Speak Out 04/28/04

Student artists

MY CHILDREN attend Jackson schools. Last weekend was the annual district art show. The student work was wonderful. The high school art teacher's work was phenomenal. I had no idea that such talent was teaching our kids. Kudos to all the Jackson teachers as well as all the young artists.

All for the veterans

I JUST left the car and bike show out at the Missouri Veterans Home. Those people put on a wonderful show for our veterans and showed how much they appreciate their sacrifices they made for us. All the money went directly to the veterans. I want to tell you how much I appreciate their time and effort.

Fantastic shows

CAPE GIRARDEAU is so fortunate to have two high schools that perform comedies or dramas or anything that comes along that takes their fancy. The Central High School performance "South Pacific" was a fantastic experience. We are very fortunate in having Mrs. Bradshaw in our drama department at Central. Anyone that enjoys good musical comedy ought to take advantage of this next year. Also, coming up is Mr. Dumey's junior high show, "Aladdin." As everybody knows, he has a fantastic show for these young children who have tremendous talent every year. We ought to support that.

Ready for change

I'M CALLING about the Southeast Missouri State University mascot. I believe the change is a great idea. I'm a future Southeast student. It's obvious that the athletic department and all the teams have no representation in the form of a mascot. To be a Red Hawk or Red Wolf would be awesome. It would define who we are.

Pay jurors more

JUDGES EARN nice salaries. Attorneys also earn a lot of money. The court stenographer, reporter and bailiff all earn decent paychecks. But the juror, the person who gets called away from his employment, gets paid less than $2 an hour for an eight-hour day. Jurors should be paid at least minimum wage. To pay more to the jurors, charge higher court costs. For-profit attorneys, not the public defenders, should be charged $5,000 a year to try cases in each of the courts. Lawyers could afford this.

Teacher appreciation

OK, ENOUGH bragging about the school plays. Apparently every school around here can put on a school play. But the teachers who are serving every day are not getting the recognition they deserve. Perhaps it should be put in the newspaper when each school is having its teacher appreciation week so the parents might think about each teacher. If the notion hits them and they can afford it, they could buy a gift for teachers. A gift certificate to a restaurant would come in handy to a teacher who's worked hard all year.

Name is a memorial

KEEP THE Indian name. My people crossed the river up there. Thousands of them died on the Illinois side. The new bridge should have been named after them. You took everything away from them. Don't take their name. As a memorial to them, keep the Indian name.

Need storm sirens

TORNADO SEASON is again upon us and Cape Girardeau still has no alarm system. We citizens need to band together and stand firmly against any taxes the city wants until the city learns to listen to public opinion. One exception should be for firemen and policemen.

Mufflers too loud

WHY AREN'T the Cape Girardeau police enforcing the loud muffler laws? The violators are easy to identify, and the city could use the extra revenue. I have a new patio and can't enjoy it because of the trucks more than 10 blocks away on Kingshighway. What kind of people spend money to buy things just to harass other people?

Preserving the land

I'M NO golfer. I don't know a putter from a driver or a caddy from a golf tee, but I do know one thing: Whether it's a nine-hole golf course or an 18-hole golf course, I want another one in Cape Girardeau. If a golf course is there, it's open, beautiful grassland and there are trees. A golf course means you can't build houses, shopping centers or fast-food restaurants or pour asphalt. That's good enough for me. I don't care if it's a park, cemetery or golf course, I think it preserves God's land that he gave us. So bring it on.

Rewriting history

I READ in Speak Out where someone thinks it's time to change the Indians mascot name because Indians were murderers, rapists and thieves and shouldn't be glorified. There are and were good and bad in all society. We glorify cowboys. How do you think they made money? Thievery. How do you think they lived long enough to become heroes? Murder. Let's rewrite history and hang everyone.

Latin currency

DAVID Limbaugh needs to refresh his memory of the Latin on the back of the $1 bill. It says "Novus Ordo Seclorum." That means a new secular order. It does not read "Novus Ordo Religiosa," a new religious order. The issue is clear: separation of church an state.

Crime and punishment

A SPEAK Out caller asked, "How just is the death penalty?" I would ask that same person, "How just is the crime that created the death penalty?" People don't get the death penalty for not doing anything. They did something very bad.

Don't forget Hindus

A RECENT Speak Out article said we should teach both creation and evolution in school. But why stop there? Hindus have an idea how the earth was formed.

Better children's theater

AS AN institution of higher education, Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Theatre and Dance must offer instructional programming while providing entertainment. Every other year, director Dennis Seyer produces yet another poorly written, insipid children's play that neither educates nor entertains. Children's theater should not dumb down or talk down to its audiences with saccharine scripts of vapid, empty material. Our kids (and parents) are smarter than this and deserve much better. I suggest Seyer raise his bar a little bit and commit to some serious research (and some soul searching) about what our children and families really need. One has to look no further than the incredible work being produced at Coterie Theater in Kansas City, Mo., to get an idea of what is possible and what children's theater should and can be.