Speak Out A 10/30/01

Informed Democrat

WRONG. HERE is one Democrat who was reared by Republicans. I know very well why I am a Democrat, thank you.

Getting certified

THIS IS in response to the comment "Teaching teachers." I am a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor of science degree in child development. I enjoy working with young children and would like to receive early childhood certification. However, I have yet to find a way to work full-time during the day and still get certification. I would be very interested in hearing from the person who had his attendance at education courses waived while pursuing teacher certification.

Pure blathering

BRAD FOWLER somewhat angrily pointed out that Matthew Banks spoke at SEMO asserting that the terrorist attacks were motivated by a lack of a Palestinian state in the Middle East. I was likely as upset as Fowler and would characterize Banks' blathering as pure and unadulterated bull and baloney. Creating a Palestinian state and wiping Israel off the face of the earth would not deter the likes of the devilish Osama bin Laden and other like-minded terrorists who would, if not stopped, establish a worldwide, fascist-style, fundamentalist, Islamic, theocratic dictatorship.

It's his decision

TALK ABOUT a control freak. D.J. Dawson thought it was a despicable and dastardly deed for philanthropist Don Bedell to make a donation to the River Campus, thus spending the money the way he saw fit. I assume Dawson deems that he is better suited and more deserving of deciding how to spend Bedell's money. I understand the potential benefit of publicly trying to ingratiate oneself with Jim Drury, but this is ridiculous.

Cutting edge

SOMEONE SEEMED surprised that they first knew of a boil water alert in Scott City by reading about it in Speak Out. Frankly, I'm surprised that the caller is apparently not yet aware that Speak Out is on the cutting edge of breaking news.

No county flu shots

HOW COME if you live in Cape Girardeau County you cannot get a flu shot at the county health department? Everybody else can get one. Don't we count?

Dangerous situation

IS ANYONE as frustrated as I am about trying to get home from work? When you live in Delta, you have to come through Dutchtown. What normally takes me 25 minutes took me an hour and 10 minutes on Friday. The traffic was backed up from the Dutchtown stop sign all the way up Highway 74 to Bloomfield Road. It's only going to get worse. This is all due to the construction on I-55. There is going to be a serious accident at Dutchtown if a traffic light isn't put there soon. I've already seen road rage.

Good distinction

A SPEAK Out caller filled with religiosity socked it to homosexuality in hard-hitting fashion. He said in part that homosexuality "is not acceptable to God and it is not acceptable to me." I was somewhat relieved to read that the caller at least sees a distinction between himself and the Deity.

Potential quagmire

ALAS. DAVID Limbaugh favors Colin Powell's coalition building and a multilateral approach to toppling international terrorism. Phooey. The United States does not need the support of so-called moderate Muslim nations. Limbaugh is correct when he claims this is not a holy war. But it's a war nevertheless. The United States is fully capable of going it alone or in concert with our western allies. If we pander to Pakistan, suck up to Saudi Arabia and try to ingratiate ourselves with Indonesia, this conflict could become what I heard mentioned on the news the other night, the most dreaded of words: a quagmire.

Who's in charge?

THERE ARE so many conflicting stories coming out of Washington. Is anyone in charge there?

Holiday spirit

THAT'S THE spirit. The hands-down winner of the best Halloween decoration goes to those who have graced their yard with pumpkins positioned as buttocks and an accompanying and appropriate message for Osama bin Laden.

Double-duty sports

ST. LOUIS should have an NBA team, as a Speak Out caller suggested. State Sen. Peter Kinder needs to get on the stick and take on the added responsibility of single-handedly providing us with a pro basketball team while saving the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

Support for Liesl

YOUR EXCELLENT piece on the lovely and vivacious Liesl Schoenberger, her well-honed violin skills, strong values and interest and participation in the religious and secular life was heartwarming. Liesl still has worlds to conquer. I know it means a lot to her to have the strong and ongoing support of her immediate, extended, school, church and larger community family. Good luck, Liesl.

Weightless winners

AS A former Central High School athlete, I was fortunate enough to have played on a state championship team. I am doubly proud to say that neither I nor any of my teammates worked out with weights.

Unintended results

IT WOULD drive Osama bin Laden nuts, suggested a Speak Out caller, if Afghans wore "God Bless America" T-shirts. The caller's comment is predicated on the suspected proposition that bin Laden is sane. It might also have the tragic effect of driving many Afghans to an early grave.

Not the same

TO SAY that something "is not acceptable to God, and it is not acceptable to me" is quite a presumptuous, broad statement. Are you and God one? You may think so, but I don't.

That will do it

THANK YOU for the Southeast Missourian editorial encouraging us not to succumb to fear in the war against terror. I think it will help to restore calm and was a very good counterbalance to the front-page headline, "Mail safety can't be guaranteed" appearing the previous day.

Ready to run again?

KUDOS TO the incomparable Richard Kline of Gypsy, Mo., who recently wrote a riposte that can only be described as a verbal jihad against the airline industry. Kline, one-time congressional and gubernatorial candidate, berated the industry for alleged ineptness and chastised Congress unmercifully for extending it a helping hand. One can only hope that his letter was an opening salvo for what will be another run for office.

Dry-campus issue

SEMO HAS bigger problems than parking, drag shows and River Campus funding. It is in conflict with its own policies. If SEMO is a dry campus and students get cited into court for drinking on campus or in a dorm, why is it OK for fans to tailgate at Houck Stadium? Also, why is the university providing the beer?

Police priorities

I HAVE to agree with the young student when he talks about " selective enforcement." I am a 48-year-old male citizen of Cape Girardeau, and his statement is true. All one needs to do is read the Southeast Missourian and see that our police officers are spending more time pulling people over for taillight or equipment problems and then using it as an excuse to search vehicles. Let's get busy, Cape Girardeau Police Department, and do your job, which is to protect and to serve, not to generate revenue by student profiling. There are several more pressing problems in our city besides a few young people who may or may not be smoking pot. And it would help if you kept your guns out of parked and unmanned vehicles as well.