Front Royal, Va.

Kathryn Joyce, in "Missing: The 'Right' Babies" [March 3], is upset that during a recent speech in Poland, I encouraged the Poles to be more open to life by saying, "I want to see more Poles!" and infers that I and others are in a "panic for more white babies." Of course, I would like to see more babies in dying Poland--or anywhere else. I am partial to babies, regardless of how much pigment they have in their skin. Speaking to 5,000 people in Manila, I declared, "I want to see more Filipinos!" And last year at a conference in Colombia, I called for more Colombians. Condemn me for being pro-people, if you will, but don't condemn me for being racist.

And if race is the subject, let me mention my ancestry, which includes Native American blood, and my wife's, who is Hispanic. My children range in appearance from little Geronimos to little Bridgets, but apparently Joyce couldn't see beyond the color of my blue eyes. Who's the racist here?

Subscriber Login

User Name

Password

Subscribe Now!

The only way to read this article and the full contents of each week's issue of The Nation online is by subscribing to the magazine. Subscribe now and read this article -- and every article published since for the past five years -- right now.

There's no obligation -- try The Nation for four weeks free.

• Get The Nation at home (and online!) for 75 cents a week!
• If you like this article, consider making a donation to The Nation.