Speak Out 11/07/06

Freedom to change

REGARDING THE comment that we have enough problems in America, like people living in cardboard boxes: What happens if we bring all of our soldiers back and another terrorist attack occurs and kills these people? They may be living in a cardboard box, but they have the freedom to change.

Eyesore in Jackson

ISN'T THERE an ordinance in Jackson against putting a temporary sign on sawhorses in the back of an old flatbed truck in the yard of a business on the main street of Jackson? If not there should be. All that money spent on landscaping is overshadowed by that eyesore.

Waiting for the book

I ANXIOUSLY await what I think will be a memoir by man of unwavering principle, David Limbaugh. The title might be an insightful, self-revealing one: "The Last Neoconservative."

Conservative views

I'D LIKE to tell the Rust family and the Southeast Missourian to keep up the good work. Your paper represents the conservative views that have made this area a great place to live, work and raise a family. Please don't bow down to a few blowhard liberals. They already have the New York Times.

It's not a disorder

SO THOSE people who are grossly overweight have an "eating disorder"? Take a look at the photos of the Nazi concentration camps. If you see any skinny Jews, they are the ones with an "eating disorder"." Obesity is an epidemic in this country, and it has to do with the amount of calories you put in your mouth.

Dangerous drivers

IT WAS nice to see the Jackson police had some people pulled over Wednesday night. I'd like to see it more often. People in Jackson drive like they are the only ones on the road, and they don't care about the danger they put other people in, much less themselves. If you want to know what the people in an area are like, watch them drive.

Linked by atrocities

THERE WAS an excellent documentary showing on the History Channel showing the historical links between Hitler's Nazi Party and Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, outlining the atrocities carried out by both and what their eventual goals are. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and changed my mind about several things happening today. All I have to say now is, "Go get 'em, Mr. President!"

Still remembering

I READ through tears the story of Camden Bock, and I thought back to the Vietnam War. Relatives and friends of mine died there. They will not be turning 60 this year. They never saw their kids running and playing. They will never have grandkids to watch with wonderment. But the corporations will continue to do business as if no kid died there. Lieutenant Bock's death will be nothing but a footnote in 20 years, but he was an educated, talented and well-liked son, grandson, friend and neighbor to some.

Throwing stones

TO THE person worried about the drag show at Southeast Missouri State University: Please open your mind. It was put on by a student organization, and the funds for it were raised by the student organization, not costing any taxpayer any money. Nobody is forced to go to the performance, so no one is trying to recruit members. There are lots of activities sponsored by religious groups on campus. This would technically fall under the same category. I do not practice the same religion as all the groups on campus. Are they trying to recruit me? People need to stop throwing stones.

Education ideas

EVERYONE THINKS No Child Left Behind means every child will be as smart, successful and educated as the next. The public Law that all students shall have a free and appropriate education doesn't mean all students will learn as much or the same as their classmates. It means that the child whose IQ is substandard will learn to the best of their ability. If a school system can do the maximum with that student, it has succeeded. If a student is bright and only succeeds to the ninth-grade level then it is a matter of a child being lost in the cracks of education, parents who don't care, a school that has to spend too much time with the special students and neglects the bright because of fewer teachers in the profession and laws made by people who aren't educators. In my experience I've seen those bright students learn, despite any setting or teacher they have. They have parents and a sense of accomplishment and goals that they will meet, no matter the circumstances. Go back to a state superintendent of schools and leave legislative control behind. Unify school curriculums across the state, along with teachers' salaries.

Public education

WE ARE not rich, but we provided private-school educations for our children. We allocated money saved and scrimped to do so for those years, and it has paid off. In addition, we paid taxes that enabled your children to attend public schools for free. Don't come down on people who want smaller classes, religious education and Christian ethics taught to their children. Bring God, ethics, discipline and parents back into the education of our children, and the good results will come forth.

Room for improvement

I FEEL that the Cape Transit Authority's buses are not benefitting Cape Girardeau as a whole. If you live on North Kingshighway, as I do, there is not a bus that comes even close to where I live. And the taxi costs more than when it was run by the Kelleys, and the transit authority is talking about doing away with discounted rates. What about putting the coupons back into effect? That is the only way a working man or woman can afford to ride the taxi to go to work. There is a lot of room for improvement in the new system.

Work-zone speeding

THE SIGN says: Work Zone. Reduce Speed. Speed Limit 50 mph, I drop to 50, a Hummer and a white pickup pass me doing at least 60. Why can't there be automatic speed checks in work zones? Highway patrol troopers should be at these sites more often.