Speak Out

Mike Jensen recently denounced the lack of civility and inflammatory rhetoric in our public discourse and then proceeded to vilify "crazy" Joe Biden and "race baiting" Al Sharpton. I appreciate Mike Jensen's ongoing effort to bring back civility to the public domain...

We have always had an issue with people speeding on Gordonville Road, but since the roundabout was put in at the Gordonville/Independence intersection, it has gotten even worse! I had hopes that with the new police station opening so close by, there would be more oversight and control of this problem. So far that has not been the case. Apparently most drivers don't understand a 30 mph speed limit sign!...

I've still got some counting to do, but I think Adrienne Ross' most recent rant set a record for the number of times an opinion columnist has used the word I. Someone said that the new stormwater drainage ditch voters passed this month may not solve all the problems but that "it sure has to help." Really? We have Cape officials overseeing this, so judging by how they handle our roads and the drainage ditches already in place, not only does what they do not "have" to help, there's a great chance it will do more harm than good and cost more money than what is currently in place. ...

Today is the day to "be alert" when you are out at a restaurant. What happened to the time allowed for each course? One waiter brought a large bowl of salad and bread and in a flash, there was the entre. Then in about 5 to 10 minutes, he wanted to know if we wanted a to-go box. At another well-known restaurant, shortly after we received our food, he brought the check and then in a few minutes came to see if there was money in it. Who said we had to just eat, pay and run?...

David Limbaugh always blames the "evil" left for anything his people get caught doing. Those horrible Democrats forced Pruitt to accept bribes and lie to his own president. Those terrible reporters "lied" about the millions of dollars wasted on trips and self-indulgences. Right...

Trump keeps saying the wall is our problem, but he is the problem. From his incompetent appointees, to his tweeting, his lies, etc., etc. The list is long and verifiable. The problems begin and end with the fact that he is not qualified for the job. Who/what will he blame if he does get his expensive wall?...

Since I think she has done more than any other member of Cape’s city council to lead the community in a positive direction, my hat is off to city Councilwoman Shelley Moore. ...

Thank you Cape voters for voting yes. This may not solve all the problems some property owners are having, but it sure has to help. Hopefully the city will do more to clean out and make stormwater drainage ditches better. It shouldn't be the property owner's responsibility for the three or four streets of homes that is passing by their homes. ...

You can go to any convenience store and at the counter by the cash registers are small bottles of liquor. You can purchase, drink and drive. Seems to me that instead of trying to stop impaired drivers, our laws are adding more. I saw a woman from out of state buy several bottles. I am sure these people that buy them are not just taking these home. More smart laws our legislators have passed...

I only have one thing to say to people upset over all this Cambridge Analytica "scandal." Anyone who believes that anything they say or do on the Internet is private is a complete and total fool! So one ten thousandth of a percent of the high school students in one of 50 states show up to protest at Paul Ryan's door and the media calls it a national movement. I guess they don't teach math in journalism school!...

It’s not much but it might help a frustrated President Trump get a start on his heretofore failed effort to get the wall built along the Mexican border if Cape would allow him to relocate to that area of our river wall. I realize this proposal will likely be met with a flood of objections...

Your AP story about what is going on in the Missouri legislature (not much) is a jaw-dropping reflection of the decline and fall of the one-time poster boy for a future president, Gov. Eric Greitens. I saw three young men from Fronabarger stop their work to help a lady whose car had stopped by the middle school in Jackson. It made me feel proud of them. They were raised right to lend a helping hand to those in need. May God bless them and keep them safe...

Good things still happen even if we don’t hear about them like we do the bad. I want to “thank” the nice couple who blessed me by giving me a ride to get help to fix my flat tire. Thank you and God bless you both. Upon returning to the scene of the flat tire, another blessing. ...

I attended the Eastern Ozark Rendezvous today at the Barks Plantation in Glenallen, Missouri. It was as if transported through time and I had to just walk around for a while to adjust. I absolutely loved it and I will most certainly attend next year. Words do not describe the experience though. If you enjoy history and seeing period correct clothing and settings etc., you will not be sorry...

Thank you, Brother David and Notre Dame, for allowing students the prayer service in support of safe schools. Kids walking out of school in protest of gun violence and demanding stricter gun laws. How about someone have the guts to teach them the fact that more people are killed in this country in car accidents involving alcohol than are killed by individuals with guns? When these kids stop drinking and driving and when they walk out in protest of drinking and driving and when they demand stricter laws on alcohol sales or the ban of alcohol altogether, they will have credibility. ...

The Cape LA Croix trail should have dog excrement bags positioned at each entrance. The city should furnish these bags for free and the dog owners should utilize them. Well worth the tax dollars to prevent dog doodie on the shoes of the fine citizens of Cape Girardeau...

The smelter reopens in the Bootheel and maybe 400 people get jobs, but who is paying for it? Ameren customers? Taxpayers? Someone other than the company probably. It is hard to understand when the city says it is the owners problem of cleaning out before water drainage ditch when they cleaned out the drainage ditch and put wire bound rock in the drainage ditch between two property owners in the 1100 block of Dorothy. This is where the drainage ditch starts. Why only there they will do anything?...

It’s one thing for Mike Jensen to voice skepticism about the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) claim Sikeston is home to a hate group, but quite another to claim the organization benefits from promoting hate. That’s right, “promoting ... hate.” That is such an incredulous and outrageous statement, Mr. Jensen owes the SPLC specifically and the public in general a sincere apology. ...

A caller lamented that Gov. Greitens is the victim of a witch hunt perpetrated by a prosecutor funded by mega donor George Soros. While it is true both political parties are swimming in money from mega donors such as Soros, Rex Sinquefield, and the Koch brothers, the governor has admitted to infidelity. ...

Our governor is accused of threatening to post a nude photo on the net of a woman in which he had an affair. He is indicted and will stand trial. It amazed me that when a woman accused a man automatically he is guilty. What if the governor was accusing the woman of the same thing? He would be laughed to scorn. ...

Arming teachers is not the magic answer. They have enough on their plates without adding security detail to their job titles. Also, what if the crazy person with the gun is the teacher? As a brief illustration of how far Mike Jensen has strayed from his once solid, seemingly impenetrable moral foundation, he recent quipped that he found it "surprising" that some area Republican state legislators had called for the resignation of reprehensible Missouri Republican Governor, Eric Greitens. ...

Politicians need to wise up. 18-year-olds can vote this year. 17-year-olds can vote next year. And the current 16-year-olds will vote in the next presidential election. So maybe they shouldn’t be ignored. ...

Many thanks to Mark Bliss for eliciting comments from area state legislators on the sordid Governor Greitens sags. I was pleased that two called for his resignation, saddened that one didn't and not surprised that another did not respond to the Southeast Missourian's request for comment...

Though heavily redacted, the recently released Democratic response to the Republican memo alleging partisanship in the Department of Justice successfully obliterated the GOP's propaganda. Adrienne Ross, since you're so hung ho about guns for teachers, why don't you run for the local school board on a platform endorsing the idea and see how you'll do...

I just read the Southeast Missourian and not one word about what our local schools are doing or going to do to protect our children. I don't think an AP article is going to tell them. With the hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent for artificial turf to protect a selected few from concussions how much is a life worth?...