Letters: Feb. 26, 2007

(3 of 3)

The left hates Bush so much that it salivates at any hint of misdeed, whether warranted or not. There are plenty of reasons to criticize the Bush Administration, but special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is wasting hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on a case he made up because I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby cannot remember exactly how conversations went three years ago. I would be in real trouble if I were in Libby's spot, since I can't remember what I said last week.

PAT SCHMITT

High Point, N.C.

Hands Off the Osteopaths

I am deeply disappointed that Scott Haig, M.D., referred to osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) as "osteopathic manipulators" and lumped osteopathy in with what he calls "nothing-really-works-anyway-therapies" [Feb. 12]. D.O.s are physicians who receive extra training to examine and treat patients using a technique called osteopathic manipulative treatment. They also deliver babies, perform brain surgery and serve as family physicians to the underserved. D.O.s have been advocating solutions to issues such as Medicare physician-reimbursement cuts and medical-liability-insurance increases. Haig has done a disservice to 59,000 D.O.s in the U.S., including the former physician to President George H.W. Bush, the former U.S. Army surgeon general and physicians for professional sports teams.

JOHN A. STROSNIDER, D.O., PRESIDENT

AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION

Chicago

The Human Swarm

As the debate on carbon emissions and climate change heats up [Jan. 29], I am amazed that a lot of discussions ignore overpopulation. We have been breeding like locusts, filling every available space and devouring all available resources. The planet simply cannot sustain such population growth. Tackling this problem raises difficult moral, ethical and sociological issues. But if we ignore it, the consequences for humankind are unimaginable.

DICK KEANE

Dublin