RE: Eugenics

“Sorry to post twice in quick succession, but I was curious about Kev’s and Geforce’s stance on Eugenics?

Why do you object so strongly? I’m not saying I agree with it, but your rejection seems very absolute.”

I would imagine much of my view has been coloured by the fact that I worked for several years with children aith children and adults with physical/learning disabilities. Many of these people can and do lead very rewarding lives. Technological and medical advances have meant that many of these people get a better chance at life than could ever have been expected. I was taking a teenager with Down’s syndrome to the cinema and this couple sat behind us and kept muttering about how it was ‘such a shame’ and ‘how sorry they felt for him.’ Sorry for him? This young man was going to represent his country at the special olympics and it was extremely likely that he would win a medal. He was embarking on a career as a sports and fitness intructor and last time I saw him was learning to drive. So, don’t automatically write people off.

Now for foetuses who are likely to develop profound and multiple learning disabilities there may well be a case for termination. For older children and adults with PMLD there may even be a case for euthanasia. (My own personal jury is still debating that one.)

Now, conversely, or should I say perversely, advances in medical science mean that premature babies are surviving from an earlier age but unfortunately these heroic efforts to save a child are not always without the cost of some disability to the child.

Eugenics as a blanket option as supported by Churchill and carried out by Hitler are immoral and should be abhorred by any right thinking compassionate individual.

Don’t destroy a child because they have a disability, instead, nurture what abilities they have.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Euro bashing

Mongu,

Churchill was indeed a great man and without him I doubt this country would be what it is today.

I just find it interesting that a man who was a strong supporter of the eugenics movement eventually went on to make a stand against a man who was of much the same mind, albeit on a far larger scale.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Euro bashing

Just a point about Churchill and being racist. Before the First World War and, I think, for a time afterwards, Churchill was a supporter of the eugenics movement in the UK. Their aim was that all people with any kind if mental disability should be incarcerated and the sexes kept separate to avoid such people ‘breeding’. In this way it was thought that the gene pool would be purified and mental disability would become a thing of the past.

Does that sound familiar?

Regards,

kev35

RE: IDF/AF F-16 attack goes wrong

According to the tv news in the UK the bomb used was one ton in weight. I suppose it was a precision guided bomb/missile but with that much explosive force it’s going to make one hell of a hole in the ground anyway.

So, why the apology? Israel believe they hold the moral high ground so for them it must have been a 100% successful operation, they got their man.

Either Churchills’or Harris’ words spring to mind from WWII. “You have sown the wind, You shall reap the whirlwind.”

When is it ever going to stop?

Regards,

kev35

RE: What’s everyones take on Star Trek: Enterprise???

I’m enjoying it so far. I’ve seen a few episodes on satellite and enjoyed them all. I think Scott Bakula is the right man to play Archer and I’m sure the other characters will evolve as well.

I think the big thing about Enterprise is that it is without the rules that bound the other series. There is no prime directive so their meetings with other species are not bound by the rules of non-interference.

Regards,

kev35

RE: If You Could Go Back In Time…..

Harry,

time travel may indeed be impossible but as I understand it the topic asks what events we would like to witness and why. Not what events we would like to change.

I would like to go back to Salonika in 1916 and find out exactly how my Grandfather got wounded. He was a driver of horse transport in the Great War and was severely wounded by shellfire which resulted in him having to have a steel plate inserted into his face. He returned to duty after almost a year and a half and went on to serve in France and later in Germany. He had also been wounded while serving as a cavalryman in India before the war.

As to world events I would like to have been in London on VE night in 1945. To see the city lit up again after almost six years and the joy on people’s faces would be a truly emotional experience.

As for a particular person I would dearly like to have met General Robert E Lee, Confederate States Army.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Pets

I have one dog, a four year old Border Terrier cross who goes by the name of Duke. He also gets called ratbag a lot. Contrary to some of the others, I think my dog is very intelligent. I’m diabetic and somehow Duke always knows when my sugar level gets low and keeps running to the fridge. I’ve checked my sugar level and sometimes he knows it’s dropping before I do!

Of course, he goes and spoils it all when he’s out playing with his ball. Last week he chased the ball, caught it and while running around showing how clever he is ran head first into a four foot wide tree! So, if you’re ever in Walsall and you hear somebody calling their dog a ‘hairy a**ed hound’ that’ll be me and Duke.

I also have two budgies, Hoppy and Amy. Amy is lovely and gentle while Hoppy appears totally deranged and has even managed to bend the bars of his cage.

Regards,

kev35