Speak Out 11/29/05

Wolf in the henhouse

I ALMOST split my side laughing when I read today that former FEMA director Michael Brown was going to start his own disaster-preparedness firm. That's like the wolf who presided over the destruction of the henhouse and is now going to tell hens how to not be destroyed in the future.

We need buses

YES, WE need public busing. Here are some memories from an old lady. Back in the 1940s and 1950s, we had a small town. We had three taxi services and public buses running to the Bloomfield, Sunset, Red Star and Smelterville areas. It was used by all walks of life, and it ran on schedule. It was convenient for my grandparents as well as myself as a kid. Catholic kids rode the bus after school to get home. It was a way to get to work on time. Parents didn't have to jump in their cars to run kids all over town. My grandmother would tie my dime in the corner of her handkerchief for my ride. Cape Girardeau has grown, and it's hard to get somewhere with all the traffic. Let's eliminate some of the road rage and help make life safe. We don't have to wait hours for today's taxi.

Height of hypocrisy

YOUR NOV. 22 editorial cartoon depicting U.S. Rep. John Murtha waving a white flag is a high mark of hypocrisy. Murtha served 37 years in the Marines. He earned two purple hearts and a Distinguished Service Medal. Veterans Day just passed, yet you question the congressman's patriotism because he happens to disagree with your paper's position. This is one reason both Democrats and Republicans are fed up with neo-cons such as Limbaugh, Hannity, Cal Thomas and others who profess patriotism but never served in the military. Even more distressing is the No. 1 chicken hawk, Dick Cheney, who continues to mislead us about the war but has no problem sending others to fight while the not-so-brave Cheney opted not to serve.

Emboldening the enemy

ISOLATIONISTS IN the United States hide their heads in the sand to the reality of what's going on in the world, even after America was attacked. If those attacks aren't answered with brave force by the United States, do these isolationists think America would be safer? Dream on. Learn to face reality and deal with it. A strong nation defends itself. It doesn't bury its head and hope attacks never happen again. That inaction is nothing more than appeasement and emboldenment to the enemy.

Cemetery vandalism

I HAVE just read about the cemetery history and how we should protect Old Lorimier Cemetery. This should include all cemeteries in the surrounding areas, maybe worldwide. My ancestors are buried in a cemetery that has been desecrated, and we have been told there is nothing to be done because we didn't know it until after the deadline to report such things. What's coming of our world?

Deaths in Iraq

PEOPLE ARE still trying to minimize the effect the casualties in Iraq is having on our nation and its military families by reminding us how many Americans were killed in World War II and how many days there's been no deaths in Iraq. If these draft-dodging hawks knew at the beginning of this conflict there would be only one American death and it would theirs, they would have sung a different song.

Aid to enemies

THE HATE America crowd is almost foaming at the mouth. How can you live in this country and hate it so much? The freedoms our soldiers fight for allow you to spout your hate-filled slogans. Does giving aid and comfort to our enemies give some meaning to your empty lives? If hampering our soldiers and helping our enemies is your goal, then I think that the blood of the 2000 dead American soldiers is on your hands. You help our enemies every chance you get and should be recognized as the traitors you are.

Waiting for delivery

AFTER READING the comment about the U.S. Postal Service, I would like to comment. About the middle of May of this year I mailed a small package to Colorado. As of today that package still has not been delivered.

Use your imagination

ONE RECENT caller suggested that we should imagine a row of Iraqi tanks driving down Kingshighway in some lame attempt to explain or justify the insurgency. How about imagining this: A commercial jet plane full of fuel flies into a building full of American citizens. Another plane follows shortly thereafter. Another plane crashes into the Pentagon, and yet another crashes into an empty field. Imagine that, and then try to understand that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to be slaughtered instead of piloting planes.

Send a message

SEND YOUR best wishes to our soldiers. This Web site, www.operationdearabby.net, will let you send a personal message. Let them know we are thinking of them and praying for them this holiday season, and that we wish they were home with their families.