Most people are familiar with the following quote or a version of it. "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it." If you understand and believe this quote is true, you should be upset with recent events. During World War II the United States was attacked by Japan. ...

Last week the Southeast Missourian implemented a new policy to govern how crime reports are made available to search engines. As I wrote when announcing a draft of the change, "The new policy seeks to strike a balance between the Southeast Missourian keeping the public informed and recognizing, sympathetically, that in today's world of instant digital search, long-past minor indiscretions can play a disproportionate role in a person's online identity."...

Congratulations to Cape Girardeau Public Schools for securing a USDA grant to provide free breakfast and lunch to all school children for the next four years. Using federal government dollars to feed children who would not receive nourishing meals is a win for everyone. ...

Is it possible CBS includes clips of late night comedians David Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel's snarky anti-Trump remarks in their newscast to express their partisan viewpoint and at the same time advertise and promote the two without direct involvement of the big-name anchor?...

I live outside the Jackson city limits. I understand city resources can again be used to locate sewer lines on private property. Waiting... The main losers in Tuesday's vote on Proposition A are the rank and file union members. All conflict is over who gets the power, and the union members had a chance to take some power from union management. ...

The majority of Cape Girardeau County supported the Right to Work legislation proving once again that Union leadership has no leverage here. The Washington Post reported that Senator Bernie Sanders' universal healthcare plan would cost the federal government $3.3 trillion more dollars per year. The Democrats don't have a plan that doesn't include spending more of taxpayers' money. Looks like their only platform remains Russia and hating our President...

Way back in the 1970s, a brainy group of MIT professors and researchers developed a computer model that predicted the "end of civilized life as we know it" by 2040. And as part of that computer prediction, the first major change that will usher in this decayed social structure will occur in 2020...

I like that President Trump is willing to fight. Fight the mayors' intent on maintaining so-called sanctuary cities. Fight the Chinese with tariffs for trying to take advantage of the United States economically. Fight Turkey for the release of Andrew Brunson, the American pastor held there since 2016. But please -- please! -- stop fighting LeBron James...

Normally, this week would be the first day of school for the Jackson R-2 School District and I would be reminding everyone to drive extra carefully in the Jackson area as traffic increases with buses, parents, and students traveling to and from classes. ...

Our community has found a lot of different ways to raise money while having fun. Whether its local women dressed up and strutting their vintage clothing down a runway, a cast of generous bravehearts in costumes dashing into nearly frozen lakes, singing contests, home tours or pub crawls, our local people know how to put the fun in fundraisers...

Every election deserves a fair amount of gratitude. We are thankful, first for the freedom to vote our conscience. Thankful to live in country where the people get to decide who represents them in government. Thankful we are not beholden to dictators but live by rules established by people of our choosing...

A big thank you to all the wonderful folks who have shared the bounty of their gardens with the Senior Center. Only a genius would determine that it makes sense for school lunches to be broken into the following three lunch periods: A lunch in building B, B lunch in building C, and C lunch in building A. Common Core has officially made its way to the Jackson school administration.

What does it take to be a leader worth following? Or ask it another way. What areas in a one's life need to improve to be a better leader? Your answer to this question may depend on if you are the leader or the person being led. On Thursday morning more than 400,000 people globally participated in the simulcast of the Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church based in South Barrington, Illinois. LaCroix Church was the host site for Cape Girardeau...

Ameren likes to portray itself as a good corporate and community citizen. Why, then, has its board of directors chosen to drag out the multiyear legal battle against 16 counties in Missouri related to the valuation of its locally-assessed gas distribution system? At stake is an estimated $20 million in tax revenue that has been held in escrow from public schools, libraries, roads and bridges, fire protection districts, sheltered workshops, health and senior services and other public services in those counties. ...

I am absolutely disgusted by the fact that all students in our district will receive free breakfast and lunch for the next four years. We all know who is footing the bill for that, and I'm tired of hard-working people's tax dollars being used as handouts for those who choose to have children they cannot afford and who choose not to take care of the children they give birth to. ...

My two favorite words are visible and measurable; and I just described County Clerk Kara Summers! Kara always goes above and beyond in her desire to serve the citizens of Cape Girardeau County County in a timely, effective and ethical manner. Our recent primary election was an outstanding example of her servant leadership. ...

The fall season of Tunes at Twilight begins this evening at Ivers Square on Lorimier Street in Cape Girardeau. The weekly event is, as we've stated before, a cultural favorite. It's a reflection of our casually cool and creative city, an evening of live music, lawn chairs, blankets and music lovers of all ages...

There's not a lot of traffic on the street in front of our house, so when we see a car passing by we tend to take notice. Which is how I came to be watching, the other day, a particular car that stood out for a couple of reasons. First, it was an old car. ...

