Speak Out 4/22/07

Academic winners

I WOULD like to congratulate all of the high school academic teams that participated in the district competitions April 14. Special congratulations to the Central High School Tigers and Dr. Al Nicolai and his assistant coaches for their second championship in a row. I encourage our community and Central staff to take note of these bright teenagers and the hard work they have put in this year. I guarantee that if you take the time to attend a tournament you will be truly amazed at the knowledge and skills put on display by these terrific students who are more than worthy of support for their high academic achievement. Congratulations and good luck at the state tournament.

Slow response

I HAVE heard it before: The police can't be everywhere all the time, and they do a difficult job. Of course they do. My problem is where they put their priorities. Not long ago I called them to come quickly to catch two older teens while they were shooting paint-ball rifles at vehicles. It took the police more than 30 minutes to respond. Their excuse was, "We know who they are." Explain that to a parent or loved one of the person who got hit by a paint ball. Cape Girardeau has plenty of police officers for a city of 35,000 population.

Under the king

I HAVE always been a Second Amendment advocate. I don't believe you need an automatic rifle for hunting. If you are that bad a shot, go to the grocery store. With this administration, I see where our Founding Fathers were going with this. They had better vision into the future than any of us ever will. They lived under a government of a king. Now we have someone in the White House who thinks he is the king. We better keep our guns.

Religious government

WE ARE in Iraq fighting a religious war. We say we want democracy for all people, but in this country the religious right wants to set up a Christian government and tell everyone they have to live a certain way. Read the Bible, people. It says tolerance, help the poor and care for the weak and sick, not do as I say. This country would be a lot better off if people would take care of their house before trying to control someone else's.

One man's decision

ALTHOUGH MY heart is heavy for the families and the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting, my heart is heavy for the shooter's parents and family. How they also must be suffering. South Korea continues to apologize for what one person has done. Some fear retribution. I'd like to think Americans understand this was one person's decisions and one person's actions. To our brothers and sisters from South Korea, God bless you. You are not responsible for what this young man chose to do.

Historical indicator

IF HISTORY is any indicator of what will happen in the future, the biggest threat to the United States is the people of the United States. People are divided over religion, politics and the economy. This is the same thing that causes other countries to fall. If we don't get our act together, the only thing that will hold this country together is a dictator, and we are on the verge of having one. When a country speaks in the majority and the person in charge says I don't care and I will do as I want, then you have a dictator.

Students affected

MY DAUGHTER is a fifth-grader at Central Middle School. After the initial announcement via the media of the ousting of her leaders, she came home after school and shared with me that the children at school were upset that their principals were being fired. She talked about how kind and funny they are. She also talked about how the children were talking about themselves not being disciplined enough. Decision makers: Did you consider how the students might feel and how this decision would affect them? I'm so proud of my daughter for peacefully protesting against the firing of her leaders. These children are a special group. They recognize strong yet gentle and intelligent leadership.

Excess energy

WITH ALL the changes with the guidelines on what children can and cannot eat at school, can someone explain to me why a school would spend $45,000 on new playground equipment but only allow the children one recess a day? My children don't have a weight problem. They have an energy problem. They are not allowed to talk at lunch. If somebody gets in trouble, recess is taken away. When do they get time to burn off extra energy?

Ethanol smell

I HEARD that Scott City is considering putting an ethanol plant in town. I read a petition that is floating around and did some research on the Internet. Please educate yourselves before it's too late. I came across nothing but negative testimony from small-town people who are prisoners in their own homes due to the ethanol plume and smell, yet the ethanol companies claim nothing but the positive. I read reports of water contamination and eye, nose and throat problems in people within a five-mile radius. Everything in Scott City is within five miles of the proposed plant, including our school.