X-Message-Number: 4123
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: Mr. Bauge's discussions
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 1995 10:44:05 -0800 (PST)

Unfortunately, since I have a wife who is not a citizen of the US, I have seen
some of the activities of the INS of which he speaks. My wife had and still has
a Green Card, which makes her legal, but the idea that those who are not 
American citizens have no rights still sticks. There are lots of pieces to that
particular engine, too: when I was in Australia I suspected discrimination 
against me because I wasn't Australian. 

But the INS does in fact violate all the proud words of the Constitution, or
the words of the Statue of Liberty. I can understand why Mr. Bauge is indignant
about that.

It should also be clear that Mr. Bauge made a grave error when he tried to 
maintain the suspension of his grandfather independently of any other cryonics
society. This would have been an equally grave error regardless of the INS
appearing on the scene: no one can really say that they will, alone, be able to
accomplish this task for as long as it takes. Sure, you may feel healthy, but
even cryonicists have felt healthy and then their cryonics society suddenly 
finds that they must be suspended, unexpectedly and immediately. Other things,
of course, can also prevent you from carrying out your resolution to keep
a relative frozen: bankruptcy combined with an injury which puts you in a 
wheelchair and raises the cost of your own care would do the same.

But all of those dangers have nothing at all to do with whether or not you are

libertarian, whether or not you are a citizen, how stubborn you are, and all the
other issues Mr. Bauge and his critics keep raising. What we have here is one
more unfortunate proof that cryonics cannot be done alone. No more than that.


And if all the critics of Mr. Bauge would take their discussion of other matters
to some other net address, that would be good for the rest of us. Mr. Bauge 
actually makes some good (though perhaps uncomfortable for Americans) points, 
but none of them relate to cryonics. (And I mean that for Mr. Bauge too: sure
cryonics might go better in a more libertarian setting, but it would go better
if everybody was an atheist, too. Neither of these facts make it worthwhile to
discuss bringing about libertarianism or atheism ON A CRYONICS BBS).

			Best and long long life,


				Thomas Donaldson


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