Letter to the editor, and my thoughts on Jill Carroll

The Christian Science Monitor has published a letter to the editor I wrote in response to a recent article on the topic of potty parity, a practice that despite the name is based on the idea that women deserve more toilets than men.

I sent the letter to CSMonitor on a whim, but I'm happy to see it published.

Despite what one might initially think, the Christian Science Monitor is not a right-wing fundamentalist newspaper. On the contrary, I have found most of the articles to be balanced and considered journalism, with an emphasis on the plight of those people around the world who are suffering the most and might otherwise escape the focus of the media. It's real journalism, but with a conscience.

At this time I'd like to take an opportunity to add my voice to the many calling for the release of Jill Carroll. Jill is a recent addition to the growing roster of westerners kidnapped in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. In her reporting for CSMonitor, Jill has done an excellent job of showing how the war has affected ordinary Iraqis. The world needs more people like Jill — people who are not afraid to seek out and tell the truth.