Speak Out 9/27/05

Finding fault

I CANNOT believe the headline, "Attorney: Couple not responsible for son's death." I hope Allen Moss finds out who actually is responsible. I don't think it was the little boy's fault. We'll wait and see what happens.

Give it to victims

I THINK the grants that are being issued for the bridge overlook and the fancy lights in downtown Cape Girardeau should be given to victims of the hurricanes. They have no place to go, and we don't need any more of the city giveaway programs here.

No excuse for poverty

FROM WHAT I read in Speak Out, I wonder if Cape Girar-deau is a town with sympathy for the poor. The rich get certain breaks they shouldn't have. The way I look at it, there shouldn't be poverty as long as there are rich people in town. The ones who are up should help the ones who are down.

Common sense

THERE'S NO telling when an earthquake's going to strike. When I lived in Ohio, forecasters said there were a certain number of people who would have flooding each year. People got fed up using their tax dollars to pay for flood damage. Common sense tells you that if you live below sea level, you're probably going to be flooded. Some things are a little bit more predictable than an earthquake. There's only so much tax money . Why waste it?

Competing with coffee

THE CHOICE of Bi-State Southern as a post office is very poor. Parking is a premium, especially between 9 and 10 a.m. and 2 and 3 p.m. when the coffee drinkers all convene.

Spending my money

THE GOVERNMENT should not be in the business of rebuilding private property. My tax dollars should be spent wisely and put toward projects that benefit everyone. Government interference with private enterprise reinforces a socialist mindset and invites corruption at every level. We have already seen what that has produced in New Orleans. Why would we want to continue down the same path?

Even goofier

SINCE MANY Democrats are voting for John Roberts to be chief justice, the rhetorical broadside by Robert Bork and David Rivkin claiming a wide gulf between the Democrats and Republicans was -- how can I say this gently? -- goofier than the usual political propaganda.

Flickering attempt

I ATTENDED Sue Niederer and the SEMO Coalition for Peace and Justice event. Other than the fact that a soldier died and a mother lost a son, the event was laughable. The coalition claims there were 130 people in attendance. I counted 43. A soldier in uniform with a combat patch stood at the entrance to the Osage Community Centre, but neither Niederer nor anyone in the coalition took the time to say thanks or offer any of the support they claim. Pro-troop activists handed out literature including e-mails from Niederer's former husband, her son's platoon sergeant and members of her son's platoon that disproved most of Niederer's assertions and claims. The entire event was nothing more than a flickering generation's attempt to re-live the protest era.

Don't be fooled

IN APPARENT self-deprecating fashion, Jon Rust recently called attention to the fact that he was to a minimal degree vertically challenged and when in costume celebrating the Southeast Missourian's centennial might appear to look like one of those marching penguins featured in the documentary, "March of the Penguins." Do not be fooled. Many historical figures of short stature had a major influence on mankind's progress or regress. Alexander the Great and Napoleon are but two of them. If you fall in line behind Rust, keep in mind that, as with the infamous Chinese dictator, Mao Zedong, it may be a very, very long march.