Letters to the Editor

As a retired ear, nose and throat doctor, I'm concerned about the consequences of vaping. Vaping lends itself to experimenting with additives; nearly 20% of kids under 18 are vaping with marijuana or nicotine. Anything that has an oil or a complicated molecular weight can result in a non-infectious pneumonitis leading to interstitial fibrosis and chronic lung disease, which is likely what is killing people...

In a world where we hear so much negative, I wanted to share a word of positive -- a thank you to what an amazing community we have in Cape Girardeau! Each year La Croix church puts on a Christmas party for the 170 men of Teen Challenge. Beginning in October, we solicit funds and help from the community for funds and food to feed and present gifts to these men. ...

Jon Rust's recent column about the future of newspapers saddens me. I know he's right, but I've always really liked newspapers and hate to see them struggle. Since the 1600's, newspapers have kept us informed. Mail brought us news for many years, then the telegraph brought it quicker. In the early 20th century radio was the standard for news, until television set a new standard. Now we have the electronic media, yet many of us still value and rely on newspapers...

For decades we have been in a proxy war with Iran, the No. 1 state sponsor of international terrorism throughout the world. Have we forgotten who was in power, releasing to Iran $1.7 billion in exchange for a weak, dangerous, unaccountable nuke treaty with a terrorist state that is rapidly working toward developing nuclear weapons? Have we forgotten which president scrapped that travesty of a crap deal and ramped up diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iran?...

Divisiveness is the norm in politics today, but, paradoxically, both sides of an issue feel equally dedicated to its proposition. Feelings often get in the way it seems, but oftentimes feelings can be equated with an individual, or group, but not society as a whole...

Everyone in Southeast Missouri knows there’s a lot of tradition in the historic Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. I’m so proud to have been a part of it and to have participated in it. I am absolutely humbled and honored to represent Scott City High School! Those were great times that I will always cherish. There’s nothing like competing with my teammates and for our community under the bright lights...

Kudos to Dr. Joel W. Ray for writing a superb and seminal article in the Southeast Missourian on Dec. 13 in the guest commentary section. He beautifully highlighted the problems, and the facts were presented with utmost clarity and precision. Surprise billing is a dreadful problem. ...

I want to give a big thank you to Curly’s Kitchen, Ron Cook and his crew of family and friends for the free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals at the Elks Lodge in Jackson! The food was very good and the service was excellent. Ron’s generosity shows the true meaning of the holiday spirit...

After Pearl Harbor, the greatest generation overcame deep political divisions and worked together to defeat a common foe. In 2016, America suffered a 21st century high-tech sneak attack from Russia. Exhaustive investigations by 17 intelligence services and special council Robert Mueller prove this conclusively. ...

Sadly, I don't know what David Limbaugh is talking about in his Dec. 3 column "Democrats between a rock and a hard place" when he writes that Democrats -- or the "radical left" as he mostly calls them -- rarely talk about policy issues. I hear almost daily about issues like healthcare, sensible gun laws, protecting our border without building a wall, support for our military, education and more...

Cultism is an instinctive, protective psychological reaction to perceived existential threat to one's survival, religion, culture, race or way of life. Cultists' visceral fear overwhelms their critical thinking ability and impairs their judgment, reasoning, and reality testing...

Thank you to the House Judiciary Committee for voting to impeach President Trump. When the full House of Representatives votes I strongly encourage Congressman Jason Smith to vote in favor of impeachment. Considering the massive evidence against the President and favoring the impeachment articles -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- one would think unanimous approval is a certainty...

A recent poll by the news website Axios found that a larger number of individuals born after 1980 have a more favorable view of socialism than capitalism. This created a good deal of shock, horror, and revulsion among those of us born before 1980. I contend we should not be surprised. ...

The best indicator of future performance is past behavior. Kathy Swan's past performance serving as state representative is worthy of imitation and duplication in the Senate. I support Kathy to be our senator for District 27, because of her servant leadership, experience and measurable results...

A customer runs into a coffee shop and tells the waitress, "I think the bank across the road is being robbed." The waitress calls 9-1-1. A few minutes later, as the bank robber prepares to leave the bank with the loot, he sees that the bank is surrounded by police cars. So he puts the money back in the vault...

Mr. Kamath's letter about President Trump and his "Make America Great Again" slogan made some good points. But I have a different view on what MAGA means. To me MAGA was never about being racist or anti-immigrant or anything of the sort. To me, MAGA is about a time in America when each generation was better off then the previous one. ...

