Speak Out 9/30/08

Dealing with thugs

REGARDING THE story "Man shot after fight at downtown Cape Girardeau bar": I commend the officer for acting in self-defense. If you don't want to get shot, don't pull a gun. It's good to see the community pulling together against these thugs.

Lack of transparency

REGARDING THE police shooting: I am as pro-law enforcement as you can get, but I am also a stickler for transparency in government. The officers probably were right in using force against the suspect. Unfortunately, I think we will never know for sure. The statement offered by Sgt. Barry Hovis foreshadows that there will not be an honest investigation of this matter. Additionally, the photos of the shooting incident do not depict what I expect my tax dollars to pay for in a police force. The officers shown look like the brown shirts of the 1930s.

Lockdown at hospitals

THIS IS in response to the police shooting of the suspect in the Cape Girardeau bar fight. The black community gets upset about being stereotyped, but then we read that the emergency room in two hospitals had to go on lockdown due to an unruly group of friends of the suspect who were upset with police. How often do you hear of other ethnic groups rioting after a police shooting of a suspect who was brandishing a weapon and making threats to the police and others? Had he shot someone then it would have been the fault of the police for not stopping him. And why would it matter if it was a BB gun or a machine gun? Police aren't going to ask what he is pointing at them before acting.

Jewish holiday

SINCE MONDAY was Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, I was wondering if Central High School had a traditional day of rest. The school had prayer and fasting for Ramadan. I figured it would have a blowing of the shofar and taking naps all day. Happy 5769, my Hebrew brothers and sisters.

Big Three bailout

THANKS TO Congress for bailing out the Big Three at the same time the other bailout was occurring. As a result, no one will know nor care about the paltry (as compared to $700 billion) $25 billion in taxpayer welfare for Chrysler, Ford and GM. Goodness knows, they needed it. I hope flying it under the radar (so to speak) will lead to less carping and complaining from common folk.

Anticipated comments

I THINK I can safely say what we will be reading in Speak Out for the next weeks, if not months: lots of guesswork and gossip from people claiming to know what happened outside the bar the other night and supposedly accurate accounts from people who think they're knowledgeable about people's motivations and are aware of what "always" happens. My favorite comments, though, will be from the people who are tired of the police storming into places where "nothing bad" was going on, claiming the police are stirring up trouble. Of course, these comments generally come from the same people who, when there's been no recent event such as this, are complaining that the police are never visible in these areas and need to clean out the troublemakers. I think I'll just skip reading Speak Out for a while.

Thanks for help

THIS IS for Clyde the meat man from the Sikeston Assembly of God Church. I am the woman who had a flat tire in Jackson, and you stopped to help. Thank you again for helping me. I am glad there are krunkgood Samaritans left in the times we are living in.

Pricey homes

I HAPPENED to be on Yahoo Finance Saturday evening to see if the government had reached a decision on the financial bailout. Two things caught my eye. The first was that the government hadn't reached a decision but hoped to by Sunday night. The second was the top 10 high-end home spots, which included houses in the U.S. ranging from $19.5 million dollars to $2.5 million dollars. No wonder we need a bailout.

Big understatement

THE UNDERSTATEMENT of the year goes to a so-called economic expert who suggested "there will be a lot of pain" after saying, "Let the free market run its course with no government action."

Music and art

REGARDING THE story "Outskirts of fashion: Cape music festival will offer avant-garde fashion show Saturday": Thank you for a great article. It is amazing what art can do for a community. I think it is wonderful for the community to get involved with the interest of raising funds and supporting future artists in our area. Thank you, Southeast Missourian, for bringing the River City Music Festival to everyone's attention. Yes, it rocks.

Updated slogan

THIS IS like the Great Depression except for the need to modify a popular slogan. It has been updated to "Brother, can you spare a trillion?"

Newman's philanthropy

WITH THE news of Paul Newman's passing, my hope is that Newman's philanthropic example will open the eyes and bank accounts of some of our current actors. Certainly none of them will ever reach the caliber of his acting abilities, but they could certainly do lots of good with their funds. Unfortunately I have my doubts that there are many current legends who will even consider doing something as good as Paul Newman did in his lifetime.

Great music

WE ATTENDED Cape Girardeau's River City Music Fest Friday evening. What a great time. It was so well organized and enjoyable. The bands were talented. Thank you to the organizers. Great job again.

Political culprits

EVERYONE SEEMS to want to string up Wall Street CEOs connected with the financial crisis. I would add that politicians like Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Chuck Schumer, who resisted Bush administration and Federal Reserve efforts to reform Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, must also pay the price. It infuriates me to see the people who got us into this mess attending meetings to try and solve it. Impeach these bums and it will send a message to other legislators. When Democrats pandering for votes bring a country to the brink of disaster, they need to get the boot.

Obnoxious neighbor

IT IS amazing how quickly a neighborhood can go downhill with just one obnoxious neighbor. Burning trash, barking dogs running loose, kids yelling at the top of their lungs at 11 p.m. and now he has to mow his lawn in the dark.

Need reflectors

THE HIGHWAY department needs to put reflectors on Kingshighway. If you travel that road at night and it is raining, it is impossible to see the lane markings.

Religion at school

I'VE JUST read the article titled "Showing restraint; Central students, teachers fast in honor of Ramadan" in the Tiger newspaper inserted in the Southeast Missourian. I am so angry that I can't trust myself to speak. What happened to separation of church and state? Would these people have been allowed to conduct a Christian service in the school gym? Or is it only the Christian religion that is banned? I think Central High School, the school board and anyone else involved in allowing this should be reprimanded and punished, just as they would be if they had dared to conduct a Christian service.

Restroom math

I'M A substitute teacher in Cape Girardeau and Jackson and have seen how the elementary students' bathroom breaks are run. Yes, they get a couple a day, but the breaks are limited, and I honestly don't see how all the students can use the facility in the time given. How many adults, who have larger bladders and better control, only use the restrooms three times during a seven-hour work period and go on demand? I realize kids raising their hand all day is disruptive, but what's being done now isn't good either. On my break one day last week I listened as a teacher nagged, threatened and yelled at the kids in the bathroom to hurry. I asked her how much time she allotted for the break and she said 10 minutes, which included the walk to and from the bathroom. She had 26 students and six boys' and girls' stalls. You do the math. Figure out the time per person and ask yourself if you would want to use the restroom under these conditions.