Speak Out 11/16/08

Dirty word

IF YOU don't like the looks of a movie, don't buy a ticket. If you don't like the subject matter of a play, don't buy a ticket. Is Southeast a public university or not? The River Campus was not built with conservative dollars, as someone suggested. It was built with public funds, and censorship is a dirty word.

Lab drama

I WAS a theater major at Southeast Missouri State University in the 1970s. We did plays like "Sister Mary" in the lab theater. "Equus," a great show which requires male and female nudity, comes to mind. We did off-Broadway and edgy lab plays every season, and no one noticed. No doubt, the flexible theater at the River Campus has the same function as the lab theater in the Grauel Building. From where I stand, the theater department is gaining a national reputation, and the university president and the conservatives don't know what to do with it.

Areas of freedom

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI State University is a public university. It is not a private religious institution. If you do not like the plays they put on, do not go. Universities are supposed to be areas of freedom, not oppression by those with money. I think there are a few people who need to open their eyes and minds to new ideas. I am not telling you that you have to agree with everything, but telling an entire group of people what they can and cannot put on is ridiculous.

Honest disagreements

I AM proud that America can freely elect an African-American as president. That speaks volumes, and it's a wonderful thing. However, I hope our legislators and our new president do not misinterpret the election and assume that because they won that all of America supports them. The fact is that 57 million of us did not vote for Barack Obama, not because of race, but because of his liberal ideas. I know that there will be many times when I passionately disagree with Mr. Obama, and when I do, please do not call me unpatriotic or racist.

Not conservative?

AS COMPLETELY ridiculous as it sounds to hear that anyone could actually consider the Southeast Missourian to be a liberal newspaper, what those folks are saying is that the newspaper is not nearly conservative enough for their tastes. These are the same people who will not be happy until their closets are brimming over with assault weapons and who are afraid that Armageddon is upon us now that we have elected an African-American president.

Fix the lights

I KNOW people get tired of hearing the same complaints over and over, but when nothing gets done, what else can we do? Signal lights like the one at Broadway and Sprigg Street, especially early in the morning, do not respond at all to traffic flow. Cars wait a long time when there is no cross traffic. This is wasteful and frustrating. Why can't the city fix this? I know I'm a squeaky wheel, but ... .