Speak Out 5/15/08

Objective column

DAVID LIMBAUGH'S column in Sunday's paper was the best I have read. I don't know why he can't write more objective articles like this, the good and the bad.

Opposed to quarry

JUST WHEN you think things are OK, get ready to get smacked. There's an effort to put a surface mine or rock quarry on a farm on County Road 319. This could affect your well, your basement, road conditions and environment for many miles around. If you think this won't affect you, you might want to think again. There is an effort being made to stop this mining operation at this location.

Keeping records

I DON'T blame Jay Purcell, Cape Girardeau County's 2nd District commissioner, one bit. I work for some good old boys in Cape Girardeau County and keep a journal daily and record any time they come around, what they have to say or if there's a witness around. So hooray for someone who has some guts.

Hobbies and jobs

MY SPOUSE'S job is computer-oriented, but I don't think he would try to promote his hobby on his work computer. However, he has been known to take his hobby to work and sell it. People show great interest. Where do you draw the line? I guess that's why there are rules.

Rebate issues

THE TAX-stimulus rebates may be opening a bigger can of worms. Do small children warrant more money than if you have grown children who are handicapped and living at home? I don't think the stimulus package is fair.

Land gone forever

THE CAPE County Park North land should not be sold. Park land is at a premium, and land that is sold is lost forever, never to replaced. There also seems to be a question about where the county park board stands on this issue and how much they were consulted.

Ethanol information

IN RESPONSE to Michael Devaney's op-ed on the "Ethanol boondoggle": Ethanol does not create a shortage of food since it only uses the sugar from the corn. The remaining product is used to feed livestock. Also, ethanol only uses 3 percent of the water it takes to make gas.

Haunted by P&Z

BEFORE WE extend any sympathies to the poor people on County Road 319 who oppose a quarry there, they should each publicly announce how (or if) they voted when a planning and zoning ordinance for the county was on the ballot. Perhaps the chickens have finally come home to roost.

More competition

THREE RIVERS Community College, please come to Cape Girardeau. Southeast Missouri State University has raised tuition again, and the students are starving. Maybe competition would stop this.

Making a record

I RECORD all types of conversations with lawyers, doctors, policemen and supervisors. It's the only record in a he said/she said world where their words hold more weight than mine. Next time, Mr. Purcell, send the recordings to the media and fight fire with fire.

Felony discrimination

I AM one of hundreds of nameless ex-felons living here unable to find gainful employment. I lost everything because of my incarceration. I am unemployed and without transportation. Please pray for me, but not only for me. Pray for others like me too. Thanks to Leadership Cape and Rudi Keller for spotlighting this controversial issue of felon discrimination.

Thanks for dog

I WANT to thank the woman at the Ampm gas station on William Street. She rescued my lost dog from the middle of the street. She cared enough to save my dog, feed her, water her and call us. The owner of the gas station was nice enough to let Zelda stay inside. Thank you.

Ellsberg's example

HAD DANIEL Ellsberg not pilfered the Pentagon papers, we would have never known about the behind-the-scenes national political disgrace concerning the events leading up to the U.S.'s mistaken and heavy involvement in the Vietnam War. To me, Jay Purcell is the Daniel Ellsberg of Cape Girardeau County for taking the risk of recording conversations so as to expose the whimsical way county commissioners apparently flout the spirit and perhaps intent of the Sunshine Law and other laws supposedly governing our troubled county.

Goose sauce

WHY IS it fair to prosecute Jay Purcell, Cape Girardeau County's 2nd District commissioner, for letting taxpayers know what is going on in the county while Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones gets away with playing God once again? If Purcell is so wrong for doing the right thing, then why is Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle allowed to promote books as a screen saver? I say it is time for real government, not the buddy system.

Similar experience

MY THOUGHTS and prayers go to Charisse Parrish and her family. She sounds like a woman with substance. I am a single mom who is a breast cancer survivor. I also had a brain tumor. I had the tumor removed in December 2006. So far, so good. I also live in a trailer. I know all too well about trying to find affordable housing in Cape Girardeau.