Bush Talks Peace

President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met on Friday to discuss plans to reach a peace settlement in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. Both leaders indicated that the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was a key step forward in new opportunities to ignite talks and action between the two sides.

Arafat’s role in terrorist activities and countless failed peace talks should not be overlooked. However, Bush’s political aspirations have led him to act too hastily in regards to peace plans.

The Palestinian people are coming to terms with losing their leader of more than 30 years, and a lack of sympathy for the people’s loss is not the strongest start to a new path for peace in the Middle East.

“I’d like to see it done in four years,” Bush said in regards to peace between the Palestinians and Israelis according to AP reports.

This clear political posturing to coincide with the ending of his second term is a poor and borderline foolish move to make on Bush’s part. In the current emotional climate toward the United States in the Middle East, neither side is especially enthused for the United States to swoop down like a savior and bring peace to the region.

With the people in the Middle East grasping onto a strong anti-U.S. sentiment and dozens of failed attempts by past presidents to bring order to the region, Bush’s immediate usage of Arafat’s death to push for peace was a potentially fatal move for U.S. involvement in the peace process.

After centuries of fighting, Bush is going to have to rely on more than bad humor and timing to reach his lofty and relatively impossible goals.

The homicide of Laci Peterson and her unborn child unsurprisingly shook the nation as we reveled in her all-American good looks and lifestyle. The rumble grew louder as her husband Scott Peterson became the sole suspect in the deaths of his wife and son.

Although there may be relief by many that Peterson was tried and found guilty of the crime, the larger picture is being overlooked. The progressiveness of healthcare has bred an environment in which prenatal care has all but virtually protected mothers and their unborn children from illnesses and deaths related to complications.

Unfortunately, American society has not been able to handle or even face the reality of the true danger to pregnant women – their significant others. Studies by several organizations including the American College of Nurse-Midwives have revealed that the leading cause of death during pregnancy is homicide.

Laci Peterson’s case would have been genuinely shocking if this were a rare event; however, she is but a small part of a growing epidemic that is causing the loss of multiple lives at an astounding rate.

The United States must institute programs to give pregnant women the knowledge to protect themselves and their unborn children. They must be aware of the warning signs that arise and signal that it is in their and their child’s best interest to leave a potentially dangerous situation.

The conviction of Scott Peterson is barely a victory at all because many more women and their unborn children will die. But their deaths will be overlooked and this epidemic will continue to get out of hand.