Speak Out A 08/05/03

Reality check

THANK GOD we have some people in Jefferson City who are in touch with reality. We do not need more taxes. We need to cut spending.

Packages for soldiers

PLEASE REMEMBER the soldiers who are in Iraq. An average of one U.S. soldier a day is killed there. President Bush may have ended the war, but there may be no end to this guerilla war going on. If anyone would be interested in sending a soldier a monthly care package, I believe you still can at www.adoptaplatoon.org. I hope you will keep in mind how good we have it here in the states. I am the mother of a soldier in Iraq.

School taxation

TO THE Cape Girardeau School Board: Where I work, we haven't received a raise in two years, but my property taxes have gone up year after year because of you. You always say this is the last raise in taxes we will need for a long time. Now you want to raise our property taxes without a vote of the people. Go steal from someone else for a while. I'm tired of bending over for your every whim.

Bring back the roses

I TOTALLY agree with the people who want the Cape Girardeau slogan to be City of Roses. Flower shops and nurseries could get together and give classes on raising roses and sell roses at a discount and teach people how to take care of them. It would be very pretty. When I moved here 40 years ago, there were a lot of roses.

Names are compliment

THIS IS in regard of the much ado about nothing over the SEMO Indians and Otahkians. My husband and I are both part American Indian, and we do not consider this an insult. In fact, it's a compliment. Thank you. That's just our opinion.

They will rise again

I HAVE a good historically correct idea for a new name for the Southeast Missouri teams. Over a month before the war of the rebellion, a unit called the Swamp Rangers was formed in Cape Girardeau County to fight for the South. A representative name would be the Redneck Rebel Swamp Rangers. I think that would be perfect.

Souvenir shopping

THE QUEEN is docked. It's early morning. Tourists are window shopping. The doors are locked. What a shame. It would be nice if the downtown merchants would open early on the scheduled days the boats arrive so the window shoppers could buy gifts, souvenirs, whatever meets their fancy. Then they could tell their loved ones or friends, "I got this at Cape Girardeau, Mo."

Learn about the police

ANYONE WHO has doubts about the efficiency of the Cape Girardeau Police Department should sign up for the next citizens police academy course. It's a real learning experience.

Feeling left out

IF THERE were no sports teams or anything else named after Indians, do you suppose the Indians might then complain they were being left out because of prejudice?

Aspiring to an ideal

A SPEAK Out caller says the only SEMO symbol known statewide is the dome on Academic Hall. What better symbol could we have than something which speaks so clearly to the only central purpose a university should have: academics. So let's call our teams the Academics. Granted, given the party habits of SEMO students, this description may not be all that accurate, but it would be worth aspiring to as an ideal.

Go, SEMOs!

WHY DO schools need a sports mascot at all? The whole matter is silly, especially at an institution of higher education. Why can't the Southeast Missouri State University teams simply be called SEMO or the SEMOs? Or if you object to that abbreviation (as does the SEMO administration), just call them the Southeast Missourians. End of problem.