Speak Out 2/2/06

Inconsistent whining

I KEEP hearing "How long are we going to be in Iraq? When are going to get out of Iraq?" If I'm not mistaken, we still have troops in Bosnia who have been there since the Clinton administration. I don't hear about that. If we don't like troops on foreign soil, then let's have a policy to bring them all home.

Learn to pray

WE MUST all pray for one another, teach one another to pray for one another and love one another. There would be less killing, stealing and hate. We need to pray for our police department, our fire department and our neighbors.

A country of fear

MARTIN LUTHER King III was right. Iraqis were not a people who wanted to be saved. If they did, they would have had a revolution. They were willing to endure Saddam Hussein like we have endured corruption in some of our leaders. A country that was relatively peaceful for the majority of Iraqis is now a place full of fear. The Iraq war is not about liberating the people. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Taking the increase

I WAS just told by the pharmacy where I get my medicine that prices go up the first of each year. I wonder how dumb the pharmacies think we are? That's when we get our Social Security raise, and they think they're going to get it.

Drug tests for all

I SUPPORT requiring all United States citizens to take regular drug tests. Taking recreational drugs inevitably has a negative impact on a drug user's health, which makes all taxpayers have higher taxes. I do not want to pay higher taxes so that recreational drug users can continue this habit.

Learning about cultures

WHEN I took world history, we learned that many different faiths existed but were never taught about their concepts and beliefs. It never hurts to learn that there are other cultures in the world besides the one you live in.

Need water park

CAPE GIRARDEAU is a city with a population of approximately 36,000. It has a drawing population of 300,000 people. We need a water park. If the city council and mayor are content with our revenue dollars going to the Poplar Bluff and Farmington water parks and their community, then let's continue to bore our children so they can continue to commit crimes. There is nothing for kids to do here.

Don't show me the money

I THINK it is great what Eleanor L. Jones is doing by refusing to accept her $100,000 check. Cape Girardeau deserves what it is getting. Poor city management and planning can only go on for so long. Besides, the city is taking her to court to get a portion of the money back.

Harsh reality

I FEEL for the family members of the slain teenager. While the photo in the Missourian was not appealing, neither was the behavior he allegedly was involved in. The photo was not for the purposes of glorifying his death, but rather a visual harsh reality of the event. I will continue to be suspicious of any group of young people who gather in the streets. What happened to the days when I was younger and played in the streets? We passed a football or Frisbee for entertainment. We didn't sell or use drugs. We weren't underage drinkers. We weren't out vandalizing property. We were having fun and doing so legally. It's embarrassing to see the harsh reality of a life gone bad.

Culture and history

DURING SEVENTH- or eighth-grade social studies, students study five main world religions (including Christianity), their origins, basic beliefs and their influence on the law. Culture has always been influenced by religion, and understanding the basis of the religion helps students to understand the culture. It is an essential part of history.

More sweets

MARY KASTEN, you may feel you got a lot of syrup, but you didn't get enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Legal commandments

ROY MOORE did not lose his judgeship for "standing up for the Ten Commandments." He lost it for his refusal to obey a federal court order. Judge Moore and presumably the Rev. Douglas Breite and his congregation want, in Moore's words, to convey the message that the Ten Commandments are the moral foundation of our law. But only three of the commandments prohibit criminal conduct: killing, stealing and bearing false witness. "Honor thy father and thy mother" is a fine principle, but it is not the law of the land. Neither is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "Make no graven images." If we had a system literally based on biblical law, it would look something like the shariah code of modern-day Islamic theocracies.

What to honor?

THE BIBLE may say to give honor where honor is due, but it also says disobedient children should be killed (Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Leviticus 20:9 and elsewhere). Reason and good sense universally say to give honor where honor is due. The Bible holds no monopoly. Do we honor an embryo over a woman's reproductive rights, over a teenage woman's future, over quality of life for future generations or over private, personal, grown-up choice in difficult matters? Do we honor youth and age and passion and wisdom with tolerance and a gentle touch? Do we teach our children to place respect (honor) where respect (honor) is due? Do our public officers honor us with their integrity? Do we honor those who seek to protect our country from worn-out notions of protectionism? Do we honor love of humanity over love of country? Do we honor truth-seeking over tradition? Do we honor the accumulated history of humanity? Or do we honor mere doctrine or worn-out dogma as our brains echo with difficult questions?

No conspiracy

ROY MOORE broke the law. There's no great conspiracy at work. The commandments belong in church, period. If Moore wants to uphold the Ten Commandments and not the law, then he should have been a preacher.

Stop double parking

CAPE GIRARDEAU should do something about double parking on Main Street. A person can hardly get down the street without zig-zagging all the double-parked vehicles. These vehicles are not delivery trucks. They are the driven by motorists who are too lazy walk. There is no way Main Street can ever be a successful two-lane street unless the police start ticketing double parking.

Biting back

THE PALESTINIAN election proves the democratic process has come back to bite pontificating neoconservatives in the posterior.