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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Dr. Emmanuel Wu)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.religion,net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Another small question.
Message-ID: <868@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 8-Apr-85 08:40:26 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.868
Posted: Mon Apr  8 08:40:26 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Apr-85 20:29:36 EST
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Small questions emante from ...

> From MACAU, by Daniel Carney, (he also wrote WILD GEESE)
> This is a great adventure story, by the way!
>                                   
>    "First a jar of boiling oil was wheeled forward on a trolly.  Beside it
>     was placed a large razor-sharp cleaver.  With a flourish a waiter
>     pulled away the white table cloth, revealing a hole in the center of
>     the table through which was thrust a monkey, its arms strapped tightly
>     to its sides.  The monkey's wide eyes were pierced through with fear,
>     and as its head rose above the level of the table it opened its mouth
>     wide and screamed, a sound like that of a terrified child.  Thomas Wu,
>     with an expert flick of the cleaver, severed the crown from the monkey's
>     head.  Immediately the boiling oil was poured over its brain and the
>     diners surged forward with their long-handled spoons to dig out the
>     still-quivering delicacy."
> 
> ********************************
> 
> My question this time is . . . "Why should it not be a CHILD instead of a
> monkey???  (of course an unwanted child with birth defects who can't speak
> and whom we don't recognize as 'human' therefore)

Because human society decided (quite rationally) that human beings' lives are
not things to be toyed with, that each human being has rights to life, and
that (more often than not) human beings are not food.  The value of human
beings' lives is considered a priority of our morality.

> Appeals to 'religious tradition' need not apply!

Damn right!

>  Because we all know the great Ubizmo doesn't exist anyway beyond the fever
> swamp mentality of the unliberated 'religious believers' and of course
> remember, the LAW is what people SAY it is in any given time or place, and who
> are YOU to push YOUR morals down anyone else's throat . . . if you find the
> above question answerable beyond "not here, you don't" but "it shouldn't
> happen anywhere", I'd like to know . . . WHY???

Because some people realize that if you make "certain" human lives dispensable,
your life could be the next one in the dispensable pile.  Honestly, Ken, why
are your gross and inept questions always so easy to answer?

> Note:
>       I could have just as easily asked where do morals come from . . . yawn!

Me, too!  Goodnight, indeed.  Hasn't that been answered?  They come from the
requirements of a society to hold itself together and survive.
-- 
"It's a lot like life..."			 Rich Rosen  ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr