Speak Out A 09/11/01

Prophetic plan

I THINK the United States and Israel did the right thing by pulling out of the racism conference in South Africa. They act as if Israel does not have a right to exist. I'm thankful for a Christian president and a Congress that knows we should stand by Israel because of our Christian heritage through Jesus Christ. Someday God will settle this problem as stated in Zechariah 12:9: "And it shall come to pass in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."

Big crowd next time

A big thank you to Cheryl Kieffer, Darrel Seabaugh, Peter and the other lady for working so hard gathering information on Clean Air Act requirements and the water table at the site of the proposed power plant at Crump, Mo. The large crowd at the meeting is a good sign as to what the public would like to happen. Just think how much water the plant would need for seven wells. Let's make the next meeting bigger in attendance than the last one. We need a lot of support.

Natural event

THE CALLER who stated that there is proof of global warming is right. There is proof that it is a naturally occurring event. Scientists who study the sun are documenting changes in the sun's output and brightness. It has been increasing in the last few decades. The sun is always cycling like this. Since it is 93 million miles away, there is no way man can be responsible for this. So the only conclusion one can draw is it is a natural event.

Rich get richer

SOMEONE COMMENTED about how the rich got richer and the poor got poorer in the 1990s. It's because the rich are greedy and are responsible for cutting your jobs, keeping your pay below livable wages and have the power to avoid paying their taxes which help those who can't get on their feet. And now the rich are the biggest backers of Bush. They are seeing the rewards of his presidency.

Learning English

I JUST read the article on the growing Hispanic community. I felt proud of the fact that Cape Girardeau is trying to help these folks out, especially with their English. The newspaper where I now live just ran a story the other day about how it's going to start printing basically half the paper in Spanish because of our growing Hispanic population. This means all the columns I enjoyed reading I will not be able to read anymore because they will be in Spanish. If you're going to move to a country that has a different language and customs from your own, you should learn to adapt to that country's way, not expect the country to cater to you. I would never dream of moving to France and expect them to cater to my English-speaking needs. I'm proud that Cape is helping the Hispanics to learn, grow and adapt here without letting them slide by on what little they know, unlike where I now live. Way to go, Cape.

Worth recycling

TO THE person who is against washing out cans, jars and bottles for recycling: I firmly believe it should be a law you must recycle. Recycling means to convert into reusable material. If you pass around your newspaper and then burn it, you are only partly recycling. We are only hurting our next generation and environment by not recycling. I will gladly pay per bag to have a recycling pickup in our town. I recycle, and it is very inconvenient to take it down to the recycling plant. But I will do it because I care about my children's future and environment. I will gladly pay a few cents to run water to wash out jars, bottles, cans or whatever so maybe in the future my child will not have to pay extra taxes on trying to solve the problems of health and environmental issues we created for them.

Pretty roundabout

I'M CALLING in regard to the roundabout. Thank you St. Francis Medical Center, for adopting the roundabout. It is such a joy to drive by and see the shrubs and flowers and not the weeds.

Tint campaign

IF YOU don't want to remove the tint that is on the rear windows of your cars now, you need to write or e-mail your senator now. Our state senator is Peter Kinder, but it was state Sen. Harold Caskey and state Sen. Danny Staples who had a lot to do with this law. I have called their offices and been told that there is a possibility of motorists who already have this tint being grandfathered in, but nothing is certain yet. If you want to do your part, write and e-mail them with your opinion. I was told that it may be addressed in January, but not until. If you don't do your part, you have no right to complain when you have to pay to have your tint removed.

Plenty of experts

NO, THERE cannot be such a thing as global warming. I remember last winter when expert climatologists from Cape called in to say it didn't exist and berated the Clinton administration for studying it further. I have noticed there are many experts on every subject living in Cape. How privileged we are.

Two big issues

I AM calling in response to two callers in Speak out. To the one who called about global warming: Climate change has been going on for thousands of years and has not increased in that time. If that were not the case, the 104-degree temperatures we had in Missouri in the 1980s would have been a sign of global warming. We have not had that high a temperature since then. The environmentalists also tried to convince us that El Nino was a sign of global warming. That theory was blown out of the water when it was revealed that El Nino occurs every 15 years. Now, on to the Social Security issue: I happen to work in the Social Security office. I know for a fact that there is no Social Security Trust Fund. The Democrats combined it with the general fund in 1993. It has since been drained long before George W. Bush was even nominated by the Republicans to run for president.

Just want to dance

I AM 18 years old. I couldn't wait to turn 18 so I could go dancing at clubs. I was angry to find out that you have to be 21 to go to the clubs here in Cape Girardeau. I was wondering why. I want to go for the entertainment -- dancing -- not the drinking. I couldn't care less about the drinking. I would happily wear a stamp on my hand that states that I am a minor so I could attend the club. Is there anyone out there who feels the same way?

Weed problem

WHERE ARE the weed people? We would like you to go out and look at how high the weeds are at the corner of Lexington and Perryville Road. The property was just rezoned, and the weeds are 3 feet tall. Would the city please do something about this?

Fighting for freedom

I would like to respond to the ridiculous statement that veterans who fought in Korea, Desert Storm and Vietnam were not fighting for freedom but politics. I'm surprised that a veteran would make such a statement. It may be true that politics played an important role for the government wanting to get involved in these wars, but not for those who fought in them. As a Desert Storm vet, I volunteered to go not for political reasons but to help bring freedom to a nation that had it taken away as did all the other vets from past wars. No matter what the reason the government may have had, all our veterans fought for one thing: freedom.

Freedom for all

TO THE VET who called and said the United States has not fought for freedom since World War II: Do you feel Americans are the only ones who should have this right?