Quotes of the Day

Aiding Africa
In your article "Pain Amid Plenty," you write that this year the U.S. will give more than $800 million to Ethiopia: $460 million for food, $350 million for HIV/AIDS treatment and $7 million for agricultural development [Aug. 18]. To put that amount of money in perspective, let's take a look at what we are currently spending on the war in Iraq: $100 billion a year, or $8 billion a month, which is $275 million a day. So we spend the equivalent of our entire foreign aid to Ethiopia for one year in less than three days in Iraq. What does this say about our priorities?
Bill Cosgriff,
Springfield, Massachusetts

You failed to mention that Ethiopia's population has doubled since Live Aid, and is increasing at 2.5% a year. At this rate it will double again by 2036.
David Stephens,
Munich

Postmodern Pastor
With evangelical christians routinely trashed by the media, it was refreshing to read your positive and evenhanded article on Rick Warren, a humble man working his hardest to make a difference for the poor [Aug. 18]. Now there's something that people on both sides of the political aisle can get behind.
Andy Horvath,
Elverson, Pennsylvania

As an evangelical pastor, I find the high percentage of fellow Evangelicals who believe that Senator John McCain is the candidate "most guided by his religious beliefs" hard to fathom. The testimonies of the two candidates in your "In Their Words" section shows McCain, in fact, to be far less connected to Evangelical spirituality than Barack Obama, who can also lay claim to an authentic born-again experience. Unfortunately, what this shows is that many Evangelicals believe that Republican and Christian are synonymous terms. It's time that myth be put to rest.
The Rev. John Hubers,
Chicago

Drugs Are Funny?
So, when comedian Seth Rogen talks about taking illegal drugs in three of his answers to "10 Questions," it's hilarious [Aug. 18]? I acknowledge that his new film is a stoner comedy and that he has to promote it, but why should we find it amusing that Rogen is unabashed about his illegal (not to mention health-damaging) actions?
Paige Varner,
Albany, Georgia

I am disgusted that you chose to glorify Rogen and celebrate his illegal pot smoking rather than condemn it. Surely you could have found a celebrity who deserves recognition for a positive reason.
Shawna Zervos,
Moundsville, West Virginia

Journeys of Faith
I was deeply touched by John McCain's response when asked about his Christian faith [Aug. 18]. He told of his time as a prisoner of war, and of a North Vietnamese guard who was his Good Samaritan. It was like a window into the depths of his faith. His answer truly revealed just what type of person he is. Obama's account of his "Christian j0urney," on the other hand, sounded like a rehearsed answer at a news conference. In proffering his policies for various social problems, he revealed nothing about his faith. He dodged the question. That, too, says much about his character.
Mary Lepp,
Yankton, South Dakota

McCain's deeply touching story of finding his Good Samaritan in the Hanoi prison reminded me of the saying that the purest ore comes from the hottest furnace.
Fiona Scott,
Germantown, Tennessee

It is telling that Obama did not once mention the word faith. Jeff Freeland,
Burley, Idaho

Knock 'Em, Sock 'Em McCain
The campaign outlined in "A whole New McCain" is an insult to the intelligence of the American voter [Aug. 18]. When our military personnel are dying in foreign wars, McCain dares to raise Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to the level of a national political debate. With the U.S. facing an energy emergency, McCain jokes about tire inflation. When your 85-year-old mother loses her General Motors health benefits because GM can't sell cars, you want health-care solutions, not McCain's juvenile critique of Obama's European trip. Voters must demand solutions from those running for office — not fifth-grade political campaigns with playground sound bites. As a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, I find it disturbing that McCain has lost touch with reality.
Major Robert Tormey (ret.),
Escondido, California

Surely, this is "A whole New McCain." Gone is the McCain of principle, the maverick, the straight talker. Gone is the McCain who stood with the troops and backed up his rhetoric with votes in the Senate. Gone is the McCain we might disagree with on issues but whom we could still respect as a person of substance. To those who still wonder if a McCain presidency would amount to no more than a third Bush Administration, wonder no more: McCain is already giving us more of what Bush has been handing us for eight years now.
Brian P. Cohoon,"]
St. Paul, Minnesota

Can Obama Debate?
I think Obama's reluctance to debate, especially in a town-hall context, stems from his not wanting to think on his feet, something he doesn't seem to do particularly well, with his frequent stammering and "wait a minute" efforts to clarify himself [Aug. 18]. When you can't be straight with people about what you really want to do, you get stuck trying to think fast about what you can say that will placate the large majority of people and not tick off your base. In Obama's case, that seems to present a real challenge.
Dan Burns,
Sacramento, California

The Best Birth
Your article on home birth credits me with natural-childbirth advocacy that started a new wave of home births in the 1970s [Aug. 18]. As one who is still advocating for women today, I'd like to correct a widely held myth repeated in your article: that the mass move to hospital births accounted for the huge drop in the maternal mortality rate between 1940 and 1960. Actually, public-health developments such as the availability of antibiotics, blood transfusions and intravenous fluids accounted for most of that reduction in the death rate. The real question is why that rate has doubled since 1982. Remember: the home-birth rate has been less than 1% since the 1970s — far too small to account for the rise in the death rate.
Ina May Gaskin, Executive Director, The Farm Midwifery Center,
Summertown, Tennessee

Giving birth to my beautiful baby boys at home was the best gift I could have ever given them. They were born in comfort, with love and patience, helped into the world with the warmth of our midwives' hands. There was no rush. It was my birth, my way. I was as in control of my decisions as I was when I conceived these babies. I hope that one day women and doctors will wake up and smell the coffee. Birth is a natural process between mother and baby. Support local home-birth midwives because peace begins with birth.
Amy Robillard,
Honolulu

I would like to point out one natural aspect of a home birth that your writer missed: death. As an emergency nurse working in a city, I see countless women who arrive at the hospital — and die — after a home birth gone wrong. I fully support having a midwife-assisted birth, but it should be done within a hospital setting equipped to deal with emergencies.
Elspeth McTavish,
Toronto

Alms for Business' Sake
Creative capitalism has enormous potential to lift large numbers of people out of poverty, but we should not glorify corporations for engaging in it [Aug. 11]. Creative capitalism and corporate social responsibility are essentially versions of the old "win-win" strategy: Help the poor while helping yourself. In creative capitalism, corporations improve the living standards of the poor, thus developing new markets while they improve their reputation. This is not to criticize the concept, as it can bring great benefits. But it is as much about business as philanthropy.
Lisa Crisostomo,
Brussels

Dude, There's a Ball in My Iced Tea
I think it's funny how Billy Gaines, the founder of Bpong.com, says competitive beer pong is not about alcohol [Aug. 18]. As a college student myself, I know that most students aren't playing to fill their cups with Gatorade. They like the added bonus of getting drunk as part of the competition.
Brett Johnson,
Santa Cruz, California