I was reading the 11/29 News of the Weird when I saw the item about Kathy Chang. I didn’t know her, but I knew of her good works, particularly in the cause of drug legalization. My question is this: If her self-immolation makes her weird, does that mean the Buddhist monks who burned themselves to death to protest the Vietnam War were weird? Does that mean the Vietnam vet who immolated himself outside Robert McNamara’s office for the same reason was also weird? If people are willing to pledge “their lives (and) their sacred honor” for a just cause, are they weird, too? If so, maybe that explains why people don’t want to get involved in causes anymore.

Rockville, Md.

via the Internet