Speak Out 12/27/05

Nukes and quakes

WHY WOULD anyone even consider a nuclear plant near Cape Girardeau? Remember the earthquake prediction?

Created beings

THE RECENT court decision not to allow intelligent design to be presented in schools confirms that some people do not want to hear the truth about their origins. It's really not an issue of church and state or science versus religion. It's an issue of reality of finding our origin and the origin of the entire universe. I think everyone knows deep down that we are all created beings. It's just that some of us don't want to acknowledge our creator, the ultimate scientist.

One at a time

ONE OF these days in the not too distant future, a group of my fellow Americans will be wringing their hands and asking, "How did we lose freedom of religion?" The answer will be, "One court decision at a time."

Don't back down

I'M HOPING the city council does not back down on plans to have contractors put sidewalks in new subdivisions. They can be put in right after the house is finished, and it should be required. They have fought this thing for years and that's the reason why we have a hodgepodge of sidewalks. Stay with the decision to put them in.

Keep up the fight

PRESIDENT BUSH not only has to protect America from the terrorists without, but also from the bitter political enemies within America. Keep up your vigilance and protection, President Bush. The unanimous moral majority are with you all the way. God bless you, President Bush. Thank you.

Constant vigilance

PRESIDENT BUSH took an oath when he became president and commander in chief to protect our country from all enemies. And that is exactly what he is doing. No enemy will be safe as long as vigilant investigations are faithfully followed.

Minority differences

I SAW the article about how few minorities there are on advisory committees in Cape Girardeau. The best thing the minority can do is to quit calling attention to themselves as being a minority. They should read what Bill Cosby and Walter E. Williams say about this. Minorities should be accepted for the persons they are rather than being accepted because they are different.

Thanks for credit card

I JUST want to thank the person who turned in my credit cards at Sears. I really appreciate it, and I hope you have a blessed Christmas and God continues to bless you. Thank you very much.

Varieties of lying

THERE ARE four types of lies: lies, damn lies, statistics and politics.

Thanks for help

I WOULD like to thank the two elderly men who stopped to help me out of the ditch on Highway 177. I realize it is a risk for anyone who stops to help people. This is just a warm thank you. It made my month. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Successful combination

JACKSON MIDDLE School teachers are excellent teachers. I believe that. A previous comment said they were sacrificing for the after school programs. They are sacrificing their time, and time is valuable these days. They are fortunate to have a PTO paying them almost $20 a hour for the after school programs. Let's hear it for the Jackson Middle School PTO. It is this kind of cooperation between educators and parents that makes students successful.

Bloomfield project

ABOUT THE closing and widening of Bloomfield Road: Why wasn't a large part of it done when the city had the detour while the bridge was being replaced? The city is being hypocritical in only paving one side of the street with a sidewalk.

Giving up liberty

THIS IS a reminder to conservatives who argue that we should honor the words and intent of the U.S. Constitution and to the constructionists who support this president and his invasions of our privacy, freedom and liberty. Benjamin Franklin warned: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Do you right-wingers stand foursquare against what the Framers of the Constitution believed? Do you really stand for anything conservative?

Paid for days worked

TEACHERS DO not get holidays off with pay. Teachers are paid for their days worked. They are not paid for Christmas break, Easter break or summer break. They do not get paid for President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Thanksgiving Day or Veterans Day. That is a gross misperception by the public.

Table manners

FROM THE time my siblings and I were old enough to sit in a highchair, we were taught table manners. Thank you, Mama and Daddy. As an adult with great-grandchildren, I am proud I can eat in a small diner or in the classiest joint in Washington, D.C., and never feel out of place. Parents, realize that someday, your child may need to know how to behave at fancy company dinners that may be important to their careers.

Courteous behavior

MORE AND more lately, we are seeing children being more polite and well-mannered. Maybe some of the griping about them has made parents realize how much easier their own lives would be if the little ones learned a few manners. Yesterday, a little girl bumped into me in a store aisle, looked around as she passed me and said, "Oh! Excuse me!" Isn't this wonderful?

Tolls on Bloomfield

CLOSING BLOOMFIELD Road to those who use the road sparks an idea. Keep a lane open and charge a toll, or sell passes to drive on it. At 9,000 cars a day -- or let's say 6,000 a day, since some would use an alternate route -- you could charge 40 cents and have plenty of money above the $200,000 cost to pay for administering the toll. This would save lots of time and fuel money for the citizens and save the city money.

Thanks, mail carriers

I WANT to express my sincere gratitude to all of our mail carriers in Cape Girardeau and beyond. Many people do not realize the many long hours they put in weekly, let alone the amount of work they endure during the holiday season. Some carriers will even be required to work Christmas morning. This will cause them to miss Christmas morning with their family, time that can never be reclaimed. Kudos to the mail carriers for all of their hard work.