For those who have participated in the Dear Abby letters to servicement in the past, and those who wanted to participate this year, even though the service has been cancelled due to the anthrax mail scare, you can still send a serviceman a letter. Go to www.lifelines2000.org and click on "Message to Any Serviceman." It should be in the upper left of your screen. When you're out there all alone, away from home, even an electronic message is like a small slice of heaven.

-- public servant (anonymous@not.there), December 04, 2001

Answers

Unlike yourself, I will give my name and address. What, exactly, are you fearing here, Abby? I will also say, after 25 years in the military, that "Abby" is not the vehicle of choice. She is an opinionated (like most of us) screaming liberal. Our Armed Forces members are not. You are still living in the Clinton era, public nuisance!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), December 04, 2001.

Hi Brad;

I agree that if you're going to post here... DO IT and use your real name and address. It's amazing to be talking about the wonderful job our troops are doing and how we should show them our support but hide behind the curtain of anonymity. A coward dies a hundred deaths.. a brave man dies but once.

As a former possession of Uncle Sam ( USAFSS-Russian) I came to understand two important realities. One is that most if not all GIs are conservatives ( they voted for GWya) and the Red Cross ain't what most people believe it is.

Ken

-- Ken in Maine (kenjan@nh.adelphia.net), December 04, 2001.

I did not post the thread.

This is my real addy.

These are my real feelings.

However you may feel about the false name, please remember that trolls have been everywhere lately - I've even been cyber-wounded.

AND people, focus now, the information is REAL. I've been to the site. Go there, read the messages sent by genuine kind and loving citizens of this country to the brave military personnel putting their butts on the line so you can vent in this forum.

Then wipe the tears from your eyes and take part in a truly unique forum that brings people all over the world together to support every service member during this season at a time when they would surely rather be ANYWHERE but THERE.

Just my opinion of course.

May you and yours enjoy a blessed Christmas season Semper FI

-- Mick (CackleberryAcres@aol.com), December 04, 2001.

This post was about sending letters to our soldiers and sailors who are overseas defending our right to nit-pick about a lot of totally unimportant things like Dear Abby's political views.

Instead of complaining about others, why not write a letter to the servicemen and women who are away from home , many for the first time. If you have ever been in the military you know how important mail from home is. Now they can't even get that. It is not a picnic being in the military, but our support makes it a little easier.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), December 04, 2001.

To perhaps clarify this matter a little, it was not Dear Abby, Ann Landers or any other newspaper columnist who discontinued this program, but the federal government and the Armed Service branches. w They said they would not be setting up an address to receive mail for the service men and women serving our country during this war. I read it in the paper last week. It was some general they were quoting that they would not be doing this during this time. I guess normally all the letters are sent to a few main collection points, but due to anthrax and other potential troubles, they felt they didn't want to deal with it right now. I wish I had saved the article, but I always use my paper to start the wood fire.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 04, 2001.