Re: Brass Tacks

["Troy Merrill" <troy1@moscow.com>]

Re: Brass tacks
Well said. Verbal fencing is a bore we should abandon it. Disagreements and
arguements are interesting and valuable, let's do that instead.

Troy Merrill

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joan Opyr" <auntiestablishment@hotmail.com>
To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2002 7:52 PM
Subject: Brass Tacks


> Doug, Doug, Doug:
>
> Over the years, I've had the pleasure of reading many Christian works of
> marvelous subtlety--Paradise Lost, Pilgrim's Progress, and the Old English
> Exodus to name but a few.  There is nothing subtle about this piece from
> Credenda Agenda.  It is to Christian hermeneutics what the sledgehammer is
> to brain surgery.  As for my reading it "bizarrely," I think it's odd that
> someone who insists upon a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible
should
> expect a nuanced reading of his own words.  Why?  Does this piece not mean
> what it says?  Do I need a secret decoder ring?
>
> And, quite frankly, Doug, I am surprised to find you reviving the old
blood
> libel in an attempt to bolster your argument.  This vicious,
hate-mongering,
> anti-Semitic slur is current only with terrorists and skinheads, and it
has
> no business tripping lightly from anyone's keyboard, particularly not in
> defense of a flippant analogy.
>
> Let's dispense with the Latin, the backgammon, and the casuistry and get
> down to brass tacks.  I moved here ten years ago for two reasons: 1) I
> thought this was a charming, progressive community and 2) my partner is a
> Moscow native.  Though I often find life in Idaho exasperating, I really
> like this town.  I like the Farmer's Market, the Renaissance Fair, the
> Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and Rendezvous in the Park.  I like my
doctor,
> my dentist, and my dog's veterinarian.  I like the checkers at the grocery
> store who know me by name; I like shopping at the Tri-State, and Hodgins',
> and Bookpeople; I like living in a university town surrounded by wheat
> fields.  I have found Moscow to be an open and affirming place, friendly
> without being intrusive, filled with people who are funny, intelligent,
and
> diverse.
>
> I am not playing checkers, chess, or tiddlywinks; I am arguing with you.
> That's what people in a democracy do when they have genuine disagreements
> over the future of their community.  I believe that there is enough room
> here for you and for me, but I don't want to see you pound what I like
best
> about Moscow into rubble so you can pack it into your concrete forms.
> That's my community agenda in toto.  What's yours?
>
> Yours sincerely,
> Auntie Establishment/Joan
>
>
>
>
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