Letters to the Editor
Juliebird
Published Letters: 2096 Editor's Choice: 107
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all pain isn't bad
[Read the article: Extreme childbirth]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I really get annoyed at this whole idea of childbirth pain is "all in your head." It's an idea that is both false and insulting. It carries a subtext of "if you were a *real* woman, you'd not feel the pain," which is decidedly antifeminist.
Childbirth hurts. Loooooong before we had pitocin, epiural and c-sections, we were told that childbirth could be painful. The Old Testament of the bible states that Eve would bear her children in pain. Now, I'm no Bible-thumping "God said, therefore it's true" Believer, but, given that this text is over 5000 years old, we can hardly assume it's because of medical intervention.
I agree that the more medical intervention there is in early labor, the more likely labor is going to require more medical intervention. And of course I see the mibd-body connection. There are ways to manage pain in child birth without medicine. Being fit, being healthy, using visuilization, square breathing, birthing balls, walking, gravity, and the presence of a loving usband or supportive doula can minimize the pain. Not being afraid of the process clearly hels the body relax, and therefore perform more optimally.
But give me a break. A woman's cervix dilates from 0 to 10cm in a matter of hours. Her pelvis slides open wider to accomadate a baby's head. Her muscles, skin and birth canal are stretched, sometines torn, in the efforts to get a baby out. This is not like getting a massage, no matter how "powerful" you are!
I have birthed two babies in a hospital. I did it wih minimal medical intervention (some monitoring, an ultasound, perinneal massage, and of course, a medical team to assist with delivery). With each kid, I was in active labor for less than 8 hours, and pushed for less than 10 minutes. I needed 3 stitches with the first birth, none with the second. These were "easy" births. But easy doesn't mean they were "painless" births. The contractions were painful. But they were "good" pain: I knew my body was supposed to do this,and I knew I was getting a baby when they were done. The clearest illustration of "no pain, no gain" in my life.
I do not understand why some women need to turn child birth into some macho pissing contest. It's hardly empowering to tell a woman if she's experiencing labor pain, she's not doing it right. And to apply that women in Africa as a group have less pain (or no pain!) in labor is not only patently false, it's pretty biggoted top boot.
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Looking at the study
[Read the article: Dems abstain from abstinence-only funding]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]the "control group" was not a group of teens in a non-abstinence-only sex-ed program, but a group of teens receiving no formal sex-ed at all.
So, the fact that the abstinence-only programs produced the same results as the "non-educated" (in terms of a formal program!) shows the ineffectiveness of abstinence-only programs at modifying behavior.
In addition, many abstinence-programs are not wholly accurate or truthful in educating their charges. They falsify statistics about condoms breaking ("All condoms will fail" etc.), about the likelihood of getting pregnant from non-intercourse sexual activirties, and other things as well.
So, the conclusion is that abstinence-only programs are a waste of money and time, and actually do a disservice to our teens.
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The best part
[Read the article: Michelle Obama's sacrifice]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]about this essay is Ms Dickerson's ideas for what Michele Obama has the opportunity to do as First Lady.
A woman with Ms Obama's strength, intelligence, people skills, and drive could change the world, even if it's her husband who's President. Giving speeches, raising awareness (and money) and shaping policy through the power of her (inevitible) celebrity may not be as "masculine' as holding a cabinet position, but it does not iminish her potential influence.
I think that's worth a temporary scale-back in her work.
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All it took
[Read the article: Finally, a link between Iraq and al-Qaida]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]was 4+ years of an immoral war, almost 4ooo dead US soldiers, at least 4000 private dead contractors, 40,000+ dead Iraqis (if anyone were keeping count), and 4 gagillion US taxpayer dollars spent. But hey! At least the Bush administration was right!
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Political THeatre
[Read the article: "I stand by Al Gonzales"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think I saw that once. Wasn't it a musical? I guess that would be "Political Theatre!" "Political theatre." must just be a farce.
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How many F-bombs were there
[Read the article: McCain, the F-bomb and "those Guatemalans" in the yard]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]in the Lincoln-Douglas debates? Or even the Kennedy-Nixon debates? How many *bleeps* were there in FDR's fireside chats? Did Thomas Jefferson have to delete a few !@!!@#$@#$ from the Declaration of Independence with his quill? I'm pretty sure John Adams refrained from calling Rutledge of South Carolina "chicken shit" (though I'm sure he wanted to!)
It's called acting Presidential, boys. If you can't hold your temper in talking to colleagues (however annoying you may find them), then I can't trust you to control yourself with the nuclear codes.
That said, I think McCain was a man of great integrity. He withstood years of torture as a POW, and served his country well as soldier and senator. I think the brainwashing he received at the hands of Karl Rove back in 2000 has damaged his mind.
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Because he's one of "them"
[Read the article: Can a kiss kill Indian culture?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think most of the outrage is because Gere is a non-Indian (Buddhism aside) disrespecting an Indian cultural taboo.
But, please, the hypocrisy stinks. It's pretty typical for someone to get real uptight over the little things when they're on the wrong side of the Big Issues.
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Amen, Tom Payne
[Read the article: McCain, the F-bomb and "those Guatemalans" in the yard]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You and I are in agreement on McCain's lost integrity (soul? brain?).
I think some time after Rove's nasty SC push-poll, McCain was taken into custody and replaced with a pod person.
I think the same can be said of Lieberman during or shortly after the '04 primaries.
It's very sad: like watching a dear uncle slowly succumb to dementia. Still, we can't vote on sympathy.