That Anne Rice has discovered the Catholic Church offers something else besides vampires, auto-de-feys, and black magic, leaps out from page one in this tired story of magical powers and 'gee whiz' earnest dialogue. It is so poorly written it is totally boring. Since they were not cited, I guess she didn�t bother to read any of John Dominick Crossan�s books. Her research into the life and times of Jesus could have gone a little further than reading up on the Catholic party line. It's just bad writing, obvious story line and worst of all, boring.

The other women posting letters couldn't be more right, in my opinion. However, something that is not being discussed is who is paying for these children. When poor people can not afford health care, and may have more children than they want or can afford - it's the taxpayers who end up paying for them. (Over two-thirds of children whose parents are employees of Wal-Mart have no health care other than that provided by Medi-Cal.) The thing that makes me crazy is seeing a bunch of MEN trying to legislate something that doesn't concern them. Next time you get ready to spooge without a condom, make sure it's with someone who shares your political viewpoint - because if you don't have a uterus, you don't get to have an opinion about this.

When I was 14, I had an affair with an older man. I became pregnant, but at this time in the early 1960's abortions were illegal. Had I been something other than white and middle-class, I would have had to drop out of school, and the trajectory of my life would have been very different. By virtue of the fact that my mother worked at a hospital and had connections, I was able to get an illegal, yet safe, abortion. There were other girls I knew who didn't have the connections my mother did, and I personally know of one other girl who died of an illegial abortion. Going back to those days means that women like myself, who could pay for them, or could go to another state or country, will be okay. The poor women who cannot afford these costs are the ones who will suffer. We need to stand up and shout a loud "NO" to these morons -

DMFA - Dump the m*ther-f*cker, already.

I agree with the person who suggested seeing a physician. There are quite a few medical possibilities for a low or seeming non-existent libido - including a lack of thyroid hormone. I strongly urge the writer to see a doctor for a blood screening. If that turns up nothing, why not spend some time talking to a therapist about your feelings? If it turns out you are fine with the way things are, then perhaps they could help you accept who you are. But I suspect the writer wrote because she is not happy with the status quo, and knows there are issues lurking in those dark waters of the unconscious that need to surface. Good luck!

WTF? The ancient Jews had a prohibition about portraying the sacred. This tradition spread to Islam. It's fine if Muslims don't want to make representations of people or God or squirrels or whatever. But not everyone is a Muslim. Those of us who didn't sign up on this program can draw whatever we want.

The *real* point is that if the newspapers printed pictures of hooked-nosed Shylocks and suggested that matzo was made from the blood of Christian babies, there would be an outcry and everyone would say wasn't it awful. So why is it okay to stereotype Muslims in this way? No one seems to be talking about that.

You should contact me immediately and sign your trust fund over to me! That way you will be faced with either starving to death or getting a job - and this will force you to deal with your issues. I will promise to be a good overseer, and use the money for only good causes - cancer research, child poverty, education, etc. I will take a small commission, say 10% a year, for managing the trust. If I can increase the size of the trust I get to keep 25% of what I make. It's a perfect solution!

These letters are so over-the-top they've got to be a put-on.

To us, it is the harvest.

To them, it is the holocaust.

There needs to be a realistic living wage set by the Feds and this needs to be enforced. Legal Americans can't work for $4.50 and hour and survive, but they will work for $10.00. At the same time, the laws about employing undocumented workers needs to be enforced, and the borders need to be tightened. The United States needs to quit messing around in the Middle East (wasting zillions of dollars) and help the countries to the South modernize so that the flood of people seeking work here can find real jobs and opportunities in their own country. And finally - STOP BREEDING !!! The problem at the core, is that there are TOO MANY PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET for the available resources. Education for women is the key to reducing the birth rate, but it must go hand in hand with reducing corruption, environmental degradation, etc.