"America's Most Hated Woman"

[so lucky]

Man, I could hardly get through that.
You know, I realize that if we only view or hear things that we agree with, and never even listen to an opposing viewpoint, we are closing off the possibility of growth. So I have been trying to be open minded enough to at least hear the other side of the argument, whatever it is about. But, really!!!
So that "church" is basically one weird family, huh? Maybe they won't reproduce.

 

[seedcorn]

Understand our freedoms mean we allow things in this country, things we find detestable. I never wanted the education system to teach religion to my kids anyway. Although don't want them teaching theories as facts as they do now either.

 

[digitS']

I went into the library today and stopped first at the "hold" shelves. I had requested a book on natural resources before it had been cataloged. My strong suspicion is that the author will take a view that I'm opposed to. However, I haven't really looked at recent arguments and felt that there may be something new.

It may surprise some but I consider myself very close to the center in political thought. I am willing to pay attention to policy because I feel that it should involve all of us since decisions are made that affect all of us, inside and outside this country and for generations to come. They are important and often, complex.

So, I've got the book and I'm on to the "new" book shelves. Within a minute or two I'm joined by a gentleman. The title of my hold book is where he could see it and I have even laid it beside the other books while I'm down looking at the bottom shelf. He pulls another book and shows it to me saying, "Everybody in the House and Senate should read this book!"

I wasn't about to engage in a conversation on politics with a stranger in the library, so I just made what I thought was a friendly comment about what I was looking for and headed off to the "main" shelves. I looked to see if there was anything on local history that I'd missed on earlier visits. And, I realized that this guy was right behind me!! I circle around, checking "Enslaved by Ducks," "A Chicken in Every Backyard," and a cookbook with a recipe for Pierogi before coming back to see what that guy had been looking at ... the sinking of the Titanic ....

You know, just a few weeks ago I was in the library and checked out a book on politics that I felt took a fairly extreme tack and had a title which reflected it. As I was at the desk with my library card, I suddenly found myself in a conversation with the woman beside me. Now, it has been my experience that women do not often initiate conversations with men that they do not know. We didn't talk about the book in front of me but I couldn't help wondering what she thought about it - the title was easily noticeable.

Anyway, after this experience today -- I'm wondering if extreme thinking doesn't often seek out extreme thinking. Birds of a feather and all that. Also, I wonder how an interest in the Sinking of the Titanic plays into this ...

Steve
still not having a clue how to find a novel for this winter's read