Letters to the Editor

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?...

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...

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 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. ...

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. ...