Speak Out A 09/05/02

Send your flags

I WANT to encourage every American to participate in Operation U.S. Flags. I think it is a fantastic thought for complete strangers to want to honor a person serving in the military. Our Sunday school class is taking this on as one of our projects, so I'd hope that people of all faiths, in all businesses and in service organizations will get involved and send a flag to Afghanistan. We need to continue to show solidarity to the world in the face of all the conflicts that are raging. Send a copy of the information in the mail or by e-mail to all your friends and family across the nation to get the word out everywhere.

No union charity

TO THE person who is bothered about the law-enforcement agencies calling so frequently, wanting you to give to their organizations, I have a simple solution. What I do is ask them if they're union. If they are, then I tell them I give no charity to unions as they have enough already.

Urban renewal

I'M CALLING in response to a previous call from Jackson about a dilapidated building on the corner of West Main and Missouri. It is a sad thing for the uptown area, and it's just about a block from city hall. You would think that the city would do something. Someday, I suppose, it will be taken down. When it is, I hope something good will be put in there. This town could use some clothing stores and restaurants.

Reparations are needed

THE ANALOGY between abused dogs and slaves was tasteless and repeats the dreadful Dred Scott decision to the effect that slaves were property. Making reparations payments to survivors of slaves is the only way to remedy this un-speakable evil and bring us all together.

Happy students

I THINK you missed the point regarding the Princeton Review's recent college rankings. Happiness is a very important factor in a student's life. By your standards, students would perpetually study and live life with no enjoyment. For someone who has never lived away from home, having a campus that provides a student with a high quality of life and enriching opportunities outside of the classroom can ward off homesickness, turning to alcohol and even depression. Yes, the Princeton Review comes up with some silly rankings, and many aren't sure how they even come to their conclusions. However, a student's happiness is an important measurement considering a campus is home for four years or more. No one wants to live somewhere where he is unhappy for four years, nor does he want to live in a small room best described as a "dungeon."

A HOUSE in the 800 block of North Main Street has weeds and trees growing around it. I want to know why the city won't do anything about this house. Something needs to be done. This house has been like this for years. It will eventually wind up as a crack house. There have been complaints after complaints about this property. No one seems to know what to do about it.

Endangered species

I ALSO was disappointed with the outcome of the tiger trafficking case, even though the investigators were happy with the sentences that the Lantzes got. When you're dealing with something as serious as endangered species, you're ruining it for the rest of us. We only get to enjoy the animals if people are smart enough to not be greedy and want to sell their body parts for a profit.

Blocking the highway

I'M READING the comments about people complaining about the wide loads tying up the bridge over the Mississippi and making them late to work or inconveniencing them. It appears to me that anybody blocking a highway would need to be law enforcement person, not just an individual. I don't see how an individual has the right to do that.