Growing enrollment

SOMEONE SAID the plan to remodel Jackson High School is not a good one because enrollment is declining and classes below junior high are smaller. That's not true. I teach at a Jackson elementary school. We know what the enrollments are each year. Right now some of the biggest classes we've ever had are at the middle school and below. Enrollment is not declining. We are down by about 20 children in the whole district, but the classes coming up are bigger. Jackson High School is not equipped to handle some of the classes coming up, and something needs to be done.

Religion and war

I JUST learned that a major women's organization within the United Methodist Church believes that not only should we not take any action against Iraq, but it also believes we should lift all sanctions against Iraq as well. I don't understand how or why a religious group like this would get so involved in politics and to such an extent. What the group basically is saying is a country like Iraq should stockpile nuclear weapons and harbor fugitives and terrorists, and we shouldn't even support sanctions. Iraq is responsible for a lot of deaths in this country. They harbor fugitives who commit these horrible acts against people in our country. And we're supposed to do nothing?

Switch stations

THIS IS in regards to Mona Charen's column. If she's so offended by NPR, why does she listen to it? Maybe she should change to another radio station if she's that offended.

Change the laws

MY FAMILY has lost two people to drunken drivers. The problem isn't liquor. It lies with the inability of our judges and politicians to take a tough stand on offenders. I say to the membership of Lynwood Baptist Church and all churches: If you don't like the law, then lobby for a change. Go to your senators and representatives and let them know how you feel. Say no to attorneys, prosecutors and judges who accept plea bargains on DWIs. People should not have to die at the hand of the drunken driver. Enough is enough.

It didn't work

A LETTER writer asks, "What if society would do to the liquor industry what it has done to the tobacco industry?" Society did just that -- and then some. It was called prohibition. It didn't work.

Too much clean fun

KABOOM WAS closed because adults refused to believe that youths could have that much clean fun.

Out of touch

IF THOSE at the top of the hierarchy of all the churches mentioned in Speak Out have come out in opposition to a war against Iraq, then it merely illustrates the degree to which church leadership is out of touch with reality.

Going secular

IF THE Southeast Missourian continues to write that the religious impulse is alive and well, it might even be able to convince itself that we haven't succumbed to secularism.

Tackling telemarketing

FRAUDULENT telemarketing needs regulation? Come on, Southeast Missourian editorial staff. Quit putting the cart before the horse. First, we need to make some meaningful inroads against telemarketing. Period. Missouri's current supposed effort to regulate telemarketing seems little less than a sham.

Growing resistance

FRANCE, RUSSIA and China had to be coerced to sign onto the U.N. resolution for inspections. They do not believe that they have authorized the use of force without reconvening on the issue. World opinion is anything but in support of President Bush. There are protests occurring frequently. There is tremendous and growing resistance, both here and abroad. People will not stand for Pax Americana.

Attack confusion

I COULD scarcely believe a recent comment. Are there actually people who believe Saddam Hussein attacked the World Trade Center?

Still able to walk

AMEN TO the person who made the comment on handicapped parking spaces. It must be really easy for some of these people to get those tags to hang on their rearview mirror. A lot of the times they run to the store faster than I can. I do not park in the handicapped parking spaces and will not as long as I am able to walk. Maybe some of these other people should follow my example.

An insider's view

I LIVE in Colorado but often travel to Cape Girardeau on business. Can someone please explain to me why some of you are so anti-Arab? I've been refused service in some places and have even been verbally assaulted while jogging near the university. I'm an American who happens to have been born in Iraq. My family moved here when I was 3 years old. I've been educated in an Ivy League university and have served on various intelligence boards while in the U.S. Air Force. Iraq isn't a country that hates the United States. Its government and extremist populations do, but generally the citizenry does not. For the sake of the people of Iraq, their vicious dictator needs to be removed by force. Some members of my family have been tortured for not turning down their heads when Saddam Hussein's motorcade passed by. The potential war is not about oil. How do some people come to that conclusion? I hope this stirs some thought by those of you who are protesting against war. I've been to Iraq in the recent past, and the general population is crying out for someone to remove Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime.

Not a just war

I THINK you can be against abortion and go to war, but only under certain circumstances. Roman Catholics and other churches can support a just war, but this Iraq thing is not a just war by those standards. Many church groups have taken a stand against this war.

Don't judge hastily

THIS IS in response to the person complaining about people having handicapped tags. I used to think that many people were abusing this privilege. A couple years ago I was hit with MS, FMS and arthritis. I have a cane that I use at home. But when I find the energy to go out, I do not want to look handicapped. I want to make believe even for a short while that I am the same person I used to be. I want to try to live some kind of normal life. I used to be a very productive part of society in a professional capacity, but that was taken away from me. Thank goodness for my handicapped tag. If I didn't have it, I would almost never be able to go anywhere. Some days just a short walk from the parking lot is enough to keep me in bed for two or three days. There are many types of illnesses, and the majority of them cannot be seen. Be careful of how you judge people.

I AM a 22-year-old college student who has cancer. Some days I feel good, and others I feel really weak. I was at the mall one day and parked in a handicapped zone and walked into a store. People asked me all these questions about my physical ability. I don't want to be reminded about my disease, so I told them I had knee surgery. They said, "Well you are walking fine." I got agitated and told them I have cancer. You can't judge a book by its cover. So if you see a person walking from a handicapped parking spot, don't make assumptions.

Headed for depression

WHEN THE phrase "spending reform" has appeared in past Southeast Missourian editorials, it has usually been a euphemism for taking the ax to non-defense federal spending. Now, however, the editorial staff seems to realize that the only way Republicans can stay in power is to try to hold down the degree of growth in government spending. Thus, the Republican movement away from any and all attempts to balance the federal budget will result in stratospheric deficits and lead to another depression. It will make the Great Depression seem like the good old days.

Taxpayers will lose

A SOURCE quoted in a Southeast Missourian story on the proposal to use TIF to build an upscale subdivision might lead one to believe it won't be realized. The reason appears to be that the public schools and the developers have irreconcilable differences. Don't believe it for a minute. The seeming logjam will someday be broken, and taxpayers will be the losers.

Promoting safety

THERE'S NOTHING wrong with a policeman being on TV in his uniform promoting safety. The policeman did this on his own time, not at the taxpayers' expense. I commend any law officer or fireman who talks about safety and the issues of safety and how you can correct things in a safe way. That's what makes all of us safer on the roads. I think that the person who complained in Speak Out was totally out of line.