Two unrelated answers

[Guest guest]

Ettina, the first response is to you, related to raising awareness.  Too many

people are too comfortable living in their own isolated world of " normality " ;

whatever that means this week.  Our society has worked as well as it has by

learning about other people; their way of viewing the world, the challenges they

face, et cetera.

 

It is ignorance that allows us to exclude those who we view as different.  It is

an ignorance that can lead to hatred of a type that gives justification to the

very things that this country holds intolerable.  People who are just different

than us could also be viewed as a gift, because it is through diversity that we

grow both as people and as a society.

 

The other unrelated statement is an answer to those who are not offended by the

threats recieved by the doctor whose disagreement on the autism/vaccine issue

has made him a target. 

 

I have no doubt that vaccines can trigger autism, and I very much resent the

greed that has resulted in our children's suffering, but in no way can we, even

for an instant, appear to applaud this type of hatred that has lead to death

threats against not only the speaker, but his children. 

 

Even if we totally reject what someone has to say, one of the basic foundations

of this country is the right to speak without fear of persecution.  The day that

we are afraid to speak our beliefs is the day that we lose a very precious

thing. 

 

I think we of all people should be tired of others taking away our rights.