Speak Out 9/5/06

Bibles in school

I AM a public high school teacher. Every day, students in my class bring their Bibles and openly read them in the classroom when they are finished with their other work. They carry them from class to class, freely displaying them. I am tired of the myth that there is some kind of overt effort to prevent a religious presence in our schools. Our students make it happen every day.

Standing up

GOOD FOR you, Larry Bock. Anyone who stands up to Gerald Jones and Jay Purcell will always have my support.

Gas is still better

AFTER READING about ethanol production as a sensible, reliable alternative to unleaded gasoline, I decided to buy an E85 vehicle. To my dismay, I learned that E85 vehicles cost more than a conventional vehicle. I also learned that E85 vehicles are anywhere between 5 percent and 20 percent less fuel-efficient. I learned that E85 fuel system conversion parts are outrageously expensive. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm sticking to my conventional vehicle, especially since gasoline is only $2.35 a gallon in Jackson.

Pet problem

SOMEONE SAID he was tired of stray dogs and having to buy so much food. I suggest he contact his government representatives -- either county commission or city council -- and let them know there is an animal problem. If they don't see the strays themselves, they don't know the problem exists.

Religious killing

BOMBINGS OF abortion clinics are not something that Christians are told to do in the Bible. But according to the Koran, Muslims who die in jihad automatically go to heaven. Don't even try to use the IRA argument. Anyone who does a little research about the IRA will find out that it is a socialist organization. And communism/socialism is the anti-thesis of Christianity.

County business

MY POSITIVE impression of Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Larry Bock has just grown exponentially. Thank goodness someone with good sense is there to call commissioners Jay Purcell and Gerald Jones to task regarding any questionable meetings concerning county business. It is interesting to learn that the propriety of some of the meetings has been in doubt for over a year now. Why are county residents just learning of this? Having Bock and other township representatives participate as non-voting members on any of the county boards should be standard operating procedure.

Misleading info

IT'S A good thing for John Danforth that he is not running for office in Missouri this year. This is a pro-life, conservative state, and we will not support human cloning. Danforth claims Amendment 2 does not back human cloning, but it does. He is trying to mislead the public with his announcements supporting this amendment.

Welcome to PTA

TO THE parent with tattoos and piercings who was told she wasn't PTA material at Franklin Elementary School: that's rubbish. I don't know who told you that, but trust me, we want you to be part of the PTA. I'm about as conservative and boring as one can be, and I would be delighted for any and all parents to participate in PTA. Franklin is a school of diversity. No one will be excluded from the PTA.

Shoes and socks

JUDGES SHOULD not have to tell lawyers that they need to wear socks.

Bible preaching

THIS IS to the person who said he goes to church but the preacher talks about himself, sports, movie reviews and politics. Tell him to come to First Assembly of God in Marble Hill, Mo. We get taught on the Lord and on the Bible.

Good church food

I JUST saw the comment about the great food at the United Methodist Church in Gordonville. It was Zion Lutheran Church in Gordonville. And thanks for coming to our great supper.

Little solace

SOMEONE SAID your chances of being killed in a terrorist attack are less than being struck by lightning. Tell that to the people who died during 9-11.

Presidential success

OUR ECONOMY is strong. Unemployment is lower than it was during the last decade. Our security agencies have stopped all recent planned attacks against America since 2001. Let's admit that President Bush is doing a great job. Few articles report the good news, but this is a successful presidency.

Safety comes first

I AM a grandmother. The "feel good" laws a previous comment complained about may very well save the lives of our beloved grandchildren. I have purchased a car seat and a booster seat for my vehicles for when I have my granddaughters, just as I did for my own children when they were still at home. That way you always have them as needed. Very nice booster seats with cupholders may be purchased for under $20.

Separate agendas

WE SHOULD have a recall vote for all three of our county commissioners. It's apparent that all three of them have their own agendas and are not interested in what the people of our county really want. All three have trouble working with each other and the public. Get them out of there.

