Want to submit a letter?
Just click here.
Not all letters are selected for posting.
|
|
"And for all of you out there who keep wondering why your letters haven't been posted: Simple.
We get thousands. It's impossible to post every one. We do the best we can."
|
|
|
 |
Gene
 I can respect your reply to the question about "Ebonics", but I question your looking at C.E.O' as the leaders of society. It all basically comes down to what someone is comfortable with.
Wes
Response from Gene:
I don't agree. If you're comfortable speaking "Pig Latin" it doesn't mean it works. You can go to a grocery story and tell them what you want to buy in Pig Latin if you choose, but it won't get you what you want. When in Rome, do (and speak) as the Romans.
Dear Gene,
 What you do in your private affairs, and how you choose to live out your life is no one's bloody business!
I often wonder, if people feel they have to preach to anyone about how they choose to live, there just may be something threatening their sense of security or their 'so called' 'right and proper' code of moral conduct. Those who go to great lengths to try and 'convert' others to their way of 'seeing' things are not very sure about their own choices in the end.
Finally, the reference to the children being merely the product of two roomates is off the mark! From reading your book, there is no doubt that there is real love between you and Shannon. You have an 'understanding' and it works. Nothing else matters! And....furthermore, your love for your children is very real and obvious. I think the book says that loud and clear, and the time Extra spent with you and Shannon and the kids, also speaks loud and clear of a bond that exists between you and them.
Bottom line: you can have all the paper work you want to show that everything is 'formally' blessed and approved by 'church and state' - BUT if the love isn't there....it isn't there! It's that simple.
There are real issues out there that people can bitch about! Racism, violence, homelessness, AIDS, wars........these are REAL issues! How people choose to live and love, and who they choose to love and how....is simply a non issue! Again....it should be that simple!
dm
 gene... would you want your daughter adopting your attitude towards sex?
Response from Gene:
Yes. I would, more importantly...want her to be able to choose whatever she wants for herself without checking in with society or the past to find out if it's ok. We're all just passing through, anyway. The most important thing you can do for yourself is to make sure you decide for yourself what makes you happy. In that light, whatever my daughter decides for herself, will make me happy.
Hey Gene
 I can't understand all these people that have a problem with the way you live your life, women & marriage etc. Anyone would think you were married to them, maybe that is what they want???. I admire you for having the balls to be honest about wanting and having more than one woman, I have never met anyone THAT honest before. Who came up with the idea of a lecture tour? It is very interesting, I will be there in Sydney to listen to you.
Linda
 How the hell did you get a girlfirend like Shannon Tweed??!!!
jeff
Response from Gene:
Huh.... I asked.
Dear Gene,
 I've always been a proud fan of yours, but why do you say that Shannon is not your partner? Youv'e been seeing her for 18 years and almost always show up at movie premiers with her, on Extra she was there, etc.,etc,. I look up to you cuz your a real Player, but why can't you admit that you love her and that she is your lover and partner?
Your fan,
Anthony
Response from Gene:
You're not hearing me. Shannon doesn't need a partner. She is free to choose whatever she wants for herself. Partners have to check in with partners. "Where are you going? Who have you been with? When are you coming home?" That's what partners do. The only one who had the right to ask me those questions gave me birth. And my mother stopped quizzing me 30 years ago. I don't torture anyone and will not let anyone torture me. I want everyone to be free to choose anything for themselves without having to check with someone if it's ok. We're grown up now. We should be free.
Are you?
HELLO GENE!
I am a collector of kiss as well as old firecracker packs. Here is my idea, what do you think?
TAKE CARE
SHAWN
Response from Gene:
I don't like it. Don't want the responsibility of someone getting hurt.
 Come on, Gene. You're better than the answers that you've been giving. They're informed, yet evasive, often times totally ignoring the question at hand.
"I am one of the people of the Book -- my people were responsible for the Bible."
Jews are descendants of the tribe of Judah. The Israelites are responsible for the Bible, and Judah is but 1/12 of Israel.
