Speak Out 7/8/05

Real reason

WOULDN'T COMMON sense dictate that military recruitment numbers are a direct result of the policies of the current commander in chief rather than a hypothetical one?

Police: Take action

TELL ME why our police department is called in to control fireworks, only to stand back as though they were there for crowd control only. Why not show up, warn and cite those unwilling to follow the city ordinances? Over and over again, we are tiptoeing around those who feel entitled to break the law and live outside the rules of this city. Why? Other area cities have made it perfectly clear what will happen if laws are broken. They warn, cite or arrest those breaking the law. Cape Girardeau seems to be afraid of anything that might look controversial. Residents of Cape Girardeau want it made perfectly clear that perpetrators will be arrested if the law is broken. Only then will our police officers have the power and respect they deserve. Let's put an end to this attitude of entitlement.

Smart chicken hawks

MY GRANDFATHER always said that wars are fought by the common man on behalf of the rich. I hope young people resist the false patriotism surrounding the Iraq war. Those Al Franken calls the "chicken hawks" are the smart people. These are people like Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and George W. Bush. They went to great lengths to avoid combat service but are more than willing to send the sons and daughters of others into harm's way.

It's my property

RICHARD PARKER, the Harvard law professor, seems to have forgotten that if I purchase a flag, it is my property, not the property of a bunch of politicians in Washington. This is one more volley at property rights.

Acting appropriately

IT SOUNDS like the Cape Girardeau police responded appropriately during the recent fireworks melee. In certain areas of town, mobs are more apt to break out. What should the police do if they are outnumbered 10 to one? What happened to the old-fashioned paddy wagon? There's no excuse for forming a mob and surrounding anyone, especially someone with a gun. I would expect to get pepper sprayed if I was interfering in an arrest. And I doubt I would be politically correct if someone hit me on the head with a hammer.

Flag issues

THE THING that bothers me most about Clint Lacy is not his obsession with the Confederate flag but Gov. Matt Blunt's blunder in encouraging him by allowing him to display it.

Different conclusion

WHILE WE all value freedom of speech, it is sad that so much print space must be given to those who are little more than mindless ideologues for one political party or another. Thoughtful consideration of opposing ideas is an unexplored land for such individuals. Hamner Hill's op-ed piece on the importance of world public opinion was a welcome departure from this approach, and it was surprising to see that one Speak Out caller labeled it a "harangue." Evidently for this individual, "harangue" is defined as "any opinion that differs from mine." At the same time, I must respectfully disagree with Hill's conclusion, because he failed to note the difference between seeking world public opinion and acknowledging world public opinion. The Founding Fathers did not seek world public opinion and then act. They acted and then told the rest of the world, "This is what we have done. We believe thinking people will understand our decision when they see our reasons." Had they sought world public opinion to guide their actions, we'd still be sending our taxes to London.

Back to Iraq

I WOULD like to salute the 55 members of the 1140th who either volunteered or were selected to go back to Iraq in August. You will be in my prayers.

Jackson streets

I SEE where Jackson has made plans to repair city streets. Jackson annexed the properties along East Old Cape Road and Wedekind Street. Jackson received the property-tax and sales-tax revenue. With revenue comes responsibility. It's past time to repair these streets as well. There are potholes everywhere. Half of one lane that is starting to break off into the ditch. We don't get thousands of cars a day like the streets in town, but we pay road taxes too. These roads weren't designed for the heavy commercial traffic, and it is starting to show.

Some balance

I KEEP hearing and reading all the comments about how conservative the Southeast Missourian is, yet when you go to the Opinion and Perspectives pages there's this Gene Lyons in there. I can't think of anybody being called conservative when this ultra-liberal columnist is in there. It seems to me like the Southeast Missourian is pretty well balanced.

This won't work

CAIRO, ILL., can't get its drug problem under control if the FBI works seven years and arrests 18 people and the state's attorney turns them all loose without prosecution.

Interchange costs

I'D LIKE to understand how Oak Ridge got a free I-55 interchange but Jackson's interchange will cost more than $5 million. Who made that decision to give one free and charge for the other one?

Above the law

MAYOR JAY Knudtson said, "It's upsetting to me that some individuals think they don't have to follow the law." That's the most amusing thing I've read all summer. What about the city of Cape Girardeau and the police officers who don't obey the law? The city allowed trees to be cut down on someone's property without following proper procedures, and no one's going to be held accountable. That's OK, the city can break the rules. How many times do I see police officers speeding when they're not responding to a call? Kids watch this. Adults watch it. And the mayor is worried about some people thinking they're above the law? Some of those people are city employees. Didn't the city violate the law when it hired a municipal judge then rewrote the law so it would fit after the fact? The irony in the mayor's statement couldn't be more obvious to taxpayers.