OpinionApril 18, 2007
Speak Out 4/18/07
Gravest threat; For the arts; Iraq's civil war; Pelosi would be better; Effective action; Open districts; Racial intolerance; Placing blame; Jackson business; State takeover; Praise for Altenburg; Smart isn't enough; Era of responsibility; Biggest barrel of pork; Praise for Clippard; Environmental impact; Demand for drugs; Credibility questioned; Respect for bicyclists; Police work hard; Fresh data; Climate evidence; Destructing agenda; Positive experience; Come see our school; Parental input
Gravest threat
IN A book I'm reading titled "The Enemy at Home" the author is commenting about the effect of people in the United States up to the 9-11 attack. He says, One might expect all Americans to rally behind a concentrated effort to protect the homeland by locating the bad guys, arresting them, holding them and extracting information from them. One might expect this but one would be wrong. From the outset, the left has led a campaign to oppose the administration's most important measures to avoid another terrorist attack. Indeed, many on the left portray the United States government, not al-Qaida, as the gravest threat to American citizens. In this view, Bin Laden might detonate an occasional explosion, but Bush is plotting to deprive all Americans of their basic liberties."
For the arts
THANK YOU, Matt Sanders, for getting the Missouri Arts Council not to overlook Cape Girardeau. I'm glad the MAC is coming to Cape Gir-ardeau at the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts on April 27. I hope all supporters of the arts will go.
Iraq's civil war
THE PURPOSE of the Iraq war was to remove the dictator and cabinet. That has been accomplished. All the military generals and several politicians call it a civil war now. Why are we involved in their civil war? If it is because our president wants to be involved, why don't we call it the Bush war?
Pelosi would be better
IN RESPONSE to David Limbaugh's column: Nancy Pelosi would do a better job as commander-in-chief than the person in there now.
Effective action
WITH NEIGHBORS cooperating with each other, my neighborhood was cleaned up. If you see drug dealing or prostitution going on in your neighborhood, don't call Speak Out. Call the police.
Open districts
IF PUBLIC schools had open borders where students could go to other school districts, students who cared about education would go to Leopold, and students who really care about a good football team would go to Jackson. Administrators would get quick feedback that they need to fix problems. It would solve a lot of problems quickly.
Racial intolerance
SUPERINTENDENT David Scala and the Cape Girardeau School Board will be hard pressed to find another administrator at Central Middle School who is powerful enough to overcome the discriminating attitudes of our community. The sad fact is that we are own worst enemy. There are people in this community who cannot and will not accept people of a different color or socio-economic level going to school with their children. They will not be happy until this changes. There are good and bad people of every race and socio-economic level. Ultimately, the biggest distraction to our children's education at Central Middle School is not lack of discipline but our own communities intolerance to one another.
Placing blame
WHY ARE the police blamed for all the drugs? What about the judicial system? What about each person who complains about drugs but locks his door refusing to do something about it? The dealers and users in my area come and go as they are chased out of other areas. It takes time for dealers to be arrested, and most have the money to get out and then take off. Too many relatives or friends hide them or send them on their way or, worse yet, the judicial system has to let them go. You want the police to take the blame? I say there is enough blame to go around, including the complainers.
Jackson business
WHAT IS Jackson coming to? I see East Main Street Street businesses have to build certain type of buildings. I wish the city could explain how businesses are supposed to stay in business when city officials will not have work done because they think you charge too much. I think the school tax and electric bills are too high, also. Do you know what happens if you don't pay them? I just wish they had to work for a living like small business owners have to.
State takeover
MAYBE CAPE Girardeau's public schools need the same treatment as St. Louis public schools: Let the state take over. The state couldn't do any better or any worse.
Praise for Altenburg
CONGRATULATIONS TO Altenburg School District on the passage of its tax levy and being recognized as one of the top 10 schools in the state once again. Both of these accomplishments could not have happened to a better school. The hard work and dedication that the administration and faculty put forth have been recognized. I am proud to have a great school in my community. Other schools should take note.
Smart isn't enough
I'M SURE Richard Lindzen is a smart individual. He is, however, one man with one opinion. Using one bright individual's opinion to counterbalance the research and data from hundreds of thousands of other bright individuals from across the globe doesn't prove anything. Lindzen's article also has its weak points. He compares climate-modeling supercomputers to your local news channel's weather forecast. That's not a good comparison for such a smart guy.
