Speak Out 8/31/06

One-party nation

SADLY, THOUGH I don't agree at all with David Limbaugh's diatribes against Democrats, I do agree with his view that it's unlikely the Democrats will regain either house of Congress in the fall elections. That has been too much money and too much gerrymandering. For the next several decades we will remain a one-party nation.

That era is over

IT WOULD be nice to be able to protect the few liberties we have left, as a Speak Out caller suggested. However, we live in a new era. The terrorist threat requires the sacrifice of all of our liberties in the interest of security. The era of so-called natural, God-given rights was neat, but it's over.

Exploiting fear

YOUR CHANCES of being killed in a terrorist attack are less than being struck by lightning. Yet the Republicans continue to win votes by telling us how safe we are thanks to them. If a candidate ran on a platform of keeping you safe from lightning strikes, you'd think he had lost his mind. Don't listen to the rhetoric. Fear has been exploited too long at the expense of our freedoms.

Changing lives

HOW SAD that some individuals are being relegated to a nonperson status. To say they can't change is not true. Read the story of the men (and women) that go through the Teen Challenge program, and you will have your heartstrings tugged and your tear faucets flowing. They can and do change. Their lives have touched many for bad, but their lives will touch for good in the future. But if they are to be relegated to the river because of lying and stealing, what about those who regularly lie about being sick to miss work or steal by taking items from their job for personal use? Everyone at some point does something wrong.

Quick dispatch

KUDOS AND sincere congratulations to the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the animal control people for summarily dispatching a dead groundhog from in front of the street where I reside. Because they arrived so quickly, I was for only a few minutes frozen with fear.

Need scapegoats

DOPEHEADS SHOULD not be pushed into the river. Society always needs scapegoats to hate and vilify.

Making students pay

IF A child at school has several pencils and his friend does not, he might decide to give his friend one. This would be sharing. Forcing him to give his pencils away is theft. Schools should not be teaching children that theft is acceptable. If there are families or teachers who can't afford school supplies, I'm sure the PTO or other organizations could work to come up with some sort of solution. It's just easier for the teachers to make the students pay.

Casual churches

THE RELAXED dress codes for attending church services are not because we have we have become so lax, but because churches believed that many people would not attend their services if they had to dress up for them. Therefore, they loosened up what was acceptable hoping to retain or garner more attendees. Isn't it sad to think people might not go to church if they couldn't wear casual clothing?

Watch my nose

SOMEONE THINKS he has the right to smoke and burn leaves. There's the old saying: "My right to swing my arm stops where your nose begins."

To die is gain

THE COMMENT that churches use death as a hook was misinformed. The Bible teaches us that when we are regenerated, death has no dominion over us. The Bible says "to die is gain." It is better to die "in Christ" than without him.

Unequal justice

A PERSON has a wreck that causes the death of two passengers. The family of the two who died raises Cain in the courts and asks that the driver get the maximum sentence, which is 21 years in prison because the driver had three beers that night. Some time later a member of the family of the two dead passengers is driving with friends and has a wreck. A passenger dies, and he is charged after tests reveal he had meth and alcohol in his system. His family pleads with the courts to not send their family member to prison because he has suffered enough. All charges are dismissed. All in all, the situations are about the same in both wrecks, but the sentences are totally different. How can the judicial system begin to claim it is fair?

Church topics

I GO to church. The preacher talks about himself, sports, movie reviews and politics. I'm not interested in the preacher's past. I don't like sports. I don't want to hear his biased comments about politics. I want to hear about God and how to follow Jesus' example. To my way of thinking, a preacher's opinions on politics are guesswork and a temporary situation on Earth. I think a minister ought to study the Bible to instruct us about the eternal. That probably won't happen. He might step on some folks' toes. I seldom miss church services, but I wonder if I don't go if I'll really miss anything.

Feel-good law

I SINCERELY hope that the grandparent complaining about the new safety-seat restrictions isn't related to me. I would hope that the people in contact with my children are more concerned with their physical safety than feeding them ice cream. It is a feel-good law. I feel good about keeping my children safe.

Too big for booster seat

BOOSTER SEATS under 8? Not in my home. My child is 7 years old and weighs just over 60 pounds. He only stands about 4 1/2 feet tall. According to the new law he has to be in a booster safety seat even though for the past three years he has been without one. Other children in our neighborhood who are the same size as he is but are older than 8 don't have to be in a safety seat. Tell me why age matters if the kids are the same size. My child will not be in a booster seat.

This is a warning

THE TORRENTIAL downpour reminded me of a well-known quote to which we should all pay attention: "God gave Noah the rainbow sign. No more water, the fire next time." The end is near.

Post-natural rights

I'M TIRED of all this talk about rights, natural rights, God-given natural rights and civil liberties. All of these were man-made, artificial constructs, and the times we live in render them irrelevant if we are to survive. Terrorism has plummeted the civilized world into a post-natural rights era. Live with it.

Great food

THUMBS UP to the United Methodist Church in Gordonville. Your kettle beef supper was awesome. Neither rain nor flooding would have kept our family from attending on Sunday. Thanks for all the hard work it takes to do this, and thanks for all of the good food.

Relatively speaking

FRIENDS ARE God's way of apologizing for relatives.

Chicken hawks

THIS IS to David Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and all those chicken hawks who know everything about war and have never been in war. They're quick to support sending our troops to fight, but they won't fight. They hide behind a microphone or desk. Let's face it. We know a chicken hawk when we see one. I'm tired of hearing how they know everything about war and what we should do.

Scott City tie-up

I WISH Missouri Department of Transportation representatives and whoever else is concerned with the traffic situation in Scott City would be in the traffic at 7:40 a.m., trying to go to school or work. Traffic is backed up from Interstate 55 past the Rhodes 101 convenience store. This is a terrible situation. No one should have to be put through this when there are ways to eliminate this bottleneck.

Bus concerns

I WONDER how well people would like the new bus system if they had to walk two miles to catch it. Plus, the bus doesn't run after 6 p.m.

What change?

I WAS on my way to church the other Sunday and saw three men putting up three tall posts. After church on my way home, there was a big sign by the overpass. It said, "Want change? Vote Democrat." What kind of change do the Democrats want? America to be under the rule of al-Qaida?

Food fairness

AMEN TO parents who go to lunch with their children. My child attends a school in the Jackson School District and was told he could not bring a Capri Sun to drink at lunch anymore because it wasn't approved. Explain to me why teachers get to have soda as long as it's in a mug. Where's the fairness? I think the teachers, faculty and staff need to do without their sodas also.

Terrorists at bay

GEORGE BUSH has been thoroughly effective at keeping terrorists out of this country. There have been no more attacks on our soil since 9-11. The person who says George Bush has been bad for this country is wet behind the ears. Thank God we had a president strong enough to keep terrorists off our soil so far because of his vigilant watch and the organization he's been able to put together.