Speak Out 11/19/01

Grading the president

LISTEN, DAVID Limbaugh, lay off teasing the White House with titillating insights concerning which you refuse to elaborate upon. I'm sure President Bush appreciates your seal-of-approval assertion that he has been conducting the war "just about right." On the other hand, he is probably quite frustrated because you failed to inform him on what he needs to do to achieve an A-plus instead of your apparently ascribed grade of A or A-minus.

Ban the burning

WE ARE in complete agreement regarding the nuisance of burning leaves. We not only have leaf burners all around us, we even have some who burn trash. How ridiculous that we can't open our windows on these beautiful fall days. Our lawmakers need to wake up and make this archaic practice illegal. The city will pick up free of charge your leaves and trash. With that having been established, the IQ of all burners' intelligence can now be established with a simple whiff of air.

Burning is pollution

SINCEPOLLUTING is illegal I don't understand why burning leaves is legal. All the smoke just goes in the air and sometimes causes acid rain.

Honor roll at Trinity

CONGRATULATIONS TO the fifth- through eighth-graders at Trinity Lutheran School and their teachers. Eighty-two percent of the students made the A and B honor roll. I think that is outstanding.

Automatic drugs

I WAS reading in the paper that they are trying to make it easy for the patient so you won't have to take a prescription to a drug store, You can put it in a computerized machine, and the medicine will be given to you immediately. This is supposed to be for our convenience. Pharmacists check to see if the drugs you are prescribed counteract with other medications you are on. This is just another control for the people. We do not want this automated system.

Soccer defense

FIRST OF all, I would like to say thank you to Cape Central and Notre Dame for a great soccer season. I would also like to speak about our Central defensive unit. Whenever you hear about soccer, you hear about the offense. Take away the penalties and goals, you don't have much about the offense left. It's due to the shutouts brought on by the defensive unit.

Thanks for the help

THIS IS to the couple that was at Southeast Missouri Hospital Nov. 12. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule and helping me get my car back onto the road. Thank you.

Clean holiday lights

I KNOW the city is going to put up the Christmas lights before long. I think it would be a good time, while they have all these ladders and things, to clean the lights, because you can hardly see them.

Punctual meetings

MY SON is in an area Boy Scout troop. The Scout leaders have all these expectations of the boys to be to the meetings on time and wearing their uniforms. But the leaders don't keep commitments to the parents. We sit in the parking lot waiting for the troop meeting to end. If we come in, the children get embarrassed. The leaders have an obligation to the parents just like the boys have obligations to the leaders. When leaders say a meeting begins and ends at a certain time, it should.

They're gang members

IN REFERENCE to the recent speak out "Not gang members": I lived with one of those gang members in my neighborhood, and I know what kind of person he was. He terrorized my kids on the school bus. I knew three and a half years ago he would be in jail. So when everybody says they're not gang members, I know very well that one is a gang member. And there are other gang members out there who are going to do something because of this guy.

Shooting isn't nice

I'D LIKE to respond to "Not gang members": The caller said anyone who knows these boys would know they are really smart and nice. Who are you kidding. They shot someone.

A time to weep

THE SHORTEST verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept." I believe Jesus looks upon those who call themselves Christian and weeps today. We have people who malign his Word to arrogantly justify their lifestyles. We have other people quoting his Word out of context to bludgeon, judge and justify the hate in their hearts. Many persons call themselves Christian. I have seen few who live Christ-like lives. Jesus weeps, and so do I.

Plant a money tree

I RECEIVED my tax bill and could not believe it. A 15.25 percent increase. How do we seniors stretch a 3.5 percent Social Security increase? I know. We will just plant another money tree.

No more waiting

I AM so glad to see the city fixed the street lights at the intersection of William and West End. There is no longer a need to sit there forever to wait for the light to change when there is no traffic around. Thank you, city workers.