• 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 (9/2/04) & Monday (9/6/04):

1. A recent report to Congress by the Bush administration finally concedes the validity of scientific research linking global climate change and man-made activities such as emissions. Even though it is not claimed as a final report, this announcement runs counter to previous statements by the Bush administration that regularly distanced itself from any such linkage. The new announcement has aroused instant opposition by several industry groups opposed to CO2 emission controls.  Do you think global warming has man-made causes? Do you agree with these recent findings?  And do you think the Bush administration is politically and scientifically capable of dealing with the issue of global climate change?
2. Public protests before and during the GOP convention are Constitutional issues as well as public-relations issues for both political parties.  Are mass demonstrations ever useful ways to sway public opinion, and are they helpful or hurtful this week to Democrats? Did New York City have the right to preserve the grass in Central Park by denying protesters this traditional open public space in which protesters requested to gather?  Did the GOP intend to exploit 9/11 images and associations and participants for political advantage, and did the Bush campaign have the right to do so?
3. Psychologically speaking, men and women appear to display different aptitudes, skills, and behaviors. Are these gender differences biologically "wired" into our brains (the "essentialist" point of view)? Or, are gender differences the result of our historical, cultural, and social conditioning (the "constructionist" view)? Or, is our individual gender behavior always the result of continuing interaction between our innate biological tendencies and environmental pressures (the "interactionist" view)? What psychological theory best explains gender behavior and the different cognitive profiles of men and women? Is it our wiring, our conditioning, or a combination of both?
4. VP Cheney's statements about leaving gay/lesbian issues for the states to decide puts him at odds with the Bush administration's position, which calls for a nationwide Constitutional ban on gay and lesbian marriages and even civil unions. His recent statement also puts him at odds with himself only eight months ago. Does this publicized stance by Cheney, when considered along with his low approval ratings in public-opinion polls, suggest that he plans to remove himself from the Republican ticket for some plausible reason (health, family, etc.), thereby giving Bush the option to replace him at the convention with someone more attractive to moderate Republicans and swing voters, such as McCain?
5. What is a conservative, and how would you define a conservative? What social and economic principles form the traditional basis for American conservative political philosophy, and do you agree or disagree with any of them? Is being a conservative or liberal influenced or caused by our personal psychological profile? Why has conservatism been so popular in the United States for the past two decades?  Why is talk radio so conservative? And why does so much of the public seem to admire conservative political philosophy and the conservative label?

Quote of the week: "I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it." [John Stuart Mill, letter to Conservative MP Sir John Pakington (March, 1866) - Source ]

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