Era of responsibility
IT WAS good to see Joe Sullivan's column about tabloid journalism. His observations about today's society were right on the mark. It was also great to see Richard Lindzen's column about the global-warming hype in the same issue of the paper. Publishing factual articles by reputable people may help drag readers into a new era of responsibility.
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Biggest barrel of pork
I HAVE seen the tallest statue in America. I have seen the tallest monument in America. And I have seen the tallest buildings in America. These places required traveling many miles to enjoy. Today I left my home in Cape Girardeau and needed to drive only 10 blocks and my eyes were transfixed upon the largest barrel of pork in all of America. Please feast your eyes on the new federal courthouse on Independence Street.
Praise for Clippard
DEAR CLIPPARD Elementary School staff: Fourth graders went to Jefferson City on a field trip. My daughter would not stop talking about it. She loved the field trip and the T-shirt. Thank you for the field trip, and special thanks to all the people who made it possible, including all the teachers who spent their free time going on the trip. Clippard is a one-of-a-kind school. Keep up the good work, Mrs. Herbst and staff.
Environmental impact
IN RESPONSE to "What crisis?": This article is anti-intellectual. We are impacting our environment. Suburban sprawl and the forest destruction that comes from this is enough to have me concerned. I recognize most people are essentially self-centered and unwilling to give up the comforts of their suburban lifestyle. Who wants to admit he is destroying the good earth that God gave us? Whether or not we are having a massive negative impact on our surroundings, we still need to watch our emissions and be careful not to destroy our environment. It's common sense.
Demand for drugs
THE DRUG problem in Cape Girardeau will never dry up until there is no longer a demand, which will be never.
Credibility questioned
RICHARD LINDZEN co-authored the National Research Council 2001 Report on Climate Change, which concluded in relation to the accepted temperature increase during this period: "The changes observed over the last several decades are likely mostly due to human activities." His name was attached. So now he tells us that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually lowers temperature? Although he's a meteorologist, is this man credible?
Respect for bicyclists
MY SON was riding his bicycle and was hit by a car. Please pay attention when you are driving and don't be angry when you come across a bicyclist riding on the road. The bicyclist has as much right to ride on the road as motorists. Go around and give them plenty of room. I am fortunate. My son, who had serious injuries, will walk out of a hospital and with time will go back to work, back to college and back to riding his bicycle, which he loves. My son works hard to train and compete riding his bicycle. There are many fine people who love this sport and don't have a place to ride but the road. Please pay attention while driving and respect the bicyclists riding out there.
Police work hard
POLICE OFFICERS on the street are doing everything they can. It is just hard to be everywhere when you have only four or five officers working patrol on a weekend when everything from shootings, car break-ins and dog calls are happening. If you want to see results, get the police help before more innocent citizens are victimized or an officer gets hurt. Cape Girardeau is too big for only five officers working 12 hours on a Friday or Saturday night.
Fresh data
REGARDING THE comment that Sen. Kit Bond's data on solar activity is 30 years out of date: NASA released that data in November. Much of it is based on satellite data gathered in the late 1990s from a new solar satellite and from ongoing studies of our neighboring planets.
Climate evidence
IF GARY Rust bothered to check things out before expressing his ignorance, he'd know that the slight cooling period between the 1940s and 1970s is well understood. It was caused by the abundant aerosols released into the atmosphere. Arguing that we are seeing the natural cycle of cooling and warming flies in the face of all the current evidence and scientific understanding. It's like saying: "People get sick, people get better, so I'll get over this cancer."
Destructing agenda
WHERE DOES Nancy Polosi get the idea that she's not only speaker of the House, but also secretary of state, defense and the treasury? She and her left-wing cronies are putting forth an agenda and conducting themselves in a manner to bring down this great nation.
Positive experience
I DON'T know what happened with the principals at Central Middle School, but I will say the teachers are wonderful. My child's teacher always communicates with me. I get a newsletter every week, and she calls me frequently. I have had two children go through CMS and can't say enough positive things about the school.
Come see our school
AS A teacher at Central Middle School, I invite anyone to come and observe in our school. We have a positive atmosphere, well-behaved students and teachers who care.
Parental input
ADVOCATING AND promoting parental involvement produced an excess of often conflicting advice and opinion from which the Cape Girardeau School District has never recovered. Sadly, it is a lesson the school board seems not to have learned in the sense that the board apparently thinks the solution to all that ails the system rests with inviting still more parental input.
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