• 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 (11/18/04) & Monday (11/22/04):

1. Scott Peterson has been convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn child. Why did this particular case recieve such extensive media coverage? What impact does Peterson's conviction of murdering an unborn child have on the abortion controversy? Should Scott Peterson receive the death penalty? Are you for or against the death penalty and why? Why is the United States one of the only established democracies in the world that still conducts executions? Is capital punishment a deterrent? What part does religion play in the capital punishment controversy?
2. Is Veganism a rational and justified lifestyle? Is the slaughtering of animals for food unethical? Is hunting animals for pleasure unethical? Would the consumption of meat from animals that didn't suffer still be considered unethical? If parts of animals -- or whole animals without their cognitive functions -- were able to be created for consumption using cloning techniques, would that be a more ethical alternative? Should some animals have "rights"?
3. Open Political Discussion: Discuss the changes to Bush's Cabinet, the fighting in Iraq, and the latest murdered hostage.

Quote of the week: "The view that criminals are 'wicked' and 'deserve' punishment is not one which a rational morality can support. Undoubtedly certain people do things which society wishes to prevent and does right in preventing as far as possible. We may take murder as the plainest case. Obviously, if a community is to hold together and we are to enjoy its pleasures and advantages, we cannot allow people to kill each other whenever they feel an impulse to do so. But this problem should be treated in a purely scientific spirit. We should ask simply: What is the best method of preventing murder? Of two methods which are equally effective in preventing murder, the one involving least harm to the murderer is to be preferred. The harm to the murderer is wholly regrettable, like the pain of a surgical operation. It may be equally necessary, but it is not a subject for rejoicing. The vindictive feeling called "moral indignation" is merely a form of cruelty. Suffering to the criminal can never be justified by the notion of vindictive punishment. [Bertrand Russell, "What I Believe" - Source]

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