Of all of the possible published factors that might have led Jeremy Strohmeyer to commit such a crime, the latest one really stands above the rest. It is not, however, the mental illness of his biological mother. He learned his values, as we all do, from his (adoptive) parents, parents who later announced to the world that they wished he had never been their son. This kind of attitude would have influenced every aspect of young Jeremy's early life and would probably have produced a sociopath regardless of the genetic material available.

-- Geoffrey Williams

Although adoption practice has evolved, adoption practitioners are in reality no more accountable to adoptive parents and adoptees today than they were in the fifties and sixties. American adoption and foster care systems exist in a accountability vacuum, with practitioners free to play God as they like. The Strohmeyer's suit is not about water under the bridge, it's about holding the County of Los Angeles, who handled Jeffrey's adoption, responsible for repeatedly lying and stonewalling. The motives, which Broeker imagines to be benign, are frankly unimportant.

-- Ron Morgan

So the author of this piece is "an adopted child?" Tremendously developed writing and research skills for one so young. Seriously, the fact that the juvenilization of adult adoptees continues even among those who should know better is discouraging.

There probably aren't that many women who relinquish without pain, and there certainly weren't many birthmoms who relinquished while happily married, but to make the leap that therefore all of these accidental pregnancies were suffered by drug addicts, abuse survivors or emotionally unstable women shows a real lack of understanding as to what motivates women to give their children up to adoption.

-- Ann Henstrand

Dr. Fart speaks
BY STEPHEN G. BLOOM
(02/24/00)

I'd like to congratulate Stephen G. Bloom on an excellent article on a tricky topic.

Farting continues to become more mainstream as the months and years pass. There is, right now, a delicate balance in effect. Too much acceptance by the population, and farts may risk losing their humorous edge.The question we ponder is this: Are farts inherently funny? Or do we simply find them funny because of the fact that they are "taboo?"

At farts.com, we walk that fine line every day. As we continue to expand our content, grow our audience, and bring a sense of community to our fans, we do so with one belief held strong:

If we can make a difference in the way the world perceives and accepts farts, one individual at a time, we are going to get pretty damn rich.

-- Dr. Rex Breefs
Resident Flatologist
Farts.com

Who else would have the balls to research and publish this story?

Thanks for making my day. The guy in the cube outside my office just asked why I had tears running down my cheeks.

-- M.H. O'Connor
salon.com | Feb. 29, 2000

Read more letters: Gender is located between the ears, not the legs Plus: I'll be Trey Parker's Oscar date! "Al Gore-leone" is tasteless.

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