Judah and Benjamin essentially merged, and the other ten tribes eventually scattered across the globe, settling here and there and everywhere. Their is ample evidence -from Great Britain to China- that the vast majority of the world's population and cultures are descended from the 12 Tribes of Israel. Israel is at the heart of the history of human civilization.
(The Tribe of Dan traveled into what we now call Europe, naming places for him: Danube, Denmark, etc. The Japanese word for "chatting" is "daberu." Hebrew for "talk" is "daber." "Samurai" is possibly derived from "Samaria." There is an ancient well in Koryugi with the words "well of Israel" inscribed upon it. And so on, and so on, etcetera, etcetera, amen. And this info wasn't gleaned from some mindless fundamentalist source; it's from PBS and Nova's excellent study of the Lost Tribes of Israel. You should look into it.)
Thus, most people alive today are "people of the Book."
Faced with this little-known info, you will, I am sure, inform me that I am on crack.
"However, don't delude yourself. The Old Testament is not an "original work." It was pieced together from other "creation" stories...The Gilgamesh Epic predates the Biblical Flood."
You're not telling me anything that I don't know. Nearly every single culture on the face of the earth has a Global Flood story (involving either boats or giant trees, and almost always involving a single, chosen family surviving), even cultures that have, by all accounts, remained isolated from one another.
Flash forward, and we now have the ability to prove that, for whatever reason, every bit of land on the face of the earth was once covered by water.
The point, if it isn't already clear: does this not provoke one to consider these ancient fables as something more than make believe?
And again: I'm not implying anything, I'm just asking: how did the authors of the Old Testament -or, if you prefer, whichever ancient tales from which the Hebrews plagiarized them- know that there was once a supercontinent? And that it was "divided."
It's a valid question, don't you think?
"if you can ask questions about the ancient Hebrews and how they "knew" about the original "great landmass"... how about the Inca and their Astronomical calendar... or the Druids of England and Stonehenge... and the Egyptians and their Pyramids..."
Okay. Do you see what you're doing? You're not adhering to the topic at hand. It's your site, and you can start talking about Mickey Mouse, if you so choose, but typically, when debating something in an intelligent manner, it's a good thing to stay focused on the topic. Less confusing to everyone involved.
We're not talking about Stonehenge or any of those other very worthy topics; we're talking about the Bible, and asking whether or not it's a whole lot of fanciful rubbish, or something more.
"Again, go to the library and read."
See you there...
RJ Sevin
Response from Gene:
Good letter. I will be less evasive here.
You have an agenda: You believe in the Old Testament. That's fine. But, that's belief. I've said it many times before... not FACT. The language is far too general and poetic to mean much. God created the world in seven days. Ok. That's wrong. Science says so. Don't argue with me. But then, you might add "well, a day for God could be eons." You're right. But, first let's prove there is a God and ask him how long one of his days is and then we can commence with the rest of it.
One is faith...the other (science) fact.
Re the Israelites...Correct. There were different tribes. Twelve tribes in all. Yes, even a "lost tribe"...but no matter the differences between them, they are commonly referred to as "The Chosen People" or "Jews."
Gene:
 In a response to a previous letter you said that "you need a lawyer BEFORE a relationship starts... not AFTER it's over."
At what point do most legally savvy heavy hitters (e.g. rock/movie stars, CEOs, entrepreneurs etc.) typically get lawyers involved? Is it literally before the relationship starts? Before the first date? Or is it before cohabitation begins?
By the way Gene Simmons Tongue rocks! Can't wait to check out the next issue!
Tim
Response from Gene:
You missed my point. Talking to your lawyer applies to everyone...rich and poor alike. It will do a poorer person more good. The poorer you are, the more important a dollar is.
