Speak Out 6/14/08

Bikinis and signs

CAN WE be honest? There would have been no problem with the city council if those holding up signs for a mattress company closeout sale had been young women clad in car wash-soliciting bikinis.

Dictating columnist

I OFTEN wonder why the once proud voice of conservatism, National Review, would hire someone like Kathryn Lopez. In her latest column, Lopez has taken to dictating to Catholics how they must vote in the presidential election. Quoting from the Catholic catechism and other sources, Lopez demands that Catholics listen to her and vote accordingly. After reading her column, I would imagine the overwhelming majority of Catholics will breathe a sigh of relief that Lopez lacks the power of excommunication.

Dominion over animals

DESPITE THE fact that the U.S. government is trying to make America into a Third World country, I don't think things have regressed to the point we need to eat our cats and dogs. God gave man dominion over animals, and God also gave us rules about which could be eaten and which could not. Reread your Old Testament to refresh your memory.

Campaign signs

MAYOR JAY Knudtson and the rest of the Cape Girardeau City Council seem to have a problem with signs. They think signs are an eyesore and a nuisance -- until re-election time. Then they will be putting their campaign signs all over town. What hypocrites.

Cape's homelessness

I MOVED to Cape Girardeau four years ago from the suburbs of St. Louis, and I love this town. I am proud to have become apart of the small-town culture where everyone looks out for and is concerned about the community. However, there is one issue in Cape Girardeau that doesn't receive the attention people are capable of giving and overcoming: homelessness. For those who don't think homelessness is a problem in Cape Girardeau, I challenge you to work in a convenience store. Over the past four years I have come into contact with countless individuals in this situation, mostly transients passing through, but many Cape Girardeau residents as well. I always have a pang of regret when I can't offer more than a few phone numbers including First Call for Help and the Salvation Army. Recently, both numbers led to a dead end for a mother and her 4-year-old child who would more than likely be sleeping in their car, again, that evening.

Making a living

THE MAYOR and the council members want to ban sign holders. How many of them would stand for eight hours in a day to make a living? With the price of everything rising, the sign holders should be admired for doing a job most of us wouldn't have the energy to do. Get to more important issues at those meetings.

Church separation

TO THE person who said the purpose of separation of church and state is to keep the state out of the church is wrong. The reason is to keep the church out of the state. Take a look at the previous 1,000 years of European history. Most of our Founding Fathers were not Christians. A good portion were deists. There were many educated men of the time who were atheists. While we have a Christian heritage, we also have a heritage of religious tolerance.

Local justice

KUDOS TO your insightful and incisive editorial on the Josh Kezer case. It is becoming more and more apparent to me that for a long time in some spots in Southeast Missouri, justice in some very serious cases was being sacrificed at the altar of political considerations.