Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:00 am
I found the Sept. 7 commentary, "Don't They Have The Pill In Alaska?" by Froma Harrop truly disgusting. I assume Ms. Harrop and her "Republican-leaning Independent friend" are pro-choice. I also have to assume they are pro-choice only if a woman choses to abort her child and not if she wants to keep it.
I didn't find Sarah Palin's 17 year-old daughter "stupid-looking," I can't imagine how anyone could characterize her family as "dysfunctional," and her home life as "out of control."
So here's the deal. I am not from Mars, I am not on welfare and I am a registered Independent. Can you imagine what I'm thinking?
Diane Stein
Corvallis
Yes, you can go through hell and live
I was touched by Cliff Kirkpatrick's article, "A Story of Survival," about Marcus Henderson and his incredible strength and endurance recovering from abuse.
Over 20 years ago my family was in a situation similar to Henderson's, and I was a victim of child abuse. At that time my family lived in a nice home in an affluent neighborhood, and one night that was the specific reason one police officer gave for not taking my father to jail even when there was proof of his violence. We endured eight years of abuse before my mother found the courage to leave my father, even though it meant raising three children alone in poverty.
Domestic and child abuse are serious issues that afflict every community and not just the poor. A common reason we may not hear about these incidents in the upper class is because there is an image to maintain, and many families would be embarrassed and ashamed for their friends and neighbors to find out what happens behind closed doors.
I applaud Henderson's achievements and his work to help other abuse victims. While physical scars fade with time, emotional ones never completely go away because they become a part of who you are as a person.
I may have been a victim of abuse, but like Henderson, I am also a survivor.
I am a proud mother and happily married to a wonderful man. Henderson was right when he said, "You can go through hell and back, and get through it." I did.
Heather Thurber
Albany
That shot at Palin was just cheap
I have made it a policy to not write letters to the editor. Yet, with the famous words of Yogi Berra in mind, "Deja vu, all over again" and memories of objectionable comments 32 years ago, when I started my professional career, that women cannot do the job because they might get pregnant, I felt I had to respond to Mike Wolf's letter from Sunday.
He questioned Sarah Palin's judgment for getting pregnant over the age of 40. Did he question the judgment of Susan Sarandon when she had a baby at the age of 46? Cheri Blair, wife of Tony Blair, having a baby at the age of 45? Would he deny the opportunity of having their first child at the age of 41 to Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman?
What about the woman former presidential candidate John Edwards had an affair with? She was over 40 to have her child. What do you say of men's judgment when they provide that extra copy of chromosome for Down Syndrome to occur 8 percent of the time? Should they avoid having children altogether?
Sarah Palin has shown she loves this newest child as she does the rest of her children. Why not be positive and offer support to her as a mother watching her oldest son leave home for the military and overseas duty in Iraq?
I believe it was easier to target a cheap shot at her than stick to policy issues.
Vicki Thayer
Lebanon
Broder just didn't get convention
It was amusing to see David Broder (Aug. 31) suggesting that Al Gore in 2000 outshone Barak in Denver, along with the strange Debra Saunders telling us that Sarah Palin is "made to order."
As we have learned more about Palin, it just gets worse. For Obama to have picked someone equally on the far-out edge of American politics, he would have had to go for Cynthia McKinney. Imagine how that kind of Democratic pick would have been treated.
Broder has no clue about what happened in Denver. He was looking for a rock star and found an organizer. He was looking for a charismatic superstar and found a motivating leader. What Broder describes as forgettable has been described by those who attended as transformative and energizing. That was the point. It was not intended to be a TV spectacular like Prince at the half-time of the Superbowl.
As another representative of the collective D.C. Bubbleview, Broder faithfully puts out the "deflate Obama's bounce" message. Professional speechwriters were in awe of the speech and its delivery. Broder should ask someone who knows something about rhetoric and communication before making an ass of himself in print.
Don Caughey
Corvallis
They wouldn't attack men that way
I am not a Republican and am the opposite of conservative but I can't believe the sexist attack on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin since she has been announced as McCain's running mate.
She is criticized in the media and in letters by Mike Wolf and Thomas Kraemer (Sept. 7) in a way that a male politician would never be evaluated. A male politician's parenting isn't scrutinized because he is busy with his full-time job or older than 40.
Mr. Wolf states that Palin is irresponsible for having a child at her age because of the possibility of the baby having Down Syndrome. An increasing amount of women are choosing to have babies in their later thirties and early forties for many reasons that are their personal choice and have nothing to do with their abilities in their profession.
Yes, there is a higher risk of birth defects after age 35 but they can happen at any age. If Gov. Palin takes care of and loves her children (and I've read she and her husband do most of their child care) it doesn't really matter what challenges the children may have (developmental delays or teen pregnancy etc.). Supporting the right to choose means supporting women in all their choices related to pregnancy.
In another letter, Mr. Kraemer implies that Palin isn't a feminist because she will be working full time with five children (three of them are teenagers). The definition of feminism is the belief that men and women are equal. If men can be good fathers and work full-time and even be vice presidents, then the belief that a woman can't do that is sexist.