Gene,
Ok... we can agree to disagree on some issues. That's what America is all about. In your last response to me, you told me to "look it up" when we were discussing the word 'theory.' Also, another fan named Lola stated, "
D.E., a teacher from Georgia, for instance, was compelled to mention that neither creationism nor evolution had been "proven." That point is moot, as it demonstrates another common misconception: That theories--scientific ideas, facts, hypotheses, whatever--are concepts that must be proven to be found truthful. Wrong. Didn't we all get this in eighth-grade physical science?
To Lola, what do you mean "wrong?" Do YOU know what a theory is? Anyway, I know that I'm NOT always right, so I decided to 'look it up.' Here are the synonyms Webster lists for theory: doctrine, guess, presupposition, postulate, assumption, hypothesis, speculation. Hmmmm ... where have I heard 'speculation' before? Maybe in my first letter!?!
As I recall Lola (7th grade... not 8th), we learned what a theory is and the process of testing a theory. And if I remember correctly, part of testing a theory is experimentation. What you said does not make any sense. If we don't need to test it to be found truthful, then it's not a theory, it's a fact. Good thoughts Lola, but it doesn't seem to make much sense
DE
Georgia
Response from Gene:
You're wrong.
Hi Gene,
 Lively debate regarding evolution lately. Nice. I'll wade in neck deep now. Ahem...
Evolution is a theory. It is not a scientific law. Laws are proven using mathematics. Theories have an ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE that support them. Evolution by natural selection is misunderstood by many of the folks writing to you. Here's the lowdown:
Our DNA, which is shared with EVERY living thing on the planet, is made up of nitrogen bases. There are only four: Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine (or A, G, C, T for short). A bonds to T and C bonds to G to made pairs (A-T, C-G). DNA is in the shape of a double helix (it looks like a twisted ladder). This is a fact--it has been photographed and x-rayed. DNA is made up of these pairs of nitrogen bases (they are the "rungs of the ladder," if you will). The ORDER of the pairs determine physical traits (the physical expressions of the inner and outer body). In other words, the order of the base pairs determines whether or not we have a widow's peak or long eye lashes--anything expressed physically is determined by the order of the pairs.
You see, the nitrogen base pairs are like switches on a console. Turn them on, they produce physical traits, turn them off, no traits. (Forgive me, this is very "dumbed down" for my explanation but it should suffice for the closed-minded, mouth-breathers that frequent this letter page. As Gene says, go to a library before you try to write something as a illuminating as "there is no way evolution is possible.")
Where was I? Oh...
So, the base pairs determine our traits and base pairs (billions of them) make up DNA. All living things have DNA--animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, protists, even viruses have RNA, which is one side of a DNA strand (half of the ladder.)
We are animals like any other. We have DNA.
The thing about DNA is, it MUTATES. Sometimes it changes randomly, all by itself. Other times, an outside agent, like chemical pollution will cause it to change. (Gene, this is what makes those giant insect b-movies from the 50's possible!) A mutation in the genetic code occurs and it produces new bais pairs which produce NEW TRAITS.
Sometimes, the mutation does nothing.
Sometimes, the new traits harm the organism. Tumors, for example or soft egg shells. This will cause the organism to die or its future generations to die. BUT...
Sometimes, the new traits created by the mutation help the organism survive better in it's environment. This is called an ADAPTATION.
Examples of adaptations: the flippers of whales, dolphins, and sea lions--all mammals which changed slowly over millions of years, adapting to their environments. The changes are those little mutations in their gentic codes which produce new traits that help them survive better. It's trial an error on a grand scale! If the new trait makes you survive better, you get to mate and pass on your traits. Before you know it (say, 2 or 3 million years), the species has changed forever.
This is not immpossible. In fact, it's so easy, I can't understand why more people don't believe it. BUT...
It is impossible to observe because it takes thousands upon thousands of generations for the changes to manifest themselves. You can't see it happen. We have been scientists for a few hundred years. It takes millions. BUT...
It is observable with organisms which reproduce rapidly. Not in years or months, or even days, but hours, minutes and seconds. I'm talking about bacteria. Bacteria reproduce asexually (sorry, Gene) which means they divide in half, forming 2 exact copies. 2 become 4, 4 become 8, etc. Given the correct environment (i.e. warm, damp, dark, some food), bacterial reproduction can be UNLIMITED and EXTREMELY RAPID.
