SPEAKOUT

An absolute absurdity

MORLEY SWINGLE'S commentary in which he opposes Proposition B, the concealed-weapons proposal, is an absolute absurdity. He references an altercation between a Cape County dentist and a driver in which the driver got out and brandished a tire tool and attacked a man on a bicycle who was forced to use his bicycle to defend himself. Mr. Swingle says "had they been carrying concealed weapons, their fight would have been more lethal." That is absolutely absurd. That's as if to say if my wife were to burn breakfast one morning and she and I were to get in a verbal fight about it, were one us able to reach a shotgun, one of us would be dead. It's absurd. People exercise judgment in each and every action of their lives, and the very fact that they have access to a weapon is going to cause them to use it in any altercation is just absolutely stupid. I've been carrying a concealed weapon for years in my truck. I travel quite a bit through Southeast Missouri. I've had a number of occasions where I probably should have pulled a gun but used better judgment and didn't. I don't have a concealed-weapons permit. I intend to get one. Furthermore, the gang members that he references area big scare specter that all of these Prop B opponents always bring up. What gang member is going to go get a concealed-weapons permit anyway? They're going to carry concealed weapons whether the permits are available or not.

Good qualifications

I'M CALLING in regards to the letter that was in the paper about the upcoming Jackson election. I have to agree with Mr. Bowen on several things. I don't we're getting the quality of workmanship that we should be getting on our building and streets. I don't think our inspectors are knowledgeable about it. I think we need to spend a little more money on the worker instead of on so much supervision. I think that Mr. Bowen's being a engineer would be a big help to serving on the Board of Aldermen. I also think that Mr. Harris, with his knowledge and expertise of the insurance and buildings from being a developer would also be a big help to the city of Jackson taking us into the year 2000.

Floral tribute is stolen

THANK YOU for giving me this opportunity to express how I feel. I just put a beautiful flower arrangement out on the grave of my little grandson. Every time I put flowers out at St. Mary's Cemetery, they've been stolen. I have called the police and offered a substantial reward for anybody caught stealing flowers from that cemetery. I think a very lowlife person does this type of thing. It's not that they're stealing from the dead, but depriving those of us who love our ones who are gone and put some tribute out there for them. Please go buy your own flowers.

I want guaranteed right

I WANT to comment on Morley Swingle's commentary. Evidently he has had the benefit of living in a city or around a city that has 24-hour, seven-day-a-week police protection. I live in Bollinger County, and there are times we can be an hour from police protection in our county. Don't deny the right to protect myself. I am a law-abiding citizen, and I think I have common sense enough to know when and if I need to use a firearm. I don't know that I could actually use it. I just want the right guaranteed under our Constitution to have the right to be able to bear a concealed weapon.

Single-grade schools

THAT WAS an interesting letter to the editor about changing the school boundaries. There is a solution to this, and it's a pretty simple solution. We just need to follow the example of Schultz where all the seventh graders go to one school, all the seventh grade teachers are in one place and the curriculum is all there in one spot where we have a library that is set up for seventh graders. We have a gymnasium that's appropriate for seventh graders. We need that back down to the elementary school. We could have a school for sixth graders, and everybody in the sixth grade would go to one school, and a school for fifth graders, and everybody in fifth grade would go to one school. That way we wouldn't have to redraw the lines each year. Nobody could claim it was racially inspired or anything like that. I would think the school board and school administration would prefer not to have to argue about district lines. It would be a lot simpler for them.

Rock 'n' roll sells here

I'M CALLING about the Elton John concert the other night in Carbondale. Amazing concert, just terrific, and I appreciated your review. As I was driving out of the parking lot, I noticed the number of cars with Missouri license plates. Why can't we do something like this at the Show Me Center? The head of the Show Me Center says rock 'n' roll just doesn't sell. But I see in your review that David Ross and his family were there. He might realize rock 'n' roll does sell in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. You've just got to get the right acts. I sure would like to see more in Cape Girardeau instead of having to drive to Carbondale or St. Louis to see a decent music performance.

Beware of tree-trimming scam

PEOPLE, BEWARE. Recently I had a young man knock on my door and ask if I would be interested in having my trees in my front yard trimmed. I asked him to give me an estimate and eventually had the job done. I then gave his name to another individual who is considerably older and single, and that's when he took advantage of the situation. He did some of the work, asked to be paid, promising to come back the very next day. He has never come back to clean up the mess. He is a very persuading young man, and it angers me that he would take advantage of someone who is so trustworthy and believes there is good in everyone.

Protecting the governor

I HAVE a comment to make concerning Proposition B. Gov. Carnahan and all his people are running around saying crime is going down in Missouri at a faster rate than the rest of the country, and, therefore, there is no need for Missourians to be able to carry concealed weapons for their own protection. If this is the case, why in this new budget does he request an additional $700,000 to be used to upgrade his personal bodyguard staff from two to 10? Doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.