Speak Out 2/15/10

Need groceries

WOULD the person that took the groceries at Food Giant in Cape Girardeau Monday evening please return them to the store. They are for someone in real need.

Thanks for help

I'D like to send a special thank you to Joe and Ralph of New Hamburg who cleared the side streets and driveways after the recent snow. Thanks also to the men who cleaned the church parking lot. You are appreciated. Many thanks from our little community.

Prizewinning photos

I want to compliment Fred Lynch with Tuesday's front page picture of the River Campus Park and bridge in the background, and the sports photo of the Scott City and Delta girls basketball game. All of his pictures would win a prize and -- I am not his mother.

Praise for crews

I'D like to compliment the Cape Girardeau street workers. We've had two snows so far this year, and I think they've done a good job in getting the streets cleaned. This is for the guys who are out in the freezing rain and snow all hours of the night making it safer for us to go to work. Congratulations, guys, you have done a good job this year. Keep up the good work.

Losing freedoms

MY father fought in World War II and my grandfather in World War I so we could have our freedom. But it seems like there's a small group that wants to take our freedom away from us, and we're letting them do it. There are those who don't want prayers in school. Now there's a group that doesn't like smoking. If you don't like smoking, don't go to the bars. Stay home or go somewhere where smoking isn't allowed. It's your choice. Why should I have to change my choice because you don't like the situation you're in?

Poverty and meth

THE problem in the Bootheel with meth is not the mamas working. Mamas work in plenty of other parts of the country that don't have meth problems. The problem is the poverty. There doesn't seem to be enough jobs. When you don't have jobs, it's easy to go the drug route.

All the answers

I have been reading with amusement the articles about Fox News cutting away from President Obama when he had all the answers at a meeting of Republicans. Give me a break. He has been in office for over a year and has not delivered on any of his promises. He had a supermajority of Democrats in Congress and still couldn't get anything passed. Now the whiners are saying that Obama has all the answers for the Republicans and Fox News didn't show it. I guess the next thing will be said that George Bush was watching and called Fox and told them to cut away since they blame everything on the former president. When is the left going to realize that more and more people see through Obama's agenda, and they don't like it.

Don't judge

IN response to the story "Two SEMO players charged in off-campus Cape assault have records": Even though these students made a serious decision that will affect the future of everyone involved, I would hope that anyone judging would take a minute to remember some of the regrets they have. Everyone has someone they love who has made a decision they wish they had not. These boys will face the music. But judging them without knowing all the facts is hypocritical.

Palin fan

GOD bless Sarah Palin and her efforts. She gives me hope that there are other citizens out there who are proud to be American, proud to be Christian, want less government and can take care of themselves. Maybe we aren't in the minority after all.

Stolen bike

SOMEONE came on my property and stole my bike. I was upset because this person chose to invade my privacy. I realize it could have been much worse, but that does not make it right. I have lived in this complex for four years and felt safe, but not now.

Good ideas

THERE is a new grassroots website called "Contract from America" that lists ideas to improve our federal government. You can submit ideas like "term limits" and then people can debate and rate the different ideas. The highest rated idea today is to implement the FairTax. You need to join in the discussion and find new ideas to improve government. Maybe the people can think of ways to get out of our current mess.

Who cares?

PATRICK Naeger's vicious verbal excess excoriating state Sen. Jason Crowell for not sponsoring him for appointment to some state board was inversely proportional to the degree to which the general public cares.

Me-me attitude

REGARDING the article about Patrick Naeger fussing about not being reappointed for the health care board: I feel sorry for Jason Crowell having to put up with this me-me attitude.

Merit finalists

CONGRATULATIONS to Central High School and its three National Merit finalists: Nina Scheibe, Josh Wen and Janna Trautwein. CHS is the only high school -- public, parochial or private -- south of St. Louis and north of Memphis that can say it has three National Merit finalists. I challenge every media source in the area to publicize their successes. The students' successes are not only attributed to the their personal work ethics and aptitude, but also to their parents' support at home and their teachers' efforts from kindergarten through high school. Way to go, Tigers. Let's spread some positive news for a change.

Street repairs

CAPE Girardeau is letting the streets go to ruins. It is like driving through a bomb range. If the city would repair streets the correct way instead of using cold mix all year long, we would not have these problems.

Bad joke

WHO does Gary Rust think he is kidding? For him to lament that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is biased for publishing a picture of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder with former House speaker Rod Jetton is way beyond the pot calling the kettle black. We in Southeast Missouri are forced to go to the Internet to obtain any kind of objectivity because the Southeast Missourian has set new standards when it comes to flagrant bias. With the likes of David Limbaugh and Michael Jenson constantly repeating the same old stale conservative rhetoric, how dare anyone at the Southeast Missourian raise the issue of bias? What a bad joke.

Homeless pressure

CAPE'S (hasty?) efforts to show empathy and compassion for the homeless are in no way related to the ongoing pressure on the community from the Rev. Larry Rice.

Ethical problems

GARY Rust recently used the phrase "political problems" to describe the current state of one-time speaker of the Missouri House, Rod Jetton. Perhaps Jetton's problems will have political consequences, but I think it would have been more accurate to use as a phrase referring to Jetton's current status as "ethical" or "ethical/legal" problems.

Flying the flag

THIS is a request for help in getting U.S. and Missouri flags for the Marquette Tower in downtown Cape Girardeau. This building houses offices for various departments of the state, yet it does not fly the flags of our nation or state. After alerting the building's representatives several months ago, we were told the building is privately owned and is not required to provide nor fly flags. It is unimaginable that a building our community that identifies with the government chooses not fly our flags. But it is unforgivable that our flags are not flown at half-staff in honor our fallen Missouri heroes.

Adult problem

THE person who blamed parents of teenagers for Missouri's high meth production rate should pay attention to police reports. Those arrested in meth busts are almost always adults, some in their 40s and 50s. Missouri's meth labs are not due to mothers or fathers who fail to supervise teens.

Wing-nutty

SO Michael Devaney ("Most cultural conservatives are not 'wing nuts'") would have us believe that only those out on the left wing are nuts, while those equally far out to the right are mainstream. And he alleges that bad lending practices were the result of bicoastal lefty radicalism. This kind of intemperate broadside looks pretty wing-nutty to me.