X-Message-Number: 2857
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: CRYONICS:re: cryonics: #2851-#2855
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 01:03:40 -0700 (PDT)

To Mike:

There does seem to be a problem in Australia. Several people, all cryonicists,
who are there have found Robert very hard to deal with. I do not make this
statement with the aim of leaving any implications about WHY this happens, but
just to state a fact. Personally I hope very much that this problem can 
somehow be settled. Since the number of cryonicists in Australia is so small,
it's even more damaging for them to have a falling out. 

Second: so far as I understand what Cosenza is saying, he's not against hiring
noncryonicists. He's against putting them in controlling positions in the 
cryonics organizations. That's very different from relying on them for their
expertise and desire to practice that expertise.

But maybe I haven't followed this controversy closely enough, I admit.

To the issue of State's Rights:

All of American history since was affected by this Civil War. When I was in 
Australia, I learned of an incident in Australian history that casts a quite
different slant on it. It seems that at one time Western Australia wanted to
secede. To which, the response of the rest of Australia was: fine, goodby and
good luck. The point I'm making is that even the phrase "State's Rights" has
taken on connotations in the US which don't belong to it if you parse the
words as a foreigner unaware (because uncaring) of all the history behind it.
Why SHOULDN'T states be allowed to secede? If I understand the state of the
US Constitution at the time, it was NOT clear at all that states had no such
right. And right now we live in a time in which the Federal US government has
taken over more and more of the decisions for all lesser forms of government
ie states, counties, cities, etc. Do we really want this? Is this even what
Lincoln himself worked for?

I will also say that many of these "political principles" in EVERY country
I've ever been somehow manage to be cited when expedient, and forgotten 
when inexpedient. I can see studying politics to understand how people
REALLY act, but as a source of any kind of valid philosophy it is and has
been quite absurd.

		Best and long long life,

			Thomas Donaldson ()

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