Letters to the Editor
tannit
Published Letters: 52 Editor's Choice: 4
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Not by choice
[Read the article: "Too posh to push"?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My son was breech and wouldn't turn for anything. Doctors in California receive very little training in vaginal breech delivery, and midwives are not permitted to do a breech delivery. For me, a Cesarean was not a real choice - yes, I could have not signed the consent papers, but that would have put my child and myself at risk because of the doctor's inexperience! I absolutely did not want it, it was a terrible experience, and I hope I never have another, no matter how grateful I am for my son's healthy birth.
I do know one person who, after ending up with a C-section after 24 hours of labor, decided to do an elective with her second child. She is a doctor, and she's satisfied with her decision. More power to her. But it's still major surgery with a tough recovery - not, as my ultrasound tech referred to it, a "zipper".
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Zoiks!
[Read the article: What else we're reading]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ah, another working mother-bashing article.
Personally, I end up stuffing my son's face with far more food than he ever got at the daycare. Not only did they have set meal times (instead of "Want some cheese!" - "Ok, here you go"), but their food is pretty icky so he never ate much.
Hey, if she can present a non-evidence-based 'theory', I can blow it away with anecdotal evidence.
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Not *all* sex toys
[Read the article: Texas II: The Revenge]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There's no regulation of anal toys :)
At any rate, while I am not thrilled about this little piece of legislation, there's always the Internet and the idiotic euphemisms. I'm going to go and rail against the swift application of death penalty and other serious social ills in my new home state of Texas.
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See for yourselves
[Read the article: Rush Limbaugh, Michael J. Fox and the cruelty within]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For those trying to research this oddball scuffle...
Clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F05T9cU8hxQ
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The amount is not the problem
[Read the article: Money trails lead to Bush judges]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Several people in the article and discussion said that the amounts in question are so miniscule as to make it a non-story. The point isn't how much they gave; I sincerely hope that there is no price list for judgeship confirmations. The money is sort of a handshake, saying "I'm on your side, Senator. Don't forget me." It's a 'thank you' card; the sending of the check matters, not how much it's for.
Be that as it may, while the story made me quesy, it's just another blip in the barrage of bad news. The outrage bar has been raised so high, I'm not sure even Watergate would reach it today.
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Breastfeeding or age issue?
[Read the article: Flying the boob-hating skies]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]On a closer reading of the article, it's pretty clear that the child's age emboldened the flight attendant. The disapproval for breastfeeding goes up sharply after the baby is older than about 6-9 months. Had this been a newborn, I doubt she would have made such a big deal of it even if the mother had refused the blanket. I don't know how I'd react; I rarely see nursing mothers. I would like public breastfeeding to become a more common phenomenon, so it's no longer so weird to people. It's rather like bicyclists/motorcyclists: the more of them you see on the road, the less likely you are to mow one down with your tank because you didn't notice them.
@ brimcmike : for thousands of years, the weaning age has been around five years old. This helped space children (nursing on demand usually suppresses ovulation) and ensured that the child would get the necessary nutrients. I would very much like to see where you got the data for iron deficiency in breastfed toddlers. I, for one, doubt it exists.
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Something about it stinks
[Read the article: Don't like Christmas? Get a life]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't quite know what it is that stinks about this article. Maybe it's that 'majority rules' business. Most of the progress we've made on social issues has been against majority's rules.
At any rate, please keep in mind that not even all Christians agree on when Christmas is. Orthodox Christians, who are quite numerous, celebrate it later.
Me, I'm sticking with New Year tree and New Year gifts.
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Non-issue
[Read the article: Romney '08 over before it begins?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As others said, there are reasons to dislike the guy. However, I cannot get indignant about this. He didn't hire them. Since he's not their employer, I doubt he could directly inquire into their immigration status. And had he objected to their being Hispanic (I assume), he would have been called a bigot. This is a no-win situation.
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Misleading summary
[Read the article: What else we're reading]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The summary of WP's article on Conservative Judaism is misleading. They voted to affirm three teshuvas, of which two still prohibit homosexuality altogether. The decision is important; nonetheless, each rabbi will follow his (or her) own judgment. It opens the door, but is not binding.
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Not patriarchal?
[Read the article: Stars will be stars]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If Woody Harrelson is so non-patriarchal, one would think his children's last name would be hyphenated, at least. Kudos to Jolie-Pitts for actually not going the patriarchal route.
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What's with the backhanded compliments?
[Read the article: Running in hijabs]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Frankly, I find the view expressed in this article condescending. It assumes that women are incapable of making their own decisions, that like puppets they simply dance at the end of the dominant culture's string. It might be so in Saudi Arabia or Iran (and I'm not convinced even of that), but I think we can safely say that in Australia and New Zealand, there is plenty of pressure to conform to Western dress code, and women are aware of the range of choices available to them. These women made conscious choices to follow these dress codes.
Why don't we applaud the diversity rather than assume that the 'itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini' is everyone's ideal?
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Dress codes
[Read the article: Running in hijabs]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]To say that Muslim women are made to cover up while men can wear whatever they want reveals ignorance of the culture. Both men and women are required to dress modestly. The modesty standards are different, true, but both sexes end up covering most of their bodies. I'm curious how men end up dealing with dressing at sporting events.
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So what if it's publicly funded?
[Read the article: Discrimination against male gynecologists?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Any parts for whose exposure I would generally be arrested deserve the permission to be examined by a doctor of a chosen sex. There are plenty of areas where what we would normally consider discrimination is not treated as such. This is one of them.