• OPEN DISCUSSION - For the first 30 minutes of the Thursday night forums we will have informal open 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 (8/19/04) & Monday (8/23/04):

1. In a series of concerts in nine swing states, more than 20 musical acts -- including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks -- will perform fundraising concerts one month before the November 2 election in an effort to unseat President Bush. Do artists simply preach to the choir when they write, talk, or sing about politics - or can they have an impact? Can celebrities get kids to vote? Should celebrities be involved in politics at all? Why are the majority of actors, musicians and artists liberal or "left-leaning"? Why has the word "liberal" become such a negative term to some people?
2. Prior to the 20th century, most Americans prepared their dead for burial with the help of family and friends. Today, most funerals are part of a multi-million-dollar industry run by professionals. Are unethical practices and commercialization in the funeral business a problem? Although caring for your own dead is permitted in most places, several states have special conditions or forbid it entirely. Should people always have the right to be able to care for their own dead? Are people -- especially in the U.S. -- overly obsessed with death? Why do most cultures insist on respect for the dead? Are there better alternatives to burial, such as cremation, body donation, or cryopreservation?
3. The powerful U.S. gun lobby is battling to end a ban on some assault weapons and experts say it has also been piling up numerous quiet victories at the state level. A federal ban on certain military-style semi-automatic weapons enacted in 1994 is due to expire on Sept. 13. The Republican congressional leadership, backed by the NRA and other gun groups, seems determined to allow the law to lapse. Should assault weapons continue to be banned? What type of restrictions on gun ownership, if any, should be enforced? What gun laws, if any, make a difference in reducing crime, violence, and murder? Do different states need different gun laws?
4. Open Discussion

Quote of the week: "Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." [Isaac Asimov]

TOPIC ARCHIVES

Subscribe to the Free Inquiry Forum mailing list to receive a weekly e-mail of discussion topics for each week. To subscribe to this list, send a plain text e-mail message to list@freeinquiryforum.com, which contains the following text in the first line of the message body:
SUBSCRIBE fif

Send your topic suggestions for an upcoming FiF to:

Please show your appreciation and support for the effort made to bring you Free Inquiry Forum by simply clicking on the tip cup below and entering an amount you would like to donate. THANKS!