"I know where all these smoking references started. There was a position paper a while ago (I can't find the reference) that showed that the marginal benefit of breast feeding, was almost equal to the marginal harm cause by pregnant women smoking. I can't argue the science of the article as I don't have it in front of me, but assuming that is true, is the comparison so wrong to make?"

Does that really make sense? What would the point of that position paper be - that breastfeeding an infant is better than smoking while pregnant? No kidding. How about you can smoke while pregnant so long as you breastfeed afterwards? Since the marginal benefit of breastfeeding was almost equal to the marginal harm caused by smoking, right? See how strange that linkage is? That's a very dubious correlation. Anyway, the comparison being made here was between NOT breastfeeding your kid, and giving him/her formula instead, and smoking. IOW, formula was being compared to smoking and that is ridiculous.

Good point. It's easy to get caught up in the "In Sweden....everything is wonderful" stuff.

That is a whole lot of condescending you know what - "Poor ignorant low class mothers just don't know what's good for their children but they can't help it because well, they're poor and uneducated and information is being kept from them by some force or another (odd assertion #1) and it's hard for them to find information about breastfeeding that's not slanted by the formula makers (outrageous assertion #1) so therefore we must help save their kids from their parents understandable ignorance for their good and the good of us all." Wow, aren't we great.

Also, I find your hedge that breastfeeding is not a magic bullet, is undermined by the sly implication that what you feed your child/infant "wink, wink, nod, nod" solely? determines their short and long term health. Gee, I wonder what type of food are you talking about? It's just so unclear. While the general statement is true at the middle and extremes (breastmilk vs junk food or crack cocaine) one's general health, especially long term, is determined by a myriad of factors (e.g. genetics, diet, exercise, dental care and so on) that go well beyond whether one was breastfeed or not.

...we hear that formula is sugared poison!!! now we hear that its not sweet. Now all breastmilk is sweet and all formula is not and all babies have been polled and it's been determined that they like breastmilk better. Oy. Btw, enough with the "saying Nazi is an insult to the victims of the Holocaust". It's simply not true. While the usage here is a bit much, that rhetorical trick to try and shout someone down is lame.

surprised,

Eh, I don't know if I agree with that, but, I don't have any real issue with it either. There's so much that goes into one's long term health. On the other matter, if people want to breastfeed then breastfeed if they don't then don't, but the Florence Nightengale stuff is a bit much.

I guess you missed these gems from other posters:

"And, for what it's worth, yes, formula may just be a half-step away from poison."

"That biology has burdened one sex with the capacity to do what is right is too bad, but the feminist response should not be that it's okay to give your kid soy milk and corn syrup instead. It's not. Formula is terrible - only a step above pet food."

surprised,

Okay. Makes sense to me! A positive campaign makes sense but some such efforts are already going on locally among the folks some here claim to be concerned about (i.e. Harlem Hospital is well regarded for it's delivery and aftercare services). It's just taking place outside of their class so I suspect they think it doesn't exist.

One person must not listen to Rap much because NWA's been gone for what - 15 years now? If you're upset about Kayne West's "Goldigger" you must have really hated TLC's "Scrubs". The Tina Turner line was funny. Her beatdown of Ike has reached mythic proprotions (thanks Angela Bassett) BUT she got her tailed kicked for years before she finally got hers. The "mob and drug trade" stuff is very overdone.

I love music but as I say it seems like a lot of current rap is mostly black guys and some women bragging about nothing while rock is mostly white guys and some women whining about nothing.

What was that about - Friday diveby. Enjoy your weekend.

Hey King,

I just read Skip bayless's latest...I know, I know.... Is he as big an idiot as this reads? No matter what your stance is on this issue his ramblings are almost unhinged. Daily blood tests?!

http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?name=SEARCH_espn&srvc=sz&goto=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/060616

That has got to be a joke. What an outrageous piece of man-hating, anti-religious poorly reasoned crap. Lower income black men are no good drug dealing baby mamma beating cretins that are supposedly "supported" in their actions by religious teaching while lower income black women are suffering saints? What the ....? Happy Fathers Day indeed.

Save your lecture. The question the LW writer asked was valid. It's merely a question of degree and relative control. The image of a dimwit, vapid, party girl slut that Paris Hilton is playing with is certainly not all that far removed and hardly more "empowering" than the hip hop video girl hoochie image. Perhaps you should be more thoughtful next time.

Anyway domestic violence is not limited to hiphop artists and the dubious "no snitching" code is not limited to their relationships with their partners. Unfortunately, "no snitching" code or not, domestic violence in general is underreported.

Also, I do get a chuckle when people quote lyrics but somehow manage to ignore Lil Kim. I guess in feminist speak it's "empowering" for a woman to explicitly brag about her sexual activities and conquests.