Speak Out 10/25/05

Keep up the effort

I SEE where the anti-litter drive is going to get another push. That's good, because every time we let down our guard, old habits soon reappear. A real anti-litter effort is not a one-time cleanup weekend. It's a process that goes on and on and on. It's also a process of educating adults and children alike that there are alternatives to littering. If we all take a little responsibility, there won't be such a great big litter problem. I'm glad there are people out there who still want to reach for the goal of a region whose litter-free image is widely known and protected.

Shocked by protests

I'VE TALKED to several vets back from Iraq. They are shocked at the protests and the attacks on American policy. They say they watch the news and can't believe the biased opinions against our leadership. The appreciation by the Iraqis is heartwarming, and the good done in Iraq is hardly ever mentioned by the news.

Thanks for purse

I WOULD like to thank the person who found my purse in the grocery cart at Wal-Mart's parking lot. Life is so hectic these days, and our minds are on so many things. I never thought it would happen to me, but I'm not any better than anybody else.

New Orleans labor

I am not surprised at the flow of immigrants, both legal and illegal, to New Orleans. The people who lived there don't respect their property enough to work in their own city and on their own property while being paid for it. New Orleans needs a labor force. If Americans won't do it, bring on someone who will.

Loans for college

I have been reading Speak Out for the past few weeks and have noticed a number of comments on people making minimum wage. Only one comment makes any sort of sense. There are a number of grants and loans you can acquire to go to college. If you are griping about making minimum wage, don't put your hand out for the government to drop something in it for you. Get out and help yourself.

Fruits of gambling

Riverboat gambling is a wonderful idea. Has anyone been down by the Missouri River in St. Charles, Mo.? It's a magnificent area, and it was all brought to fruition by riverboat gambling. Why would someone care if someone else has a gambling problem? Some people are alcoholics, but do we ban alcohol or prohibit establishments that sell alcohol? I think some people need to lighten up and get with the times.

Autumn leaves

I personally love the smell of burning leaves on a crisp autumn day.

Tamms teachers

We in Tamms, Ill., are blessed to have such loving and caring teachers in our pre-kindergarten classes at Egyptian School. They deserve much recognition for doing a wonderful job of teaching our little ones. Thank you to the teaching staff.

Burning issue

I swept up a small amount of mowed grass and small sticks off my driveway and put them on top of some trash already in my cans. It was three or four dustpans full. On trash day I got a tag stating the reason it was not emptied. It said, "No Compost." Now people are complaining about burning leaves. If the city will not pick up a little bit of debris mixed in with regular trash and we cannot burn it, what are we supposed to do with it? Wait till the city gives me a ticket for not keeping my yard clean.

Workers' safety

TO THE road construction workers in Jackson: Just as the public needs to watch out for the safety of city workers, you need to watch out for your own safety as well in the work zones. Recently there was a worker on the side of the road who could have gotten hurt easily and didn't seem to mind that fact. All I'm asking is for workers to be aware of their surroundings when traffic slowly moves by.

Nature's wrath

MY GRANDSON says this weather and these disasters are not the wrath of God. They are the wrath of Mother Nature for the way we treat the environment. I do believe he is right.

Carnival victims

REGARDING THE remark about the SEMO District Fair Board allowing pieces of carnival equipment to remain at Arena Park: Most people may not realize it, but after they left here, they went 50 miles from the southwest coast in Louisiana and got caught in the eye of the hurricane. Not only did they lose their winter quarters, a lot of them lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina. The equipment is still sitting in the park because they have nowhere to put it. I'm thankful that the fair board and city are compassionate enough to let them leave their equipment parked there. It's just about the only equipment they have left.

Vote on burning

INSTEAD OF setting up a commission on burning leaves, why don't people who do not like leaf burning start a petition to put the issue on the ballot? That's how a democracy should operate.

Losing leaves

THE TOWN I lived in before I moved to Cape Girardeau didn't mess around with the leaves the way this city does. If you raked the leaves to the area between the sidewalk and the street, you could call the city and crews would pick up the leaves the next day. So we didn't have this idea of picking up leaves one week here and one week there. The Cape Girardeau method of removal of leaves is something I've never seen before. It's absolutely silly.

This is progress?

I RECENTLY visited Cape Girardeau's waterfront with some friends from out of town. Being an old resident of Cape and a very proud one, I was showing my friends all the beautiful murals. I walked on the other side of the floodwall. What do I see floating directly in the center of the newly remodeled landing with a tin roof and rusting bottom? An old leaky barge. I was told it's Cape's newest attraction, a floating restaurant. You could have knocked me over with a feather. If I wrote a book about this, I think I would call it "The New Hong Kong" or "Boat People of Cape."

What secret?

AM I one of few who wonder how in the world so much information about a secret grand-jury investigation seems to be leaking to the news media? How in the world could so many know so much and it still be considered a secret? Who is going to investigate those leaks? With so much misinformation coming out every day, I think I'll wait for the books.

Positive potential

HOW COULD someone assume that, since a mother is in jail, a child she had would automatically be a criminal or a junkie? That child could just as easily be the doctor that one day cures cancer or the person that brings about world peace.

Fit firefighters

REGARDING FIREFIGHTERS who work out: Speak Out callers should not worry about their own safety. If they get trapped in a house fire or car wreck or suffer a heart attack and need CPR while being carried down a flight of stairs, our brave firefighters can carry them over their shoulders or cut you out of a mangle of metal while using real heavy tools. Why? Because they are in good physical condition. Which would you rather spend your tax dollars on: firefighters staying in shape or sitting at the station drinking coffee and eating doughnuts?

Painting a picture

MANY COMMENTS seem to paint all Republicans as religious fanatics. I am not a religious person, although I have many of the same values that a religious person might have. Respect for others and honesty come to mind. I believe in the power of the individual, but I believe the truly needy should be helped. I have grown to realize that an unchecked liberal media was constantly trying to manipulate and shape my feelings about everything going on around me. They broadcast a never-ending string of stories about why I should be ashamed of my country, income, business, religion, treatment of the animals and the environment. In their eyes there were always conservatives to hate or fear. The left pits the nonbelievers against the religious, the haves against the have-nots, blacks against whites. Don't fall for their preaching of hate and envy.