Re: The Bush Tragedy
In his excerpt Mr. Weisberg states "GWB did not arrive in the WHite House determined to invade Iraq". I beg to differ. There is ample proof that he was indeed determined, if not actively planning for that eventuality.
According to Bush's ghost autobiographer Mickey Herskowitz , he was planning in 1999 to invade Iraq. See:
http://www.russbaker.com/Guerrilla%20News%20Network%20-%20Bush.htm
See also BBC reporter Greg Palast, who reports that ???that planning began "within weeks" of Bush's first taking office in 2001, long before the September 11th attack on the US.???
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269.stm
These are but two examples. Mr. Weisberg did not offer any refutation of these existing contradictions to his statement. Surely he must have done research?
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How the Republican Party Lost Its Way
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C-Section Births Predominate
I'd like to offer three additional explanations for the increased rate of Caesarean sections ("Birth, the American Way," Jan. 28). First, not only are American women far less likely to prepare for natural childbirth by taking prenatal classes such as Lamaze, the physical well-being of many has vastly deteriorated given obesity, maternal diabetes, drug abuse and overall poor fitness. It is not uncommon for women to go into labor weighing well over 250 pounds. They tend to have huge babies that cannot pass through their normal-size pelvises. Second, health-care providers feel an obligation to control labor pains with medication that have the potential to interfere with effective dilation and pushing. Finally, peer pressure to have a "natural," vaginal birth has nearly disappeared. This societal choice began well before the "too posh to push" theory. It's easy to point at hospitals or physicians, and to suggest greed is the major factor in the increased C-section rate. Such accusations demonstrate a naiveté that ignores a much more complex set of circumstances.
Jeffrey A. Lindenberg, M.D.
Stockton, Calif.
"Birth, the American Way" exposes a disturbing trend of high C-section rates in the United States. What was left unsaid is that the trend is rippling across many developing countries with rates skyrocketing higher than those in the United States. In Chile, up to 40 percent of all births are by C-section; in Beijing, 60 percent, and in India, as high as 34 percent in some areas. The way the United States practices medicine is usually perceived by doctors and women in other countries as the "best practice." The increased risk of disease and death for women and newborns (results of the trial in which I participated) because of C-sections has dire consequences, especially in poor contexts where women face other major health risks and have, on average, more children. Improving the quality of maternity care for women everywhere requires promoting the rational use of C-sections, a life-saving procedure when necessary and performed well, which will bring down the unacceptably high C-section rates in the United States and abroad.
Ana Langer, M.D., President
Engender Health
New York, N.Y.
© 2008
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