Thousands of years ago man domesticated stronger animals then himself to do the physical work he needed done. While it's still true today that some people now in a mechanical age use some of their physical abilities to earn a living on close examination these jobs or services are really more skill related then actual brawn.

So how do most of us earn our living?

Answer: discrimination.

Yes you read that right, we are paid to discriminate, to judge or to discern to make a distinction or to clearly see the difference between one thing and another. From this one can come to a conclusion, plot a course of action and proceed. Without this one is as helpless and hopeless as inanimate flotsam adrift on the sea simply awaiting its inevitable date with destruction on the rocks of the coast.

Understanding how we all earn our living and in fact get through each day is worth putting in perspective during this election time when one party exhibits a near religious zeal in denying discrimination of any kind.

Call it what you like 'Moral Relativism', 'Political Correctness', 'Humanism', 'Social Idealism', 'Treason' — it doesn't matter, we all know who has a religious aversion to 'Seeing the differences and acting on them'. So it's no surprise that little old ladies are searched at airports while others are not. This is a religion that requires the sacrifice of innocent lives.

Recently, Ted Turner proclaimed that he was not sure he could judge or discern the differences 'if indeed there were any' between the sides in the war. Ok, so if he means Iraq then he is telling us that he can't see the difference between a regime that violated the terms of its surrender agreement and fourteen or more UN resolutions. A regime that used WMD against its own people had roving death squads and murdered over a million Muslims not to mention funded terrorist groups that targeted and killed innocent civilians around the world. Or, maybe he was talking about Afghanistan where old ladies were stoned to death for such crimes as accidentally exposing their ankle while attempting to draw water from a well or children were executed in the soccer stadium for smiling at the wrong time? Obviously, he's having a hard time figuring out who is worse the plane loads of passengers many of whom were woman and children and thousands of New York City office workers just doing their jobs or the maniacs that flew the planes into the towers. Tell us Ted, did Danny Pearl's neck just get in the way of that knife?

In short, Ted Turner just proclaimed to the world that the bison meat he now peddles is smarter then he is. For when your brain can't discern between the most extreme polar opposites then you should be considered legally brain dead.

Peter Renaud   10 11 06