Speak Out 7/6/09

Useless battle

THE word bigotry is defined as "one group of people against another group." That's what the battle of the sexes is. And look how much damage it does to our society. It's wrong.

Making laws

TWO massive bills, more than 1,000 pages in length, have been forced through the House without giving the voting members proper time to learn of their content. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's attitude is, "We won, so we make the laws." President Obama assured the public he would never sign a bill without giving the public five days to learn what was in it. He broke that promise, even though he said government would be transparent. If you didn't know what an oligarchy is, just watch our current administration.

Better carnival

I hope this year's Jackson Homecomers has a merry-go-round. Last year's carnival was poor for a 100th anniversary.

TV escape

I thought the point of TV was that it's escapism. Drama shows rip storylines from the headlines. It's not original, nor does it require any real brain cells. A lot of people like reality shows. It's fun to escape on reality shows.

Ban fireworks

WHY don't cities ban fireworks? Children don't know how to shoot them off. They catch people's houses on fire. You can't sleep at night. That's a shame.

School pattern

ST. Mary Cathedral School is having to add on because it has so many students. Notre Dame Regional High School is having to add on. It has more students. Saxony Lutheran High School is having to add on because it has more students. Does anybody see a pattern?

Try recycling

PEOPLE who say we need trash pickup more than once a week should try recycling. They probably would have less trash.

Our legacies

IN my 63 years on this earth, I have never seen anyone with greater musical talent than Michael Jackson. Unfortunately, his talent is paralleled by his vulgar performances in front of millions of young admirers. Do I remember Michael Vick as a great football player or a felon for fighting dogs? We all leave a legacy. It concerns me that I, too, may be remembered for the wrongs that I have committed in my life rather than the few good things that I've done.

Talented, but ...

IN reply to the comment that said the whole world loved Michael Jackson: Believe me, that is not true. There's too many people who took exception to his lifestyle and the example he set for our young people. Yes, he was talented, but he did not use his talent in a good way.

Local weather

HOW can the weather reports say that Cape Girardeau was in the 90s when the Cape Girardeau airport is in Scott County? Why can't we measure our weather in Cape Girardeau?

Not foolproof

THE new law that goes into effect for repeat DWI offenders requiring an ignition interlock will not saves lives as stated by MADD. The devices are more of a moneymaker than anything. They do not prevent anyone from driving drunk except in a car in which the machine is installed. The device does not prevent people from driving under the influence of drugs.

Cutting out

AT the beginning of the switch to digital TV, I got channels 12, 6, 3 and 23. Now when I want to watch channels 6 and 3, it keeps cutting out. I don't know what the problem is, but I'd appreciate if it got straightened out.

Immigrant workers

AS a restaurant owner in Cape Girardeau, I was pleased to see that something has finally been done about the illegal-immigrant problem in this town. I have visited the nonchain Mexican restaurants in the area. Not one has any non-Hispanic employees. I find that curious. I have never seen a help-wanted ad for any of these restaurants. They rarely raise prices even when the minimum wage goes up and food cost prices are soaring. It is not fair to the rest of us who abide by the law. Every restaurant in town should be investigated to be fair and not discriminatory. I would welcome such an investigation in my business. I have proper documentation and nothing to hide.

Ugly, beautiful

MICHAEL Jensen recently wrote a column suggesting a government welfare program for ugly people and said he would apply. Jensen is not ugly. In fact, he is in ways reminds me of the ruggedly handsome Frank Zappa, late lead singer for the Mothers of Invention. Ironically, I thought Jensen's column was beautiful.

Channel control

I don't understand why so many people complain about what's being shown on TV and in movies these days. A simple solution would be to change the channel.

No more excuses

REGARDING the South Carolina governor: If the governor had been a woman having such an affair, telling lies to her family, staff and constituents and showing such heartless disregard for her mate, she would probably have been ostracized and the demand for her resignation would have been almost unanimous. It's time to stop making excuses for men who refuse to control their sexual urges. It's also time to start demanding more decency and honesty from all our elected officials.

Women in charge

THERE is an article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs Magazine titled "The Death of Macho." The theme is that the most singular reason for the worldwide mess we're in now is attributable to macho males. The time has come for women to take the reins of political power all over the world and end forever this testosterone tragedy.

Trees on Broadway

REGARDING Southeast Missouri State University's parking lot-ification of Broadway: Perhaps the university could plant a row of trees along each parking lot bordering Broadway. It would greatly help the beautification of that corridor.

Thanks, lifeguards

I would like to thank all the lifeguards who have been working this summer. I bring my child to the pools, and the lifeguards are always polite and seem eager to be working. The director has done a great job in picking the managers as well. They all seem to be on the ball and doing their jobs. Thumbs up to everyone in the aquatics department.

Share the road

THIS means share the road with bikers. I know there is a trail in Cape Girardeau, but I and a lot of others have road bikes and prefer to ride on the road and on the highways with shoulders. The reason most bikers don't use it is because of the litter and glass people throw out of their vehicles. This damages the high-pressure tires.