SPEAKOUT

Priest has earned respect

IN RESPONSE to the person who was upset about the priest's sermon about late-term abortion, I tell you need to examine your reasons for embracing Catholicism and be glad we have priests like that one in the church. He has earned the right to respect as a priest more than Clinton to be respected as president. The priest only told it like it is, and if there were children present, all the better. He prays to the God who creates, not kills babies. How anyone can say they prayed before making a decision to veto the ban on late-term abortion, which is the killing of babies, is beyond me. The God of mercy would not tell someone to kill the innocent. Keep it up, Father.

The message: drive safely

THIS IS to the person who says you'll be old one day too. Don't be so quick to judge and all that. I'm the one who called in and said you need to take a test around 65 or 70. Hey, if you can pass that test, keep on driving to your doctor's appointment, the grocery store or whatever. If you can pass that test, fine and dandy. That's all I had to say. I didn't want you to quit driving, I just want you to be safe.

Headline was opposite

WHOEVER WRITES headlines for the Southeast Missourian really ought to read the articles before they slap on headlines. An article published Thursday, April 25 is headlined by "Powell says GOP in a funk." In the very first paragraph of the article beneath Gen. Powell says the exact opposite. He states "It's premature to say Republicans are in a funk about Sen. Bob Dole's chances of winning the White House."

REPLY: The caller is absolutely correct. The headline got it wrong. Sorry for the mistake.

When is it murder?

RESPONDING TO "Save the mother's life" in Speak Out. The caller obviously doesn't agree 100 percent with Clinton. The abortion bill that Clinton vetoed clearly allowed the procedure if the mother's life was endangered. That was part of the bill. Come on, folks, pay attention. Use some common sense. That abortion procedure takes a minimum of 10 seconds and probably more like two or three minutes. Delivery could be completed in two or three seconds. Makes sense to me to complete the delivery, then address the mother's health. Of course, if the abortion were completed two or three seconds later, following delivery, it would be murder. Therefore, is it not murder now.

Go-carts on city streets

I WAS just wondering, is it legal for a child to ride a go-cart in Cape Girardeau on the public streets in a neighborhood, a residential neighborhood? I'm sorry but I saw a child riding a go-cart and I think it's illegal. Please say so in your paper.

REPLY: You just did. Unless the go-cart is registered and licensed and unless the youngster at the wheel is at least 16 and licensed, it is illegal.

Dealing with it in the open

THE CATHOLIC priest who sermon included graphic details of a partial-birth abortion really opened my eyes. A previous caller to Speak Out was shocked by this priest for treating this subject so openly. The caller also expressed disgust with this priest for questioning what god President Clinton would pray to in reaching his decision to veto the ban on these procedures. I just want to say that I agree with the priest. We should all be shocked by the horrible nature of this procedure, and for President Clinton to invoke God's name in justifying his decision to veto the ban on these late-term abortions is completely ludicrous. To this priest, I'd say, lead on.

Help stop the killing

TO THE party who felt that the sermon in which partial birth abortion was explained was too unpleasant for a child's ears. Yes, it is a hideous act, and we'd better let it be known. The fact that we want to hide it from our children is proof enough we'd better do something to stop such a horrible, hideous act. Please help to stop the killing of our children.

Who could kill a baby?

THIS IS to the person who said a baby should be killed when the mother is in danger. How could anyone kill their baby whether they're in danger or not? How could you live with yourself for killing your baby? I don't think it's right at all, and abortion should be outlawed altogether for any reason, way, shape or form.

How about Bible verse?

I JUST wanted to comment on your prayer for the day. I think it's wonderful. The only thing I could add to that is that if you would put a verse out of the Bible for a day so it would encourage people to pick up their Bible and read it.

REPLY: Thanks for another good suggestion. Several years ago the Southeast Missouri published a daily Bible verse.

Programs were in place

TO THE lady who reported all the good things Clinton has done, surely she hasn't done much reading or she would know most of these programs were going when he became president. And she forgot one thing he did all by himself, which was use executive privilege to cancel a bill that kept the union bosses from making the workers give money to a political machine. The question is, who sent this information to her, Gephardt? I hope citizens of the other states don't think all Missourians know as little as he does.

Raises are passed on

I WOULD just like to propose a question to the geniuses who are proposing raising the minimum wage by 20 percent. Are you people prepared to pay 20 percent more at the restaurants or grocery stores or any of the places where you spend your money? Those businesses are not going to absorb that kind of huge labor cost increase. They're going to turn around and pass it on to you and me. I just want these people to understand and comprehend the fact that this minimum-wage increase affects every one of us. And as a restaurant manager for the past 11 years, I can tell you there are virtually no restaurants that pay minimum wage. Minimum wage cannot get people in the door, because the demand and supply create a situation that makes for higher wages. So for those people who think that everybody across the board deserves a $1 raise, just think about that whenever you are to be going to a restaurant or grocery store and look at the price and wonder, am I willing to pay 20 percent more for that next time I go because of a federally mandated law?

Take children to work

NATIONAL TAKE Your Daughter to Work Day is one of the most asinine ideas of the feminist movement. If anything it should be known as Take Your Children to Work Day. I don't think little boys have any more access to their parents' workplace than little girls. No, it's just one more thing to make little girls feel like victims and that their mothers are doing something special in their profession unlike the poor old men who just go to work every day. Let's have a Take Your Children to Work Day.

Reagan better than Clinton

THIS IS to the person who called in and told us to not forget Reagan. I voted for Reagan twice, and I would most certainly vote for him again. She speaks about preventing abortion by condoms and birth control. Obviously, this person is not religious. If abortion is wrong, then so are condoms and birth control. Reagan was no doubt 100 percent better than Clinton.

Standing up for Clinton

SOMEONE has called and said that President Clinton drops causes like a hot potato, that he was at Oklahoma City a year ago, preaching and wailing and praying with everybody else, and a year later, he's nowhere in sight, he's in Asia. The reason you didn't see him in Oklahoma City on April 19 is because he had because he had already been there a few days after Ron Brown's plane crash. The man went to Oklahoma City, quoted some lyrics from a hymn that he'd been thinking about on the way there, flying over Arkansas. I'm not a big fan of the man. I didn't support him until the 1992 convention when it became apparent that he was going to win the nomination, and I didn't have any other choice. I'm not his greatest fan, he's all right, but I have to tell you I'm tired of standing up for him because I feel like people need to check their facts. He in fact was in Oklahoma City. Mr. Gore and Mrs. Gore were there on April 19. President Clinton had already been in Oklahoma City at a memorial service.

Need help from above

IF AMERICA doesn't wise up and get their children in church, then you can't expect a reduction in crime but a continuous increase. Man can't solve the world's problems by his own efforts, and the most deadly mistake that a person can make is not make sure how to be born again of the spirit of God. America will repent or perish. Looks like people would rise up and read the scriptures -- St. John 3:3, Romans 10:9-10 and 10:13 and Revelations 3:20.

From food to water

I UNDERSTAND the city of Cape is having a dilemma about how to raise money for a new and improved water system. I understand they are considering a sales tax or a massive rate hike on the water. I realize that they're going to eliminate the rate hike as a possibility. That's because it's too obvious. People will see it and will complain. I think that the city of Cape should raise the tax on food only by two percent. That's right. That same two percent the state is going to give us back, why doesn't the city of Cape take it? People are already used to it, and people do most of their grocery shopping in Cape anyway. Think how much money the city of Cape could make for their water. This is a great idea. How about it, Cape City Council?