Speak Out 07/12/04

Lost phone returned

I WOULD like to thank the wonderful family that stayed after the fireworks display Sunday evening to find the owner of a lost cell phone. My husband noticed it missing. We returned to find this wonderful family looking for the owner. Thank you and God bless. It's so nice to know there are wonderful people like you out there.

Eagleton counterbalance

THANK YOU for publishing Thomas Eagleton's views. It takes but one occasional column by Eagleton to counteract all the wretched right-wing rhetoric we are subjected to daily on the Opinion page of the Southeast Missourian.

Unfair bargain

HOW DOES a man get away with shooting somebody from 20 to 30 feet away in the head and get a plea bargain on a second-degree charge?

Yard isn't finished

THE HABITAT for Humanity volunteers did a wonderful job with the houses they built in the 1200 block of College Street. But the yard on the last house is not finished. The large tree trunks, old concrete and debris are a mess. It is an eyesore.

Go, Predator Bird, Go

I ENJOYED David Crowe's parody of Southeast Missouri State University's choice of an aggressive bird as a nickname. However, I like the choice since I am pro-predator.

Contagious disease

I SAW a comment the other day congratulating Southeast Missouri State University for changing its nickname. Then it was suggested that Jackson High School should look into changing its nickname as well. This is just what I predicted last year when I first found out that Southeast was considering a name change. Political correctness is a disease, and it's spreading. The Jackson Indian faithful need to be ready to fight this disease or their school may succumb to it next.

As bad as Scrooge

THESE PEOPLE who have nothing better to do than complain about fireworks need to get over it. It is a holiday that happens once a year where we are celebrating Independence Day. This would be like complaining about Christmas lights during December.

Stricter limits

ANOTHER FOURTH of July has come and gone. New laws or not, there was no difference this year. We still had fireworks days before and after the deadline. In my neighborhood, fireworks were going off at 2 a.m. Perhaps the reason the police department says it didn't get as many calls is a lot of people didn't bother to call, feeling it would do no good. Why not either ban fireworks entirely or let them be used the Fourth of July only? Most of us are tired of hearing World War III for weeks at a time.

Church and government

I AM amazed at the misuse of "separation of church and state." Look at Thomas Jefferson's actions and words, and not just a quote or two. Our Founding Fathers never wanted church removed from government. They wanted government removed from church.

Issue takes courage

TO THE person who suggested that Jackson High School change its mascot, I say, "You've got to be kidding." I do not believe the people of the region have the courage to do so. The issue is beyond them.

Church and politics

IF YOU are bothered by your church's political stances, which by law it should not be preaching in the first place, please report it to the IRS so that it can start paying taxes. I stopped going to church because I was told free thought was dangerous. I was bombarded with political innuendo each Sunday. Now the Catholic church says it's a sin to vote for abortion supporters, even though both major parties support it to varying degrees.

Matters of safety

SO IF we put a $1,000 metal fence up around a $248 pool in the back yard, keeping kids out of the pool, it may become electrified in a storm and electrocute anybody who touches it or gets close to it. Parents cannot idiot-proof the world, but we can give our children as much information as possible about their safety during storms and around water. Thanks for the info in these two articles.

Changeless fashions

WHAT IS going on with the fashion industry? The styles of the 1960s and 1970s are being repeated. Let's face it, the fashion industry dominates things, and there are people willing to purchase what they make. The only thing I can think of that might be different is the little slogans on the butts. There's nothing like seeing some fat butt with "Princess" written on it.

Electric lesson

THIS IS in regard to the July 8 article about the fallen power line on the metal fence. It wasn't 240 amps of current. It was a 240-volt line. It was probably a secondary line coming from a house to the transformer. I don't know where people get the idea that electric will jump out and grab you. It won't. You also had a story about a house fire at Scott City a few weeks ago that said in a microwave drew 60 amps. A microwave only draws eight or 10 amps. If you had an 60-amp microwave, nobody would have a wire big enough to carry it.

Use a chain lock

TO THE person who said the maintenance man walks in the apartment without waiting for the door to be answered: Put your chain lock on your door so they can't come in. If you don't have a chain lock, ask your manager to have one put on your door. That will take care of the problem.

FAA bureaucracy

AS A general-aviation pilot with more than 30 years of domestic flying with an unblemished record, I've witnessed FAA mistakes. I'm also familiar with the unbounded bureaucratic insularity from accountability of the Federal Aviation Agency's leaders. You cannot recall a single ineffective event (and these have been numerous) for which even one FAA administrator at any level took responsibility. The only way to fix the insanity like what occurred on June 9 with N24SP's inaccurate identification (and almost tragic elimination of Kentucky's governor and his crew) is to send the right message by permanently barring the head of the FAA from ever holding an aviation-related job for life. Anything else will only perpetuate bureaucracy.