President's extremist agenda

12/2/2006

The President still doesn't get it. While meeting with the new Democratic leaders and saying he understood the message of the recent election, he appointed physician Eric Keroack to take over as the new deputy assistant secretary for population affairs within the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Keroack will oversee Title X, which provides funding for family planning, education, and health care for those who cannot pay.

The problem is that Dr. Keroack doesn't believe in birth control or comprehensive sex education. He is the medical director of five crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts that oppose birth control and sex education that includes the benefits of contraception to prevent pregnancy and STIs. Dr. Keroack has testified in favor of biased counseling provisions in the Massachusetts legislature, and is prolific in writings that promote politics over sound science/medicine.

So our President has appointed (Congress does not have to confirm) a man who is anti-birth control and anti-sex education to oversee a program designed to provide birth control and sex education. He ignores research which shows that the abstinence-only programs he promotes result in more unwanted pregnancies and therefore increase the number of abortions. Another triumph of ideology over science, not to mention common sense.

Why would President Bush do this? Perhaps because Karl Rove has told him to quietly shore up his standing with conservatives, whose support will be crucial to rebuild Mr. Bush's popularity.

So don't be fooled. President Bush, despite his words to the contrary, is staying the course with his extremist agenda. Pay attention to what he does, not what he says.

LEE HAKEL

Bowling Green

It is certainly refreshing to read something that isn't loaded with politics, but is instead loaded with environmental promise. The testing and development of windmill blades, highlighted in your editorial, "The power of wind," is critical to this method of generating energy.

A windmill blade that is 8 percent longer but with the same strength will produce up to 17 percent more energy. Our very own Owens Corning Fiberglas is responsible for developing WindStrand single-end rovings and knitted fabrics, allowing production of such longer blades without the use of more costly carbon fiber. How ironic that the very core of the research could be located just down river from that company's world headquarters.

Marty Marinelli

Luckey

Just because we see someone doing something bad doesn t mean we have to do it. - Dan Doyle, executive director of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island.

If Tommy jumped off a bridge, does that mean you have to do it, too? - Every mother who ever lived, without the benefit of any advanced degree!

If The Blade is going to quote scholars for its stories, it should try to make sure their quoted analysis provides some insight that supersedes Mom.

Chris Ekstrand

Perrysburg