Speak Out 10/25/07

Brains out of gear

IF OUR people in Congress don't have anything better to do than worry about something that happened back in World War I to the Armenians, they need to take a vacation, because their brains are out of gear.

Fantastic supper

I WANT to let Zion Lutheran Church at Gordonville know that it had a wonderful sausage supper. The food was delicious. It was well-organized. Hats off to all the workers.

No pleasure

I AM an 80-plus-year-old woman who can barely walk. The only place I can go is the doctor and a store that has riding carts when some family member can spare a little time to take me. I try to cook and clean as much as my body allows and do laundry. I have no pleasure whatsoever. I stay here inside day after day because I can't walk outside. Preparing a meal wears me out. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, neighbors cared about neighbors. Now they don't know each other. They're too darn busy. So I sit here day after day after day looking at the walls and doing whatever my body will allow.

Parade rules

Are there two sets of rules for parades regarding throwing candy from a moving vehicle? We received a letter about the Christmas parade. There was to be no throwing of candy from a moving vehicle per a city ordinance and that anyone caught doing so would be removed from the parade. During the recent Southeast Missouri State University Homecoming parade, almost everyone was throwing candy from a moving vehicle, including the university president. Is this ordinance enforced?

Corner signs

WE LIVE on the corner of our street. Every week we have garage sale or open house signs in our lawn. Sometimes they dig big holes to put them in. No one ever asks if that's OK. We have to mow around them. I wonder if this bothers other people who live on the corner of their neighborhood.

Bring back the roses

I HAVE lived in Cape Girardeau all my life. Cape was always called the City of Roses. Where are the roses? I know there are roses in the rose garden in Capaha Park. When I was younger, on Sunday afternoon, we would take a drive on Kingshighway. There used to be the most beautiful hill of roses. There is a place on Kingshighway where roses could be planted. I've always been proud of the City of Roses. The roses were the most beautiful thing we used to have over the years.

Running our churches

I WOULD like to report a church on Route K that is serving meals Wednesday nights in direct competition with retail businesses in Cape Girardeau. This church should be shut down, or it should be charged taxes on what it charge members for these meals. I know of another church that runs a basketball program in direct competition with our parks and recreation department. This church charges children for the basketball program, so I think this church should be shut down. I know of another church that operates a clothing pantry and charges a nominal fee for the clothes. This is just awful. How can all these churches be doing good deeds for the community and expect not to be charged taxes for this? Let's open the doors of our churches so the government can step right in and tell us how to run the churches. This is getting out of hand. I can't believe, here in the Bible Belt. that we are not letting our city officials tell us exactly what and how to do on a selective basis. Our voters need to wake up.

Thanks for help

I'D LIKE to thank everybody at Jasper's in Jackson who helped me with my car when it died and wouldn't start. Everybody said it was the starter. It was a dead battery. Thanks for helping me out.

Waste of money

I LIVE in Scott County. A couple of years ago the county put some of this chip and seal down it front of my house. Last year it wasn't bad, but this year it has gone to pieces. It's real rough. I think the county is wasting money on chip and seal.

Using free will

THIS IS concerning the column by Jonah Goldberg, "Why be pro-life?" People don't get it. It's not pro-life or pro-abortion. It's a matter of choice. God gave us free will. Why should the government take that away from us? I don't believe in abortion, but I can't take someone else's beliefs and say they're right or wrong.

Not realistic

WHILE MILDLY entertaining, the "He Said/She Said" column by Bob Miller and Callie Clark Miller hardly portrays realistic couples. I think it's time to move on to more important issues that affect our lives.

Bring back the GOP

I WANT to say a word about these polls that are coming out. They claim that President Bush is at 33 percent. But the latest poll out on the Democrats is at 11 percent. I think they've failed. They've taken over the House and Senate and have done nothing but feather their own nest. That's the reason they're at 11 percent. I can't wait until the Republicans get back in.

Watch the children

I'VE BEEN around Snake Hill and have seen how some people drive there. They don't drive fast. The person who complained about the speeding should watch the children instead of letting them play in the streets. We've got crazy people who might pick them up. Parents should have more sense than letting their children play in the street.

Follow the money

I WOULD like to make a comment about Al Gore's movie. I think it's a sad day when scientists won't come out against this movie because they fear losing their grants.

Available parking

I THINK more businesses should take more accountability in keeping their handicap-parking slot open for their disabled customers who have a disability tag and display it. They act like they have no concern if someone parks there but has no right to do so. If you see someone parked in a disabled-parking slot without a hanging tag or handicapped license plate, you can call the police. They have assured me they will come out immediately and issue a ticket.