European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 1 2007 stars and stripes Pace 27 opinion what newspapers Are saying at Home the following editorial excerpts Are selected from a Cross Section of newspapers throughout the United states the editorials Are provided by the associated press and other stateside syndicates working mothers still involved the columbian Vancouver Wash Mommy guilt leads to Mommy studies and a recent one is receiving a collective sigh of Relief unlike studies that measure the num Ber of hours working mothers spend away from Home a demographer at the univer sity of Maryland Suzanne Bianchi Ana lazed How any amount of time at Home is spent she found that when working moms Are Home the direct time they say they spend with their children is 10 or 11 hours a week that amount of time rivals the num Ber of hours stayathome moms of the 1970s reported spending with their Chil Dren in direct activities rather than just being accessible around the House it int that the june cleavers of the past were Busy doing nothing but kids Likely were More in the background moms used to read the paper while kids played independently for example now moms save Reading until the kids go to bed or skip such activities we Hope the study relieves some pres sure on moms who Are trying their Best to do it All expectations of parents Are in some ways higher than Ever and both working and Sta Home parents Are Mak ing a lot of personal sacrifices sleep free time spouse time in order to accommodate the schedules of a child entered society Edwardsen play cards dealt the Cincinnati enquirer the recurrence of Elizabeth Edwards cancer has brought a sobering pause to a Campaign Trail where 584 Days before the next presidential election pollsters Are Al ready obsessively calculating and recalculating candidates the news sent political analysts hurry ing to predict How the illness would affect John Edwards Campaign whether contributors would quietly Back out if the couple could endure the arduous Campaign Trail whether voters would be sym pathetic or sceptical about electing a pub Lic Leader who would be forced to Deal privately with a loved ones fatal disease meanwhile the couple flew off on a fundraising sweep that took in both coasts the gesture want melodramatic or even Overly symbolic the fundraisers had been planned in Advance the Edwardsen simply kept their commitment but while others try to calculate the cancer the Edwardsen Are using their Best weapon to fend off its intrusive Ness they Are making decisions about those matters that Are left in their hands to de cide one Standard for databases the waterfowl times the Federal government and states have established databases containing the Dan of convicted criminals and in some states even the accused the databases though Are governed by Laws that define who will be required to provide Dan Sam Ples and under what circumstances they May be retained in the eve expanding systems the use of Dan in crime solving is in disputable the databases containing Sam prickly City by Scott Stantis pies of millions of criminals and suspects nationwide serve that purpose the sys tem maintained by the Fri has solved More than crimes since 1990 but there Are also limits to the databases the Fri cannot store samples of suspects who have been acquitted or from those who voluntarily Supply a Dan Sam ple to prove themselves innocent some states require samples from a Broad Range of crimes including misdemeanours while others demand genetic material from those convicted of More serious crimes however while guidelines exist on the Federal and state databases some Agen cies at the local level Are maintaining their own systems without the legislative controls they operate in a Gray area of the Law with conflicting court rulings on the databases legality Usa today re ports at the least the databases maintained by municipal police or other Law enforce ment agencies should be required to oper ate under the same restraints As those maintained by state and Federal authorities otherwise they circumvent and effectively set aside restrictions meant to protect the innocent and ensure privacy Gonzales probe is a key test the truth As details continue to come to Light re Garding the dismissal of Federal prosecutors its apparent the White House offer to let select key aides answer questions in secret without a record and without swearing an oath to Tell the truth is not sufficient reports that attorney general Alberto Gonzales was More involved than he earlier admitted weaken the Bush administrations efforts to end this growing Contro Versy Gonzales himself is scheduled to testify april 17 before the Senate judiciary committee president Bush should be willing to allow others in the administration to face Public questioning democrats insist that one reason voters put them in charge of the House and the Senate in the 2006 elections was to impose accountability on the administration the democrats must use that Power carefully the investigation of the firing of Federal prosecutors is a key test of How they will operate presidents have the right to appoint prosecutors who will follow their Broad political agendas and those prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the administration they Wield enormous Power however and they should not be asked to use that Power for political ends to do so would gravely undermine americans Confidence in the Federal jus Tice system Mideast needs an engaged the Orlando Sentinel after an on again off again approach throughout much of his presidency George w Bush finally seems to be giving the Mideast peace process the sustained High level attention it deserves Secretary of state condole Ezza Rice has met with leaders in the Region four times in the past four months it makes sense for Rice to keep talking with palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas even after his Fatah faction formed a coalition government this month with Hamas which refuses to recognize Israel or renounce terrorism otherwise the United states would weaken palestinian moderates and lose any possible influence with the new government but it would be irresponsible and immoral for the to resume direct Aid to the new government until both its part ners accept Israel and reject terrorism seasoned observers of the Mideast peace process know better than to count on breakthroughs even so some recent developments suggest the window of Opportunity could be opening a crack for easing the enmity Between Israel and its for credibility throughout the mid East its essential for the Bush administration to remain engaged in the peace pro Cess and history says breakthroughs Are unlikely without involvement help Fra ensure honest views the Star Ledger Newark no the Federal food and drug administration has taken a Small first step toward making sure that when it seeks expert advice about a new drug those opinions come from experts who do not have thick financial ties to the drugs maker or its Competition the Fra is proposing that scientists with any combination of drug company stocks fees Grants or other income total ing More than not be allowed on the committees that advise the Fra about drug safety and effectiveness those with thinner financial ties May be allowed in on the discussions but would not vote when the committee compiles its recommendations setting a Money limit is not enough the Fra has for some years required experts to disclose their Industry ties but the Fra handed out so Many waivers that it Ren dered the disclosure requirements Impo tent unless the Fra gets stingy with waivers and exemptions the new rules will not mean much the drug companies seek out certain scientists for the same reason that the Fra does they Are the Best in their Field it May be that the government needs to put some of those experts on retainers that leave them conflict free at least for a period of time to give objective advice when an important new class of drugs emerges for instance having failed to tackle the problem of conflicts Headon until now the Fra has a Long Way to go when it comes to making sure its expert advice comes without strings abstinence inadequate Akron Ohio Beacon journal since 1999 when Ohio required schools to teach that sexual abstinence is the Only sure Way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases the state has be come something of a National Model it is a dubious distinction one that Ted Strickland now proposes to advocates of the approach cite declining teen pregnancy rates but reports by the Alan Guttmacher Institute show significant declines were re ported Well before widespread govern ment funding of abstinence Only pro Grams the reduction mostly due to improved contraceptive use by sexually Active teens As Strickland noted studies have failed to find a valid link Between Asti Nence Only education and a decline in the sexual activity of he believes in a curriculum that includes abstinence but also gives students a Complete picture of How to protect them selves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases Organ donors needed fort Worth Texas Star Telegram state lawmakers in South Carolina Are debating a Bill that would allow prison in mates to Volunteer to donate organs or Bone marrow in Exchange for time off their sentences the Bills sponsor state rep Ralph Anderson defended this startling idea in the Charlotte observer by saying people Are dying i think its imperative that we go All out and see what we can although the desire to help people in need of lifesaving organs is a worthy cause one wonders if Anderson has looked at a donor questionnaire of late pierced ears can defer a blood donor for a year a bulging disk will Bounce a Candi Date As a potential marrow donor and then theres that Pesky do not do Nate if item on the american red Cross guidelines you have been held in a correctional facility including jails prisons detention centers for More than 72 hours in the last 12 Anderson deserves a nod for increasing awareness of the need for More blood marrow and Organ donors unfortunately the method for garnering that attention Falls Short on execution so to speak