Speak out 8/13

Charter schools

PETER KINDER is such a supporter of charter schools. I hope he will read the article "Charter schools are failing to measure up" in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that cites a new Rand Corp. study of charter schools in California. The story cites especially the St. Louis schools low-scoring charter schools which serve some 3,000 children. Also, the story says common sense should tell us to subject charters to the same level of scrutiny that we routinely impose on public schools. But we're not examining them nearly as closely.

Fun with fireworks

THIS IS for the caller who said that we should ban all fireworks. The caller said people buy fireworks for mischief and to have fun. That is a sweeping generalization. My son is 17. He and his friends buy fireworks. They have a great time. They never cause problems. They obey the laws. He's excited about the Fourth of July. His grandfather served in the war. His father served in Desert Storm. He believes that this is a great celebration of our country's freedom. Stop taking everything that's fun away from people because of the actions of a few.

Cloned husband

HEIDI. I think you've got a clone of my 80-some-year-old husband. Sounds just like it. I feel sorry for you.

Hijacked Democrats

THE SOUTH, once solidly Democratic, is now solidly Republican. Both houses of Congress, Democratic for over 40 years, are now Republican. State legislatures and governorship, dominated by Democrats for many decades, are now dominated by Republicans. In my circle of friends, practically all of us voted for Democrats in the 1960s and 1970s. Now practically all us vote Republican. The Democratic Party has been hijacked by its liberal wing. Until mainstream Democrats demand normalcy, their party will continue to decline.

Another benefit

ON YOUR article on the cool weather we've been having in August, I'd like to mention another benefit: We don't hear anything from the global-warming whackos.

Chaffee cheerleaders

I WOULD like to congratulate the Chaffee High School cheerleaders for taking first place in their division at the regional competition. They are very professional and did an excellent job. And to the coach, Debbie Lewis, thank you for all your time and hard work. The girls are lucky to have you. Now go get them at state, girls.

Accurate story

IN RESPONSE to the article "Marble Hill man facing attempted murder charge": As the daughter of the live-in girlfriend in this story, I would like to commend Mark Bliss for a wonderful job of reporting the actual facts in this story. Bliss did a thorough job of collecting all of the facts involved before writing this piece. That is much appreciated. Other news sources have presented the story in a way that has portrayed my mother as someone who was having an affair, which wasn't the case. Thank you for taking the time to be accurate.

Let's make a deal

I OFFER a deal to David Limbaugh: I will get liberals to lay off right-wing extremist Ann Coulter if he will get conservatives to get off her back because she once referred to the male blowhards working for the far right bible, National Review, as "girly boys."

Entertainment news

I LIKE your sports coverage, but on Fridays I think it should go to the back of Section B. You should put your entertainment section on the front of the section. I really love reading that.

Unacceptable word

THE USE of the word "crippled" is unacceptable, even in the freewheeling Speak Out forum. If the young person in Scott City wants assistance, he'll ask for it.

THE BIBLE passage that seems to be most pertinent to the controversy surrounding the recent Episcopal Church decision regarding the gay bishop is found in the first chapter of Romans. I have no problem contextualizing the passages in the Old Testament. However, Paul is explicit in Romans, and I cannot ignore Paul.

Let's move on

I UNDERSTAND the whole concern over the fireworks situation. Everyone should be more responsible, and parents should supervise their children. Can we please move on?

Major fighting over

TO THE person who said that he was glad President Bush told us that the fighting in Iraq was over because he couldn't tell it: I believe that the president said all major combat fighting was over. This doesn't mean that all fighting is over.

Cheap slogan

ALTHOUGH IT doesn't deal directly with the controversy concerning the name of Southeast Missouri State University's mascot, I have a slogan I think will sell prospective students on the relatively cheap cost of attending the university while simultaneously communicating the idea that there is a lot to see on the campus: SEMO for less.

School competition

AS SCHOOL starts, we hear the same rhetoric from administrators promising us a wonderful year with outstanding results. But it will be safe to presume that by the end of the year, all the right ingredients will have turned out nothing but a flat-bread of wasted time and money. The only thing rising is their expectations of us residents to keep paying higher taxes and their screams of needing more money. I am not saying that educating children is a waste of time and money. But the system that these brainwashed educators continue to use is a complete failure. Bring the people of Cape Girardeau the choice for vouchers. Let's get some competition going here.

Support new mascot

NO ONE at Southeast Missouri State University has referred to teams as the Indians in probably 10 years. It's not on any apparel or uniforms. Cheerleaders can't use the word. The band can't play the pow-wow. There's no Indian image at all. The current students desperately need to make their own memories utilizing a new mascot, just as the alumni got a chance to do with the Indian in years past. There's no way SEMO will ever have another Indian-dressed figure at the games. So let's rally behind a new mascot, a visible one that we can see and embrace and not sweep under the rug because of political correctness.

Right to dissent

IT WAS so inspiring to see the First Amendment right there on the Opinion page of the Missourian. I'm always amazed at the way some people talk about freedom in a sort of sappy, sentimental way without much thought about what it really means. But I'd say it's pretty clear: It's the freedom to express alternative views and the freedom to dissent from the actions of the government. The Founders tended to be very skeptical about people in power and wrote the right for us to dissent and ultimately curtail the abuse of power. We're now at a critical point with this Bush administration. Many posthumous thanks to John Adams, et al. I hope we can live up to your lofty expectations.

Boring candidates

TWO CANDIDATES make Calvin Coolidge seem like Mr. Charisma. According to my exhaustive research, in all of U.S. political history no two gubernatorial candidates were as boring as Matt Blunt and Bob Holden.

No gossip, please

THE ARTICLE about the Tampa man with a wife and mistress highlights the bad state of affairs in journalism today. Since when is gossip newsworthy? It's a titillating story about an adulterous male and the women he duped. These people weren't celebrities. Wealth alone should not be reason for making private family matters fodder for water-cooler chatter four states away. Shame on you, Missourian editors.

Liberal stance

I THOUGHT David Limbaugh's implicit defense of Catholics was interesting, citing the Catholic stance on the death penalty. Actually, the official Catholic stance on welfare, environmental issues, labor and other issues is decidedly liberal and has been over the last 100-plus years. Limbaugh probably doesn't know this. Many Catholics don't. Except on the abortion issue, the pope would definitely have to be described as a liberal -- big time.

Catholic teachings

ONE OF the central teachings of the Catholic Church is the respect for life. This includes ministry to the poor and strong objections to killing of all sorts: capital punishment, war and abortion. Don't obfuscate. Catholic teachings are not just anti-abortion.

Just making a living

DOESN'T THE Cape Girardeau Police Department have better things to do than harass the employees and patrons of a strip club? I am an educated mother and wife. Although I do not wish to go there, many people like this type of entertainment. Nobody is hurting anyone, and everyone who goes there, I assume, is having fun. I am so sick of the conservative people of Cape. These girls are just trying to make a living by doing something that other people find enjoyment in. What harm are they causing? If you don't like it, don't go. That's all there is to it.

Time for perspective

I FIND the controversy over the SEMO mascot completely amusing. I can't imagine why anyone cares. You could easily live in Cape Girardeau and never know the university even had sports teams. If you've ever lived in a Big 10 or SEC college town, you'd realize the absurdity of the issue. This is not world peace. This isn't even a university that can brag about its athletic prowess -- at least not anymore. Get a grip.