Speak Out A 08/13/03

Ban all fireworks

ABOUT THE idea of raising the age limit on firework sales to prevent future accidents: There are age limits on tobacco and alcohol, but we still see underage kids with them all the time. Most of the kids who buy fireworks don't buy them for the purpose of celebrating our country's freedom. They buy them for mischief and to have fun. There are lots of towns in the area with firework displays. We should ban all firework sales to the public.

Attack justification

ONCE AGAIN, Paul Greenberg gives us the simple-minded, militaristic view of the naive, self-righteous Republican. No war protester has ever suggested that the world would be better with Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq. The issue has always been whether the offenses of Saddam Hussein give the United States the right to attack Iraq and kill thousands of Iraqis and bring chaos to the nation. The world would undoubtedly also be better off without George Bush in power, but no one is advocating a military attack on Washington to achieve that goal.

Also offensive

SEMO REALLY needs to reconsider the name of its dance team. Naming a group of scantily dressed women the Sun Dancers isn't exactly respectful of others' religious traditions. The sun dance is a sacred ritual for the Lakota people.

Work with the system

I FOUND it quite humorous, as well as frustrating, to read a comment about how teachers are to blame for a child's waste of paper and their lack of respectful crayon usage. Parents and grandparents teach their children and grandchildren about the woes of wastefulness before teachers ever come in contact with them. Try working with the school system, not against it.

Time to move on

THANK GOD SEMO finally wants to get out of the dark ages and let the Indian nickname die off. The only sports teams left using that title are a few pro teams and a just a handful of university teams. A recent comment also alluded to how many Native Americans we all of a sudden have in this area. Get with the times, people. We don't name our mascots after someone's race. And enough with the sarcastic comparisons to how other mascots could be politicized.

Use cell-phone towers

I THINK the city council should impose on cellular telephone carriers to host the city's storm-warning system on their towers. The council has approved several zoning changes over the past few years to allow the unsightly things. Now let's capitalize on it.

Big improvement

IT LOOKS like Mayor Jay Knudtson made his promise good to make the city's building inspection department more customer-friendly. Kudos to inspections director Rob McClary for his presentation at last week's city council meeting and the changes that have taken place in the past year.

More tenacious

AS YOU said in your editorial, the war on terror must be unrelenting. One of the unintended consequences of the necessary toppling of Saddam Hussein was to increase international terrorist tenacity.

Lots of stopping

I HAVE driven in many places, but none such as Cape Girardeau, where drivers go from stoplight to stoplight. I suggest a new name for Cape: Stop-go-ville.

Sense of justice

REGARDING A recent statement on the official Catholic position on the death penalty: The church has always held that an executioner of the state may lawfully take the life of another person when he metes out a just punishment for a crime. Nowhere in the history or traditions of the church has it ever been held to the contrary. The comparison drawn between abortion and the death penalty is a false and harmful one, as there can be no sense of justice in destroying the life of an innocent, unborn child.