X-Message-Number: 26619
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 21:31:46 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Response to Charles Platt
From: "Joe Waynick" <>

Charles;

    As usual, you provide thought provoking posts that I always find
fascinating to read. Your research lead you to the two most
diametrically opposed views held by the SDA and Catholic churches. Not
many non-believers would have been so thorough. However, while your
website links are essentially correct, one must not forget that
neither Catholics nor Adventists are proposing to file lawsuits
against each other because we have such sharp differences in beliefs.

    I don t believe in Catholicism, and I don t believe what they teach is
true; any more than Catholics believe what Adventists teach is true.
But for 10 years I willingly placed myself in harms way to defend with
force of arms their right to believe the way they do. In fact, I would
defend anyone s right to believe what they want including atheists
just as fervently. It s one of the privileges of living in a free
society.

    I also feel I must take exception with your insinuation that Alcor is
caviler about its membership. Nothing could be further from the truth
and nothing is more important to us than ensuring the well-being and
safety of our members and patients.

   Please understand and appreciate that the Alcor leadership makes
decisions on the facts and information at hand. We all try to make the
best decisions possible based on what we collectively believe is in the
best interests of the organization. You ve worked at Alcor in the not
too distant past as an independent contractor. You made decisions that
I continue to wrestle with today. I would no more try to second guess
the reasoning for your decisions than I would expect you, as a
knowledgeable man currently in a leadership role at SAI, to second
guess mine. I simply respect your courage to make the best decision you
could because I know your intentions were honorable.

    Every decision Alcor leaders make is because we believe we re acting
in the best interests of the foundation. Not every member is going to
agree with us, but that should not, and does not stop us from acting
in our best judgment. Hopefully, most of our decisions are good ones.
And those that aren t will (hopefully) be corrected in short order and
we all move on to more productive pursuits.

    Once again, I really liked your post. I tried very hard to compose an
equally clever and thought provoking response but I must admit that
everything I wrote fell short of that goal. Therefore, I concluded
that the best response would be polite applause for your due diligence
(hands clapping together).

Joe Waynick, CEO/President, Alcor Life Extension Foundation

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