Speak out 11/15

Poll demographics

I WONDER how many people who give President Bush a high approval rating are draft age.

Real leaders

PRESIDENT BUSH is bashed every day by Arab countries, dictators, liberal Democrats, the media, terrorists and even Speak Out callers. All our lives and dreams and future are in his hands, where every judgment is critical. Thank God we have a man like Mr. Bush. We should give him and any leader the benefit of the doubt and show support in these dangerous times. Thank God for real men to lead our country

Bravery applauded

I DON'T want to see or read what David Limbaugh writes. I only feel pity for him. It was brave of Heidi Hall to admit she is a Democrat. I am a Democrat too, and always have been.

Children at the mall

I HAVE two comments. As I take my daily walk at the mall, I see lots of school-age kids there during school hours. I wondered if they are skipping school or if they are majoring in mall.

Support for North Korea

NOW LET me get this straight. We're at the brink of war with Iraq because it has weapons of mass destruction. Despite North Korea's admission that it has a nuclear weapons program, we continue to ship oil to North Korea because we want to avoid crisis in that area. Considering what their northern neighbors did to us in the 1950s and the fact that Korea doesn't have oil, I suspect North Korea can build whatever it wants. Despite our grumbling, our government may indirectly support it.

Politics, not peace

WHERE WAS this anti-war crowd when Bill Clinton was bombing aspirin factories and killing innocents for the sole purpose of deflecting attention away from the Lewinsky affair and his impeachment? Their silence then and their vocal opposition now tells me this is more about politics than peace.

What a difference

I WANT to comment about the Iraqi inspections. There's an old song "What a Difference a Day Makes." What a difference a president makes. Saddam Hussein kicked our inspectors out and said he wasn't going to let them back in. When you've got a president with character, Saddam decided he will let those inspectors in. This is why the Republicans won the last election: character and principles. Republicans are interested in what's best for the country.

Facts of life

READING JAMES Nall's letter to the editor about spending and taxes -- saying that most people are determined to use the force of government to live at someone else's expense -- is very true and very insightful. I think people should read that maybe twice so they can realize the facts of life.

God's vengeance

TO CHRISTIANS who find themselves in support of a war with Iraq based on unsubstantiated allegations of Iraq's ties with al-Qaida, I would offer one Biblical reference: Vengeance shall be mine, saith the Lord.

Civil discourse

I WANT to comment on a recent guest column entitled "NPR, PBS offer quality programming." I was impressed by the writer's thoughtful support of KRCU and NPR and by his gentle dismissal of Mona Charen as a political extremist. The column was a fine example of civil discourse.

Clintons doing OK

Hillary Clinton was elected by a big margin to represent the state of New York in the U.S. Senate. Bill Clinton is doing really well. I'm sure he has no grudge or vendetta against his opponents. Bill Clinton is a Christian man who has sinned, but that's between God and him. President Bush and the Republicans showed sour grapes after he won the election. I think the Democrats are better losers than the Republicans. There's no way you're going to destroy Bill Clinton. He's going to end up a great president.

Training terrorists

THE U.S. accuses Iraq of harboring terrorists while our School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., trains terrorists. Maybe we should take a long, hard look at ourselves for once.

Mental-illness debate

I'VE BEEN following the stories about Rodney Yoder who is claiming that mental illness does not exist. I think mental illness does exist. But I also think a lot of people use mental illness in court to get off every charge under the sun. If Yoder believes he's not mentally ill, let's put him in prison to serve the sentence he would have received if he hadn't been found mentally ill. What he did was wrong. Why are the news media giving him so much attention?

Drugs affect scores

IF YOU want a true assessment of MAP scores, compare the families and neighborhoods these students come from. How do you expect students from a drug-infested neighborhood to score high on MAP tests? They have three strikes against them before they enter school. Drugs would have to be entirely eliminated before those students could be expected to learn. A healthy environment is the answer. Don't blame the schools. Attack the real problem: drugs.

Golf with a Frisbee

WE WENT to Tulsa this summer and played disc golf. Some call it Frisbee golf. It was great fun for the whole family. It's played just like regular golf in a park with woods or a creek to make it more interesting. Disc golf is played all over the United States, but not in Cape Girardeau. I think the parks and recreation board should check into it. Maybe Cape Girardeau can have disc golf next year.

Parental involvement

IN RESPONSE to the editorial and the articles regarding the test scores at Jefferson Elementary School: I want to commend the superintendent, Mark Bowles, on a good job. I further challenge the citizens of Cape Girardeau or the news media to ask the parents of the students at Jefferson how much time they spend with their kids studying and going over homework. If the parents were more involved in the students' lives and their education, the scores wouldn't be as low as they are.

I'M SURE back in the 1950s there were people who wanted things left alone as far as civil rights was concerned. But they moved forward and made sure, through Martin Luther King's efforts, that there were civil rights for blacks as well as whites. Just to leave things alone because it's comfortable is not always what's best.

It's a diversion

A SUPPORTER of Roe vs. Wade says she doesn't believe it's God's will for a woman to have an abortion in a back alley. I'm sure God doesn't want a woman to have an abortion, period. Isn't it funny how some will try any argument or diversion to imply there's nothing wrong with killing an unborn child?

Victory sounds

I CAN'T thank the Southeast Missourian enough for running a letter from Alan Journet. It was just absolutely the best thing I've read in a long time. To paraphrase Robert Duvall from "Apocalypse Now," I just love the sound of liberals crying in the morning. It sounds like victory.

I WONDER why the county road department comes out and puts gravel on a gravel road, and then the next day they send a road grader out to put it on the side. I was just wondering why. This is a waste.

Bullies on buses

I HAVE a nephew who goes to Jackson schools. I read the comments about the bullies on the school buses. My nephew came home and said one of the bullies on the school bus had kicked him in the face. Some of the kids are terrified of these bullies on that bus. He says it's like that on a lot of buses. He's scared to ride the bus. He wants to walk to school. I'm wondering why the bus drivers aren't taking charge and seeing that these children are not physically abused by these big kids?

Answering the call

AFTER THE attack on New York and Washington, how can anyone say hit me again? That's what England did, and Hitler obliged that appeasement. Is that what some people want to happen here? New York and Washington were wake-up calls. The brave will answer, not lay down and whimper.