Speak Out A 08/19/03

If he wrote today ...

TO THE annoyed Episcopalian: Maybe you should reread Paul's letter in I Corinthians 5:11: "You must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral." And I Corinthians 6:9-10: "Neither the sexually immoral ... nor prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ... will inherit the kingdom of God." I find no ambiguity in these statements at all. Can you imagine how Paul's letter to the Episcopal Church would read today?

Ignorant masses

THE FREQUENT criticism that college faculty members tend to be liberal should give the critics pause. These critics should remember that regardless of discipline, faculty members have been through years of education that have sharpened their critical thinking and analytical skills. Their liberalism, such as it is, is a function of this critical thinking. The fact that trained critical thinkers tend to reject the actions of this president and his policies should give pause to the ignorant masses who are Bush supporters.

Only two reasons

PRESIDENT BUSH may still be popular among some potential voters, but there really can only be two explanations. Either these folks have maintained ignorance about what Bush has been doing, or they only care about the federal tax breaks they might be getting and don't care about the social, educational, health and environmental programs that are being slashed so they can get a few extra dollars in their paychecks.

No direct threat

THE PEACE protesters who stated that Iraq wasn't a threat to the United States should consider the fact that neither was Germany. Sometimes war is just even if we aren't directly threatened.

Give him a medal

ALAN JOURNET has carried the weight of attempting to educate this thick-headed town about environmental issues for years. He's provided a remarkable service in the face of deeply entrenched conservative denial. His has been a voice of truth and reason in a sea of arrogant ignorance. He should receive an award.

Better things to do

THE BUSH administration has managed to dodge the hard questions and benefit from an atmosphere in which the media and much of the public would rather contemplate Jennifer's navel and Arnold's fading pecs than pursue a possible pattern of deceit at the highest levels of government.

Possible target

IF THE sympathies of the anti-war protesters at Cape's Freedom Corner were successful, people might come to believe the only place worthy of military invasion is the United States.

Hard to believe

IF SEMO profs keep their anti-war biases out of the classroom, then David Limbaugh is a closet anti-conservative.

Gravel, not chips

THE CHANGES in playground material in Cape Girardeau parks from the pea gravel to wood chips isn't working well. I frequent the parks with my children and have treated them for many more minor cuts, bruises and splinters -- even a broken arm from a fall from the swing. There just isn't the same give that the gravel filler had. We appreciate our parks very much, but the wood chips are not an improvement.

Adding meaning

IF WE could see all Scriptures as a common record of the universal human search for meaning and not as the revealed word of God, we would recognize that for millennia we have been reading meaning into these texts instead of getting understanding out of them.

Diagnosis confirmed

ONLY A Limbaugh could take Anne Coulter seriously. Her writings definitely confirm the recent psychological assessment of the conservative mind.

WHY IS it that the folks driving past the war protesters feel it is reasonable to curse them for expressing their democratic rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression? Are these warmongers frightened that the protesters are correct?

Why does it matter?

I REALLY don't see what the big deal is with the Episcopal Church electing a gay bishop. I am not an Episcopalian and couldn't care less. Those church members who cannot stomach this are perfectly free to leave. Keep this in mind: If it is of God, nothing will stop it. If it isn't, it won't amount to a hill of beans anyway.

Arnold for president

ARNOLD Schwarzenegger epitomizes the ancient Greek ideal of the Golden Mean: a strong body and a strong mind. Some think he has violated the Greek maxim "Nothing in excess" with his intense muscle building. However, as the California gubernatorial race unfolds it will become apparent that the Terminator's body is balanced by equally strong brain power. The American people must get about the business of repealing that portion of the U.S. Constitution preventing non-native-born Americans from becoming president. As president, Arnold would bring unprecedented peace and prosperity to the American people.

Canadian education

DON'T FORGET that Canadians, with their high taxes, also use that money for better education for its residents. They have more citizens finishing high school and going on to college and have a 99 percent literacy rate. I'd say they're in better shape than Americans -- and without some goofy voucher system.

No right to judge

YES, GOD does decide a person's afterlife, but too many people are missing the point. God decides. No one on this planet has the right to judge homosexuals.

Statewide message

SO PETER Kinder is going to run for lieutenant governor. I can't wait for the rest of Missouri to tell him what he's needed to hear for a long time. His ultraconservative right-wing politics may be fine for Southeast Missouri but will be soundly rejected by the rest of the state. I couldn't be happier knowing that his political career is about to end.

Pro-family church

AS YOU can see in Speak Out and news stories, the Episcopal Church is about to split. Some dioceses and local parishes will be inclusive. They will go out of their way to read the Bible in context and then stay in the inclusive Episcopal Church. Others will be pro-family and will read the Bible literally. The pro-family readers will soon join a new church that may be named the American Anglican Church. Meetings are planned around the world to get it started.

Women as doormats

HEIDI, THERE will be a lot of women joining you in that padded room. I think the main purpose of a man is to constantly aggravate us. After a number of years together, they should know what makes us mad. Evidently they do, and that is why they keep doing the same thing time after time after time. The amazing thing is, they pretend to not understand why we are mad and think we have the problem. The underlying principle is that basically men have no respect for women and think we should be happy and contented to be their doormats.

Signal for destruction

THE COMMENT from an Episcopal sympathizer who tried to say the Bible was unclear on a lot of things rings hollow. If he has read the same Bible we read, there is nothing unclear about what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah after homosexuality had become so rampant. God destroyed them. This decision by the Episcopal Church may signal a similar fate for our nation.

Overloaded bus

I AM a student at Jackson High School. I also go to the Career and Technology Center in Cape Girardeau. On Thursday I had the worst bus ride I have ever had. We had one bus to accommodate about 100 high school students going to the technology center. The maximum capacity for the bus was 70 to 80 people. I had to sit on the floor along with numerous other students. The driver contacted the garage and was told that was unsafe. I agree. The transportation department should have known that we would have had that many students and should have had another bus to handle that amount of students. On the ride back we still only had one bus. You would think that the transportation department would have had time to correct the problem in the three hours we were there. Again on Friday the problem was not corrected.

It's all worth it

CALLIE CLARK'S accurate account of the trials and tribulations of first-year, first-day teacher Jason Bandermann is worthy of a prize. As a veteran educator, I can only encourage Jason to stay the course and tell him that, as with me, a life of sacrifice and service to these students is well worth the loss of your sanity.

Early parole

I AGREE with Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle that an eight-year sentence for the woman who ripped off local schools is a stiff one. However, I'm not so sure that two years, after which she'll be eligible for and probably receive parole, is sufficient -- something Swingle failed to mention.

Take responsibility

ALL THIS talk about banning fireworks makes me lose any hope for this country. Here's a novel idea. Let's hold people responsible for their actions instead of ending everyone's use of fireworks. Banning items is just something else for people without a life to harp on.