I dropped into the Stater Bros near me to pick up some potatoes and mushrooms. Ahead of me in line, a young person obviously of Hispanic descent had a frozen dinner on the checkout table. He had the sparse and scruffy beard so common here, but his clothes were obviously expensive, much more so than mine. Behind me, a 50's something couple filed in with their wine and veges. They were well manicured, well-dressed, obviously moneyed.

The woman scanned a scandal sheet headline. It said something like "Secret Disease: Why Hillary Will Never Run for President."

"I hope it's true," she said. "I hope she dies. She deserves it for what she's done." Her husband (I guess) nodded in assent. The young man in front of me and I looked at each other in astonishment. Then, the cashier began to ring him up, and the opportunity for comment was gone.

Dear readers, I don't know what you are thinking. I was thinking that these people are sick, and need to see a psychiatrist to help them with their problems. I am used to rabid anti-Clinton sentiment. I am not used to it quite so personified. There are a lot of things I don't like, scientology among them. But I do not wish physical harm on any scientologist, nor on persons who disagree with me. Nor am I aware that any honest critic nor scientologist has expressed a similar sentiment towards their adversary.

But I saw hatred in that incident. Blind and uncaring hatred. And I wish on us all (and expect from us all) that we will not descend to the level that those people did in our disagreement.

In truth, I think of every scientologist as a soul seeking freedom (but maybe not finding it). Probably scientology won't help with that, but anyway ... :-) Cheers to you all.
-- seekon@ix.netcom.com (Conner)
Eppur si muove - Galilei

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