Those who are trying to get President Donald Trump removed from office are making me sick -- literally, I do actually have a cold. I hope their chant, "No one is above the law", comes back to haunt them. And the one about "defending the Constitution" -- that one makes me want to throw up...

John F. Kennedy, often referred to by the initials JFK and Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president dealt with managing relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba...

For many Americans, climate change has been at the forefront of urgent needs to be addressed by the government. Though many support and admit that there can be irreversible consequences if action is not taken now, many still hide behind false assumptions and stories that climate change is not real and impacting the world already. ...

House Intelligence Committee's impeachment inquiry hearings confirmed that regardless what evidences they have of Trump's illegal activities, Trumpian lawmakers found absolutely no reason to impeach him. The question is, why? Over the past six decades, millions of legal and illegal immigrants of various races, religions, ethnicity, cultures and languages have settled in America. ...

Since the election of President Trump in 2016 psychiatrists have come forward violating The Goldwater Rule, not personally interviewing the president, and diagnosing him as having a mental disorder. Given this, the first question an intelligent, free-thinking individual must ask himself/herself is, "Is psychiatry really science?"...

Those of us who order things on the Internet know that sales tax is collected on some items and not on others. When sales tax is not collected, the parts of government that have sales tax revenue miss out on some. This significantly affects local governments that rely heavily on sales tax income. And the declining sales tax revenue creates a dilemma for the Republican-controlled Missouri House, Senate, and Governor's Office...

On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and clients of the Safe House for Women, we would like to thank everyone who helped to make VintageNOW X: Heroes & Legends such a tremendous success. The funds raised through VintageNOW have made it possible for the Safe House to construct and occupy our new, larger shelter for adults and children fleeing domestic violence. ...

The future of health in the state of Missouri is in jeopardy: Women are more than 50% likely to die from childbirth than women in the rest of the country. This is unacceptable. We need sexual education to be required in Missouri schools. Young men and women should have access to this resource, especially during puberty when their hormones could direct them to make a decision that will follow them for the rest of their lives. This will save lives and improve the quality of life in our community...

No other president has been attacked as viciously and without justification as President Trump. The Socialist Democrats’ bogus attempts to remove a constitutionally-elected president from office and to nullify the 2016 election goes beyond merely irritating. Their obsession is killing the Founding Fathers’ vision of a Constitutional Republic, the Constitution, the Electoral College, and the freedoms so many have sacrificed so much for to preserve...

Let me recognize the unbelievable work that our entire Cape Parks and Recreation staff do for our community. As the current chairman of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, I continue to be amazed by the staff, their leadership and the unwavering dedication they have to our community. I wonder if most people realize the sheer number of events our Parks and Recreation staff handle on a regular basis?...

Sixty-three million Americans elected Donald Trump to be president. On Nov. 9, 2016, the Leftist Democrats began trying to cancel their votes. Like spoiled children and rather than waiting for the next election, as the rest of us are doing, they're attempting to kick President Trump out of office...

The "War on Terror" began in 2001. The United States has suffered casualties of approximately 7,000 dead and 52,000 wounded. In 2014 the Kurds began to furnish personnel for action against ISIS. They have suffered about 11,000 dead and 24,000 wounded...

If you didn't read Jay Wolz's excellent article regarding the refrigerated food truck given to the Southeast Missouri Food Bank on Sunday, take the time to read it online. Kudos are in order to Cape Girardeau First Presbyterian Church along with Willie Bahn and his wife, Dr. Janna Tuck, for the wonderful gift...

Joe Biden (a Catholic) was recently refused communion because of his support of abortion. Very good. It is about time for the church to stand up for what they teach rather than just allowing this sacrilege to happen. Catholics need to be taught that it is not OK to receive communion when you have mortal sin on your soul...

Abuse of power and corruption by Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton seem insignificant compared to misdeeds and corruption of Trump and his family. Believing that he is a "stable genius of unmatched wisdom who can do anything he wants," the 'scared-of-his-base' Trumpian lawmakers keep protecting him...

I firmly believe that Big Government is never the correct solution to any problem we face, it always causes more problems and calls for even more red tape to fix the resulting issues. That is why I am concerned about the plan that some lawmakers in D.C. have offered as a supposed solution to the problem of surprise medical bills...

I’m not a Trump fan, but I think it would be a mistake to impeach him. I offer five reasons why. First, even if the Democratic controlled house voted to impeach him, it’s unlikely that the Republican controlled Senate would vote to convict him. Second, if he’s impeached but not convicted, many will see the impeachment process as a political ploy, which could garner support for Trump...