Speak Out 7/15/09

My money

THE U.S. Senate recently passed HR 1207 without including S 104 to require an audit of the Federal Reserve System. Apparently it was against the rules to include the S 104. Funny, it's not against the rules to vote on a bill without reading it. I'd like to remind the members of the House and Senate and the Fed chairman that they do not have the right to keep this information from us. It is our money, our blood, our time that the Fed uses. I have the right to know how the Fed chairman has obligated me, my children and my grandchildren.

Aggressive driving

I know times are tough, but do the drivers of Cape Girardeau County have to make life harder by driving even more aggressively? I can't count how many red lights I've seen run this week. I've seen tailgating, gestures and people almost run off the road twice. The worst offenders on Interstate 55 last week were both showcasing Concern for Life stickers. They really care about life. Since when is going 100 mph down the highway a God-given right?

Out of breath

MY ex-husband had a breathalyzer installed in his vehicle, and he had our son blow on the device so he could drive while drinking.

Crossing the line

I think it's OK for Southeast Missouri State University to criticize state Sen. Jason Crowell on the pages of the Southeast Missourian but crosses the line in almost demanding that Crowell send out the university's critique in his e-mail newsletter to constituents.

Fighting wars

VIETNAM War Defense Secretary Robert Strange McNamara died the other day. History shows McNamara supported sending thousands of American troops to fight and die in Vietnam long after he realized we could not win the war. This deservedly haunted McNamara for the rest of his long life. Writing in Time magazine, Leslie Gelb points out that the lesson we should learn from Vietnam is that as long as the U.S. is willing to fight in wars of nationalism, civil wars and religious and tribal conflicts, we cannot lose but we cannot win either. These kinds of conflicts must ultimately be fought and won by the native forces we're fighting. For those of you who may be interested in further pursuing this matter, I recommend Earl Morris' documentary "The Fog of War."