• 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 (9/23/04) & Monday (9/27/04):

1. CBS News now admits it cannot prove the authenticity of documents used in a report about President Bush‘s National Guard service. And longtime CBS anchor Dan Rather says he no longer has confidence in the documents and can no longer vouch that they are authentic. Who should be held accountable and what should be done? Will the damage spill over and hurt the credibility of the mainstream political press? If these internet bloggers hadn't put the heat on Rather and CBS would CBS have ever come clean? How are internet bloggers changing the news landscape? Are these changes mostly positive or negative?
2. A Swedish court sentenced a Pentecostal pastor to one month in prison after finding him guilty of offending homosexuals in a sermon. And in California, a high-school junior has filed suit against the school district for violating his right to free speech after having been suspended for wearing a T-shirt bearing anti-gay messages. Where should the line be drawn between free speech and unlawful offensive speech?
3. Were injustices, foul play, and/or illegal tactics used by the Republican Party to ensure the election of George W. Bush in the 2000 election? (e.g. racial
   discrimination in Florida, conflict of interests, politicized court rulings, etc.) Do we face the chance for similar problems this election? And what new challenges might we face this election? (e.g. new electronic vote counting machines which are manufactured by companies with Republicans listed on their boards of directors) What can be done to help prevent the undermining of our democratic voting process?
4. Open Discussion.

Quote of the week: "It is the confidence in the men and women who administer the judicial system that is the true backbone of the rule of law. Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today's decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law." [Justice John Paul Stevens, December 12, 2000]

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