Letters to the Editor

During World War II, our parents and grandparents vanquished a horrific regime that placed no value on human life. A regime that exterminated the "defective", slaughtered millions they considered inferior racially, and wantonly murdered civilians, especially the elderly who got in the way of their ambitions. ...

Presidents can be largely defined by how they deal with crises or disasters: FDR during World War II, JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis, George W. Bush after 9/11. I think the coronavirus crisis will go a long way to define President Trump. At first he seemed slow to respond, in part, I think, because he saw it as another attempt by some to make mountains out of molehills, as with the Russian collusion investigation and his recent impeachment. ...

Kudos to Cape County Clerk, Kara Summers. Kara always goes above and beyond in her desire to serve our citizens in a timely, effective and ethical manner as she administers all voter registration, elections and absentee voting in Cape Girardeau County. Our recent presidential preference voting was another example of her servant leadership...

When India won independence from Great Britain in 1947, Jawahar Lal Nehru became free India's first prime minister. He was a great admirer of Soviet Union and a confirmed Socialist. He took charge of a huge bureaucracy left behind by the British and run by Indians...

I was very disappointed when reading the sports page in the Southeast Missourian on Feb. 28. The Delta boys won their District over Oak Ridge in a very even and well played game by both teams. The Delta girls also won their District over Scott County Central, also in a well played game by both schools. However, my disappointment was in the fact that there was a very nice article about the boys game and no article about the girls game. And we wonder why women speak out about unfair treatment...

Senator Mitt Romney's declaration on the Senate floor on Feb. 5, 2020 will be immortalized as one of the most significant speeches of the 21st century. History will prove how dark these days truly are and what a travesty of justice occurred. It will co-anchor Dec.7, 1941 -- Day of Infamy -- self-destruction by partisanship...

We need to talk about the upcoming Missouri legislative resolutions that seek to undo the Clean Missouri Amendment. This amendment passed with 62% of the vote in 2018. More than half of voting citizens in Missouri believe in increasing transparency, open records, and eliminating big money and partisan gerrymandering. It passed in every single state senate district...

I'm a parent who lost a child as part of the opioid epidemic. Every year I go to the Capitol to testify on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program bill (eight years running now). I do this because I believe it is a tool we can add to the prevention tool box to curb addiction and death in this state...

I am a mother and full-time student at SEMO. I was 37 weeks pregnant with my second child when my 5-year-old and I were notified that our Medicaid coverage was being canceled. I had weekly visits scheduled with my midwife and was told that if I didn't have insurance coverage, I would be required to pay $85 per visit. ...

When I was in law school we joked that the most powerful writ known to the judicial system was the habeas fixus. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republicans he leads showed the usefulness of this legal tool in the recently concluded trial of Donald Trump...

Abortion laws in Missouri allow no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. They adhere to a core goal of protecting the innocent. But forcing a woman to have a baby that results from rape or incest puts the woman in a horrible position. The baby would be a constant reminder of the violation, and the father would have some parental rights, or at least a lasting tie to the victim...

The Rev. Billy Graham once said: "It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." At the recent national prayer breakfast, President Trump was wildly cheered as he turned the event into a campaign rally...

To this day, since the third day of creation, when God designed a tree to produce fruit after its kind, an orange tree still produces oranges. Livestock, designed on the sixth day to produce after their kind, are still doing so today. Likewise, we, designed with the same ability to reproduce, are still reproducing. And to make sure His plan for living creatures worked, He added drive...

America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. It sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws for moral reason. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed; we cared about our neighbors; we put our money where our mouths were; and we never beat our chest...

I've heard it said by the likes of those including Richard Wolf that the middle man needs to be taken out of the equation and the workers should own the company themselves. Isn't that already a foundation stone of the American experience? What is to prevent a group of individuals in getting together to create a company? Why is it more important for Marxists to take away that which others have labored for in exchange for their doing the same?...

Holly Rehder is the right person to represent Cape Girardeau, and Southeast Missouri, in the State Senate This month, I've joined the Holly Rehder campaign serving as treasurer for the committee. Holly has been a tireless advocate for Southeast Missouri and our values. I could not be prouder to support her efforts to be our next state senator...

Morality is a hard thing to legislate -- we all have different opinions and convictions. In the case of House Bill 2044, this is an egregious overreach of the government into the morality and individuality of Missourians. As a teacher who has worked alongside librarians, I can tell you that they are some of the most diligent, intelligent and trustworthy men and women in the public system. ...

There is little doubt that Hunter Biden's directorship at Burisma company in Ukraine was a clear-cut case of corruption on the part of Joe Biden. No matter what excuse they both give, it does not pass the smell test. However, Trump-defenders' demand that Hunter Biden must appear as a witness in defense of Trump during his impeachment trial does not pass the smell test either...

On January 3, the United States used a drone strike to kill Qassem Soleimani who was Iran's most important general. I certainly do not mourn his death, but I believe that there are problems associated with our action. For us to have been in compliance with the United Nation Charter when we killed Soleimani, we would have needed to have been under attack from Iran. ...

Editor's note: The following letter is in response to the Jan. 16 Good Sports column, "Conservation agent in Cape 'loves' the water." With regard to Jeff Long's Good Sports feature Jan. 16, a buddy once told me, "God deducts no time when you're fishing." I fished my local pond on Tuesday and had one bite in just over an hour. It was still wonderful, and I can't wait to go again...

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?...