Speak Out A 05/06/02

Taking cover

AFTER READING Friday's Opinion page, I noticed that our new mayor's slip is starting to show, and it looks like he is a little thin-skinned. I hope he doesn't spend the next four years trying to cover his rear.

Using deadly force

THE CRIMINAL justice student at SEMO thinks the proposed concealed weapons-carry law is a bad idea. In every state that has a concealed-carry law, major crime (rape, murder, armed robbery) has decreased. It is my understanding that persons with a history of mental illnesses are not allowed to purchase firearms in the first place. The student asked: "Are we trying to give every person with a gun permit the authority to decide if deadly force is necessary?" The answer is a resounding "Yes." For what other reason would I carry the gun? The student also asked: "Do you want to live in a place where your crazy neighbor has that authority?" Where does the student live that he has "crazy neighbors?" If the answer is in the dorm, then I agree. The dorm is no place for guns.

Outstanding facilities

I HOPE the recent caller who wrote that the Shawnee Sports Complex and Osage Centre were not needed was being sarcastic. These great facilities offer thousands of youths the opportunity to play soccer, softball, basketball and various other recreational activities at no cost or at a minimal cost. I feel that taxes helping to develop these facilities are taxes well spent. These facilities are ones that the people of Cape want.

Greatest mayor

HISTORY WILL judge Al Spradling as Cape's greatest mayor. Those who criticize him in Speak Out are enveloped in an embarrassing amount of envy.

Extinct, with dignity

AS YOU have written, terrorism and tornadoes do bring out the best in us, but it is cold comfort to consider that mankind may be rendered extinct with its dignity intact and head held high.

Vicious cycle

THE POOR get poorer for a variety of reasons, few of which are their own. The minimum wage is below the standard living wage in most places. Most poor people are born poor and cannot afford higher education. Therefore, they cannot find better jobs and are uneducated about things such as money management, the stock market and other investment opportunities. Most live paycheck to paycheck and are unable to save any money. Yes, there are lazy poor people, just like there are lazy middle-class people and lazy rich people. Poor people are not more lazy or less hard-working. Most are just trapped in a vicious cycle that keeps them from saving money.

Against concealed guns

YOUR ARTICLE on the right to carry a concealed gun said that only St. Louis and Kansas City didn't want the bill to pass. I live in Cape Girardeau and strongly disagree with the right to carry arms. Amen to Gov. Bob Holden who will veto this bill. It's time this country put its faith in God instead of guns. If this bill would pass, I would not feel safe taking my children in public anymore.

No doubt

MY FATHER always told me as a child: "It is better to have people think you are stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Prosecution needed

I AM outraged with the Catholic priests and their crimes. Why are they not arrested and tried in court like everyone else would be? Apology is not enough. Resigning is not enough. Prosecution is the only answer.

Recycle lawn waste

I WAS just wondering when Scott City was going to get someplace where we could take our lawn waste to mulch it. It makes so much more sense to be able to take limbs and twigs someplace central to be mulched, rather than all of us burning them in our yards. It's a great project Scott City could take on. We've got recycling now. Now all we need is to recycle a little more: our lawn waste.

IT'S INACCURATE to refer to France's Le Pen as "right wing" and a "Nazi." A Speak Out caller claimed Nazis were "left-wing socialists." Wrong. Although in practice communist and Nazi totalitarianism seem similar, they hated each other and had theoretical differences that made them exact opposites. Theoretical Marxism is internationalist, predicts a worldwide revolution of the working class and is sometimes utopian in its thinking. Nazi fascists were extreme nationalists, militarists, racists and imperialists. It's disconcerting and downright dangerous for a Speak Out caller to try to pass off pseudo-political science as pure truth.

Great recital

I RECENTLY experienced one of the most wonderful concerts I have ever heard. Tyson Wunderlich had a junior recital, and it was absolutely phenomenal. It's a shame it was crammed in such a tiny little room, because the performance was deserving of a concert hall. It's a shame that more people don't hear some of the fine programs SEMO offers for music majors.