Bob Herbert on School Shootings, and the politics of Madonna's adoption

Echidne of the Snakes nods to op-ed columnist Bob Herbert's analysis of the coverage of the recent school massacres, where the killers targeted girls.

She quotes from his article and comments:

"I've been told that the news reporting about the school massacres in other countries did focus on the fact that the victims were selected on the basis of their sex. This suggests that we could talk about it, too. If we really made an effort. Thanks are due to Bob Herbert for trying."

Read the whole post at Echidne of the Snakes.

Red State Feminist questions the "recent flap" over Madonna adopting a Malawian child.

In her post she weighs the pros and cons, and asks readers what they think:

"So I'm torn. I respect the Malawi government's right to make it's own rules regarding adoption and the reasons for those rules. But I don't essentially see anything wrong with the adoption of needy children from anywhere on the globe. In fact, under-the-table , or informal, adoptions occur on the African continent fairly regularly when parents find westerners willing to sponsor a child.

When celebrities adopt they usually continue to donate funds to the country the child came from in large amounts, which Madonna has pledged to do, so I don't think the criticism of celebrities not thinking of the children they don't adopt is really true. And that's not a standard imposed on non-celebrities when they adopt, is it?

Thoughts?"

Read more, and join the debate, at "Celebrity Adoption: Philanthropic, or Child-Buying?"

The blogger Moksha is in no doubt as to where she stands on this issue: Yankees Get Home!

At her blog, HAH!, she opens her post with a roar:

"I find the current trend of filthy rich white celebrity women adopting or attempting to adopt African children, racist, imperialistic, and grossly unpatriotic. Angelina Jolie has an Ethiopian girl. Madonna is trying to finalize the adoption of a Malawian boy."

Visit HAH! to see how she develops her argument.

Photo: The New York Times. Also posted at BlogHer.