Speak Out 6/5/05

Should be prosecuted

I WANT to make a comment about Mark Felt, who now says he's Deep Throat. He was No. 2 at the FBI and passed classified information to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They were not reporters. They were simply stenographers. They helped bring down President Nixon. They wanted to bring him down so the Vietnam War would go in favor of the communists. This man should not be getting a government pension, and he needs to be prosecuted. There should be no statute of limitations on people who held a position of trust like he had.

Comparing tuition

I AGREE Southeast Missouri State University is squeezing out the students from this area. When my daughter went to SEMO, the fee was $125 for 15 credit hours. Now my granddaughter will have to pay $2,572.50 for 15 credit hours if she goes to SEMO. Quite an increase, don't you think.

Confusing blame

NIXON SPEECHWRITER and now conservative commentator Pat Buchanan is blaming Mark Felt (Deep Throat) for the loss of the Vietnam War. I'm confused. Was Felt one of the perpetrators of the Watergate break-in or participants in the failed attempt to cover it up that followed?

Not unintentional

I AGREE with much of what Professor Alan Journet or, perhaps, the Union of Concerned Scientists has written. It's just that I can't see this plagiarism as an unintentional mistake. Wouldn't anyone recognize what was or wasn't his own writing?

Recommended reading

FOR THE few progressives who might read the Southeast Missourian's Opinion page, I strongly recommend what will be a painful-to-read but necessary book. It's "What's the Matter with Kansas?" by Thomas Frank. The book is a brilliant polemic explaining how a segment of conservative Republicans have been able to manipulate the common folk into voting against their own economic self-interest by diverting attention away from bread-and-butter issues while beating the drums on social and cultural matters concerning which they have done and never will do much about.

Stopping speeders

THIS IS a big thank you to the Cape Girardeau Police Department for at last patrolling and catching the speeders on North West End Boulevard. For years we have been afraid to cross the street to our mailboxes for fear of being hit and killed. Complaining did no good until now. Keep up the good work, officers. It is deeply appreciated.

Protect the children

RECENTLY I have heard a lot of talk about banning smoking in public places. I think that there is a more important issue. What about the children of smokers who can't escape the smoke? I see people smoking in cars with children. If they are considerate, they will have the window cracked. Why does anyone have the right to damage a child's health? It's time that we work to protect children who can't protect themselves.