Speak Out 9/17/09

On the road

TO those drivers complaining about some bike riders not obeying the laws and wanting all bike riders to get off the roads: I would like to remind you that not all drivers of motor vehicles obey the laws. Should all drivers be banned from the road because of a careless few? There are both bike riders and motorists alike who obey all traffic laws. Let's watch out for each other.

Real message

ANYONE who says he didn't like President Obama's back-to-school speech is really saying he can't stand it that Obama is president and will do virtually anything to make certain he is not re-elected.

Free speech

THERE'S a lot of talk about the right to free speech being limited. Some well-known commentators ask: Since when in America do you get penalized for what you think and say? The answer: Always. And this is exactly the way it is meant to be. Free speech protects people's right to express themselves but doesn't guarantee angry or controversial rhetoric will go unchallenged by other citizens. If someone says something with which I vehemently disagree, I'll counter what they say using the very rights that allowed them to speak in the first place. For those who don't like being called out by people with different opinions: Stop pretending it's an affront to your right to free speech.

How poor?

I'M always amazed that Speak Out callers expect to be taken seriously when they complain about being so poor that they can't afford the necessities of life like a flu shot but still manage to have access to the newspaper and a way to submit their complaints.

Seek truth

MARXIST societies are like a beehive where all sacrificially serve the queen bee. If there is such a thing as Marxist spirituality, then the state is your god and your only moral duty is to your leader. It is hard for a brainwashed leftist to break free from his self-deluded moorings. To get clean, you need a significant emotional event to occur. My event didn't occur until I saw the Vietnamese fleeing their country in whatever boat they could find. A lot of them ended up in northwestern Florida where I was at the time. I began to conclude there was something wrong with my worldview. This many people could not be wrong. More events, such as the Cambodian atrocity, confirmed this. To admit to being wrong is hard, but it is most liberating to do. It's better to be a truth seeker than to be blindly ideological.

True patriot

JOE Wilson, Republican representative from South Carolina, has apologized to President Obama for something he should not have apologized for, as far as I'm concerned. He shouted "You lie!" during Obama's health care speech to Congress. I was shouting it from the moment Obama opened his mouth until he finished. Wilson's outburst may have been perceived inappropriate by some, but patriotic Americans owe him a pat on the back and our thanks for standing up to Obama. Subsequent to Wilson's comment, the White House admitted there was a loophole in the existing proposed bills that would have allowed illegal immigrants to avail themselves of the cooperative aspect of the health care exchange. Wilson is a true American patriot, the kind Thomas Jefferson and John Adams would have been proud to serve with.

Who's a kook?

COLUMNIST Charles Krauthammer thinks Van Jones' recent resignation as a White House adviser was called for because Jones was out of the mainstream. Krauthammer apparently thinks Jones is a kook because Jones once expressed a belief that the Bush administration knew in advance or allowed 9/11 to happen. If that makes Jones a kook, then Krauthammer should bestow kookhood on about a third of the American people for believing the same thing.

Scout welcome

REGARDING the semissourian.com submitted story "Girl Scouting teaches girls leadership skills, self-confidence": We just joined the Girl Scouts. My daughter and I are pleased with the troop that we are part of. My daughter was welcomed with open arms. I hope we are able to keep up, because they have a lot going on this year.

Making apologies

REGARDING the loss of integrity: Representative Wilson apologized, but I've yet to see a liberal apologize for anything he has said. I've yet to hear the president apologize for his remarks about the Cambridge police.

Under attack

MY commentary on Obama and government-run health care: Our Constitution has termites. Taxpaying citizens are under attack by our own government. Stop dragging us into communism, Democrats. You can put a pretty boy's face on communism, but it's still communism. My family, my doctor, my health care, my life. President Obama, butt out. Obamacare makes me sick. Go green: Recycle Congress. Vote them all out. I and my children refuse to be a government-run ATM. Obama said he had a vision. You voted for a dream. What we got is a nightmare. Is this Russia? You lie.

Emotional students

I read a book that said a child with emotional problems will have difficulty learning. It would be a good idea if each school had a psychologist to help the children with their emotional problems. Some children might need therapy to help them overcome their problems so they can learn in school.

Bike licenses

BICYCLE riders should have to take a test and get a license, purchase mandatory bike insurance, register their bikes with the state and get a yearly inspection before riding on our streets and highways. They also need to pay personal property tax on their bikes.

Be Americans

I thought the president's speech was fantastic. He made his health care plan clear. As a former Republican, I was embarrassed by the actions of the right, somewhat like little boys who didn't get their way. I believe the American people are wise to all the tricks of the Republican Party. It's time to take off the party hats and be Americans.