.org (Jeff Heimberger)
Subject: Re: I Care! (was Re: Who cares)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 10:54:50 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.232406.41831@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> kumagic@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Stephen R. Figgins) writes:
>In article <1992Jul22.162138.23006@linus.mitre.org>, heimberg@pacific.mitre.org (Jeff Heimberger) writes:
>
>> Yes, but release yourself from your (apparent) burden of guilt.
>> Release other men from the blame.  Learn from the past, but live for
>> today and the future.
>
>Why should I feel at all guilty about this?  I don't understand this
>obsession with guilt you have.  Mostly I feel anger.  Anger at being
>made a part of a system I didn't create, and want no part of.  Anger
>at not being able to disentangle myself from the whole rotten mess of
>it.  Anger towards those who refuse to see the connections, or try to
>cover them up. 

My apologies for interpreting your anger as guilt.  It is difficult to 
get the underlying emotions through the sterile medium of the net.  

>Which is not to say that I am a very angry kind of guy.  Its just I am
>more likely to feel anger than I am to feel guilt.  I do feel kind of
>bad about not recycling more, but I just don't know where to take some
>of this stuff.  No one seems to want my paper, and not all of my
>plastics are welcome. 
>
>But why should I go around feeling guilty?  Why should you?  Get out
>of the guilt thing Jeff.  I mean, we're pagan after all.  Isn't guilt
>something we were supposed to have left behind?  Sure I play a part in
>the system, I bear some responsibility.  That responsibility is good
>in a way though.  If I lived in some kind of vaccum I would have no
>way to really affect the system.  Recognizing my responsibility lets
>me do something to change the system.  It points out a way for me to
>take action.  And sometimes, just sometimes, it shows me a way to
>throw a wrench in there, and maybe wake up a few more people.
>Responsibility does not equal Guilt.  I'll be damned before I will feel
>all guilty about it.  When I see it, I will try to change it. 

I share your point of view -- paganism releases people from guilt.

>That doesn't bother me so much.  But remember, I am a female
>supremacist, and I think men are basically scum.  So what do I know?

I acknowledge your right to think that way.  I believe you are wrong,
but I appreciate your civility about it.

>Depending on where I am at, I am more careful of young black men.  I
>am not so afraid of Middle Eastern men, but I would advise a young
>woman considering dating one to be cautious.  I am not English, so I
>am not too concerned with IRA.  I have met members of the IRA and of
>the PLO.  They are pretty interesting people.  It was a good thing I
>wasn't Jewish. 
>
>Looks affect my initial reactions to a person.  They always have.  I
>admit it.  When I wander through hicksville I keep my Pentacle on the
>inside of my shirt.  No sense in getting the shit kicked out of me
>just because I didn't want to judge someone based on looks.  I'll pull
>it out when I get back to the city.  There are places it is dangerous
>to be pagan.  There are places it is dangerous to be white.  And
>almost everywhere it is dangerous to be a woman, and it's not other
>women who are the threat.

Sad, but true.

Regards,

Jeff H...