Yes, it's a lovely thought that all women want to and can stay home and care for their children, but it isn't a reality. Sometimes women might be interested in other things beside changing diapers all the time and house cleaning.
Some men even might be interested in contributing equally to the division of labor in a family (Mr. Palin?). Most families just plain need the money.
I in no way agree with Gov. Palin's politics, but her ability to run for vice president shouldn't be judged on her femininity and family life, only on her political views and professional choices.
Louisa Shelby
Corvallis
Wealth does not deserve disdain
My wife and I retired and moved to Corvallis last September. After a year of reading letters to the editor and watching political commercials on television, I am amazed at the contempt in which the Democrats in this state hold those who have achieved success. They seem to think that rich is both a literal and figurative four-letter word, and that the wealthy are the devil's own spawn.
I personally am not a particularly wealthy man. If we all walked around carrying a big plastic number that represented our net worth, like they do in that TV commercial, nobody would gawk at mine. And while my wife and I worked hard and made a pretty good buck, even in our peak years we didn't earn enough to come close to covering Al Gore's electric bill. Nevertheless, we don't begrudge those who are wealthier than we are, and don't understand why anybody would.
Corvallis boasts, I believe, the third highest per capita percentage of college graduates in the nation. Did all the Democrats among them attend college just for the joy of learning, or did the motivation include success in life later on? Are their dreams for their children that they struggle to make ends meet, or do they want them to make enough money to live very comfortably?
Corvallis is also home to many an entrepeneur running his or her own business. Are the liberals within their ranks setting prices at levels that would guarantee they live right at the poverty level, or are they trying to earn as much as they can? And does a liberal buy a lottery ticket with dreams of giving it all away if he won, or would he keep most of it?
Wealth is actually a wonderful thing to which the overwhelming majority of us aspire, and to pretend otherwise is hypocrisy. Seeking wealth is the catalyst that drives the economy and the rising tide that lifts all boats.
Why, then, do the Democrats portray it as evil? If they don't want us to strive for wealth and success, do they advocate sameness and mediocrity?
John Brenan
Corvallis
Let me tell you about our Becca
I find it interesting that Mr. Wolf considers a woman "allowing herself to become pregnant after reaching the age of 40" to be an example of someone using poor judgment (Letters, Sept. 7).
When you look at statistics, there is an increasing number of women who put off child-bearing until after they have established their careers - usually occuring in the 30s and 40s.
The child generally comes into a home with a more stable income, more mature parents, and other advantages. This would not be a case of poor judgment, when considering all these factors. If the mother is also someone who values human life and doesn't believe in abortion, the fact that the baby could be born with a handicap is just one of the things that sometimes happens. Life is not always predictable!
When I became pregnant at the antiquated age of 47, I wouldn't have labeled it poor judgment. It was more of an "I'm what?!" moment, because even my doctor didn't think the whole scenario was possible.
Even so, my obstetrician informed me that there was a 5 percent chance my child would be born with a "problem" such as Down syndrome; 95 percent odds in favor of a "normal" child seem pretty good to me, even now!
Later in the pregnancy, some ultrasound measurements indicated a possible chromosomal anomaly, but the odds shifted to a 20 percent chance of our baby having some sort of problem; 80 percent still seemed pretty good.
We didn't have pre-natal testing, because 1) we don't have health insurance to pay for it, 2) it's not always safe for the baby and 3) it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. As it turned out, if we had known ahead of time, with 100 percent certainty, that our daughter would be born with Down syndrome, I would have had to go to Doernbecher for the birth, which would have added to our out-of-pocket expenses - not to mention the extra hassle of an 80-mile drive - to the pre-delivery stress.
Becca was born a little over three weeks early. Yes, she has Down syndrome. Yes, she had a serious heart defect that required open heart surgery at 3 months. No, it has not been a tragedy. No, we wouldn't have changed a thing about her, even if we could. She's our daughter and resembles our older two children in more ways than she is different from them.
We felt, and I suspect Governor Palin and her husband felt the same way, that our baby's birth was a gift from God, with a purpose way out of our humble means of understanding. Raising our daughter has not always been easy, but we are thankful for the opportunity to be entrusted with such a special little person. It's a privilege, not a burden. Aren't there challenges with raising any child?
I wonder if Mr. Wolf realizes that the average age of a mother giving birth to a child with Down syndrome is 29. Although there is an increased chance of Down syndrome after the age of 35, the possibility is there at any time - even to a teen-aged mother.
It's interesting to me that the appearance of Governor Palin on the public scene, complete with her tiny son, coincides with "Down syndrome Awareness Month," which is the month of October. "Buddy Walks" are held across the country during September and October to promote awareness of this intriguing condition and to show people that individuals with Down syndrome are, first and foremost, individuals like anyone else. They just happen to have Down syndrome.
Trig Palin has become a little "poster baby" for all people with Down syndrome. It's a positive thing!
Gretchen Davey
Lebanon
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