Speak Out 10/12/05

Lack of concern

REGARDING OKLAHOMA University suicide bomber Joel Henry Hinrichs III: As evidence mounts that he had ties with Islam, loaded his bomb with shrapnel and went to the same mosque as Zacarias Moussaoui, a search of the Fox News Web site lists only one mention of him, and television newscasts seems to talk about anything but him. Why? www.aim.org/guest_column/4077_0_6_0_C/ is just one of hundreds of Web pages with tons of links and information that our leaders want to sweep under the rug. Nothing to see here. Move along, No homegrown terrorists here. Just a person with emotional difficulties. This person with emotional difficulties was just a few yards and a few minutes away from a major terrorist event in a football stadium with 84,000 people with a bomb that was heard over four miles away. Am I the only one concerned?

Making it work

FOR ALL of those people out there who are middle class or lower, don't despair. There is help. Yes, even those of us who can't afford college or trade schools have a chance. It is called a Pell Grant. And there are student loans. You will qualify for either of these if you are middle class or lower. The Pell Grant is awarded according to your income last year. Student loans are awarded to any one who hasn't defaulted on a student loan before. This goes to show that if you will get busy and take classes during your down or evening time, there is funding and programs out there to help you get an education. If you are a single parent there are even more programs. I am lower class. My husband and I make less than $20,000 a year to support our family and his first family. We are doing it. If I can, anyone can.

Enough gore

I WONDER if members of news media have ever thought about their role in educating readers on how to commit a crime or personal insult to one's own body. If an ill person doesn't know how, I feel that the news media is the place to go for the information. The gore of this world is bad enough without having to have it reinforced by the news media. I've read whole pages of the newspaper, and never once have I seen one good or happy subject touched upon. And we wonder why our children behave the way they do.

Refuting the lie

THANK YOU for printing President Bush's speech about terrorism. Those who contend he doesn't have a plan are merely trying to repeat a lie often enough that people who aren't informed believe it.

Missed opportunity

WORD IS out that the upcoming filming of "Killshot" in Cape Girardeau will not be as beneficial to our community as anticipated and promised. It is rumored that companies from St. Louis, not Cape, are being hired to provide crew and equipment for the production. How did our city leaders drop the ball and let us down with this opportunity? Local talent and business will get little, if anything, out of this whole thing. The only thing our community is going to get is blocked-off streets and photo ops for the elite. What a waste and a disappointment. I couldn't care less if it comes here now.

Wrong focus

I WAS disappointed by the story written about rekindling of downtown Cape Girardeau. A comment was made that the Taste Lounge was for blacks and was a magnet of trouble. That was not the only place where problems occurred in the downtown area, but stories always seem to focus on the black community.

Important sports

REGARDING THE suggestion that we should cut out the long trips for school games to conserve fuel: why should we punish kids who are doing right in school by playing sports? Sports are a very important part of a teen's life. It is already expensive enough without adding to the cost. Take these kids' futures into mind.

Chaffee policing

WHAT IN the world is going on in Chaffee? The police are harassing teenagers. I have seen this with my own eyes. Friday night, the police watched everything the teenagers were doing, but two blocks down at the local tavern there were people outside drinking beer at 11:30 at night. Let these kids be kids. They're having fun. They're not hurting anyone. We need to watch the adults.

Construction speeding

I WAS on my way home this afternoon on Interstate 55 going north. A highway patrolman had a woman pulled over for speeding through a construction area. That patrolman saved her life, because if you hit a construction worker, you'll be in prison for 25 years to life. We were in Kansas City in 1983 when a man hit a highway department worker in the middle of Interstate 70 doing 70 mph. It killed him instantly. He had a family and was young. Speed limits are posted for construction sites. My hat goes off to that highway patrolman. I think he did an excellent job.

Living conditions

WHEN I was growing up, my mother did everything she could to create a home. My father, on the other hand, managed to ruin the pipes in the home because he poured lye in them. He never learned not to do that. He put planks across our kitchen floor instead of having it repaired. He tore up the toilets too. Sometimes there are mitigating circumstances when officials find bad living conditions. It's not fair that women bear the ultimate burden.

Burning nuisance

THIS MORNING I woke up pleased that a cool front had come through. It's a great day. The weather's in the 60s. It's fantastic. I opened my back door to let the fresh air inside my house. Lo and behold, 30 minutes later I smelled but something burning. Come on, people. Please.

Well-paid for services

THE MERCHANT Marines did a great and dangerous job during World War II. It should be remembered that they were well-paid, many making over $1,000 a month while most servicemen were making $50 a month for combat pay.