It took me longer than usual to read the recent editorial about a vaccine for cervical cancer, because I could not get past the first paragraph. As a parent of three daughters and a teacher of high school girls, I can assure the editorial staff that parents of girls are every bit as much concerned about their career choices as parents of boys. I assume you did not intend to be sexist but your choice of words, "parents look forward to the future -- their boy's career, their little girl's wedding day," makes it seem so.

I agree with the recent letter concerning the condition of Del. 896 leading to and from Summit Bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has estimated it needs $8 million to completely overhaul that area of the highway. It's quite amazing that our government has millions to spend on creating a park all along the C&D Canal, yet can't seem to come up with $8 million to "loan" the Army Corps to get this job done. This road is a disgrace and has been in the same condition for well over three years now.

In a recent letter, the Rev. Barbara Gadon of the Wilmington Unitarian Church sharply criticizes the Federal Defense of Marriage amendment scheduled for an early Senate vote and blames it on "an administration desperate to divert attention" from other more important issues. How very wrong she is.

First, most states, with heavy popular support, have passed measures to define marriage as between men and women only, only to have non-elected, liberal judges shoot them down, thus thwarting the will of the people. Only an amendment to the U.S. Constitution would put this issue beyond the reach of these elitist judges, whom seem bound and determined to impose their own warped views on the people.

We are fighting to preserve our sacred and traditional view of marriage from those who would besmirch and trivialize it. Most assuredly we do not wish to follow the European societal model, with its disasterous consequences on families and morality.

I was reading a recent letter sent by a man in regard to public vs. private school education. He suggested that his grandson's education at Sanford School was better than a public school education because of hard math word problems and lots of homework.

As a public school educator who gives lots of homework and hard math problems, and as a union representative, I would like to address the comments. He stated that teachers unions are only concerned with benefits, seniority and pay.

We go to the union when we don't receive the classroom supplies we need; when we feel we are being treated unfairly; when we are not receiving the rights stipulated in our contracts.

Ask the teachers at Sanford if they would like to receive the backing of people who are not only colleagues but who look out for their best interests?

The most diverse population culturally and socioeconomically is in public schools. If the grandson attends college some day, he will be in class with diverse students. I hope he will be able to relate to them.

I have been reading about the Christina School District crisis for several weeks now. Mostly what I gather from the situation is that the people in charge made some serious financial mistakes and the district is now being bailed out because of it. As a former teacher at the now defunct Georgetown Charter School, I wonder why no one bailed us out. We had people in charge who made serious financial mistakes too. One big difference is the amount of money involved for GCS was nowhere near the amount of Christina's.

I keep reading about the poor teachers who may be out of jobs next year. We were out of jobs in the middle of the year. We never were paid for time that we had worked (lag pay) or for a full year of school. On the day our school closed, mid-March, our school closed. Students had to scramble to other schools and teachers lost benefits, pay and, most important, their jobs. So when I read today from yet another opinion letter about poor Christina, I just wonder why no one helped us.

Our country has a world of healing to do. Just as sad as Bobbie's story is thinking about the the children who have to grow up without a father or mother -- as well as the thousands of spouses, mothers and fathers and friends of loved ones who have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

As difficult as it is to live through the Bush administration's prosecution of the war against terrorism, Stephen and the more than 2,700 other American soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan will be judged someday as the "greatest, greatest generation of Americans."

For now, perhaps Bobbie and other mothers and fathers can find some solace in believing that our fallen soldiers are at peace in a place that does not know the horrors of war nor the sadness and pain of trying to live life here on earth without them -- and that they have given their lives for a just cause, a chance for freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

Recently I read and totally agreed with your editorial titled "Pay respect to soldier's funeral by ignoring distorted protesters." Especially relevant was the advice that "removal of the key element -- publicity -- severely undercut their effectiveness." You also write "giving them more attention only contributes to their distorted purpose." The next day on the front page of section B you published a two-column wide color photo of the distorted protesters and a 590 word story of their protests that took place during Marine Cpl. Cory Palmer's funeral service. Your newspaper provided exactly what these nitwit protesters are after, a forum to promote and publicize their hate mongering. If they didn't get radio, television, and newspaper coverage, I doubt they would continue to make these excursions in order to spread their despicable rhetoric and hatefulness.

I strongly disagree with Thomas Leitch's opinion that Memorial Day is the anti-Independence Day, a day to celebrate our dependence on armed service members who follow orders and who have died carrying them out. Mr. Leitch failed to note that today's armed services are entirely voluntary.

No one is required to join the armed services. Corporal Stephen McGowan did not just "do what he was told to do"; he chose his commitment to serve us all after much consideration and counsel from people who cared deeply for him.

I know for certain that Corporal McGowan was not the sort of man who could be made to do anything; he would choose to do only what he considered right and he passionately believed what he was doing in Iraq was for the good. His actions in service to his nation were definitely not those of a follower, as the article implied, but those of a leader.

Now I see not only the sacrifice of each individual soldier's precious life that should be remembered, but also the grievous loss and anguish of the parents, family and friends of each fallen soldier.

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