A teaching column

I AM surprised that David Limbaugh would devote an entire column to Christopher Hitchins. He seems to assume that the average Southeast Missouri resident knows of Hitchins, which I doubt. I would suggest that Limbaugh write many more columns addressing Hitchins in order to educate the average Wal-Mart shoppers in Southeast Missouri about Hitchins' philosophy.

Reasons to invade

I KEEP hearing people mention Iraq didn't have anything to do with 9-11. Whether it did or not is not important to me and shouldn't be to other people. Iraq did not live up to its major promises made in a peace agreement to get out of Kuwait. Iraq evidently had weapons of mass destruction to start with but either destroyed them or hid them.

Justifying drinking

I AM 50-plus years old. I got drunk one time in my life, and I'll never do it again. I have never used illegal drugs. A recent comment said everyone gets drunk or high. Parents who allow underage drinking in their homes and justify it by saying they can keep an eye on the children have fried a few brain cells themselves.

Behind bars

YOU DID a fantastic job, SEMO Drug Task Force, by putting your lives on the line to catch these people. I can only pray that the judges will follow up with harsh sentences. The only thing between these people and using and dealing again are bars.

Loving others

WHEN THE illegals are working, they have to present some form of papers. Social Security taxes are being taken out of the money they're earning, so I feel they should be paid Social Security benefits if they paid into the system. I feel our Social Security system can handle anything as long as the people who are working are paying into it. It's sad times we live in when everybody seems to be so self-centered and self-involved that you don't love others and try to love those who are different than you.

European illegals

EUROPEANS ARE here illegally too. I lived in Cincinnati. One of my friend's best friends was German who was here illegally. Just because they happen to be across the border in Kentucky doesn't change things.

Affecting minds

REMEMBER WHEN they took the "Three Stooges" off TV because children were mimicking them and were afraid they would get hurt? Now they're telling us that these horrific video games have no adverse effects on their behavior.

Muy loco

I GOT up Memorial Day morning, slipped into my Mexican-made Levis, put on my Peruvian-made T-shirt along with my Cambodian-made sandals and drove out to Memorial Park in my Korean-made car. When I arrived, I looked around at all the veterans who had suffered the horrors of war and remembered their fallen comrades. So I placed my hand upon my heart and saluted the American flag made in communist China and whispered to the fellow next to me, "Isn't America great?" He said, "No comprende, amigo."

Mowing in parks

THE MEMORIAL Day service at the Cape Girardeau Capaha Park was an outstanding event. However, the event could have been better if the city had mowed the property. And 20 percent of the lights in the bandshell were out. Why the city wouldn't have the property properly prepared is kind of bewildering. The municipal band will begin playing Wednesday nights. It would be nice if the city could mow the property a day or two or the day of the event.

Deadbeat who?

IF A father is a deadbeat dad for not providing financially for his children, what would you call a mother not providing financially for her children? Not only providing financially for children but sucking the system dry through welfare and food stamps. Sounds like an extremely deadbeat mother to me.

Worst enemy

THE SYSTEM'S worst enemy is itself. If you take a child away from its father and give little visitation, then place them in government housing on welfare and food stamps with nothing to do or no hope of that situation, then who is to blame for the dropouts of school, teen pregnancy, crimes or drug usage? The system. Try giving teenagers more time with their fathers with more structure than the mothers.

Prayer problems

GARY RUST'S May 29 column titled "God's answer" is right on the mark." It's amazing to me that people will want to search for answers as to what's wrong with out school system and will fail to see the connection. Every year since prayer has been banned in school, these problems have gotten worse. In spite of these facts, there will be misguided, ignorant, foolish people who would argue that there are some other problem and try to throw solutions that don't work.

Making choices

IF SOMEONE chooses to break the law and then makes the choice to run away, if they crash in the process of being apprehended by the authorities, the only blame there is on the person who made these choices.

Better jobs

MAYOR JAY Knudtson needs to focus on bringing technology-based jobs to Cape Girardeau. We need jobs that pay real wages. Hotels don't pay squat.

Strict judges

WITH THE new regulations on our waterways, it will mean a lot more time and work for all involved. Citing offenders is only half the program. Where are the strict judges who were on the bench when I was a child?