Re: PAX PAPERS! AUGUST! COME! "..Can't We Just Be Friends?"

Name    : 
E-Mail  : 
Subject : 

Comments:
: : : : : : : : ring ring ring ring!
: : : : : : : : RING RING RING!
: : : : : : : : ringalalinga ling!
: : : : : : : : RING RING RIN RAINGLAINGA RINNGGGGGLIIINGNGNGNGNGNGNGN!!!!
: : : : : : : : COME ONE, COME ALL!
: : : : : : : : dROP YOUR HURONS, SWEETIES, SINS, ALL BY TH WAYSIDE!
: : : : : : : : come to the TOWNE SQUARRE!!
: : : : : : : : aFTER A long long hiatus
: : : : : : : : AFTER A LONG AWOL
: : : : : : : : AFTER A LOOOOOOOOONGGGG CINDERELLA LIBERTY!!!!
: : : : : : : : our writer, EDITOR
: : : : : : : : OF THE PAX PAPERS
: : : : : : : : mME TGAT QUEENIE LAINIE 
: : : : : : : : IS baaaAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

: : : : : : : : indeed the PAX PAPERS ARE THE 
: : : : : : : : PREMIER READING PAPERS IN LOTMLAND!!!!!

: : : : : : : : come one, come all!!!
: : : : : : : : RINGALINGLALIIIIINNNGGGGG!!!!1

: : : : : : : : cLINGALINLIGNARINGLIANAGLINENringlalingalink!!!

: : : : : : : : Breathless TowneCrier

: : : : : : : : Man, if the TowneCouncil still refuses to give me a raise, and a lantern and new satin duds
: : : : : : : : I dunno what else I may dooooooo!!!!

: : : : : : : Fellow Lotm'ers,
: : : : : : : Being a scribe myself, as well as a journalist, editor, erstwhile book-critic and editor... I must tell you that the current issue (August, 2000) of THE PAX PAPERS, the Premier Reading Papers of LOTMland, just crossed my desk for review, and herewith I shall post my review:

: : : : : : : GOOD STUFF.
: : : : : : : REALLY REALLY GOOD STUFF.
: : : : : : : Pertinent. Eminently readable. Timely.
: : : : : : : GOOD STUFF.

: : : : : : : Enjoy reading it, thinking about, and DEBATING IT in our usual, zesty LOTMLand Board fashion.

: : : : : : : Warm regards,
: : : : : : : Vita
: : : : : : : \\\ 
: : : : : : : : IS

: : : : : : 
: : : : : : "An EXCERPT FROM PAX PAPERS, BY ELAINE FEDERICI:

: : : : : : ....This brings us back to the real point of truth, the pertinent question of this article. No, the question is not 'What is truth?'  but 'Who cares?' Indeed, indeed ... who cares? This is the real meat of the matter. 

: : : : : : "Where you have a man, there you have a potential liar." 

: : : : : : So said Aristotle. He'll have no argument from me, either....."

: : : : : : Message from Vita and our Ye Olde TowneCrier:

: : : : : : Let's show LOTMers care... there is much to debate in this issue of The Pax Papers!

: : : : : : Cordially yours,
: : : : : : The Publicant 
: : : : : :  

: : : : : Okay.  Read it.  Provocative, thought provoking, and thoroughly worth debating.  However, not by me.  I'm still trying to get over the thinly veiled reference to "shopping around" for a suitable religion, and am still trying to live down (in my mind at least) the borderline intolerant comments I made about one religion in particular.  However, I whole heartedly encourage those of less volatility than I to read, think, and debate.

: : : : : Bill R

: : : 
: : : : Dear Bill,

: : : : No, no, do not skirt the issue. Really. Hey, I am what many would call a Pagan (or a Lady Dervishe, or what have you) myself. Not atheist, mind you, but Pagan and several other terms. The difference is that atheists do not believe in God, Pagans (and Sufist, or Mevlana followers,or Alewites, meaning those who come under many different terms/descriptions/classifications while still adhering to the One Supreme God belief) do, and Pagans are wronged many times over when they are classified under Satan worshippers.
: : : : I am not here to discuss Paganism, right now, I just threw that in as a metaphor. Though while we are on the subject of God, or Allah, or Dio or Yahweh, I would love to argue that God is <am and Woman combined... though my Mama would have begged to differ, she who was born Protestant, would butt heads with you that the Supreme Deity, Force is Mother Nature (well, to me, she was MY Mother Nature... may she reast in peace.)

: : : : OK, Bill, LOTM'ers care, right? 
: : : : Roll up your sleeves, dust off your already-spic span polished keyboard, and join the debate!!!
: : : : Vita

: : : Well!  It seems I have mis-assumed, and you have mis-assumed.
: : : I never would have guessed that you were pagan, and your guess about my squeeky clean keyboard is totally wrong.  This board is older than I am.  It has enough dirt on it for a good sized garden to flourish.

: : : Debate?  Okay.  One thought.  What is truth?  Is truth not that which never changes because it IS truth?  And if that is so, then man's religions, though meant to provide us enlightenment, must have little to do with actual truth - as religion evolves (changes) and therefore cannot BE truth itself?  Only an attempt to understand truth?

: : : Bill R

: : Dear Bill,

: : Remember Pax Paper Paragraph, which containst:
: : "Can't We Just Be Friends..."
: : and the full paragraph is:
: : " ... Unity, from what I gather, is the ticket. That's the contemporary ideal, the cat's meow. But how? When? At what cost? We all quickly say we're all for unity, for no one really wants to say they're in favor of disunity but this unity remains undefined, meaningless and unchallenged. It's like saying, 'I'm against breast cancer' ... no one is actually for breast cancer but it feels good to buy anti-breast cancer stamps and declare we're against it.  It doesn't mean all that much really. What is it we really aim to achieve? It seems to me, in my stubborn way of seeing things, that what we're really thinking is this; I want to be your friend and feel good about this friendship so, please don't bring up things we might disagree upon because though I like to call myself enlightened and open minded, the truth is, I won't forgive you for holding a differing opinion which will lead to my not really liking you, and of course, I might find myself to be less open minded than I care to admit. Can't we just be friends? Is this the real unity we want? Isn't this what we really mean when we speak of being tolerant? I'd much rather have my viewpoints challenged, probed, and tested than neatly, kindly tolerated without examination. "

: : Hmmm... more to debate!
: : Hey, re. Pagan... hmmm I am also a Wicca witch. OK, just kidding. I studied it, interesting, just the way I studied Rosicrucians and their rituals.
: : I am too many things to be One Thing, alone.
: : But there is GOD. 
: : Come, Bill... I still owe you 2 books...! See, am forgetful, too. Blame it on too many shocks to my system.
: : Meanwhile, let's delve into the above paragraph!

: : Vita ...:-)

: ******************
: Goody.  I know all the words in the above paragraph.  I like to probe.  I don't mind being probed.  I don't even mind a heated probing.  There were a few of us Gatherers that did a little probing sittin' at a picnic table one night.  Probing is great!  If two friends can survive a good probing, I think they will be less likely to lose each other.  One just has to keep a clear head.  Nothing stops a probing quicker than gettin' your bloomers in a knot.  Keep your eyes on the goal.  The goal is truth, right?  Just don't be disappointed if you don't reach that goal on the first probing.  You may NEVER reach the goal, but the probing can be very enlightening nonetheless.  I prefer to probe while drinking a glass of wine, not coffee.  Coffee causes me to express myself just a bit more clearly than I think.

: Now, where did I set that creamer...

: Dana S. 


Optional Link URL:  
Link Title:         
Optional Image URL: