Speak Out 11/30/07

Finding inspiration

THANKS, SAM Blackwell for the beautiful voice you lend to my life each week through your column. Your point this week about the importance of finding inspiration even when circumstances seem bleak was inspiring. Your columns are always a wonderful contrast to the cantankerous pieces that show up in the same space on Fridays.

Family comes first

I DON'T think it would be the contents of a video game that would make a mom mistreat her baby or kill a baby such as Baby Grace, who was found in Texas in a box floating in the water. It's the lack of sacrifice on the parents' part. As a parent, you learn to sacrifice things. You have to set priorities. Children require time and effort. It's a troubling time that we live in. Some young adults are preoccupied with video games. It's an electronic age. Efforts have to be made so the family always comes first, not these gizmos.

Paying attention

FOR TOO long I have sat by and listened while drivers make excuses for why bikers should not be allowed on the roads. I am tired of it. Start taking some responsibility for yourselves. I have had friends put in comas and nearly killed. I have been hit while riding a bike within the city limits. I have taken more than required safety measures to ensure that drivers will see me. I have lights, front and rear, that can be seen for up to a mile away. I ride on the right side of the road and obey all the traffic laws, including stopping at stop signs and signaling before every turn. What it all comes down to is paying attention to what is going on around you. Drivers should start taking responsibility for driving. Someday it could be you or someone you love changing a flat tire on the side of the road when an inattentive driver strikes.

Curfew in Mounds

I USED to live in Mounds, Ill., and worked in several positions for Pulaski County. Yes, there is a curfew. It is a county law. If you know the people who are out late in the streets, get their names and where they live. File a complaint with the Mounds police and county sheriff. If you don't get help there, talk to the state police headquarters in Ullin and the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. It's not that you dislike their children. It is the principle of correcting the parents for not keeping control of their children and having them out that late of the hour. From experience of working on the ambulance service in the county, no child should be out that late.

Mind the hair

TRAINING RESTAURANT workers is a good idea. While you are training them, teach the girls how to fix their hair. I'm tired of watching girls walk by me carrying a tray full of meals on their shoulder, with their hair hanging in someone's plate.