What About The Young Men: Your Letters

September 29, 2005

Wanting War?

Re: Badr vs. Sadr  by Robert Dreyfuss

Interesting analysis on Shiite-Shiite rivalries, but the main important feature that it overlooks is that civil war is in the interests of the Western powers because the foreseeable but underestimated outcome of Western (primarily U.S.) invasion in 2003 was the emergence of a Shiite regime with close links to Iran, and this is not an outcome that suits Western interests.  Therefore, while the author clearly feels justified in throwing around terms such as "mafia," etc., he must be alive to the promising possibilities that such rivalries afford Western covert operatives, who have surely penetrated these organizations, or have set up parallel shadow organizations, and are doing their best to promote civil war. This is also the context in which the recent detention by Iraqi police and subsequent rescue of two British soldiers should be interpreted.  Many reports have them acting suspiciously and some reports talk of explosive materials in their car, even evidence of bomb-planting.  All this appears to be standard operating procedure by Western covert security or intelligence services.

Oliver Boyd-Barrett

Swamp-Draining 101

Re: How To Drain The Swamp by Ramie Khouri

Thanks for that fine analysis. For a minute I thought you were talking about the USA!  We need to practice what we preach here, and our failure to do so may contribute to intransigence in the Arab world. 

Jerry Cecere

It would be enlightening to know how many of the participants were women. I fail to see real democracy progressing at all while in most countries in the region, women have the status of chattel. When half the population is both uneducated and unrepresented, democracy has little hope of being truly implemented. Men may argue that women failed to gain suffrage in the principle democratic governments of the world until the early 20th century. Women argue, and justly so, that we are in the 21st century. If the countries of the Middle East ever hope to catch up they must do the work done in the West in the last century before they can take their place among the democracies of the world where all are equal under the law.

Anne Winn

What About The Young Men?

Re: Get Hitched, Young Woman by Ruth Rosen

I shall never understand why the whole burden of children born out of wedlock, and that of abortion, is borne entirely by women. Never, or only in passing, is there any mention of the men who participate equally in the act of sex, which produces the children born out of wedlock or the perceived need for abortion. I really believe that all the conversations about single mothers and about abortion should include the fact that a man is of necessity part of the problem.

Esther Mann

It's possible for both messages to have merit.  Bush's failure is well-documented...and it is irresponsible to have more children than one can support, single or not. 

I saw one article in the NY Times comparing two families, and one of the families was a young woman in her very early 20s with three or four children, and the youngest child, apparently not in her care at the time of the storm, was missing. I had mixed feelings as I read about her plight, and such sorrow for her infant.

There should be much more taxation to pay for pre-school programs and for education and for health care and for birth control and it is terrible to think of what life must be like for children with many brothers and sisters who have mothers who are still children themselves. These are mothers who will not be able to offer them at home the basics of what they need to know and have (even if society does the much-needed more) to have satisfying, happy lives.

Laura Gregory

There seem to be a great number of women in New Orleans (and various other places, for that matter) with children, but no husband in evidence.  I am a liberal, but I do believe it takes a mother and a father, in a marriage, to raise children. If that is too much trouble, then don't  have the kids! Ever hear of contraception? Neither parenthood nor marriage should be taken lightly. And there is absolutely no excuse for having one child after another outside of a stable family. Responsible people think with their brains before they put children in this world; irresponsible people don't deserve to be bailed out time and again by the taxpayer. I know what I'm talking about, unfortunately. I live in a neighborhood that is crawling with illegitimate offspring of girls that have no income from honest work.

Maria Williams

I would like to commend Ruth on her commonsense article.  I am a single mother of one child.  Having been divorced for eight years, I just bought my first home completely on my own.  I was in the group of marrying a not-so-responsible husband. Thanks to the support of my family, a little extra education and my strong will and perseverance, I have overcome what most can't—and it can crash at any moment. I was never a drug addict, alcoholic and I don't abuse my child.  In fact, I take better care of my child and live a cleaner life than most married couples.  Most single mothers I know are fantastic mothers, constantly having to chase the father down for child support or visitation.  I have always had a great job, great insurance and my child always comes first.   I get tired of being the scapegoat for these selfish politicians and others around me that can't get off the "single mother" debate.  I get branded everywhere I go and treated like I am incapable of living on my own—let alone raising a wonderful child.

It has been so difficult at times that I always wonder how a woman with more than one child, a poor job, no insurance and no family support can survive.  Well, we have all seen over the last few weeks that they can't.  Shame on America for not only letting down the poor, but for again blaming women and single women. The bottom line is women have wised up. It is men that need to be educated and trained on how to treat your spouse with respect and take care of your children.  It is not just among the poor.  I give all these single mothers credit for at least trying to raise their children without any guidance or help.  A man gave 50 percent help to create these children, they deserve 50 percent credit for anything going wrong. When are men going to grow up and take responsibility and quit blaming women on their shortcomings?

Sheila Vega

I agree with your premise.  I would take this out-of-wedlock argument more seriously if they targeted the fathers of the children.  After all, it takes two to tango, and I posit that educating boys and young men in personal responsibility, that they are to keep it in their pants or be held accountable.  After all, they too can just say no.

Kathleen Dale

Going Universal

Re: What Baker-Carter Got Right by Rob Ritchie and Steven Hill

I  agree 100 percent with your article—while I have concerns about the photo ID, I agree that universal registration will obviate the problem.  I believe that we must have federal legislation in this matter, not just state by state—I have been e-mailing various congressional representatives all year about how important it is that we fix the electoral system, more important than any other issue—so far it seems to have fallen on deaf (Democratic) ears. I think that HB 550 and SB 450 are a start, but I believe that someone should introduce a new bill that will codify, as law of the land, all of the recommendations of the Carter-Baker Commission.  The law should be in place before the 2006 elections.

John Farbstein

Checking The Experts

Re: Trust Us, We're Experts by Chris Mooney

I liked the headline to Chris Moody's piece "Trust Us, We're the Experts," but this hopeful note that even experts can have an agenda and their work and opinions require transparency and the capability of common citizens to replicate their work to ensure its validity is turned on its head in the article itself.  As President Ronald Reagan warned as he pursued nuclear disarmament:  Trust but verify.  That's what the Data Quality Act provides—a tool for citizens, whatever their policy objectives, to verify what the "experts" are trying to foist off as immutable truth.

Richard Hanneman