SPEAK OUT

Won't get over it

I hardly think I'll have to be angry for eight years, because I don't think George W. Bush will be president that long. I started to say re-elected, but since he wasn't elected I'll have to say chosen by the U.S. Supreme Court. No, I won't get over it.

Taking shortcuts

I read that the top 10 users of electricity had their names and addresses posted in a Seattle newspaper. This is frighteningly similar to tactics used in times past and present around the globe. When is America going to wake up and see where we are headed? Every four years we are given the choice of who we think should lead our country. Party preachers such as Rush Limbaugh flood the media with social rhetoric. The Democratic and Republican agendas lead to the same end with each taking its own shortcut.

Dog is turned away

A few weekends ago I ventured, along with my aunt, to the state basketball championships in Columbia, Mo. We were supposed to stay at a quaint establishment that seemed to be a relatively friendly place. They turned us away, however, because we had our dog with us. They never mentioned a no-pet policy in their brochures. They were firm and rather unfriendly toward us concerning the rule. Despondently Aunt Peg and I slowly left the hotel. We had to leave slowly because Aunt Peg is blind, and Baron is her seeing-eye-dog. We were absolutely appalled with our treatment.

Not our values

The Cape Girardeau City Council's decision to renew the liquor license of the Taste Lounge combined with the board of education's decision not to renew the contract of Randie Fidler makes one wonder what in the world has happened to the traditional middle-class values of Cape's community those elected to local office are supposed to reflect.

Frightening smells

The Speak Out caller who claimed to love the smell of burning leaves frightened me and reminded me of those who love the smell of napalm.

A solid wall

The community went to the wall for Randie Fidler and discovered it was a brick one.

Dog problems

I SAW the Speak Out comment about the vicious dogs. We have a problem in Alexander County with that very thing. We have one family who has five Rottweilers and who refuses to comply with ordinances. It's really a hassle.

Genetic engineering

I KEEP reading and hearing about genetic engineering and whether its good for humans or not. This has been going on forever. Much of the genetic engineering is done by nature. People have been exposed to foods for 50 years or more, such as hybrid corn and improved livestock, that have been improved through genetic engineering. So many of these things have been going on either by the acts of nature or man almost forever. All of a sudden, this is something the news likes to talk about to say it's dangerous. It isn't as bad as the media make it out to be.

Blocked by egos

Citizens can take some solace that the arbitrary school board assignation of Randie Fidler to the heap of trashed principals is now clear for all to see and, I hope, end. Of course, it is cold comfort for Fidler and his family. I'm convinced Fidler believed that in the end right would triumph. In hindsight, one can see that the current makeup of the school board made that an impossibility. Ethical behavior is often blocked by larger-than-life egos.

Who's in charge?

Taste Lounge proprietor Michael Pryor disses the American flag at a public meeting and is rewarded with the renewal of his liquor license. Central High School principal Randie Fidler is rewarded for his tireless and successful efforts by being fired. Are we being governed by those chosen by the voters or by the whim of Al Sharpton?

This is really bad

GEORGE BUSH has sold our country out. He helped stimulate this so-called recession just to make his outrageous tax cut look better. Last week he undid years' worth of diplomatic work with North Korea and South Korea because the United States no longer has enough dangerous enemies to justify his treaty-breaking missile defense system. And Speak Out callers thought having tea with monks was bad.

Downtown is worth it

MICHAEL SCHROEDER'S ideas for downtown Cape sound wonderful. I would love to see the downtown area come alive at night and have some art and culture added to pool halls and bars. With the new bridge being built, downtown will be close to a major highway artery, and many visitors will see our city. I hope the city will put up the money, as will private donors. I hope the people of Cape understand how important it is for the heart of the city to look and operate its best, no matter the cost.

Not compassionate

PRESIDENT BUSH wants to drill for oil in one of the last few untouched spots in the world for what would amount to a drop in the bucket. He thinks it's OK to have arsenic in our drinking water. He thinks that putting more carbon dioxide into the air is OK. And apparently his Patients Bill of Rights does not include a patient's right to sue for malpractice. Good old compassionate conservatism, hard at work for the American people.