Ok, i'm going to make this super short, otherwise i'll just get annoyed

OK, I'm sure most of you heard about how a school cancelled prom due a lesbian student wanting to wear a tux and bringing a girl for a date. What really got me when reading those articles was how many people were blaming the student. How dare she ruin prom for all the others students. NO, how about how dare the school make this outright stupid decision and ruin the prom for all the students. I mean do we then say...how dare those black student ruining lunch for those white people by protesting white only restruants. Or how dare those women ruining those men's voting experience by protesting the inequality of the voting system . If no groups that were being discriminated against stood up for themselves, where would we be? Would we still have slavery? Would women still be property of their husbands? Seriously inequality is inequality and good for all those who stand up to this BS!!!!!!!

RISK/benefit of circumision

Benefits of circumcision:
-Reduces the risk of urinary track infections(but many times you won't read that the chance of boys getting UTI's is about 1% and most of those 1% are premature babies and those babies are at increased risk for all types of infections). Plus and occasional UTI is no reason to operate on a child
-Reduces the risk of penile cancer. Penile cancer is rare, the chance of getting it is less than 1%. The American Cancer society even states that they do not recommend circumcision as a way to reduce the chance of penile cancer. Not to mention we do not remove any other part of a newborn in case of cancer as an adult.
-Some studies have show a slight decrease in some STDs and HIV transmission. Although i am finding more articles saying otherwise, but lets say for arguments sake this proves a solid beneift, it is not a 100% form of protection, not even close. Abstinence and condoms are the best way to prevent HIV/STDs. A point that i struggle with when looking at articles that do support this however is: Europe has a very low circumcision rate, yet their HIV rate is lower than the USA(which has a higher circumcision rate). Maybe Europeans are just smarter or picky about their partners. Plus i say, if an adult male feels this is a great measure to protect himself, then he can choose to circumcise himself with his full consent.

*It isn't cleaner to be circumcised, that is just a myth started years ago.

Risks/complications
-Bleeding
-Complications from faulty surgical equipment
-Infection-particularly the hard to treat MRSA
-Poor cosmetic appearance
-Rash and irritation
-Buried penis(penile shaft buried below the surface of the pubic skin)
-abnormal downward bend of the penis
-narrowing of the urine channel(urethra) at the top of the penis
-Skin bridges(foreskin reattaching to the penis, which was exactly Hunter's problem and as you know it has been a big problem)
-Death(yes rare, but it does happen)
-Too much bleeding
-Some evidence shows reduce sexual pleasure(seeing as the foreskin has nerve endings)
I'll be honest, MANY babies circumcised come home healthy and with minimal to no problems. But the number that do, is probably higher than you'd think. It can be as high as 10%according to some studies. And some complications are not seen until adulthood and a man becomes sexually active and some men are too embarrassed to admit it. I have said it before and I will say it again. It is one thing for your child to have life long problem/death from a surgery that would have improved/saved his life. Circumcision does neither of these.

Side NOTE: I have had people say that their grandfather(older relative) has had problems keeping his foreskin clean after he reaches a certain age. At this point, it smells and gets infected. To that i say: IF that is true, i know if i were a man, I'd choose having to live with that for 5-10 years than living my whole life from a complications of circumcision. I realize a complication may not happen, but i also realize neither could the elderly infection/smell occur.

I want to like her and she wants to like me

So, i have this friend(more like a friend of a friend) and we kind of clash sometimes. We think the same way on many issues, but our approaches to everything is so different and sometimes it causes conflict. It is though, I want to like her and she wants to like me, but we just kind of can't come together. Who knows if that made any sense. LOL. I am better friends with people whom I totally disagree with on 50% of my parenting beliefs, yet her and I are probably more 90% in closeness. I would say that maybe we are too much alike, but then I think no because the friend we share in common is close in beliefs to us too. I don't know what it is. I can't pinpoint it and I bet she feels the same way. I have tons of respect for her and wish her nothing but the best, but i just don't see us ever being "tight" and "on paper" we should be.

Short, sweet, and might not make sense

Soooooooooooo...I told my husband that I really like his baseball and football teams a lot now. He asks me why and the reason made him laugh, but hey they make sense to me. Washington DC just started allowing same sex marriage , so GOOOOOO REDSKINS. And Maryland at the very least recognizes same sex marriage performed legally elsewhere. So, GOOOOOOOOOOO Baltimore Orioles.

Yeah...i'm that annoying intactivst

Soooooooo...I've been called overbearing in this area and I'm sure I am, but i don't find that is a bad thing. My oldest son is circumcised and it was the biggest mistake I've ever made as a parent. He had reattachment issues and bled quite badly. He is now 4.5 and still occasionally complains of his penis hurting. I worry that this will effect his sex life as an adult and it possibly could. I did not look into the "benefit"/risk scenario before circumcising. I mean why would I...that is just what you did, it was for the best, like breastfeeding is. Doctors made me sign a consent, but the consent really only mentioned "normal" complications from surgeries in general. Nowhere was it listed the complications that only happen from circumcision...like reattachment. And then many doctors after the fact, make reattachment like no big deal. Yeah tell that to my baby bleeding from his penis after you "detached" it. I was in denial of the first year of his life. If anyone mention circumcision, i supported it, because by not would be admitting my mistake. And this was no simple mistake, it was a HUGE one. Finally, i admitted to myself what i had allowed to happen to my little baby. IT was gut wrenching and traumatizing for me, but I'm sure it was way more traumatizing to my son. SO, my goal is to educate people. I know i may only change 1 in 100 people's mind on circumcision, but that is 1 baby saved. Saved from possibly even death. Yes, rare, but it HAPPENS. I've been told well all surgery involve risks. And yes that is true, but pretty much all other surgeries on children will improve their quality of life or SAVE their life, while circumcision does neither of these. So, to have your child die from something that would not have help him in the least bit, well that is just incomparable. I also get the myths thrown around about how it is cleaner and all that BS...seriously, people!!!!!! I give medical stats, after medical stats, and of course most of the time it does nothing. 80% of the world is intact . We in American just have this overwhelming urge to operate on a child for really no good reason...Health organizations have not recommended routine infant circumcision for years. UMMMMMMM...wonder why? Oh, that is right, because it isn't necessary. The fact that doctors themselves still recommend or perform it is what is really baffling though. I truly think some of it stems from the fact that: then they as person would have to admit they were cut for no reason or they cut their boys for NO REASON... of course that is just my opinion. The on call pediatrician when i had my second son (who is intact, thank you very much) asked if we were circumcising. I said...no and he started listing "benefits" and i said to him. Why would i have you or my OB perform a procedure YOUR OWN ACADEMY doesn't recommend. Yeah, that shut him up. What could he say. Well, that is it for now...I will back to annoy more later.

Video of a circumcision(no this isn't to freak out parents or put fear into them, but to realize what is involved in the procedure)
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/163488/562046

Love this for scriptures. I have had many non jewish friends say that their religion favors it. While it is catholic, it does pull quotes from the bible(so great for an Christian religion really)
http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org/

AAP policy on circumcision(and actually the AAP is the most "laxed" on circumcision as most other countries out right say "no don't do it" pretty much)
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics%3B103/3/686

Dr. sears-
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/t012000.asp

http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org/cac_main.htm


*may have to copy and paste links