SPEAK OUT

A man to respect

OH, GLORY, we finally have a real secretary of state to represent America to the world, one of respect, honor and intelligence. Colin Powell is a hero from the Gulf War who handled his responsible service to our country so well, and he is to be admired by all. President Bush is indeed a man who recognizes stature and gives credit where credit is due, honoring Powell for his loyal duty to our nation. Now we have a secretary of state with dignity and the stature of a statesman. He will make an excellent representative and negotiator for our great country.

We're ignorant too

I NOTICED in Speak Out there were quite a few comments made about ignorance and not knowing how to vote. How many of you know that in St. Louis County here in Missouri, the same sized county as Broward County in Florida, we had about the same number of ballots kicked out as they did? We use the same kind of ballots they use in Broward County. I guess we're just ignorant people here in Missouri too.

Crews waited too long

IT IS disgusting and deplorable that a city the size of Cape Girardeau knowingly and willfully failed to heed storm warnings on Dec. 12 for some 36 hours so that all the workers from the traffic department and street department sat on their butts all day Wednesday failing to do anything. No real movement was noted toward cleaning this mess up until 5 a.m. Thursday. The main streets were locked. I-55 was open by the Missouri Department of Transportation while the street department in Cape Girardeau did absolutely nothing.

Advice to politicos

HEY, YOU Democrats and Republicans: Get a life. Life goes on.

We was robbed

THE ONLY way you'll be able to make me regard George W. Bush as anything but a pretender to the presidency is after the hand counts are done under the Freedom of Information Act, Bush wins the recount by enough votes to offset the number of Democratic absentee ballot applications that were thrown away in Martin and Seminole counties while the Republican operatives were illegally allowed to alter ballot applications. It'll be necessary to prosecute and remove from office all of the people involved in this action. When you do this, you'll gain some level of respectability. Otherwise, we was robbed. And in 2002, you'll get your knickers ripped. In 2004, you'll have hell to pay.

Where's the IRS?

I AM puzzled by a circumstance that most churches are told by the IRS that they will lose their tax exempt status if they endorse candidates or promote a certain position in any election. However, the Rev. Jackson can use the church pulpit to do whatever he wants to besmirch people who have just won public office. The IRS is nowhere around, and they never check him out. Nobody can account for all this money. Where are you, IRS? Get on the ball and do your job.

Baldwin is a patriot

ALEC BALDWIN never said he would leave the country if Bush won. Another person said Baldwin said it. Get your facts straight. Baldwin has more patriotism in his finger than in most people's whole body. He has no reason at all to be a liberal Democrat. Believe me, he pays taxes through the teeth. They sock it to him. He ought to be a Republican, because then he'd get to keep most of his fortune. He has nothing to gain by being a liberal. Any rich man who is a liberal Democrat certainly is a patriot.