Speak Out 5/4/15

** Bombing complexities

Second guessing President Obama's foreign policy, columnist Wayne Bowen is starting to remind me of Dr. Strangelove. He seems to favor U.S. military intervention in the Middle East to a degree that would make even the likes of Dick Cheney, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and all of the other militaristic neocons look like pacifists. McCain's now infamous, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran," apparently would, to Bowen, seem to be far too narrow and mild a response to all of the Byzantine complexities plaguing that region of the world.

** More to story?

Monday's Missourian headline read "Few complaints against Cape police in 2014." The story stated there were seven investigations involving eight employees. (Most were minor complaints or subjective). In a city the size of Cape Girardeau, you have got to be kidding. If this is true, then there has to be a reason why people do not complain. Why do people not complain? Maybe the reason is the same throughout the entire country.

** Protection

As a business owner, I am shocked that police in Baltimore allowed businesses to be looted and burned without trying to stop it. If that were my business, I would be suing the city for not protecting my property. Police are supposed to "Serve and Protect" everyone. They should not be allowed to pick and choose who they protect. Protests are a valid response to the problems. However, what went on in Baltimore on Monday night was not a protest. The police chief and mayor should be held responsible for the damages done.

Public vs. private

Way to go, Bob Miller! Your skewering of a fast-food restaurant for unethically attempting to exploit Jackson public school students as well as the school's apparent complicity in such a smarmy scheme, was one of the most highly principled pieces of journalism ever published in the Southeast Missourian. Here's hoping it leads to some deep soul searching of the appropriate relationship between the public school system and the private business community, in Jackson and elsewhere.

** Bush, Obama

In a closed-door meeting with Jewish donors, former president George W. Bush delivered his harshest public criticisms to date against his successor on foreign policy, saying that President Barack Obama is being naive about Iran and the pending nuclear deal and losing the war against the Islamic State. This coming from the man who stood on the aircraft carriers and claimed the war was won. But that was before over 4,000 Americans lost their lives and thousands more [were] wounded. That's not counting all the Iraq people who were killed and wounded. Because of you, Mr. George W. Bush, and your political party.

** Still waiting

Ah, the old straw man technique. Someone recently implied that Southeast Missourian editor Bob Miller wrote that an area McDonald's did little or nothing for Jackson schools in the way of helping raise money for the school's foundation. It was easy to knock down an argument Miller never made. Miller was questioning the process used by a fast food joint by turning students into virtual human billboards for the establishment so as to raise money for the school. Thus, we are still waiting for a formal defense of this seemingly unjustifiable practice.