Highway safety

ALL MOTORISTS traveling on highways know to slow down in construction work zones and the penalties for speeding and injuring workers in these areas. My problem is with some workers who sometimes carelessly put themselves in harm's way. My wife and I were traveling in a work zone on Interstate 55 near Benton, Mo., at the posted speed. The left lane was coned off. We noticed a worker standing at the edge of the left lane with his back to the right lane of oncoming traffic. We felt he was careless and inattentive to how close he was to being struck. Of course, had he been struck, some driver would have been charged. Seeing this worker's carelessness helped me see that safety needs to be stressed not only to the motorists, but to these workers as well.

Sweet deal

LET ME get this straight. When all county officeholders get in the same room, they become the salary commission and can decide their own pay increases. That is a sweet deal.

Safety sense

I THINK it is so foolish to require parents to make 8-year-old children sit in booster seats. Have you seen some of our 8-year-old children? Some won't fit in a booster seat. What next? It's enough just to get our children raised and teach them how to become good citizens. I'm sure most mothers know the best way to keep their children safe. How did we live so long?

Give 'em heck

I'M GLAD we have people like Larry Bock on the Cape Girardeau County Commission. Bock is a throwback to the era of Harry "Give 'em hell" Truman and has proven that he is not afraid of his cronies on the commission. His style of action has been too long overdue in the workings of the commission. Maybe Bock can help change things for the better.

Clean and neat

I DON'T care what people wear to church. God looks on the heart, not on your dress. As long as you wear your best, and if jeans and a cowboy shirt are all you have to wear, wear it as long as you're clean and neat. I would be happy for any of my children to go not only to the Cowboy Church but to any church dressed as they want to dress as long as it's modest.

Let government do it

THE COMMENT about business owners' rights to allow things like smoking hit the nail on the head. Our rights are being chipped at year after year as each special-interest group's demands are met by new laws. Many business owners are too cowardly to set their own no-smoking rules because they might alienate smokers. Therefore, they allow the government to do it for them while shrugging and saying, "What could we do?"

Lack of response

THANK YOU, Southeast Missourian, for writing about the runoff of mud from our neighboring development. Because of the article and picture, the city has ordered the streets to be cleaned twice a week beginning Sept. 1. I am not on that street, but I live nearby. I and at least three other neighbors have complained about this problem with no help at all for two years. The mud runs off in our yards and homes, too. If any one of those we complained to were in our shoes, they'd be disappointed in the lack of response to this issue. Does our government care? Only because of the article have we been finally heard.

Rights on the line

READ THE "Increase in adult obesity" article in its entirety. Take note of comments such as "more attention from the government" and the suggestion that government (and employers) should do the same with obesity as it has with tobacco. We may be facing more taxpayer dollars spent on new programs and public employees, more government involvement in your personal lives and capricious laws that will essentially dictate your eating habits. Aren't you getting a little nervous about your rights and freedoms? You should be.

Chuckling smokers

IN ALL the discussion about Cape Girardeau's burning laws, it appears that a majority favor the right to burn yard waste -- and maybe this packing box can be slipped onto the burn pile, and this old carpet, and maybe the old plastic lawn chair, and ... . Surely all the smokers must be chuckling over this.

Practice your faith

AS A Christian with an objective eye, it seems as though most conflicts in the world are caused by variances in religious beliefs among Christians, Muslims and Jews. Different sects of the same religion fall into conflicts with one another. The world would be a much better place if people would relax their beliefs and focus on following their religion themselves rather than forcing their beliefs on others.

Need godly values

I LONG for the country I grew up in where God and faith were an accepted fact in life. So many people are trying to do away with all mention of God and godly values. It is nice to see that there are still people who are holding on to the values that made America the great country it was. We need to pray for our country, because prayer changes things.

World record

IF CAPE Girardeau had and exercised a referendum process whereby everything passed into ordinance by the current council was referred to the voters for approval, we would set a world record for ordinances rejected.

Real terrorists

I HEAR the Republicans say how great George Bush because we have had no more terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. I wonder if the terrorists are al-Qaida, or are they the oil companies who have raised prices the moment a barrel of oil goes up in price? We have people who can barely afford to make ends meet and now are further below the poverty line. But at least Bush has kept us terrorist-free in America. I say we take a second look at what or who is terrorizing our nation.