Snip Fight
Not an expert: Dr. Helen Salsbury, the physician featured in your piece about the argument over circumcision ("Just a Little Off the Top," Deirdra Funcheon, February 16), says she does only five circumcisions a month. That is simply not enough to be a proficient practitioner. If you are going to circumcise boys, you cannot simply do it as a part-time job. You need to do it every day. This is why the best circumcision practitioners are mohels (Jewish trained circumcision experts), who do them daily. Mohels circumcise thousands of boys over the course of a career, and they are chosen not just by Jews but also by non-Jews, British royalty, and celebrities. This is why Sandra Bullock had her son circumcised by a mohel. I would not choose someone who does so few circumcisions a month as the best person to have my boys circumcised.
Troy
Waste of time: Parents get to decide what they want to do with their children. Get over it. Go crusade for a useful cause instead of wasting your time over a fucking foreskin.
Bebep
Circumcision is sex abuse: Salsbury couldn't have described these crimes against children any clearer. To those who quote the law given to Abraham as an excuse for sexual assault on children, perhaps you should read what the apostles wrote in the Book of Acts: that circumcision is not necessary before God. Children are sexually abused all the time and the nation goes up in arms against it, branding the perpetrators for life, but when it comes to slicing off part of the child's genitals, everyone is silent. I would never knowingly allow someone near my child who supports such sick child abuse. I highly recommend severe criminal penalties to evil people such as Salsbury. Culture or religion is not a valid reason to allow anyone to be maimed and mutilated. Those who promote child genital mutilation ought to be locked away.
Hmghosthost
Sex is better uncut: Major studies all show no conclusive evidence that sexually transmitted diseases are less prevalent among men who have been circumcised. The American Academy of Pediatrics is no longer recommending circumcisions. Studies and reports for many women, meanwhile, show that circumcised males require much more stimulation to make up for the lack of nerve endings that were removed and because the male glans becomes completely exposed to constant contact with underwear and clothing, thus lessening its sensitivity. Women with men who have been circumcised report males have to thrust much harder to achieve orgasm, leaving the women feeling bruised. Women with men who have not been circumcised report such men are much slower and more gentle in their lovemaking.
watersisland
Look at Europe: Almost no one in Europe is circumcised, and the HIV infection rate is less than half that of the United States, where nearly everyone is circumcised. So much for that claim.
Ladyfingers
Police State
Big Brother is watching: Your story revealing that Miami-Dade police frequently track people's cell phones without a warrant ("Calling Big Brother," David Minsky and Tim Elfrink, February 16) shows why it's scary to think the government can follow us so easily. To me, it smacks of Big Brother. However, I also agree we need to get criminals off the streets as quickly as possible. I'm not sure what the answer is here, but as our technology evolves and improves, we also need laws to reflect those changes. I personally don't have anything to hide, but the thought of being tracked through my Android phone gives me a shivery feeling. That said, as the courts rule on this issue, I hope cases that hinge on cell-phone tracking don't get thrown out on a technicality.
NavyMom
Too much power: Although our system assumes innocence before guilt, government officials don't always care about due process. The authorities might track an individual long before he can prove his innocence. For years, lawmen have tracked and captured thousands of suspects without devices such as cell-phone trackers that could be used indiscriminately against the public. We've all seen police who use such resources for personal and sometimes nefarious reasons.
Myangeldust
Power trip: Handing police the power to track and trace anyone is not the answer to our crime problems. That is just an outright invasion of privacy. Police can pick and choose and use that power to lock up innocent people just because they think they are a nuisance. It's bad enough when cops make up bogus charges and plant just enough evidence for prosecutors because they simply don't like somebody. In a perfect world where law enforcement goes by the book, this type of power might be OK, but the last time I checked, that world doesn't exist.
Wizard 13
