Speak Out 9/5/07

Police authority

REGARDING THE need for downtown police: What exactly is a "friendly police presence"? How does dressing in polo shirts and running shoes improve the situation? Policemen need to represent authority, and they need their guns, pepper spray and protective gear to protect themselves as well as the public.

Bailing us out

OF ALL countries, guess which one is likely to bail us out of the Iraqi mess? Give up? France.

Deadly souvenir

U.N. inspectors certified that there were no chemical weapons in Iraq. Then they brought home samples of phosgene, a chemical-warfare agent, and kept it in their New York City office. It must have just been a souvenir of all the Iraq chemical weapons that they found but certified that they did not find. It is said that no human has ever smelled phosgene and lived to tell what it smells like. It is so deadly that one smell will kill you before you can talk about it.

Not a mistake

I'M CALLING in response to the comment that we should support Michael Vick because he made a mistake as we all do, which is true. But a mistake is when you add your checkbook wrong or do something unintentionally. When you deliberately electrocute or hang dogs, that is not a mistake. He needs to go to jail.

Downtown needs help

I'M CALLING about the problems in downtown Cape. There have been shootings, peace disturbances, assaults, robberies, property damages to business places, attempted rapes and a bar manager arrested for distribution of marijuana. The streets are loaded with broken bottles all over the place. Mayor Jay Knudtson says, "Think of it this way, it's just part of the renaissance going on." Come on, mayor. Get us some help down here.

Not a good idea

A RECENT comment said Southeast Missouri State University should go carless and that all employees and students should have to hoof it. What a ridiculous comment. Do you hoof it to work? Why should we? I live 11 miles from Southeast. If you meant that we should drive to a closer location and then walk to campus, your comment is equally ridiculous. That would only further clog the streets surrounding the campus. Southeast needs to look to other campuses, some quite larger than ours, on which driving is not allowed and see if that could be done here. Of course, several streets such as Normal Avenue would have to be closed, and then city residents couldn't zip through there breaking the speed limit and ignoring students in the crosswalks. That would cause another stink.

A good month

THAT OPUS by Joe Sullivan on Aug. 31, which could be called "The Grand Piano," was his best composition yet. That makes two of us who had a good month -- three, if you include Joe's wife.

Rude parking

I ENJOY a good yard like anybody else, but what I don't like is how people park anyway they want, even to the point you cannot go down your own street or get in or out of your driveway. There is no reason to be rude.

Drive-through litter

FAST-FOOD places should help combat the litter problem in Cape Girardeau. If they can't come up with a solution to reduce the litter, maybe drive-through windows should be outlawed.