Dear Mrs. Hanson:

I enjoyed your letter (of August 19th) as always. I have never used a word-processor, which I believe was the forerunner of the personal computer. I type 55 wpm on this mechanical typewriter, which is suitable for my rate of composition. I lack the time and money to become involved with computers, which I leave to my friend's expertise and patience.

No, I have not the slightest interest in even visiting your 'restored earthly Paradise', in which I understand "the lion shall lie down with the lamb", after having devoured it, like a decent lion, I hope. To me, that would not be life, but some sort of zombie experience. Lions which do not behave like lions would be degenerate, just as men who do not behave like men, but who behave like 'sheep', 'dogs' or children. The whole concept is revolting. You wish to thank the alleged maker of your beautiful planet, the beautiful sunset, etc. By such a statement you show that you have succumbed to a semitic religion which opposes you to Nature. How do I thank that which I am a part of? To me, the idea is nonsense. We are all part of The Universe, and if you think The Universe is God, then we are equally part of God. Does my toenail thank the rest of my body for its existence? To pose such a question is nonsense, for my toenail is not a discrete entity in opposition or separate from the whole.

I am sorry you think you are "too white". I can assure you that no amount of melanin can protect anyone from the desert sun and 130 degree heat. That is why they wear loose flowing robes and burnooses as 'sun-screens'. My father experienced that heat and glare during his many oil exploration contracts in Kuwait and Oman. He said that khaki was too light to wear on the sand, for the glare bounced off the light-colored cloth. He wore olive drab shirts and trousers, with a pith helmet which had a dark green liner, as well as prescription sunglasses. He worked as jack-of-all-trades: harbor master at Raisut, military engineer, marine engineer, electrician, rig mechanic and so on. He spent so many years working close to diesel engines that the oil and fumes gave him lung cancer. As the jew-book says, "Those who live by the diesel die by the diesel" (if it were up-dated, of course). In Oman, anyone working between the diesel engines required assistants to play a fire hose on him; otherwise the mechanic would collapse and probably melt away on the spot. It is interesting that the deserts of 'the Infertile Crescent' of Arabia and North Africa were man-made. The 3 'o's did it: over-grazing, over-logging and over-population. The same factors are creating huge deserts in Africa and China. The Amazon is on its way to become a desert, since the soil fertility is only a few inches deep. When the watershed is removed, the rains leach the fertility out of the soil, leaving sterile sand underneath. You see what happens when we oppose ourselves to Nature. Too many featherless bipeds believe that they can break the rules of Nature and get away with it. Well, no one can, and no one should be exempt from Natural Law, which was made by God, if you believe in one (or more).

Every tribe's written and oral mythology is "inspired by a Creator". If you doubt it, just ask them. The Jews believe that their book was divinely-inspired, and they also believe that the rabbis who composed The Babylonian Talmud, including The Cabala, are so respected that Yahweh stands up to read it, out of respect. The Christians claim that their version was divinely-inspired, but the Jews say, "Stop right, there! Only the 'Old Testament' was divinely-inspired." The Moslems accept Jesus as a prophet, but they claim to have the most recent product of divine inspiration, The Koran. The Christians claim otherwise. Then the Mormons claim to have the very latest product of divine inspiration.

As for 'free will', that can only exist if your god is NOT omniscient, which means the poor old Jew cannot predict the future. Let us suppose that I know exactly what you are going to do, in every detail (all-knowing, remember) before you even thought of doing it. You only think you have a choice because you are ignorant of the future, which I already know. Omniscience precludes free will and free will precludes omniscience. If I were to accept my own free will AND an omniscient deity, I would be caught in an absurd contradiction, which would mean that my mind had become degenerate, childish, sheepish, etc.

Mark Twain wrote a jolly critique of the current concept of 'heaven' in his essay, "Capt. Stormfield in Heaven", if I recall the title correctly. As soon as one enters, he receives a pair of golden slippers, a harp and a halo. Since none of his fellows ever practiced the harp on earth, they don't quite know what to do with it. The halos are uncomfortable, as well as the golden slippers, so they go to another wicket to turn them all in. Of course, the real heaven was quite different from the popular version, and since different people have different religions, they had different heavens which they could understand from their religious point of view.

The Moslems have a heaven full of the things they lacked on earth: booze and loose women. The Odinists' Valhalla includes booze and beautiful women, as well as fighting, in preparation for the Main Event: Ragnorak, in which the Gods, Goddesses and heros die in battle against evil. However, it is also prophesied that the good guys will defeat the minions of evil, and the children of the Gods will live to rebuild Valhalla.

How silly it is to wade through a morass of contradictory words in search of a god. My God has no need for written words. Whenever I am on the right path, I feel His presence. He smooths the way ahead for me and puts the wind at my back. He bends the trees which wave to me in greeting, while His ravens circle above. My God speaks in these ways to me because I am an Aryan. Black men's gods speak to them in different ways, as do those of Asians. Their gods demand fear. My God demands bravery. I stand before my God. I do not kneel or kow-tow, for my God despises slaves, cowards and weaklings. That is why I receive no message from your Afro-Asiatic deity and that is why your 'paradise' is alien and disgusting to me.

Even the jew-book 'quotes' Yahweh as commanding "Thou shalt have no other gods but me!" Please look up the passage in which Yahweh has a brawl with Dagon, the half-man, half-fish god. If I remember correctly, Yahweh cheats, just as David cheated when he fought Goliath. Using a sling & stone against a swordsman is as vile as using a pistol. Spare me your jewish god! After reading the jew-book, I feel in need of a hot shower, with plenty of soap.

I prophesy that your intellectual journey is not over . A person who is sedated with opiates wakens eventually and opens his eyes. As one who is still alive, I predict that you can also come to. I welcome you in advance, as a fellow member of The Universe.

Best wishes, Eric Thomson

ORION!