Letters to the Editor
Malusinka
Published Letters: 350 Editor's Choice: 49
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Blame it on the Rich
[Read the article: McCain: Greedy people should be punished]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There's nothing I hate more than the tedious 'blame it on the rich' rhetoric. It's class warfare, counter-productive, and economically suspect.
Bush, with his weakening of regulations made it easier for the unscrupulous to be greedy. That calls for tightening regulation and regulatory oversight. Where were the regulators as mortgage companies blatantly mis-sold mortgages?
Yes, some people got rich by cheating and some people inheritied their wealth. But the bulk of wealthy Americans earned their fortunes through hard work. That's one of the strengths of America.
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Judeo-Christian Values
[Read the article: Blowback from the GOP's holy war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Elfread quoted the Koran and deived some principles about Islam.
1) * "Fight", until Jews and Christians are "in a state of subjection", and "pay the tax in acknowledgement of [Muslim] superiority".
I'll quote the bible:
If your brother, son (family member) beloved friend says to you 'let us go and serve other Gods,' you shall kill him. You shall stone him to death. And if in a city, there are those who have drawn inhabitants away from God, you shall put that city to the sword, destroying it utterly and all who are in it and its cattle. Deuteronomy13:6
That sounds like an injunction to fight, doesn't it?
2) From the Islamic perspective, Jews and Christians are not simply another religion, they are wrong, "may Allah destroy them".
I'll quote the bible:
God and the Lord Jesus will inflict vengence upon those who do not know God and obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall suffer eternal destruction. Thessalonians 1:6
3) All other religions, and the irreligious, are less well regarded.
I think the above passages make it pretty clear how the bible views non-Christians.
I'm sure someone with a better knowledge of the Koran than I have can cherry pick some passages that express what we tend to call Judeo-Christian values and contrast them with the more obnoxious things the bible says. Because let's face it, they both come from the same region, culture and time period.
And while we're on the subject of the bible and American values, the bible says:
"You may buy male and female slaves." Leviticus 25:44
In Exodus 21:7, the bible gives guidelines on selling your daughter as a slave nd makes it pretty clear that it is assumed to be sexual slavery.
If Jewish and Christian Americans can rise above the junk in the bible, why do you suppose Muslim Americans can't rise above the junk in the Koran?
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I'm a mother
[Read the article: I get grossed out when I hear, "I'm a mom!"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I used to be a Financial Controller. I was a consultant. But by the time my child was one, those roles no longer defined what I do. They defined my past and most people are interested in the present, not the past when they meet you.
I have hobbies, but in the craziness of taking care of a baby, none of my hobbies was worth being elevated to the status of defining me. I gardened before I had kids. I still garden. I have more time to garden now, but I didn't give up my career to be a gardener. So, my hobbies don't define me.
The choices I've made in my life (like not working) are defined by my role as a mother.
In addition, if you do stay at home with your kids, you will find that your social life becomes very centered on other (mostly) mothers with kids. So, you will meet people in the role of mother and your social identity will become part of your child's. In your professional career, you probably associate your collegues with their function or company. If you walk into a business meeting, you want to know who the other attendees are: their company and role. Well, in a baby group, what you need to know is whom the woman is the mother of, even if your friendship is based two adults finding things in common not two babies being friends.
So, over time, many women find their identity becomes wound up in the role of mother. That doesn't mean you can't do other things, have other interests. And by all means, talk about them.
But please be aware that you won't make many friends saying, 'I'm not *just* a mother.' None of the rest of us are *Just* mothers and we'd resent your implication that we are.
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Basal thermometers?
[Read the article: An anti-birth-control dystopia]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Kufir, you know the old joke: What do you call a couple who uses the rhythm method? Parents.
Natural methods require a heck of a lot of abstinance and for the woman to have very regular periods. You can have sex for less than half the month. It's the half that includes the woman's period and its the half when she's less interested.
Further, for women with less than perfect health and nutrition (read poor women outside of the better developed world) are more likely to have irregular periods.
The rhythm methods have achieved decent results when combined with a barrier method. That way, the couple can still enjoy sex outside the 'safe' zone. And for at least part of the month they are spared the hassle/reduction in pleasure of a barrier method.
Advising rhythm methods as birth control for couples without access to barrier methods during the woman's fertile period is not very effective.
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♀♀♂♀♀
[Read the article: An anti-birth-control dystopia]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You have a choice. You can 1) use a condom; 2) get a vasectomy; 3) make sure the woman you are having sex with uses some form of BC; 4) only have sex with women who would have an abortion if pregnant. Maybe not all methods are fool-proof, but I'm willing to be a combination of them are pretty close.
And let's face it, the risks of you having an unwanted child if you use only one of the above methods are still a lower than if you had to rely on the rhythm method.
So, stop your whining. No one has perfect control over what happens in their life.