I had an interesting discussion with an avowed right-wing republican neo-con in our community the other day and mentioned the weakness in the logic of his recent letter to the paper concerning abortion and the death penalty. Oddly enough, I found it queer to use the issue of cruelty to animals as justification in his reasoning. I guess watching enough right-wing TV and radio will do that to you. I asked how a true follower of Christ could profess his beliefs but strongly support an unnecessary war against a country that did nothing to us and one in which over a hundred thousand innocent women, children and others have died. He thought for a moment and said, “Don’t you know what collateral damage is?” That’s an easy way of saying its OK because those people don’t matter. Not only are these illogical views by evangelical neo-cons inconsistent with Christ’s teachings and with their other moral arguments but they want to force their beliefs on everyone through the law. It’s not enough for them to choose their own personal moral beliefs. They insist on making everyone else agree with them. Free-will is a foreign concept to those who insist on controlling others actions. Following their stream of logic one could say, “Hey, abortion is just sexual collateral damage.” I personally don’t profess to support abortion, the death penalty or unnecessary war but I do believe in free-will. At least that is consistent with ones religious convictions unlike many morally selective right-wing partisans. And for that, many of us are vilified and demonized as unpatriotic radicals. You’re doin a heck of a job bushy. Look what we’ve come to in this country as a result of your actions.