Killer Concussions

Regarding the “Student Races for Team Jesus” article by Tamara Wolcott Fisher [January 2006], Fisher, the Pacific Union Recorder, and the Cummings family have perhaps unwittingly promoted an extremely inappropriate and irresponsible behavior: returning to a physically risky activity too soon after a concussion. [Readers should watch] the Center for Disease Control (CDC) video featuring Brandon Schultz and his severe brain injury from “second impact syndrome” at www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/Coaches_Tool_Kit.htm. If Kyle Cummings can view this video and honestly say that he would have raced again knowing the potential long-term consequences, I suppose that he has a right to do what he wishes. However, it shows little respect for the incredible machinery of the human mind and body.

Lydell Anderson, M.D.

Via e-mail

Abortion Commandment?

Having served the Pacific Union Conference for 20 years as PARL director, I naturally was interested in the Ten Commandments being written in the heart. Ten Commandments issues mentioned were “abortion, marriage, divorce and homosexuality.”

Many people view abortion as killing, therefore a Ten Commandments issue. However, nowhere in Scripture are we told that abortion is a crime, or killing, or even a sin.

We have been subtly conditioned by religious propaganda from the fundamentalists. The abortion issue is the catalyst that will establish religion in our nation and then everything else will follow. Only two passages in the Scriptures deal with an induced miscarriage.

Exodus chapter 21 treats the fetus as property and one causing the accidental miscarriage is required to pay a fine. If a fetus were a person, it would be a manslaughter charge.

The other passage is the trial of jealousy in Numbers chapter 5. In that passage, the husband suspects his wife is pregnant by infidelity and God gave a law requiring the suspected wife to go through a procedure that causes an abortion if she is guilty and pregnant. If she is innocent, nothing happens to her.

E.G. White never touched the subject in spite of the raging controversy on abortion in the latter 19th century. We need to guard against letting our national religious culture change us, for a day is coming when Sunday worship and Sabbath desecration will be national religious culture with heavy penalties for non-conformists.

John V. Stevens, Sr.

Surprise, Ariz.

Academy Squeeze

Regarding “PVH to Build Senior Living Village,” November 2005, it’s interesting that the Senior Living Village will be a spacious village including on-site restaurant, bank, chapel, beauty salon, ice cream parlor, movie theater, library, putting green and tennis court.

The first tragedy is that PVH and AHS can invest $75 million, but couldn’t pay San Diego Academy enough to cover the cost of relocating and rebuilding the academy.

The second tragedy is that the “spacious village” includes all the above amenities, but doesn’t leave the academy enough room for even a full-size football field, much less adequate playing fields for 400 elementary and academy students.

Is it too much to expect PVH to do the right thing by the academy and give back two acres for an adequate playing area?

Carl E. Crawford

San Diego Academy Class of ’52