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 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=26619