Speak Out A 03/19/02

Have mercy on her

HOW CAN anyone in his right mind think Andrea Yates should get the death penalty? She was wrong, but she needed help in lots of ways. I pray all will have mercy on her.

Praising God's name

QUITE SOME time ago, someone called attention to the careless use of God's name in everyday life. That bothered me a great deal too. Then one day a song from church came to mind. The first line is: "Holy God, we praise thy name." Now every time I hear God's name used carelessly, that song comes to mind. It's my little way of making some reparation.

Looking good

AFTER SEEING the picture of Amy Ward in the Missourian, I was flabbergasted. It is amazing how young she looks after 35 years at St. Francis Medical Center -- and after being married to Tom Ward all these years. I would have expected a few more wrinkles. Maybe that picture was taken in the 1960s. Congratulations, Amy.

Thesis obliterated

JUST FOR the record, a recent issue of The New Republic totally obliterated former-CBS newsman Bernard Goldberg's view that the mainstream media have a liberal bias. It's impossible to exaggerate the degree to which the piece eviscerated Goldberg's thesis.

Great win, ND girls

GREAT WIN, Notre Dame basketball girls. We knew you could do it because you wanted that win badly. We are all so proud of you. Not only are you good athletes, you are great students too.

Back to prehistory

IF KINDER Morgan Power Co. is kicked out of Cape County before it gets a chance to boost our economy while providing a valuable service, our already legendary parochialism will be complemented with the correct view that our medieval mind-set has been pushed back to the prehistoric.

Ready for Orwell

CAMERAS SHOULD be used at intersections, as you so succinctly stated. They will save lives and help me realize my dream of living in a utopian, Orwellian society.

More than needed

I DON'T have a problem with building a new juvenile center, but if the current juvenile center is only housing an average of three to five juveniles a day, why in the world would the judges insist the county spend nearly $4 million to build a 38-bed facility? If indeed the county commission has made an offer to fund a 20-bed facility, where do these judges have their heads by insisting a 38-bed facility be built?

Weaseling out

DAVID BRODER finds fault with everything a Republican president does. He has been doing it for years and getting away with it. He has never had a kind word for either of the Bush presidencies. All he knows to do is nitpick, then prognosticate. Have any of his prognostications ever came to fruition? It will be interesting to see if his latest accusations are true. When confronted with the facts, he will find a way to weasel out. He always does.

Precious freedoms

"INSTEAD OF questioning" the military code, "the media should embrace this code of honor," wrote Ken McManaman. To me, McManaman's frightening perspective illustrates two points. One is how easy it is to cross the line and advocate the abolition of the precious freedoms members of the military fight so hard to protect. And two is how grateful we should all be to the Founding Fathers for placing the military under civilian control. When it comes to his views on this subject, I am no fan of Ken McManaman.

Use private funding

THE PROPOSED Cardinals stadium should be built with private investments, not taxpayer money.

Go to GED classes

I THINK more people who don't have their high school diplomas should go to the Cape Girardeau GED classes. They work around your schedule, and it's really cool.

I USED to think it wasn't a good idea to a carry concealed weapon, but now I have changed my mind. People need to be able to defend themselves. I wouldn't carry one, but I would hope others would who wouldn't be afraid to use a gun for defense. Gov. Bob Holden needs to let the law-abiding citizens protect themselves.

Leave roads to experts

I'LL SAY one thing for MoDOT spokesperson Scott Meyer: He sure makes a good case for leaving roadway construction decisions in the hands of engineers and other experts and taking it away from the masses and finger-pointing pols who have done nothing but make it more difficult for the Show Me State to make progress toward improving Missouri's dated, makeshift and often life-threatening roadway system.

Repressed memories

Why the wait in reporting sexual abuse by some priests:? The victim did try to seek help after his first round of the abuse by confiding in another priest. That priest took advantage of him even further by continuing the abuse. The victim buried the abuse and memories for years and became a priest. It was not until years later when reassigned to his place of torment that he became depressed and sought counseling and remembered.