Speak Out A 08/22/03

Masses in charge

TO THE intellectual elites who view those who are supportive of the war in Iraq as "ignorant masses": When was the last time you drove a nail, harvested a crop, bucked a bale or laid concrete? You enjoy the things the blue-collar worker and the soldier provide, and then you spit in our face by calling us "ignorant." Thank God our Founding Fathers gave us a government run by the masses and not by elites.

Reflective conclusion

ONE PROBLEM that right-wing non-thinkers like David Limbaugh have is that they cannot distinguish the cart from the horse. They think everyone else bends the evidence to suit a political position just the way they do. When folks who are informed about what is happening in the United States and the world conclude from the evidence that President Bush is a menace to this nation and the planet, it pleases Limbaugh to think that it was the politics of the person that led to the conclusion. In reality, thoughtful analysis of the evidence would force any reflective person to the same conclusion.

Limited similarities

SIMILARITIES between Iraq and Kosovo are overstated. The Balkans never had the potential to tie up our military for years, drain the budget or erupt into a full-scale guerrilla war taking hundreds or even thousands of American lives.

Where's responsibility?

WHAT HAPPENED to Republicans being fiscally responsible on the federal level? They're trying to take over California because of serious budget problems. Here in Missouri we had a political war over our own budget. Almost every state in the United States has a budget crisis right now, yet our president has squandered a much-needed federal surplus on tax cuts and is blowing the deficit through the roof with long, costly wars.

Political triumph

YES, THE South evolved from solidly Democrat to solidly Republican. The credit for this political triumph goes to the GOP for adopting the so-called Nixon strategy which was, at the time, little more than code words for racism.

Walled-off heritage

THE DAMAGE done to downtown Cape Girardeau as a result of floods is measurable in dollars and cents. The damage done by building a behemoth, Berlin Wall-like structure to bottle up the river has so destroyed the ambiance of our heritage that the cost is incalculable and will perhaps have the unintended consequence of ultimately destroying the part of Cape it was intended to save.

Phone etiquette

AMERICANS' USE of cell phones has caused a rapid decline in common courtesy and old-fashioned manners. People often carry on loud conversations in retail stores and restaurants. Not only is this rude, but it is distracting and annoying. I've observed a cell-phone user getting angry when someone eavesdropped on her conversation in a public place. If you want privacy, go outside. The next time you're out in public and the cell phone rings, be considerate of others.

Alien protesters

CAPE GIRARDEAU is so funny. The protesters are simply exercising the right to free speech and assembly. They are pushing from the grassroots to have another view acknowledged as part of the ongoing discussion. This is what democracy looks like. This is the real freedom that everyone is referring to all the time. When it actually happens in Cape, you'd think there were space aliens landing or something.

Too hot on the buses

WHEN A heat warning makes the front page of the Southeast Missourian, wouldn't you think they would close the schools in this town? Maybe most of the schools are air conditioned, but the buses sure aren't. They are like an oven. We should all keep our kids at home on these 90-plus-degree days.