Speak Out A 07/12/03

Not a good motto

CAPE'S IN pretty bad shape if it has to resort to "The Hometown of Rush Limbaugh" to bring in tourist dollars. It may come as a surprise to some Cape residents that large portions of the civilized world don't have such a high opinion of Limbaugh.

Honor our principles

I WAS surprised by all the emphasis on honoring veterans at Cape's Fourth of July celebration. Honoring veterans is a fine and good thing to do. That is why we have Veterans Day and Memorial Day. But I thought the purpose of Independence Day was to honor the principles of those visionaries who signed the Declaration of Independence: equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You may say we wouldn't have these principles without veterans. Perhaps that is true. But we won't need to have veterans if we no longer practice these principles and teach them to our children. Let's honor our veterans on Veterans Day and honor our principles on Independence Day.

Leaving litter behind

THE AMERICAN Legion auxiliary is so proud of John "Doc" Yallaly, our nominated candidate for the first Spirit of America Award. Thank you, Southeast Missourian. The festivities downtown on the Fourth of July were great. Special thanks to the municipal band. The fireworks were beautiful. Needless to say, everyone was inspired. Now for the sad part. As we left we saw discarded paper cups and wrappings left in the streets and on the courthouse lawn. It was disgusting.

Privacy and choice

TO ALL lamenting the Supreme Court's sodomy ruling: While your religious beliefs are admirable, we must leave judgment of sin to God. Thankfully, we do not live in a theocracy. Our government is founded on the principles of liberty and justice for all, not just those we agree with. Some may say that our Founding Fathers would disagree with these rulings, but the Founding Fathers also kept slaves. If you believe that homosexuality is wrong, pray to end it. Legislating against it is unconstitutional. Exercise your religious freedom of prayer while leaving others to enjoy the constitutional freedom of privacy and choice. This is what America represents.

Finest journalism

HEIDI HALL'S anti-homophobic column was humorous, in good taste and exemplified journalism at its finest.

Good-time Cape

I'VE GOT a suggestion for a Cape Girardeau slogan that would save the city the $42,000 it is spending on that Nashville company's study: "Cape Girardeau: City of strip malls, banks, and gas stations. Come have a good time."

Can't be trusted

LAW-ABIDING residents of Missouri, did you know that we are irresponsible and cannot be trusted? That is what Gov. Bob Holden told us by vetoing House Bill 349, the concealed-carry bill.

Slums offset growth

BEFORE THE Cape Girardeau School District gets too fired up about tax assessments, board members and administrators need to drive through town and see how much has turned into slums in the past five years. A nice older neighborhood turning into a slum offsets a new subdivision, and this has happened both commercially and residentially.

Pursuit of love

I WAS pleased to read a humorous column that dealt with the very serious desire of people who are gay or lesbian to love and to be loved. It is not the color of our skin that leads people to hate us, but simply the pursuit of our love. I am proud of the Supreme Court, and I am proud of the Southeast Missourian for publishing this column. I look forward to a time when we the people can truly live united in our differences and in our beliefs that all are created equal and all deserve the freedom to pursue their lives filled with joy and love.

Dipping into the pot

I SEE the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau has got its hands in the hotel-motel sales tax pot and it splitting it a million different ways. Give that money to the city to pay some of these bills instead of spreading it around to attract visitors to Cape.

Questionable information

HOW IN the world does anyone know what they see on the Internet is true? Anyone can put anything on the Internet. I think it is a poor source of information.