What happens when you get a prescription for antibiotics and don't take the whole thing? You get sick again for one. For two, the bacteria causing your sore throat and runny nose reproduce and randomly mutate slightly. The mutation may be that the antibiotic does not work on them anymore. All of the sudden, you have a DRUG-RESISTANT bacterium in your body that you'll have to get a new prescription for. Another way this happens is the new craze with anti-bacterial soaps and cleansers. "It kills 99.9% of bacteria," the commercial says. That other .1%? It is resistant to the soap or cleanser and will reproduce. It is RANDOMLY RESISTANT due to a simple mutation is its DNA. It mutates and sometimes the mutation helps it survive in your body or on the countertop in your kitchen. It adapts and keeps on trucking. THAT is evolution and, sorry to say, it is VERY POSSIBLE.
Now, bacteria has DNA and ALL other living things have DNA. Bacteria reproduces in minutes. We reproduce in years. You can't observe human evolution or tree evolution. But we can observe it in bacteria.
Open your eyes, people. Evolution can't be proven mathematically. But, it is observable in the ways I've pointed out, as well as through the study of fossils in the rock record spanning the globe. That new skull found in Chad just changes the overall time frame. It does not blow Evolution away. Check the numbers: the timeframe has been moved back ten time in the last 30 years. It's a dynamic science that changes as the technology we use changes. But, Paleontology is too big a subject to write about here. Go to a library.
Before I end this overview of Evolution By Natural Selection, allow me to break down a misconception or two. First, we did not evolve from apes. Apes and humans are primates that evolved from a common ancestor a long, long time ago. Some mutuations in body shape and brain size helped us along the way. All animals, except for all invertebrate species like arthropods (insects, spiders, scorpions, lobsters, crabs, etc) and things like corals, octopi, etc., have similar body structure. Don't take my word for it. Compare the skeleton of a human to the skeleton of a badger, dinosaur, dog, cat, etc. It's virtually identical, except for the relative size, shape and length of some of the bones. Mammals and birds evolved from reptiles, which evolved from amphibeans, which evolved from fish. It took about 400 million years, which is relatively short in the grand scheme of things The Earth was a billion years old before it's first life emerged. "What was that?" you ask.
Bacteria.
By the way, the Big Bang is a theory, too, and we have an abundance of evidence to support that, as well. The biggest piece is the fact that most galaxies in the universe visible from Earth are red-shifted (moving away from us) and the farther out you look, the faster they recede from us. How and why a tiny piece of anti-matter exploded, creating all matter and energy in the universe is beyond me. The evidence says the universe is expanding rapidly. The science of Physics pin-points the approximate time it occured.
Plate Tectonics is a theory. There is a huge amount of evidence to show that it's true. It has changed a few times since 1920 but as it does, it gets more definite. There are mountain ranges older than some of the species on this planet, most surely older than 10,000 years, which is downright LAUGHABLE as an approximate age of this planet and I see it pop up here now and again.
I think it boils down to this: I think that evolution is a perfect explantion as to how we change over time. Who better than God to make it up? It does him no disservice to believe it.
I am awed by it everyday. I am also awed by the lack of understanding by many of the visitors to this site. What I have touched on above is covered in almost every middle and high school science classroom in the civilized world.
Of course, any omissions or flaws in my argument can and should be discussed here.
-Brett
High School Science Teacher
Response from Gene:
Thank you. However, let's repeat here and now that religion is NOT theory. It is FAITH. Religion is not science, it is belief.
All of the above can easily be unproven when and if God steps forward, and proves to us he/she/it is real by doing some magic that awes us . Until that time, you can either believe or not.
Science doesn't really care if you believe. Gravity exists whether you believe it or not. Next time you're on top of a skyscraper, try stepping off and see what happens... even if you don't believe in gravity.
|
