Letters to the Editor
Juliebird
Published Letters: 2091 Editor's Choice: 107
-
running the risk
[Read the article: Protect your private bits!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]of more people calling me nut-jobs, but here goes:
When I was pregnant with my first child, we didn't find out the baby's gebder until birth. But I wondered, of course. And I talked with my husband about whether we should circumcise or not (my baby ended up a girl, so we did nothing). I told my husband the deciusion was his to make: I would not push for or against the procedure.
My husband said he didn't have an opinion. So I started asking our moms what/how they decided for their boy babies. (Both of them had their sons circumcised, but at that time, the mom's opinion wasn't really asked for: it was a routine procedure at birth, like gettin eyedrops and heel sticks). But they told me about their husbands' mothers, both of whom had 3 baby boys born between 1930 and 1945.
In each family, 2 boys were circumcised, and one was not. (At my request, I was not told who). When I asked why, they shrugged and said "I think it depended on which doctor you saw in those days."
I know anecdotes are not evidence, but here are 4 cases where to snip or not to snip was not the woman's expressed wish. (Granted, none of the women in this example were strongly against circumcision, either. As my mom said "Both kinds are very nice." And I put my hands over my ears and sang "La la la la" to nothear any more for a few minutes). I suppose the next step would have been to go to my dad, my father-in-law and my uncles and ask some very personal questions, but I left the subject there. (Although all 6 men married, had children, and seem to have a healthy sex life into their 60s and 70s, so the 4 that were circumcised ar indisinguighable from their naturl brothers on that front.)
None of these women, including me, thought for a nanosecond about pleasing their son's future girlfriend. My moms and grandmoms all simply trusted their (male) doctors. I asked myself if there wee any compelling medical reasons for or against the procedure (no), and if there were any compelling psychological reasons for my son to look like his dad (I left that one up to my husband).
But, wasn't this column about grown women seeking surgical remedies for their self-perceived "imperfect" labia? Can anyone point to a grown man feeling so bad about his foreskin that he has it surgically removed to improve hisself-esteem? (There was that one guy on e.r. a few years ago, but he was a character, not a real person, and his girlfriend was really trying to brerak up with him, so said she wanted a circumcised guy betting he'd never go through with surgery). Do none of the anti-circumcision crusaders see the difference?
-
all possibilities
[Read the article: Who killed the honeybees?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Reading up lately on some GM cash crops (corn and soybeans) in Kingsolver's book had some pretty scary stuff (check her bibilography if you want to search yourselves):
some strains are Gm'd to have a "terminator gene" which destroys the plant after harvest, and prevents the plants from setting seeds. (So the planter needs to buy 1000% new seeds each year).
some strains are Gm'd to withstand being sprayed by herbicides (Round-up, etc) and pesticides, so the crops can be sprayed with toxins all season long and still produce a harvest
some strains are Gm'd to be missing an important chemical or nutrient, that then can be provided in fertilizer.
If honey bees are used to pollinate several different crops (though maybe they don't, I don't claim expertise), can we know how many combinations of GM'd crops they have encountered? Can we test for unintended side effects of all these combinations with any accuracy? (My doc told me they start guessing about dide effects of 3+ meds in any one patient: the cocktail is simply too unpredictible and varied to test with any accuracy).
Can we do bee autopsies? (I'd pay money to see one: miniature gurneys and teeeeeny scalpels!) What do these reveal?
-
Pardon me, but
[Read the article: My girlfriend's stepfather is a real a-hole ... and a dying man]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]if what the LW says is accurate, this step father is pretendinfg the boyfriend doesn't exist. As in refusing to say "Hello" after the boyfriend says "Hello". As in completely ignoring any words that come out of the boyfriend's mouth as if they had never been spoken.
I'm sorry, but "Well, I might be dying" does not give anybody the right to behave like a high school Mean Girl.
As for the LW, I would suggest you make a visit to see the step dad hiself, and not the girlfriend. Tell him how much you admire and respect the gf, and what a wonderful job he has done in helping to raise her. Tell him her happiness, and his respect, are high priorities in your life, and you'd like to earn them. Finally, tell him you hope he'll be around and healthy for many years to come.
Be sincere, but not unctuous. See if he melts. You may not be buddies, but he may acknowledge that you are standing in the same room.
And if that doesn't work, I'd play dumb and happy for as lng as I could. Greet him with a big smile and a cheerful "Hello, Jim (or whatever)! Good to see you again!" every time you cross paths. Even if you know he'll ignore you. No onewill be confused about anyone's bahavior.
-
Well, the gun smokes after all.
[Read the article: Valerie Plame, covert after all]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thank goodness something work in thiscountry. The truth at last. I hope every member of the White House Press Corps, as well as every jounalist covering the 08 election, brings this document up at every opportunity. I doubt we'll get Justice, but at least the electorate will be informed.
Anyone want to start a pool on when LIbby gets his Medal of Fredom?