Letters to the Editor

Be ‘one less’ victim of marketingTo the editor:Thank you to the Oldham Era for publishing my letter regarding the Gardisil HPV vaccination program. The concerns I expressed are also articulated in The New England Journal of Medicine in an article called, “Reasons for Caution” by C. Haub, MD. Copies of the Aug. 21 article are available atwww.nejm.org. According to Haub, “We still lack clinical evidence of an effective vaccine against cervical cancer.” Several serious questions are raised.For example, “How can policymakers make rational choices about medical interventions when evidence is insufficient?” Corporate marketing in Frankfort is how.Our legislators were lobbied to mandate this product when Dr. Haub states, “We will not know for many years whether the intervention will work or – in the worst case – do harm. Instead, we should concentrate on finding more solid answers through research rather than base consequential and costly decisions on yet unproven assumptions.” I say, “Amen.” The people of Kentucky need to demand a repeal of this mandate so prematurely granted. As Dr. Haub warns, “With so many essential questions still unanswered, there is good reason to be cautious about introducing large-scale vaccinations programs.”Parents should feel confident in denying consent to vaccinate their child with Gardisil. CNBC reported that Merck shareholders cheered when third quarter 2007 profits for Gardisil HPV vaccine were reported. I believe Merck went throughout our country targeting state legislation to reap these profits long before their product has been proven safe, effective and necessary for our young girls.Let’s be “one less” victim of slick corporate marketing and demand long-term medical proof before our girls are injected with products that may be more hope thanbenefit.Doreen Carlson,GoshenUse caution whenchoosing a presidentTo the editor:Both a presidential and vice-presidential candidate are said to be inexperienced. Thus, the voters may now choose between an experienced president and an inexperienced vice-president ticket or an inexperienced president and experienced vice-president ticket.A complaint about an inexperienced vice-presidential nominee is that she would only be a heartbeat away from being president while the said inexperienced presidential nominee would be in the position if elected.Who would you prefer sitting in the presidential chair in case of a nationalemergency?Don Helton,Pewee ValleyRecycling can improve quality of life foryounger generationsTo the editor:As a young person coming of age in such a turbulent time, I would like to take a moment to discus a simple action that every Oldham Countian can take to significantly improve the quality of life of my generation and our posterity.Even if you doubt the urgency of global warming or don’t identify with the environmental movement, the benefits of recycling are tangible. In a fragile economy, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance calculates that recycling creates 36 jobs per 10,000 tons of material while tossing trash produces only six jobs for the same amount. The environmental benefits are innumerable. Consider if every American recycled just one-tenth of the paper they consumed, we would save about 25 million trees annually. With fuel prices reaching historic levels it is vital that we reconsider our non-renewable resource use.My family has been able to reduce our trash by more than half by organizing a simple recycling system. With improvements in technology most materials can be easily recycled or reused, significantly reducing landfill space.I encourage community leaders to make recycling a priority and ask non-recyclers to reanalyze the benefits of this simple earth saving action.Mallory Kolb,La GrangeIndustry is nowpaying attention tohorse crueltyTo the editor:There have been many articles written since the cruel death of Eight Belles after the Derby race trying to explain why 930 race horses had fatal breakdowns last year, and all may be contributing factors caused by the first and most important reason which is mankind’s greed for financial gain by exploiting the horse which is one of God’s most beautiful creations.One example was Barbaro running the last race of the Triple Crown with an injured foot that had been wired together. Another example was several years ago when an unusually fast female horse named Ruffian was pitted against a large male horse in a special race to generate money for those involved from owners to bettors and totally ignoring the danger to the female horse. All horses are bred to run and will run themselves to death if allowed.In my opinion, this was demonstrated when Eight Belles kept running full speed after crossing the finish line because she wanted to overtake the horse ahead of her. If mankind hadn’t started manipulating breeds through steroid and other drug abuses, which push the animals beyond their natural abilities, placing shoes with toe grabs on their hooves which creates extra stress, lowering experience levels for those shoeing the horses and breeding for fastness over soundness, all of which the horses had no control over, we would not have the horror that everyone knows exists.The racing industry has never policed itself sufficiently to avoid these tragedies, and only now that the federal government is threatening to take control and unify rules to protect the horses has the industry paid attention to the cruelty forced on these horses.Barbara Ann Lackore,La GrangeIronman spectator enjoyed Oldham visitTo the editor:I had the pleasure of watching Ironman Louisville on Sunday at a very hot intersection in the middle of Oldham County. At this intersection I was joined by individuals from Missouri, Texas, France and Canada. Despite the heat, we all had a wonderful time. Your county is beautiful and your residents are lovely. The police directing traffic in hot black uniforms and hats were welcoming and full of energy, despite the heat. We were also well-cared for by a generous resident, Floyd, who made us feel at home.So, thank you for your hospitality. The residents of your county should be proud. You all put your best foot forward for the entire world to see.Holly Welsh,St. Louis