It seems that every day is the anniversary of some major event in world history. Some of these anniversaries mark the beginning or the end of a major event. While the entire world may take note of these events, they are quickly pushed into the dust bin of history as present events take over the headlines...

One of the better charities going is Habitat for Humanity. The organization helps impoverished people move into home ownership. Applicants who are approved for a loan put up some money to start an escrow account, and Habitat is the loan holder, according to a recent article by Marybeth Niederkorn...

I attended Monday's city council study session where the issue of flooding was discussed -- specifically the issue of the flooding on Copperfield where water has been 4 feet deep. The issue was brought up to see if there was anything the city could do to alleviate that much water on one of its streets. I was impressed by the resistance...

It's good to be back in the country. As my wife Victoria likes to say, "Being somewhere is fun. It's the travel, especially the older I get, which is hard. I need a rocket." One of the benefits of life back in the States for both of us is clean finger- and toenails. ...

I jog and walk on the LaCroix Trail about four to five times a week and just want to give a big thank you to all of the hard-working City of Cape workers who keep the trail (and bathroom) so well kept! Kudos to all of you. Republicans want the Mueller investigation to end, stating it has gone on too long. The Benghazi investigation into Hillary Clinton took two years, the Ken Starr investigation into Bill Clinton (Whitewater and then shift to Monica Lewinsky) lasted four years...

Vacation has not been "a thing" for me throughout most of my years. I didn't grow up going on vacation annually like many families. I remember going to South Carolina twice during my elementary school years, but that's it. I still have never been to Disney World or Disneyland or whatever other Disneys there are. ...

Today is Election Day. Make it a point to vote. It's a primary election with a good amount of local races on county ballots and an important statewide initiative. Throughout the four-county area of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry and Scott counties, there are races for judges, prosecutors, presiding commissioners, state representatives and ballot initiatives. ...

The last time Cape Girardeau hosted a large music fest downtown, there was no casino. There was no Marquette Tech; no Minglewood; no Broadway streetscape with heavy foot traffic. Downtown Cape is a different place, and a different demographic works here...

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer has a new book out titled "The Briefing: Politics, the Press and the President." The book is a memoir, but shares Spicer's approach of communicating to the media. Spicer operated differently than many of his predecessors. In the book he shared several examples of how he shook up the daily press briefing...

The latest NBC poll has President Trump's approval rating climbing to 45 percent, and the Democrat's generic midterm election lead dropping to 6 percent. Looks like America will keep winning as Democrats keep losing. The Washington Post proudly proclaimed that the "FBI believed Carter Page had been recruited by the Russians." Three FISA warrants and more than a year later and the FBI still can't prove its belief. ...

Last week I told you how, in my eight years of retirement, I've made a career of doing only the things I want to do. I also told you how, for a couple of days last week, I was stretched well beyond my goal of doing just one thing a day, with weekends off. As a matter of fact I was challenged to do a dozen things...

This weekend will be a huge shopping weekend in the state of Missouri. It's back-to-school sales tax holiday season in the state, the time when many school-related items can be purchased without having to pay sales tax. There is always a bit of confusion as to what this means for consumers when they hear that local jursidictions "opt out." When that happens, shoppers still have their Missouri sales tax removed from their purchase, but they may not receive the break on their local taxes...

Regarding President Trump's Supreme Court Pick, the liberal left thinks abortions are more important than protecting the constitution of the U.S.A. That makes me proud to be a Republican, and a Trump supporter. Pro life and pro Second Amendment. Following up on an earlier speaking comment if Donald Trump discovered a cure for cancer the Democrats and the media would claim the Russians gave it to him!...

After reading Holly Rehder's article on Right to Work, renamed Freedom to Work so it sounds better, I am compelled to write a response. I wish she would have listed a few of these companies that are bypassing Missouri and running to our neighboring RTW states. ...

On Tuesday, Missouri voters will weigh in on Proposition A to determine the fate of Missouri's Right to Work law. A yes vote would end forced unionism in Missouri, while a no vote would block workers from being protected by Right to Work. Despite the many millions of dollars -- much of it in forced dues seized from workers -- spent by Organized Labor to confuse voters about Prop A, Right to Work is remarkably straightforward and simple...

The Marquette Tech District is hosting its third Tech Fest Aug. 9 and 10. The event has grown each year, and because of the popularity, will move to the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau's event center to accommodate the crowd. One of the more popular aspects of the Tech Fest is the 1st50K competition that invites startup companies to vie for $50,000 in cash and pro bono services. ...

In 1966, the American public was aware we were sending military advisors to a country called South Vietnam. The country was under attack by communist guerrilla fighters trying to overthrow the government, and the advisors were there to help build a functional military to fight the communists. The communist force was a carryover from the Viet Minh units that had fought the Japanese in World War II and then the French in a fight for Vietnamese independence from its colonial status...