From: ajm@wag.caltech.edu (Abner J. Mintz)
Subject: Re: Gypsy makes a toast
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 00:19:52 GMT

Abner looks somewhat annoyed, and rather frustrated.

"Rowan, I'm sorry about accidentally including your article in with mine.  I'm
not sure how that happened."

"Callahanians in general - I may be reverting to lurker status for a while.
The computer I use for posting is now crashing, on the average, about once an
hour, and messing up just about everything done on it.  One of my co-workers
gave up in disgust when he tried the run a program three times and each time
the computer crashed before he finished."

"It's taking me about fifteen minutes to a half an hour to post a message, and
I'm not sure it's worth the effort."

"I've got a few things I'd like to mention before I shut up (as long as I'm
posting, might as well put everything in).  it would be better to spread it
out into several threads ... oh well.

The following items are taken from the July 27 issue of Newsweek:

1)     Dan Quayle, speaking about courting Ross Perot supporters:
"We will be asking them to join with us.  I'm going to ask them to help us to
change the Congress.  It's not just enough to change the president if we want
to change America."

Hmmm.  He wants to change who's president?  Oops.  Clinton just lost ground in
my book ... I'm not going to support anyone Quayle supports ...    =8)

2)     There is a measure on the ballot in Oregon to amend the state
constitution and direct public schools to promote the notion that homosexuality
"is abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse" and is to be "discouraged and
avoided."  The initiative would also overturn a Portland anti-discrimination
law protecting gays, the only such law in the state.

My comments: isn't this just a bit scary?  I mean, if the law gets passed, it
will be challenged, the challenge will inevitably go to the Supreme Court ...
who will be able, if they agree with it, to enable states to overturn local
laws that prohibit discrimination of one sort or another ...

3)     In the June 15 issue, there was an article on a couple named Evans, both
of whom have cerebral palsy and require large amounts of care from the state 
(the original article claimed 17 hours a week).  The couple decided to have a
kid (I think the kid has cerebral palsy too, but I'm not sure).  The letters 
in the recent issue were mostly against.  Also, a correction was run:  the
state has to provide the couple with 17 hours a day of help, not per week.

I have to say that I agree with the letters: the couple should not have had a
kid.  Not to say that they chould have been stopped, or some such ... but
i believe that what they did was irresponsible to the extreme, and at some
level morally wrong.  It's difficult enough for a healthy couple to take care
of a crippled kid ... for a couple who can't even take care of themselves, who
can't even perform the most basic duties of parenthood, to have a kid and
essentially force the state to provide them with free child care because 
otherwise the child would starve ...

Why must we provide child care for a child who should not have existed, when 
there are homeless people already in existance who need that money?

I realize that this is a very contraversial point, but I believe that people
with genetic disorders or who can't support their children should not have
kids.  One of my friends in high school, a girl with deformed hands, first
pointed this out to me, and I could hardly disaggree with her.

If anyone wants to discuss this with me, please send email, as I don't seem to
be having rpoblems with email, just with posting.

4) On a more humorous note, the police in Kansas City are now taking their
lunches to work, and eating their lunches while sitting in front of crack
houses.  The picture showed officers with 'Narcotics Squad' shirts, just
sitting there and eating ...  Apparently this has cut down on the dealers
and buyers in said crack-houses, for some reason.  =8)


Well, I'll be talking more when this stupid system gets fixed.
Remember: You can't count on a computer when the chips are down.
          In case of trouble, break glass.

Newsgroups: alt.callahans