• 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 (2/17/05) & Monday (2/21/05):

1. The White House is refusing to pay American POWs tortured by Saddam during the 1991 Gulf War from a $1 billion settlement already awarded from a lawsuit filed in 2002. The reason being that Iraq is no longer a "terrorist regime" and desperately needs that money to rebuild. Should these POWs receive the billion dollar settlement? Should U.S. citizens, who are victims of state-sponsored terrorism, be able to seek compensation against terrorist states in federal court?
2. A new and perhaps aggressive strain of HIV was discovered last week in New York City. In the infected patients, the virus progressed with unusual speed and displayed the hallmarks of resistance to three of the four major classes of HIV drugs. Given that a retrovirus like HIV mutates so quickly and there are now numerous strains, how does this impact the fight against HIV/AIDS? Some experts are suggesting virtually all Americans should be tested routinely for HIV. Do you agree? There is an alarming practice in which some gay men actively seek out HIV. Is this "bug-chasing phenomenon" a growing trend to be worried about? If so, what can be done?
3. Saturday, February 12th was Darwin Day, in celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday. Charles Darwin was the natural scientist who formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection. Is enough being done to combat the misconceptions and controversies surrounding the theory of evolution? Can religion and Darwinian evolution co-exist? What impact are Creationists and "intelligent design" advocates having on the teaching of evolution?
4. OPEN DISCUSSION.

Quote of the week: "In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment." [Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882), The Origin of Species 1859]

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