• INFORMAL DISCUSSION - For the first 30 minutes of the Thursday night forums we will have informal discussion. This will allow for late arrivals, food & drink ordering, and new attendees to become acclimated.
• ANNOUNCEMENTS - Any events, news, or other items that you feel are of interest to the group can be announced at the start of Free Inquiry Forum.

TOPICS for Thursday (4/8/04) and Monday (4/12/04):

1. Is America more politically polarized than ever before? If so, then why? If not, then when do you think America was more politically polarized?
2. What are your views on the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Animal Defense League (ADL)? Is PETA a terrorist anti-human organization? What animals should have "rights", if any?
3. What does it take to be a smart and savvy voter? What would you suggest to help voters be critical of the numerous political ads, polls and debates? Where will you get your information?
4. According to USA Today, Pope John Paul II recently declared that a feeding tube constitutes "basic care" for an individual in a persistent vegetative state, and that removal of the tube is "euthanasia by admission." What impact will this have on policies governing end of life treatment in Catholic hospitals? Does the Pope's directive undermine patients' medical rights?
5. The costs of the war in Iraq have outweighed the benefits of removing Saddam Hussein, former U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix told a Danish newspaper. Do you agree? Discuss the escalating violence in Iraq.
6. Should we still be observing daylight-saving time? What benefits and/or complications come along with adhering to daylight-saving time?

Quote of the week: "I think the pope is completely misguided on this. Putting in a gastric tube is a serious medical intervention with serious repercussions. Sometimes people don't want to be kept alive in persistent vegetative state. The importance of feeding is so culturally significant that idea of withholding it bothers some people, (but) if there's no prospect of getting better, what is the value of continuing medical intervention?" [David Magnus, co-director of Stanford University's Center for Biomedical Ethics - Source]

Send your topic suggestions for an upcoming FiF to: info@freeinquiryforum.com

TOPIC ARCHIVES