Speak Out 6/11/05

Big shoes to fill

DO YOU remember just after the last election when Democrats were calling the red states "Jesusland" and were making fun of us? Now the chairman of the Democratic Party has been quoted as saying the Republicans are a bunch of "White Christians." I like living in "Jesusland" and being call a "Christian." Now I need to do a better job of living up to these names.

Don't tailgate

WHY IS it that every time I drive on Independence Street someone is always riding my bumper. I am not a slow driver, I obey the law by driving the speed limit. The speed limit was set for a reason.

Losing customers

MY HUSBAND and I went to a fast-food restaurant. A woman and her three kids came in. While the mother visited with employees, her kids took over the restaurant. They got on the tables and were running back and forth, slamming the front door back as far as they could and screaming. The restaurant has lost some customers, because I don't want to eat at a table that has been walked on with dirty feet.

Not swaying votes

I THINK someone needs to tell Howard Dean that Democrats can never win the White House without the help of some Republicans. I thought his job was to convince as many Republicans as possible that our way is the best in hopes of getting their votes. What he is doing is making the Republicans hate him and our party. We need to get rid of this clown as soon as possible.

Don't destroy life

HALF-TRUTHS are what confuse the uninformed masses. Some stem-cell research uses umbilical cord blood. Some are pushing for the right to do government research on embryos that are ready to be inserted into the womb but are no longer needed. The president was surrounded by some of those no longer wanted embryos that were adopted. Let's not destroy the life of the unborn, all created intentionally, for stem-cell research.

Silence and regret

ABORTION IS a constitutional right? How about the right to life? Deception hides behind rights, and most are silent until it hits them smack in the face. Then it is too late. When your voice is silenced because you can no longer speak, regret will be in your thoughts as you pass on.

What about riverboats?

IF THE floating dock from Alton, Ill., is located at the riverfront in Cape Girardeau, what happens to the riverboats that dock here? Will they still be able to dock? The riverboats bring tourism and money to Cape.

Foundation Leak

School finance is in arrears.

I find myself shedding tears

In my six or seven beers.

The politicians offer sneers.

And solve it all with smoke and mirrors.

Name-calling

THOSE WHO fought for the Confederate cause in Missouri, such as Quantrill's Raiders in a border war with Kansas abolitionists, were an outrage to the good name of the supposedly neutral Show Me State. Dan Quayle once complained about the negative connotation of Indiana residents being nicknamed Hoosiers. However, during the 19th century, Missourians who were sympathetic to the pro-slavery cause or fought with pro-slavery renegade troops such as Quantrill's deservedly (in many cases) earned Missouri residents the much worse moniker: Pukes.

Tugging at heartstrings

AFTER LOSING two dogs in six months, my daughter and I went out to the humane society. We brought home two beautiful dogs. Can anyone in his right mind take dogs out there? It tore at my heartstrings to see all those dogs and cats. If I could have brought them all home with us, I would have. Have your dogs and cats spayed and neutered. It saves lives. If you have to pets to the humane society, you don't need a dog or cat in the first place.

Won't pay the tax

INCREASING CIGARETTE taxes is not going to bring more money into Missouri, because a lot of people, including myself, are going to go online to order cigarettes. We're not going to pay a higher tax on cigarettes.

Floating dock

WHY DOES Alton. Ill., need to get rid of its floating dock? To make room for the arrival of the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen riverboats. So what is Cape Girardeau going to do when three riverboats and the Explorer excursion boats try to dock at the riverfront? Not allow them to dock so the city can spend big bucks for Grampa Woo to have someplace to dock during its annual visit? Neither the mayor, the chamber president nor the convention and visitors bureau director were in Cape Girardeau during the 1970s when someone tried to put a fine restaurant on the riverfront. A floating dock would be a hazard for 11 1/2 months a year.

Flags come and go

IF YOU talk about slavery, I certainly don't envision the Confederate flag first. I don't envision it at all. I think about the shackles and the want for freedom. People place far much too great an importance on flags in our society. What's important is how we treat each other. Flags will come and go.

More sensible things

HOW SOMEONE can tie a shoddy show like "The Simpsons" in with our lovely city of Cape Girardeau is beyond me. Wouldn't you be a little embarrassed as an adult to be watching "The Simpsons?" I leave that to my kids, who haven't quite grown up. Adults in our house are doing more sensible things.

Electronic deposit

Having your Social Security check electronically deposited into your checking account would eliminate any worries about slow mail delivery. That's an option everybody has, and they don't have to wait on the postal service.

Keeping the city clean

BOTH RIVERFRONT gates have signs with expensive containers attached telling everyone to please clean up after their pets. But where are the bags for placing the pet waste?

Courage to resign

DEEP THROAT is no hero except to the liberals who hate Richard Nixon. Nixon should have resigned, and he did. But Watergate was a mole hill compared to Bill Clinton's mountain of lying under oath and adultery. He didn't have the character to resign.