SPEAK OUT

We need each other

I AM truly sorry to see in the past weeks the pettiness of the people in our community. To actually try to compare the worth of each individual's career to another is very small. We all depend on each other. We are all dependent upon the fire department, police department, farmer, banker, grocer, factory worker or any other job. The idea of trying to say one job is more hazardous or important than another is pretty petty. Some jobs are more hazardous than others, but that doesn't mean that they are more important than someone who works just as hard. We are all dependent upon each other for everything: food, safety, fun and well-being. I think we should be thankful for everything we have and not try to measure ourselves by what others are doing. Be thankful that some people are actually helping out other human beings in a time of need. Chalk it up to a good deed done by someone for someone else.

Like a tabloid

FEATURING A multipart, salacious, sensational true crime story that occurred hundreds of miles away confirms the voice of critics who have been saying our town's newspaper would succumb to tabloidization.

Time for his nap

THE RIP Van Winkle Award for June goes to columnist Jack Stapleton, who cautiously predicted that, though it's too early to tell, there may be a political realignment going on in Missouri. Suffice to say, signs of such realignment have been clear for 20 years. Go back to sleep, Jack.

Vision of the future

I THINK the owner of the field of crosses along I-55 needs to put up 5,000 more crosses. Why? That's one cross for each woman who will die as the result of a botched, illegal abortion in the first year alone if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. Just something to think about.

Name-change idea

I ENJOYED Ray Owen's profile on Future City, Ill. If the goal is to grow in population, I have a free-of-charge Speak Out solution: Have the city fathers add three words to the name of their city by preceding "Future City" with the words "Back to the."

Majority science

THIS IS to the caller who said that only a few people don't believe in global warming, so it must be real. In 1490 only a few people believed the earth was round. The majority said it was flat. The majority isn't always right.

Education takeover

I HEREBY publicly and profusely apologize to my many friends and acquaintances for pooh-poohing the possibility of a federal takeover of public education. Though you may continue to hear politicians claim the existence of local control of public education, it is, for all intents and purposes, kaput. The scary thing is that no one, not even the Southeast Missourian editorial staff, has voiced any concern. It has long been said that only conservative Republican President Richard Nixon could have gone to China. Perhaps it is also true that only conservative Republican President George W. Bush could have, through massive and mandatory testing requirements of public school students, engineered a national takeover of local public schools. The end is near.

Agreeable science

THE WORDY Speak Out wag who claims science has become too political would likely not be espousing such malarkey if scientific data reinforced his political opinions.

He's a laughingstock

MAN, WOULD I take that so-called immoral president about now. The world is laughing at us. Europe is staging massive protests against our president's policies, which seem to only suit himself. Almost every major foreign minister is at odds with George W. Bush. And recently Bush referred to Africa as a nation. So Bush has strong moral fiber. Too bad he's the worst president in years.

Does not apply

CERTAINLY DECENCY, values and honesty mean something, but what have those virtues to do with the Bushes?

Yearbook academics

I WOULD like to comment on the individual who called in about her daughter's yearbook. Maybe she needs to take a better look at the book. There are many other things besides athletics in the local yearbook: Beta Club, National Honor Society, the Renaissance program, not to mention there is a whole section on academics where each division of academics is covered in a two-page spread.

Wait for the bombs

I SEE that President George Bush has been met with a great deal of European criticism. This troubles many. It does not trouble me at all. Americans in general, and specifically President Bush, should take heart. I've found that the Europeans are only friendly whenever the Germans are marching through their capitals and bombing their nations.

Future of fuel

GENERAL MOTORS is claiming it will bring out a car in 2004 that is 50 percent cleaner and 50 percent more efficient than today's cars. This was in the July issue of Popular Science. This car will use gasoline until the switch to ethanol. This is using a fuel cell which can be adapted to producing heat and electricity for homes and industries. So you see President Bush and Vice President Cheney are trying to solve tomorrow's problems with yesterday's answers. The knowledge of the coming of the fuel cell is the reason that large energy companies are not building oil refineries. The story that the problem is U.S. regulations is garbage. The second largest oil refinery in the western hemisphere is a 600,000-barrel-per-day refinery on a small island east of Florida. There are many small islands that would love to have major oil refineries, and the oil regulation should be no problem. When we switch the plants to make ethanol in larger quantities, you'll know that the reason is the fuel cell.

Check out the milk

YOU HEALTH-conscious individuals: Why don't you compare the percentage of fat in whole milk as a ratio to the percentage of fat in 2 percent milk? You may change your mind.

Visible officers

ON THAT comment about on-duty waiting: I just wanted to let the caller know that a police officer is a police officer 24 hours a day whether he's in a uniform or out of uniform. If he's at a local store and sees some violation of the law, he doesn't go call a police officer. He takes care of that action. So in Cape we're getting way more than our money's worth. Maybe the caller should go for a ride with police officers and see what their job is. Police officers out there in their uniforms involved in community activities and being seen -- all part of being a police officer.

Time to forget

THE OTHER day I had a political epiphany. I forgot who the president was before George W. Bush. Boy, that was neat. After eight years, now I have a president.

Look at statistics

I WANT to voice my opinion on a statement that was recently made about crime statistics. A caller said the reason blacks are stopped by police more often than whites is for the simple fact that they commit the most crimes. To me, that's someone who's not paying attention to the truth. When you look at the government statistics, we African Americans only make up a fraction of the poverty, drug usage and crimes committed. We only make up a fraction of the welfare system. I've never known any other culture except the whites to outdo all the other cultures in this country in those areas. It's a shame to know that there are people who think that just because African Americans make up 18 percent of the population in this country that we commit the majority of the crimes. How could you commit the majority of crimes if you're outnumbered by over 100 million people? It just doesn't sound right. The caller doesn't seem to know what he or she is talking about and doesn't understand the government statistics.