Speak Out 11/25/01

It could be worse

OUR COUNTY government is a dictatorship. However, it is a benevolent one and allows citizens a degree of freedom. However, if we continue to complain about it in Speak Out or any other forum, it will most assuredly evolve into a malevolent totalitarian dictatorship. Stifle yourself.

Plain horse sense

A CONDESCENDING call-er referred to this area as Hee-Haw Land. The caller said intellect is "a rare commodity in these parts." That's right, but we could be intellectuals if we chose. It's just that we don't much cotton to intellectuals around here, ivory-towered or otherwise, because they generally are an insufferable lot, lack any common sense, have gotten us involved in quagmires like Vietnam and, worst of all, look upon Speak Out with disdain. When it comes to turning their noses up at Speak Out, intellectuals reveal their inability to recognize inherent wisdom and horse sense when they see it. Why, there's more truth expressed in one day of Speak Out commentary than in a years worth of political seminars at Harvard (apologies to Jon Rust), Yale and Stanford combined.

Don't tell my wife

THOUGH MIDDLE-aged, I am still a strong, vigorous and virile male. Thus, I was not appalled by the "Victoria's Secret" show on TV. In fact, I was somewhat disappointed, if you get my drift. I am very grateful to the Southeast Missourian for being able to air my view in anonymity in Speak Out so I can say this without it being known by my wife.

More thanks

...AND THANK you, Lord, for Jon Rust.

Doing God's work

I JUST read the article on Dr. C. John Ritter and his wife, Marcia. I think they are such exceptional people. God will reward them. It was a great article. They have given so much of themselves. He should be in everyone's prayers for his health, because in his work for others he has shown that the people of this country truly can do the work of God. I hope someday to meet these two lovely people. God bless them and their family.

No fun at all

I AM abstaining from going to the Harry Potter movie because a letter to the Southeast Missourian said it was against the Bible. Now, I'm going to forgo eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day because Dr. Stephen Stigers wrote that Christianity sanctions vegetarianism but not meat eating. No one ever said practicing Christianity was easy. But, dang, can't we have any fun at all? Is it OK to publicly show my face?

Donation concerns

THE RED Cross does deserve and will receive strong support. However, if not for Bill O'Reiley and some other heavy hitters, the national Red Cross would not have dispensed all of the $36 million donated to them by those who thought their contributions would go directly to the survivors of the Sept. 11 tragedy. You wrote that some local Red Cross leaders are concerned about what happened at the national level. They should be.

Listen to reason

THERE'S BEEN some bashing of Jeanne Wells lately, but that is to be expected. She wrote an informed, scholarly, researched letter than sheds new light on how the Bible has sometimes been misinterpreted and mistranslated. Everyone seems to be ignoring her research on Sodom and why it was really destroyed, as well as her explanation about how the word "homosexual" has only recently been introduced and passages that may not have the same meaning now that they did when originally written. Please, do some research. Learn more rather than just throwing verses in everyone's faces. Obviously the Bible was not written in English, and it was not written in the 21st century. If everyone was as informed as Wells, this world would be a hundred times more intelligent.

Living like Christ

I COULDN'T agree more with the comment that few people live Christ-like lives. I don't remember what was said at my grandmother's funeral except for one statement by the pastor: People in general are living for this present world and all the things it has to offer, and not living in accordance with Gods' word. It's very difficult in today's world to live a Christian life. I'm sorry if people thought I've been stuck-up my whole life. I just don't like the filth and dirty thoughts that come from your mouths. Or the cheating on your wives and girlfriends, your drunkenness, and your "getting ahead at whatever cost" attitude. I look every day for people who have a Christ-like character in themselves. May God give you incredible peace in your heart. You won't find it in the things of this world. Stop looking.

Reading problems

IT SEEMS to me as if large numbers of students who attend Central senior high school have serious to severe reading difficulties and are desperately in need of remediation. This could be a matter of life and death. I base my call for immediate administrator and teacher intervention on almost daily observation of said students crossing the street at the corner of Caruthers and Independence on their way to school and their obvious inability to distinguish between or interpret the words "walk" and "don't walk."