Speak Out 1/23/05

King's issues

ONE OF the things people forget about Martin Luther King Jr. is that in his last year he turned to broader issues. His focus then was on class and the oppression of those in poverty. He also took on the war in Vietnam, which he vehemently opposed. These are probably the reasons he was killed. The No. 1 taboo is class and wealth, not race.

Schedule for tourists

IT SEEMS like Cape Girardeau has money to throw away with the restaurant and motel tax. If you want to promote tourism, then you need museums to stay open on a regular schedule. It's no good to have things that people might be interested in if you show up and they're not open.

Special lane

THIS IS a helpful hint for drivers northbound on Interstate 55 who want to turn right on Route K toward the mall. As you come up your exit ramp and start making a right turn, you have your own special lane. There is no yield sign. There is no stop sign. You can keep right on going. If there's room between cars, you can move over toward the left. But if there's not room, you can keep going in your own special lane and do not have to stop.

Elderly income

TO THE person who said Social Security wasn't meant to be lived on. Wrong again. Social Security was created for people in their old days to live on, if necessary. If they had other income, all the better for them. But some people used to have to go to the poor farms to earn their keep. Those people ought to go back to history and read what the poor had to do before Social Security.

Like real life

WHAT I don't like is when people pick on a show that is a little bit better than the average show, such as "Without a Trace." Unfortunately, it showed a teen orgy. But that's why you have a TV guide. That way you can make sure it's not watched in your family. There are teen orgies happening. It's not like "Without a Trace" would paint this in a favorable light. It shows what could happen.

No warning

I HAVE been reading about the TV shows with the breasts showing. I agree there should be some censorship. What about women at the awards' shows with their breasts hanging out. There's no way parents know what's going to be on.

Thanks for the ride

I WANT to say there are still good young people in the world. A young couple picked me up this morning when my car died in the middle of the highway. They were from Marble Hill, and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Better paint or reflectors

WHAT DOES Cape Girardeau use to paint the white lines on the streets? Whatever it is, it doesn't last. The lines were painted not too long ago on Mount Auburn Road. Just a few months have passed, and there are no lane lines from Burger King to William Street. The other lines on Mount Auburn are not visible at night nor when it rains. Either paint it with something that lasts or put reflectors in. It is very dangerous to drive when no one know where a lane ends or begins.

Washing the new away

WHERE HAS Mark Bliss been living? I'm 47 years old and can remember, back in the early 1970s, washing my jeans a bunch of times before I wore them and digging through the attic for old jeans that my older brother wore in junior high school so I wouldn't be embarrassed by new jeans that looked new.

Wash them first

REGARDING BIRDS in stores: I get my vegetables and fruits from our own garden and fruit trees. We have birds flying over all the time. The trick is to wash them before you eat them.

Circular reasoning

CLAIMING JESUS proves the truth of the Bible is a consummate example of circular reasoning.

Biblical science

WHY LIMIT equal time in the schools to biology? Kids should make up their own minds about all the controversial ideas in their science classes. Why don't we give equal time to the idea that the sun goes around the Earth (Joshua 10:12-13)? Shouldn't they be informed of the scientific view that the Earth has four corners (Isaiah 11:12) and sits on pillars (I Samuel 2:8)? And what about math classes? Kids should know that some mathematicians hold that pi isn't 3.14 something, it's exactly 3 (1 Kings 7:23). After all, everything in the Bible is literally true, isn't it?

Comment on welfare

I HAVE a comment about the welfare system. The government takes the taxes of people who work hard to make ends meet. Then the government gives that money to people who don't want to work. There are exceptions where some really need it. The government rents apartments, pays utilities, gives food cards and pays a monthly check to mothers who refuse to work. This thing about limiting being on welfare for five years is bull. I know people who have lived on it for years. And many welfare recipients are arrested over and over, but they continue to receive government money.

Other dangerous theories

While we're removing the theory of evolution from schools, let's take out other dangerous theories, like the theory of gravity. Or how about atomic theory? And that crackpot Einstein and his theory of relativity -- he was just a liberal free thinker.

Wrong kind of send-off

ONLY CBS could interview all the wives of military personnel being deployed to find one that is more than happy to be disparaging of her husband and his company and voice her "I don't like it or understand this war any more." Congratulations" This wife is sending her husband off by leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many. Perhaps sweeter words would be easier to eat and make the trip better. Soldiers fight wars whether they thought they ever would or not. War is hell, and your spouse volunteered.

Need cell-phone law

I AGREE with the caller who has had it with cell phones and driving. Many times I have had close calls at intersections. We have learned not to pull out on green without first counting to three. Missouri needs to follow suit with the "pull over or drive" law that many states up east have instituted. With all the hands-free devices available and speaker cell phones available, it should not be a problem. Until then, I urge everyone, especially at high speed intersections, to count before they pull out. Cell phones are great when used properly. People driving while talking is not going to go away anytime soon, so we are going to have to stay alert to protect ourselves and our families. There isn't a law yet for the police to enforce in this area.

All of God's Word

TO THE person who said you can be a Christian and not take the Bible literally: It is true that Jesus did not mention homosexuality specifically. If you study God's Word, you will find homosexuality is referred to as an abomination. Jesus did not specifically mention child molestation, but I'm sure he was against it. You need the full counsel of all of God's word, not just portions to support selfish desires.