• 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 (6/3/04):

1. There is a new Iraqi government that has been designated, and most if not all of them, already sworn in, in advance of the June 30 handover. But will they actually be able to govern? Do they have credibility? Will they be able to govern? President Bush has said that we will give them full sovereignty. But what exactly does that mean? The new interim government, which will rule until elections are held in 2005, will not control the U.S. forces there. Can it be "full sovereignty" if foreign forces are in your country and you don't control them?
2. Parishioners who wore rainbow-colored sashes to Mass in support of gays and lesbians were denied Communion in Chicago this past Sunday, while laymen in Minnesota tried to prevent gay Roman Catholics from getting the sacrament. Should communion ever be denied to Catholics who disagree with church teachings? Is there a trend toward more intolerance in the Roman Catholic Church? Is this politically motivated? Why is it that usually only liberals get saddled with the label "Cafeteria Catholics"?
3. A new computer chip is being developed that promises to keep police guns from firing if they fall into the wrong hands. The tiny chip would be implanted in a police officer's hand and would match up with a scanning device inside a handgun. If the officer and gun match, a digital signal unlocks the trigger so it can be fired. But if a child or criminal would get hold of the gun, it would be useless. Do you think this new technology will be reliable?
4. On Wednesday, a federal judge declared the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional, saying it infringes on a woman's right to choose. Do you think the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is unconstitutional? Which view of when human life begins do you most agree with?
5. Scholars and political strategists say the ferocious Bush assault on Kerry this spring has been extraordinary, for the volume of attacks and for the liberties the president and his campaign have taken with the facts. Discuss the current Bush and Kerry ads. Do you feel either party's ads have been effective?

Quote of the week: "For the church to say that abortion is not acceptable for a Catholic is fine. To say directly or indirectly that on something that is a church teaching that you must also vote according to that -- that's not acceptable in a country based on the First Amendment." [Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy]

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