SPEAKOUT

Concern about teen drug use

I AM a parent of teen-agers and am very concerned about the easy availability of drugs in the community. Is there some organization that parents can go to to look for answers to find out what to look for in your children if they may be experimenting with drugs, how to find out if the friends they're running around with are involved with drugs? There has to be some sort of education for parents. It seems like the teen-agers know everything, know how to get drugs, know who all the drug people, but they won't tell because they're afraid of being hurt. One story I heard was that if you tell, you end up in the hospital. There has to be a stop to this, and the parents have to come together on this and be educated and work together. If there's any resources out there, could you please print them in your paper?

REPLY: Local law enforcement agencies are the best place to start. They are familiar with the local drug scene and are aware of what types of drugs are being sold and used. In addition, information from concerned parents can help the police in their investigations of drug crimes, leading to more arrests.

Mowing during the game

THIS CALL is to the Cardinal baseball fan who would like people to check their schedules before mowing their lawn. Excuse me, but I'm a full-time student, I work part-time and am also a single mother of two. My free time to do my housework and yard work is limited, and I'm not going to check the television schedule before I mow. Respect and dignity would be to not mow your lawn at 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning, to not use your flood lights to mow at 11 o'clock at night. What about the soap opera addicts? Are you going to check your schedule to make sure that you're not cutting into their time? Get real. Get a life.

A rush-hour story

AVOID THE Cape on a rush. My wife and I are retired and are in our 70s and try to avoid the Cape rush hour traffic. However, we took too long to shop and encountered a tailgater on Bloomfield Road to the stop sign at Silver Springs Road. The traffic was heavy, and an approaching school bus began flashing the yellow lights which I thought was the warning signal to stop at the stop sign at Silver Springs Road. I was still being tailgated and also distracted because a person was at his mailbox when the bus driver raised the stop sign. I did not endanger anyone's life, but was the victim of needlessly being caught in rush hour traffic.

Parents, get informed

PARENTS, LISTEN up. Our kids live in a vastly complicated world. My 13-year-old went to a party at the home of a very respectful family. The parents were supervising. By all accounts, it was a very nice party. Yet, there was a kid offering pills to the other kids. We have to educate our kids, folks. Telling them it's bad for you won't do it, and you'll be grounded is not enough. If you don't know the difference between cocaine and crack cocaine, find out. Find out the different ways it can be ingested and tell your kids. Find out what ingredients make up methamphetamines. Discuss them with your kids. It's not just speed. Marijuana is often sprayed with other chemicals to enhance an inferior product. Investigate this. It's not simply pot. With libraries and the Internet at our fingertips, educating our kids and ourselves is a must. Also, if you take medication, keep track of it or it may find it's way into teen-age hands. Ultimately, the decision rests to our kids. We owe it to them to provide information that is reliable.

Learn about police in schools

I'VE RECENTLY read a few callers complaining about the proposed officer in the school program. Without knowledge of what the program consists of, I can see where some people will question the need. Some are already putting blame on lack of strong administrators. There needs to be non-disruptive students and more responsible parents of this type of student. I worked in law enforcement in a city with four high schools. We were able to put a school resource officer in each high school in the district. This helped the school, the administration, the students and many parents. There was a gain in respect for students and the police by having this program. Learn more about it before condemning it.

Good idea not to mow during game

ALLOW ME to praise the caller who advised neighbors to schedule their yard mowing whenever the Cardinals are not being televised. It sickens me at 7 p.m. to start to relax and in the first inning, here comes a racket sounding like a Los Angeles bank robbery. Leave work early so you are done mowing by Cardinal game time.

More supervision needed

WITH REFERENCE to conduct of students at schools and on buses: I was helping my disabled brother using a walker cross the street. Several people stopped and patiently waited. and I thank them very kindly. However, when a school bus came by, several children leaned out of the windows and yelled, "Hey, cripple." One young man even threw a ping-pong ball and hit my one-legged brother. Makes you wonder what kind of supervision they get at home. Yes, we need more supervision on buses, and if young people in school act the same way, they need more supervision there also.

Thanks for assistance

THANK YOU to all the nice people at SEMO, Cape Central and Notre Dame who provided me assistance during this past basketball season.

Elderly have dignity too

I WAS amazed to hear a woman praise a elderly woman when she helped her in bad weather while getting her baby and other things from her car at the Jackson Library. After praising her for her help, she then insulted her and the older people by insinuating that older people had the mentality of wanting everyone to help them because they're old. Most older people take time to help those in need and also volunteer their time when and where needed. This may have been a slip of the tongue in her Speak Out comment. I hope so. We older people really don't think others should be out there helping us. We have dignity too. Everyone should help everyone.

Build it near interstate

ABOUT THE federal building. I still believe that they need to build it outside of Cape like on the interstate. I know they say they have to build it inside a city, but to be on the safe side, I think it would better be served on the outside of Cape for safety factors.

Column on cloning

I JUST read Peggy O'Farrell's column on whom to clone. I'm still laughing about it. I love the way she creates another Martha Stewart. It's a good thing.

Not an important issue

I'M CALLING in regards to the things I see on TV concerning the fund raising that the Democratic Party did while they were running for re-election. Why don't the Republicans get a life? The election is over. Concentrate on more important things than who gave what money to what cause for the Democratic Party. I think the people in this country are sick and tired of hearing all this backbiting. Get on with the things at hand that are important to the everyday person. This is not important. It is not an important issue.

TBY articles are enjoyed

I JUST wanted to say that I enjoy so much the TBY writers in the section of the paper. I always turn to the article written by Ron Farrow "Written from the heart." I enjoy it so much.

Smoking in restaurants

THIS IS in response to the person who called in complaining about smoking in the restaurant. People who smoke wish other people didn't have to smell their smoke. It's not something you choose to do, but we do have rights too. We pay money at the register just like other people too. If it really bothers you that much, patronize a restaurant that is non-smoking entirely, because there are plenty of them around.

A strange situation

WHAT DO they think they're doing when they're going try to clone people? Can you imagine a little kid coming to you and saying, "Where's my parents?" and you have to say to them, "Oh, you don't have any parents, you're a clone." What are we becoming?