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Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors
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Below are the 4 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors" journal:
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09:32 am
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zarqawi's death does not justify iraq war
Don't celebrate yet
I'm glad we finally killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but before we celebrate, let's remember that we ourselves created this monster. Who had heard of Zarqawi before we invaded Iraq? Would his international terror network exist today had we not invaded?
Zarqawi's terror network is just one of many unintended consequences of our invasion. As we celebrate our success at cleaning this one up, let's not forget how many other consequences we still have left to deal with.
Tags: iraq, replies, usa_today, war_on_terror
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09:36 am
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stem cell research
Slightest hope worthwhile
Sen. Tom Coburn justifies his opposition to embryonic stem cell research by saying that it cheapens the lives of the "terminally ill or severely handicapped." But most ill and handicapped people would welcome research that offers hope of a cure, however slight.
What really cheapens these people's lives is when politicians tell them that their lives are less important than the lives of doomed embryos. To say that the research should stop because no cures were produced in 12 years is absurd.
Advances in medicine often take longer — and this is a new field. It's also particularly disingenuous of politicians to point to lack of cures after actively working to starve the field of funding.
Tags: health_policy, hypocrisy, religion, stem_cells, usa_today
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09:38 am
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bush rewards loyalty, not competence
Medal undeserved
Why is President Bush giving former CIA director George Tenet a medal? Certainly not for preventing 9/11. And certainly not for getting it right on Iraq ("Bush honors 3 players key to Iraq Policy," News).
Only one reason is left: Bush is rewarding loyalty. Tenet did not publicly object to Bush's case for war, despite serious doubts within his agency about whether Iraq was a threat. Bush's message to other subordinates: The way to get ahead is not to be right, but to be loyal. That's the same message Saddam Hussein gave his underlings. Bush should know better.
Tags: bush, iraq, usa_today, war_on_terror
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09:41 am
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allowing drug reimportation
Imports vs. no drugs
The opposing view on drug re-importation by William Hubbard, associate commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, mentions a patient who was harmed by imported drugs ("Risks are too high", High prescription costs debate, Aug. 23). But how many patients are harmed when they can't afford drugs because of the ban on drug imports?
People of limited means may just skip their medicine if it's too expensive. For many, the choice isn't between imported and domestic drugs, but between imported drugs and no drugs at all.
Tags: health_policy, hidden_costs, poverty, usa_today
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to_the_editor's journal