Editor, Times-Union: In regards to Mr. Don Kaiser's letter to the editor for July 24th, I must say that that was an absolute slap in the face for me. How one man (whom I know for sure has not met the entire group of "young," as he put it) can say that "the young don't care for nostalgia."
Who do you think, Mr. Kaiser, writes these books and movies of today for the young of today? It was the generation after yours or after that. Please, don't blame these kids who watch Harry Potter or "Jurassic Park" and no longer play with G.I. Joe or Barbie because they aren't "witchcrafty or bloody" enough. They are only digesting what is put in front of their faces.
The media has done this and as much as I hate to say it, the parents have a lot to do with it, too. If you would blame anything, blame the guy who invented the television or the woman who picked up the pen to write the first letter of the Harry Potter series, don't blame the young.
Now, I realize however, you did say a few things about Stephen King. I consider myself to still be young and I have never picked up a Stephen King book in my entire life.
If you say that you write for the elderly, then I can only assume (by your previous letters also) that you are an elderly man. Sir, I am 20 years old and I believe that I am very observant in today's world and your world, even though I didn't live it. Ha! I've seen "It's A Wonderful Life" a few times. I have values and morals just like you. I value my family more than my friends, and I realize that it is absolutely morally wrong to cheat on a girl you are currently courting. I could list thousands more, but for the sake of saving ink, I'll stick to the point.
All I am asking is that before you write your next letter complaining about my generation and every tiny little thing wrong with it, just remember the generation before it, and the generation before that.
It just seems that perhaps the media has you just like it has the little "kiddies," forcing you to only see the bad and being blind to the good. The age of innocence and naivet has absolutely not vanished, it's inside of a few of us. The few, including me, who love the wind in your face on a breezy day and still look up at the stars at night. I can promise you that I, for one, will enjoy that for as long as I live.
Josh Brown Warsaw via e-mail
Abortion
Editor, Times-Union: "Abortion is a woman's right." "We are pro-choice." How often do we hear these statements from those who support abortion rights? Pro-abortion groups continue to try to convince us that those who are pro-life only care about the fetus while pro-choicers are concerned about the woman. But are they really concerned about the welfare of the woman or are they more concerned that a multimillion dollar industry continue to thrive?
Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life states, "The difference between the pro-life and pro-choice movements is not that we care about the fetus and they care about the woman. Rather, they say you can separate the two and we say you can't. One cannot love the child without loving the mother, nor can one destroy the child without destroying the mother."
The abortion industry has been destroying women for many years.
On March 1, 1989, Erica Richardson, a 16-year old Maryland resident, bled to death from a punctured uterus only hours undergoing an abortion.
During her "safe, legal" abortion, Susanne Logan suffered complications that resulted in brain damage. She awoke four months later as a quadriplegic, unable to talk. Susanne survived for three years, dying from complications in 1992 at the age of 24.
In 1998, Lou Ann Herron bled to death in a Phoenix abortion clinic.
In 2002, 25-year-old Diana Lopez died at a Los Angeles Planned Parenthood clinic because the staff failed to follow established protocols before and after the abortion. If they had, they would have realized she wasn't a good candidate for abortion because of blood pressure problems. Afterwards, when her cervix was punctured during the abortion, they should have called for an ambulance.
Dr. David Reardon Ph.D., director of the Elliott Institute says, "They call themselves 'pro-choice' advocates but in fact, as our research over the past 20 years has shown, what they are really selling women is a 'poor choice.' Women who choose abortion face an elevated risk of death from all causes, especially suicide. They experience more depression, more substance abuse, more delivery problems in later pregnancies, lower levels of general health, more divorces, more breast cancer and countless other physical and psychological problems."
In January, 2003, nearly 100 women stood in front of the Supreme Court and said they will be silent no more. They shared how abortion had caused them injury or pain. For every woman who was a part of that group there are thousands who are afraid to speak out. The Silent No More campaign is beginning to change that. Maybe it's time that we join with these 100 women and help our society realize that abortion is not pro-choice, it's a poor-choice.
Dave Koontz Executive Director Kosciusko County Right to Life
