Isn't it time that we stop making excuses for people like the daughter's parents? These people get to do horrible things in the name of religion and later when they regret it, were supposed to forgive them and be the bigger person. I say, to hell with them. Some things are just inexcusible and inflicting psychological damage to your child in the name of God is one of them.

There are two sides to the religious freedom coin, to be tolerated and to tolerate others. Fundamentalist christians are hateful, ignorant people and should be shunned by society.

Cary's advice was right on the money in this case.

Thanks to "a majority viewpoint" for serving as a perfect example of my letter below!

Is W really incompetent? Its tempting to think he is someone in a job that he is not capable of doing correctly, that he is out of his depth. That explanation fits with his general inability to speak in public and the liberal characterization of him as a clueless dumb-ass.

However, I think the situation is actually worse than that. I think he is not incompetent, just wrong. He knew what he was doing when he got us involved in Iraq and he knew what the consequences were. He knew it would be a quagmire. He knew all of that and he still went ahead with his plan. Furthermore, he lied in order to get everyone to go along with him and his neocon buddies.

Why did he do this? He did it because the warped geopolitical view of the neocons said that it should be done. They believe that a democracy must be established in the middle-east, no matter what the cost.

I think we liberals need to stop characterizing W as simply incompetent. Instead, we need to point out that the invasion of Iraq was planned from day one of the administration, that W lied to get us involved, and that the administration knew that it would be a quagmire.

I am completely in favor of you quitting your soul crushing job and finding something more meaningful to do with your life. However, I don't see any indication of what you'd want to do instead.

You need to figure out what your plan is before you quit. Are you leaning towards artistic endeavors (art, writing, music)? Do you want to start a small business? If you quit, what would you do with your time?

Does the answer to the above question require that you quit your job? Is it possible to do something new and exciting and work at the same time? Can you take evening or weekend classes that would provide you with a creative, soulful outlet?

Many, many folks operate this way. They dutifully do their "day jobs" to pay the bills and put the food on the table and then they have other pursuits that provide inspiration and fulfillment. In any case, a part-time trial in your new profession will allow you to see if it’s right for you before quitting your job.

In modern American life, it’s easy to fall into a rut. You get up, get ready for the day, brave the morning commute, do the 9-5 job, come home, make dinner, do a few chores, and sit hypnotized in front of the TV for a few hours before going to bed. Your weekends are filled with yard work, house cleaning, and being a child chauffeur. Do this for 20 years, and you are going to end up feeling a tad soulless and depressed.

On the other hand, you don’t want to just through caution to the wind. Remember, you have your own future to consider. The power of financial security is not to be dismissed. Retirement is headed your way eventually and you don't want to be one of those debt-ridden baby-boomers with no retirement savings looking at spending your last twenty years on Earth working as a greeter at Walmart.

So, I suggest that you “look before you leap.” Try to find something you’d want to do before quitting the regular paycheck.

While being close friends with your neighbors is a nice “warm and fuzzy” thought, its not always a good idea. A few years ago we moved to a new city and were warmly greeted by a new neighbor, an outgoing, active elderly lady. Initially, we thought, "wow, what a nice person!" However, as time passed, we discovered that she was a nosey busybody and also an active member of the local Morman church. After several attempts at conversion and a few awkward conversation about rather personal issues in our lives, our relationship seems to have retreated to polite waving from across the yard.

Over the years, we've also lived next to wife beaters and other unpleasant sorts. Of course, we've also lived near some nice and kind people that are still our friends today.

While its probably a good idea to get know your neighbors on an acquaintance basis, there is no need to try to force something more. No one should feel compelled to form a deep friendship with someone just because they happened to buy a house next to them.

In the LW's case, the neighbor in question had plenty of family to take care of he. Maybe if she were alone, then something more would be required. The simple act of noting that she was sick, but being cared for by her family, was all that was required from an ethical standpoint.