Submitted by anne russell (not verified) on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:42am.
Mike, my career-military relatives agree with you, and I do understand why you and they feel as you do. I have had a similar feeling when my former husband's childless current wife (#3; he's moved on to #4; I was #2) laid claim to my little daughter I nurtured in my womb and nursed at my breast, wife #3 presenting herself publicly as the "mother" of my child. I sent her a note saying when you have gone thru 9 months of pregnancy and childbirth, and suffered morning sickness, and can display your war wounds--varicose veins and hemorrhoids and stretch marks and flabby belly and less-than-perky breasts and bags under your eyes from lost sleep....THEN you can claim to be the mother of your own child. Until then, mine is mine and you do not have one.
Despite my empathy with you, fact is, protection of freedom of speech is the most important constitutional guarantee we have, and folks can, and do (witness the political campaigns), lie to enhance their images. These lies are actionable when they are used to commit bigamy (husbands frequently lie to "other women" and say they are not married, but only if they marry 2 wives at same time is this illegal), obtain $ via fraud, etc.. Otherwise, insecure and dishonest people may lie through their teeth, and the shame is on them, and we must learn to be discerning.
stolen valor
Mike, my career-military relatives agree with you, and I do understand why you and they feel as you do. I have had a similar feeling when my former husband's childless current wife (#3; he's moved on to #4; I was #2) laid claim to my little daughter I nurtured in my womb and nursed at my breast, wife #3 presenting herself publicly as the "mother" of my child. I sent her a note saying when you have gone thru 9 months of pregnancy and childbirth, and suffered morning sickness, and can display your war wounds--varicose veins and hemorrhoids and stretch marks and flabby belly and less-than-perky breasts and bags under your eyes from lost sleep....THEN you can claim to be the mother of your own child. Until then, mine is mine and you do not have one.
Despite my empathy with you, fact is, protection of freedom of speech is the most important constitutional guarantee we have, and folks can, and do (witness the political campaigns), lie to enhance their images. These lies are actionable when they are used to commit bigamy (husbands frequently lie to "other women" and say they are not married, but only if they marry 2 wives at same time is this illegal), obtain $ via fraud, etc.. Otherwise, insecure and dishonest people may lie through their teeth, and the shame is on them, and we must learn to be discerning.