Title:  Those People!   An Editorial, by Mike Fix

From:   AMER Intelligence

The Official Journal of the Alliance for Magical and Earth
Religions, Volume 1, Number 1.

copyright 1991 by AMER and the respective authors.  All rights
reserved.  (Permission to reprint has been granted by AMER.)


Just what is AMER all about?  In a word, it is tolerance. 
Tolerance has become increasingly scarce in America over the last
decade.  Time and again we have seen people advocate the
reduction or outright repeal of basic rights in order to protect
society from perceived evil intentions of /those people!/.  I
refer to this as /those people syndrome/.

It is sad that this attitude exists here in the United States. 
And saddest of all, that it should be found even amongst some who
are themselves frequently the target of /those people syndrome/. 
I am referring to those in the magical community who feel that
AMER should not: defend the religious rights of certain magical
groups, and/or allow them to join AMER.

	I understand the fears of those who feel that associating
with /those people/ will provide certain religious fanatics with
grist for their mill, and I share this concern.  Nevertheless, if
we allow others to dictate with whom we may associate or whose
rights we may defined, then we have already lost some of our own.

	There is a great deal more to tolerance than merely saying
that you support another person's constitutionally guaranteed
rights.  You must be willing to come to their defense when those
rights are threatened, even if you find their beliefs and
practices personally repugnant!  It is tragic indeed that on the
200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights that so many have
forgotten what our founding fathers learned from bitter
experience.  I pray that it is not to late to change that.  If we
succeed there may well come a day when no one is persecuted for
being one of /those people/.  If we all work together, then that
day may come soon.

/end of article/
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