Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id VAA22444 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 14 Feb 2002 21:40:59 GMT X-Originating-IP: [62.31.25.86] From: "Steve Drew" <srdrew_1@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 21:35:21 +0000 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F82fJiY9ZNMjiGwYt7y0001068f@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 14 Feb 2002 21:35:21.0588 (UTC) FILETIME=[813EAB40:01C1B59F] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 20:56:35 EST
From: <AaronLynch@aol.com>
Subject: Re: An odd addition to the axis of evil
I doubt that the poll results regarding France in a neo-conservative
US magazine have much at all to do with actual military history,
alliances between countries, or who sold weapons to whom. All
of that would be forgotten by most of the US public and most of
the readers of The Weekly Standard. Rather, what Vincent says
about their unusual grasp of foreign affairs is the stronger
explanation. Only the "unusual grasp" is really not so unusual
in the USA any more. (Religious neo-conservatives were Bush's
main political base.)
In addition to Religious Right views on other countries' sexual
morality, big government, and godlessness, there is also the abortion
issue that comes into play in the French case. The drug RU-486 is
known as "the French abortion pill." The Religious Right here regards
it as a chemical weapon being used to commit genocide against
"unborn children." They adhere to a view that life (as a person)
begins at conception, and that aborting even an embryo is murder.
Because France has liberal abortion laws, and is regarded as the
inventor of RU-486, it probably gets a special "evil" status in the
minds of the US Religious Right.
I actually think that if The Weekly Standard had conducted a poll on
"evil" countries before Bush's state of the union speech, France
would probably have gotten more votes than the other so-called
"axis of evil" countries named by Bush. Higher, that is, than Iraq,
North Korea, and Iran.
- --Aaron Lynch
Hi Aaron,
As you may be aware we have our own brand of god botherers in the UK that
believe in the idea of conception as the start of life and are just in the
process of a court case to outlaw the *morning after pill* (is this the sanm
thing as RU-486?). This will mean the Gvmnt pushing thro’ emergency
legislation to retain it. Not too sure if high church Blair will be that
keen. Is that why we got off lightly in the opinion poll for the axis of
evil (ain’t that WWII?), or do’s the average american think that Blair
really is the US foriegn ambassedor! ? :-)
regards
Steve
BTW. over here, a lot of the general public cannot name our gvnmt either.
Mind you, i read the papers every day and can't!
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