Speak Out 10/02/04

Ranchito drag strip

I'VE NOTICED in the last couple of weeks that the police department has been running radar at Mount Auburn Road and a few other roads. I'm sure it will help the city make more money. But believe me, if they'd like to make a ton of money, they need to run radar on Ranchito Drive. My mother lives on that street. It's a drag strip. And maybe my mother would be able to get out of her driveway without having accidents.

More white crosses

WHEN I travel through Cape Girardeau and see all the pro-life signs and white crosses along the highway, I wonder who says a prayer for the children in the war zone who lose their lives. Maybe we need a cross for each of those little souls.

Halfhearted effort

I WENT to the City of Roses Music Festival. That was a pretty halfhearted effort. Obviously it was set up so local bands that can't open anywhere else got to headline something. Unless they can come up with an outside professional promoter or someone who really cares about it, the festival organizers should cancel next year.

Need better school

TAXES WOULD not be wasted in Jackson if it's for upgrading the school. We need a better high school for the kids, because the old building is outdated and Jackson high schoolers deserve better.

Bringing the food

I WAS reading about the man who weighed over 1,000 pounds and is on a weight-loss program in the hospital. If people weigh that much and can't get around, part of the blame has to go to the people who bring him the food he eats.

Get tough on meth

THE SCHOOL and community efforts to curb the meth problem has had years to do so without success. It's time to get tough on the availability of drug ingredients. This is no time to go wobbly on fighting meth. Meth criminals have had their damaging way long enough. If it takes big brother, then so be it.

Parenting a dog

ABOUT THE menacing dog: The important point was that the owner was there and called the dog back. I don't see that dog as a problem. What's menacing in one person's eyes might not be menacing in someone else's eyes when they're walking their pet. I've heard of people who can't control their pets. It's like parenting. There are bad parents, and there are bad dog owners. Instead of being critical, why not put some courteous tips in the mailbox on how to train a dog to be a better dog?

Let CBS handle it

QUIT TRYING to tell CBS who to fire and to hire. Let Dan Rather go on about his business. He apologized. Let CBS handle this. This isn't a government agency. Don't tell private enterprise how to run a business.

Church gossip

I OVERHEARD something in my church on Sunday. Two women were talking about someone else in our community. They were very malicious. This is not what Christians do. The woman they were talking about may have made a mistake in her life, but we should not judge someone else. They truly need to think why I would forsake a friend because of gossip.

Still the Indians

I SEE in the paper where the university wants us to suggest names for our new Redhawk mascot. We will always be Indians.

Police are distraction

I JUST wanted to say how great the band was at Bel-Air on Friday night. They were totally awesome at the City of Roses Music Festival. But it was too big a distraction when there was at least seven police cars surrounding the place. They were even circling the parking area around the bar. Some people weren't there to drink. If you're going to have events like that and the police are going to harass the people who come to the music festival, people aren't going to come.

Pet groomers blamed

I GET tired of hearing people blaming pet groomers for everything that happens to their pets when they get sick or hurt. A lot of times these dogs are already sick. The owners try to find a way to get a free groom. If people would take care of their pets better, a lot of these things wouldn't happen.

Stay the course

WE NEED to be open to others' opinions and suggestions. We need to unite for a solution in Iraq. We need to involve our allies, not push them away. We need to listen to our military advisers. We need diplomacy, not stubbornness. It is evident that staying the course is not working and killing our children.

Misplaced kindness

YOU CAN'T stop terrorists with kindness. Just try it. They'll chop off your head. Where are your loyalties to the 3,000 people those savage barbarians killed in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania? Try being kind to a rabid dog and see what happens to you. Your kindness is misplaced.

Fantastic yearbook

I JUST wanted to let the yearbook staff of the Silver Arrow at Jackson High School know you did a wonderful job this year. The yearbook looks fantastic.