I grew up in a military family. I knew with certainty that there was always a risk my father might not come home from an assignment. Today that means either parent involved in combat might not be there. It is a part of serving our nation when a person enlists in service. These soldiers should not be used as cannon fodder for the economic gain of corporations. In the Mid-East conflicts especially at the start our troops were never given adequate protection such as flack vests or reinforced vehicles. That didn’t happen until there was a public outcry.

Maybe the better question is why are we wasting our troops at all if this is a war for overseas resources? If we are truly an educated society why aren’t we sitting down at the negotiating table first? I agree with Dona to a large extent but will go one step further and say that those who want war and vote for it should be prepared to sacrifice themselves and their families first. Most wars today are economic and if you look at who is benefiting it is usually those in charge or those who will manage the resources from the conflict. A good many of them are the people in the ammunition or construction industries who have paid lobbyists in Congress.

We have lived in small towns throughout the Southeast because of my husband’s career. In every place we lived we made lifelong friendships. These are places where neighbors greet each other by name and bring cuttings from their gardens to enhance your yard. Clerks at the grocery store and bank call you by name. No we didn’t have a mall but we had mom and pop stores with play areas for our kids. We were genuinely sorry to leave each time we were moved to a new location.

Elizabeth Edwards has my deepest sympathy because she is married to a hypocrite. Her husband denied having an affair until it was out in the open. Then he denied having fathered a child using an aide for a cover story. He was in no way entrapped into an affair. He was more intent on blame than shouldering responsibility for his own actions.

As I said earlier in response to LC Rielle Hunter never sought publicity from this affair not did she cash in when she could have raked in millions from tabloids and talk shows. That is certainly a mark of discretion and maturity. She is raising a child alone with all the dignity she can muster under the given situation. She is paying dearly for any mistakes that she made earlier in her life and will be for years to come.

Whatever happened to he who has never sinned cast the first stone? History is full of women that were used and abused by powerful men I truly do feel for Elizabeth Edwards because she was a pawn in John’s bid for the presidency. If he honestly cared for his wife he would have kept her out of the spotlight and been there to help her heal.

I also contend that Rielle Hunter had to have some encouragement to go along with John Edwards because affairs do not happen in a vacuum. To Rielle’s credit she has never once flaunted the affair or her child for publicity. She has been discreet even when offered millions for disclosure. That is not the mark of a calculating woman.