Speak Out A 09/06/02

Underage smoking

I'D LIKE to talk about smoking. It is illegal for those under the age of 18 to buy cigarettes, but is it illegal for them to have them? I've seen too many parents allowing their children to smoke cigarettes in front of them. If it's illegal to buy them, shouldn't it be illegal to possess them? And if it is, why isn't there something being done about it? And the parents that are allowing their children to smoke in front of them and in public places -- should they be allowed to have that right, or are they endangering the welfare of that child by giving that child the opportunity to endanger his life?

Fees for handicapped

I THINK it is a shame that the fair board charges handicapped people to park and to get into the fairgrounds. Most of us are on a fixed income. Having to pay to get in takes away from being able to buy food or drink.

Few tigers left

THE WORLD population of all tiger subspecies is only 6,000. It needs to be 10,000 for long-term survival. The reason is because of black-market commerce and the killing of tigers for their parts. The United States is trying really hard to stop poaching and the trade of tiger parts. I can't believe that anybody involved in animal trade or in the animal business wouldn't understand about the possibility of extinction of endangered species.

Affordable fair

OUR FAMILY attended the DuQuoin Fair last week and had a really nice time. They charge $3 to park and you didn't have to pay anymore. I think Cape should follow that example. If you have a big family, say even two or three children, and have to pay so much for each one, that adds up. Plus the rides for the kids and the food you eat are a little expensive, and some people can't afford all that.

Repairing shoes

I JUST read Paul Greenberg's article about repairing leather shoes. It brought back a lot of memories of one pair of shoes my father repaired. That was a time when the pictures of Washington and Lincoln were on the wall in the one-room schools. By the time I was in high school, he had improved and would put on heels. I still have the last set he used to repair the shoes. I didn't graduate from college until 1940, but he lived to see it.

Dangerous intersection

I WOULD Like to thank everyone who stopped to help at my daughter's wreck Friday evening that occurred at the intersection of Farmington Road and Route D in Jackson. What is it going to take for the state and the city to correct this dangerous intersection?

Unprovoked attack

I STILL remember what I was doing when my friend came out and told us that he had just heard that the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor and the hate that this brought in this country. Within a few days, there were songs and signs that said we should remember Pearl Harbor as we did the Alamo. If we launch an unprovoked attack on Iraq, we will do exactly what we were asked to hate in World War II. This same feeling will occur in the Arab world and we will pay for it as long as we have in the case of the Japanese attack.

Cutting athletics

WHY ISN'T SEMO University examining the athletic department for budget cuts? In a perfect world where money's no object, we could have everything. But money is the object, and that seems to be the place a lot of savings could be had.

Looking at the links

DAVID LIMBAUGH recently wrote a column attacking the National Education Association's Web site with suggested teaching plans regarding the Sept. 11 tragedy. Reviewing the site, I found links to the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA home page, a patriotic package of links including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other historical documents. There also was a link to George W. Bush. It seems that it's conservatives who are truly most interested in using schools to indoctrinate our kids into their narrow-minded world views.