Speak Out A 05/13/03

Thanks for assistance

I WANT to thank the young woman for giving me peace of mind and helping me by using her cell phone to call for assistance. It's nice to be living where strangers are concerned and caring about the welfare of others. Thank you very much.

Demeaning the president

DAVID LIMBAUGH does not have to write about the Democrats. David Broder takes care of that by demeaning President Bush.

A safe bypass

IF JACKSON has a bypass, I don't think it should go around any schools. I think the schools should be a safe zone. You don't need people in a hurry. That's what bypasses are for: people who want to travel in a hurry. Most bypasses would circle a city. My concern is always for the children and the protection thereof, whether grade school or high school.

No new spending

IF MISSOURI cannot pay its bills and is going in debt, why is it scheduling new spending? It should be cutting some old spending,. This is ridiculous and shows the caliber of people we have trying to lead us in our state government.

There is a difference

THE DIFFERENCE between peanuts and alcohol is that only some people are allergic to peanuts while everyone suffers the effects of alcohol.

National health care

I WAS the person who said I'd be glad to forfeit my income-tax return if everyone who deserves it would get national health care. We have 43 million people without health insurance because they cannot afford it. We need to do something quickly. If we have all this money to rebuild Iraq, we've got enough for health care. Dick Gephardt's plan is better than President Bush's because the president doesn't have a plan. It's a disgrace that we don't have a health-care plan for the people who need it.

Dealing with noise

WELCOME TO the new Jackson chief of police. I have not met him personally but have heard only good things about him from others who have known him for some time. We realize he has plenty to do at the present time, with the tornado we just had. But we are excited to read and hear that he is aware of the noise and speed from too many cars and trucks in our neighborhoods. We will be behind him 100 percent in bringing back some quality of life to the streets and neighborhoods of Jackson.

Where's the freedom?

THE BUSH administration has repeatedly stated there is no way it will permit Iraqis to choose for themselves an Islamic state. If this is the case, where is the freedom for Iraqis for which so many stouthearted Americans fought and died? If not for freedom, what was the point?

Protesting too much

NIKKI KRAWITZ'S lengthy denial of allegations of extraordinary credit-card abuse by Missouri University employees seems to prove the charges true if one keeps in mind the old adage that a charge of wrongdoing is usually true if those accused doth protest too much.

Crass partisanship

DAVID LIMBAUGH'S effort to indirectly defend erstwhile moral absolutist and smug national nag William Bennett's high-stakes gambling habit was disingenuous, disconcerting and disappointing. I had assumed that in this instance Limbaugh would have abandoned crass partisanship and condemned Bennett out of hand.

'Gotcha' journalism

YOU'RE CORRECT. Misinformation can be used as an ideological tool. Reports of missing Iraqi artifacts dating from the beginning of civilization were used by the anti-war crowd to attempt to discredit the war. Now that most of the artifacts have been found, radical interventionists like the Southeast Missourian are using that evidence to play "gotcha" journalism.

We need the sirens

THANKFULLY, NO one in Jackson was killed in the tornado. Now mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson think we need warning sirens. True, sirens don't bring in jobs, dollars or prestige. However, they will help save lives. If Cape Girardeau's mayor is truly concerned about what is good for the citizens of Cape Girardeau, he'll get the sirens and forget the River Campus. We need the sirens. Southeast Missouri State University can come up with money to fund its own projects.