OpinionJune 11, 2009
Speak Out 6/11/09
Our many gods; Park and learn; Golf warning; NAACP's opinion; Lavish praise; Restoring respect
Our many gods
WE today worship more gods than did the ancient Greeks and Romans. Some of us worship a god who condones abortion, some a god who condemns abortion. Some of us worship a god who condones homosexuality, some a god who condemns homosexuality. Some of us worship a god who condones drinking alcoholic beverages, some a god who condemns the drinking of alcoholic beverages. And the list goes on and on. The heavens are more crowded today with our gods than were the heavens and Mount Olympus during the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Park and learn
REGARDING the idea of using the old federal building for a college. Proponents will have to come up with a parking solution.
Golf warning
JOE Sullivan keeps pushing the envelope. He recently wrote that our statutory laws are not absolute and are subject to interpretation. If he takes another step and soon writes that our moral code is often subject to a particular situation and frequently relative in nature, poor Joe will be tarred and feathered, sent packing and not be around to host the event he started from scratch and catapulted into statewide, national and international significance. Of course, I speak of Cape Girardeau's now seminal event: the annual downtown golf tournament.
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NAACP's opinion
JON Rust: In congratulating the political establishment for preventing the use of the old federal building for a homeless shelter, was it really necessary to drag the local NAACP into this, indirectly accuse it of drinking the Larry Rice Kool-Aid and knocking it for lacking the vibrancy and positive stance you want to see from the organization? That was overkill and counterproductive to building bridges between groups. The NAACP is entitled to its opinion, as are other groups and individuals. Because its opinion was different from yours did not require characterizing the members as being gullible to what you thought was Larry Rice's demagoguery.
Lavish praise
APPARENTLY, Jon Rust thinks the bipartisan effort of Sen. Kit Bond, Sen. Claire McCaskill and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson to kill off the homeless shelter in the old federal building is the epitome of good government. Whatever. Will Rust lavish praise on these same folks if there turns out to be similar bipartisan cooperation on matters of real national and international significance: supporting universal health care, backing Judge Sonia Sotomayor (Emerson doesn't have a vote but could still express support), backing the Employee Freedom of Choice Act, pressuring Israel and the Arab world to accept a two-state solution, condemn the Cheney/Limbaugh wing of the GOP as counterproductive to the re-emergence of the party (this would apply primarily to Bond and Emerson, but McCaskill would certainly agree) and so forth? Don't hold your breath.
Restoring respect
PRESIDENT Obama is slowly but surely pulling this country out of the ditch and restoring our respect in the world community.
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