William Thomas
                         P.O. Box 27217
                     Washington, D.C.  20038
                            462-0757

                          June 26, 1989

Dear Lee:

     You are in good health, I hope.

     But then how should I interpret your long absence?  Have you
had car trouble?  Have you fulfilled your duty in preaching me
(the/a/your) gospel?  Or have you just written me off as an "evil
genius," beyond the pale of redemption?

     As I recall the metamorphsis of our relationship:  I was
sitting on the sidewalk; you walked up, looked at some photographic
depictions of carnage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and accussed me of
"sopping up the floor when (I) should be repairing the broken
pipe;" I replied that my purpose for sitting at that location was
to understand "Truth;" you then began to recite a lengthy
exposition of biblical interpretation, which, it seemed, began on
the "logical" postulate that the "bible is without error;"  I
listened attentively; after you concluded, as intellectual honesty
would appear to demand, I raised the question of apparent
mathematical errors contained in the boods of Ezra and Nehemiah; I
also mentioned that Sunrise was having legal difficulties which
paraelled principles which had been addressed in certain Supreme
Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses; I gave you some legal
briefs concerning Sunrise's case, and you told me that you would
research the question of Ezra and Nehemiah.

     Next time we met you told me that the problem with Ezra and
Nehemiah was that one of them listed only the men, excluding the
women and children.  I noted that that explanation did not solve
the problem, because if one writer excluded the women and children
his numbers would be consistantly lower than the other writer's -
and such is not the case with Ezra and Nehemiah.  (Review your own
correspondence to discover whether you offered any other
explanation.)  Yet even your most recent letter of May 10, 1989
still maintains that same explanation without answering the fact
that Ezra's numbers are both higher and lower than Nehemiah's.  

     You wonder whether Satan has turned my head with statistics. 
  Why?  Is it more deceitful to notice that a column of figures
doesn't add up, and ask why, or to notice a column of figures
doesn't add up, and ignore the fact?  I think that I asked a simple
and sincere question.  Can you honestly say that you attempted to
reason about my question in a simple and sincere manner?

     You agreed that the court decisions in the Jehovah's
Witnesses' cases do "apply across the board," yet you still insist
that Sunrise is "engaged in legalities with Caesar."  If Sunrise is
worshipping Levi, Satan, or Howdy Doody, instead of the Creator,
then, I think, that is between Sunrise and the Creator.  You may,
of course, pass judgment on Sunrise, which, I think, would be a
matter between between you and the Creator. 

     But, if we are to be honest, the accuracy of Sunrise's
religious beliefs was not the question raised by his persecution in
the courts.  In the Witnesses' cases the courts did not hold that
the Witnesses' beliefs were true or accurate.  The court only ruled
that the Witnesses had a "right" to practice those beliefs. 
Therefore, since you agree that the decisions apply across the
board, the question of whether you are so grateful for Ceasar's
protection to your oun sect (Ceasar has extended similar protection
to other sects, e.g., Krishnas, Scientologists, Moonies, et. al.)
that you have forgotten where you came from and have become
oblivious to the persecution of others remains unanswered.

     I may be mistaken but from my point of view our relationship
quickly degenerated into a rather pointless, poorly reasoned
theological, or perhaps only semantic, debate.  Was this my fault? 
 Why?

     It would be preferable if we could manage to build a more
constructive relationship.  I am enclosing some information
regarding a meeting at Councilmember Lightfoot's office on
Thursday.  

     Hope to see you, if not on Thursday, sometime.

                        Thank God,