Speak Out A 11/09/01

Speech examples

NOTHING I have ever read in Speak Out could in any way be considered legally prohibited hate speech, with the possible exception of a Speak Out comment describing an alleged fundamentalist Christian as "murderous" and "hate spewing."

Correcting Limbaugh

DAVID LIMBAUGH'S otherwise brilliant piece on freedom of speech was marred by the following: "I'm all for capitalism, but let's not cheapen the First Amendment by throwing it around loosely." Capitalism is an economic system, while issues related to free speech are political ones. Hitler's Germany had elements of capitalism but certainly no free speech. On the other hand, many countries, such as the Scandinavian ones, have socialist economic systems but have a degree of free speech that in ways exceeds that in the United States. I hope this correction is in no way interpreted as casting aspersions on Limbaugh's generally correct definition of terms and mostly accurate political insights.

Wasteful board

CONGRATULATIONS TO the Perry County School Board. Instead of cutting the waste in the school budget, board members successfully used misinformation and fear to intimidate the children's parents to vote for a tax increase. I'm so glad they are setting a great example of how the children, when they grow up, should deal with their own budgets when a deficit results from overspending. And I'm so glad I get to shovel more money to the school board to waste.

Illogical logic

"CLINTON IS a coward and a draft dodger. We don't want him commanding troops. I am thrilled we have Bush and not Al Gore." Does anyone else notice what's wrong with this statement (besides the coward part)? I love the logic in this town.

Result of ignorance

ONE CALLER stated he could not believe all the ignorant people in the world. I agree with him 100 percent. Were there fewer of them, Al Gore would be president, not George Bush.

Poor sportsmanship

I WAS trying to watch the Scott City-Charleston football game Friday night, but I couldn't hear the announcer as a group of Chaffee students was in the stands booing and laughing and yelling obscenities at the Scott City football team and cheerleaders. We know they were from Chaffee because the boys had on Chaffee coats. After a while a lady who apparently knew who they were told them that if they didn't like it, they needed to go back to Chaffee. Does Chaffee teach this type of sportsmanship? We talked about calling the principal but were told he is also the football coach and these boys were football players. No wonder people have such a negative view of Chaffee. They were laughing and calling the football team losers. If Scott City football players are losers, what does that make the Chaffee football team? The biggest losers of all time? We beat them.

Layoffs in Hawaii

I AM a former Paramount worker. I have recently moved to Hawaii, and the layoffs are just as bad here as they are in Southeast Missouri. I would like to wish everyone from Paramount good luck in finding work. And I hope they get to find a career they love. I know we will all miss the factory.

No time for fatigue

I JUST wanted to give a suggestion to the poor soul who is suffering from terrorist fatigue. Why don't you try to get in touch with a family who has lost a loved one in the terrorist attack or talk to a firefighter who was arrested because he is still trying to find the bodies of his fellow firefighters who died or call the military and ask how the families of those who died are doing. A nation has been attacked, your nation, and you have terrorist fatigue just two months later. How anybody can already be over this story boggles my mind.

No more sin points

WE STILL aren't getting it, are we? Repent, you say, and stop "living in sin." This implies that you live some sort of sin-free life. Don't tell me how pious you are. No one in this world is without sin. God doesn't keep count of how many sins you commit or what they are. He doesn't care, because everyone is born with sin. Being gay doesn't add more to one's "sin points" than simply living life.

Give 'em a break

REGARDING THE noise complaints about Cape Place: I would like to commend the Cape Girardeau Police Department for handling each case on the basis of the complaint. Many people who complain about the loud noise didn't want Cape Place to be built in the first place, so these people already have a negative attitude toward it. These students are on their own for the first time and deserve a few warnings before the city issues a heavy fine for a public disturbance.

Lives at stake

PRIVATE SECURITY at airports works better than federal security, sayeth the Southeast Missourian only two days after a private-security lapse of staggering proportions at Chicago's O'Hare airport. You heard about it. Some guy got through some checkpoint with something like seven knives, a stun gun and some Mace. Please retreat from ideological rigidity. Lives are at stake.

Parental control

STACY TAYLOR at Missouri Mentoring just doesn't get it. I applaud her concern about teen-agers getting pregnant. And she's right in saying some parents don't know their kids are receiving contraceptives on school time. But praising the schools for letting the kids out to get contraceptives without the knowledge of their parents and then turning around and saying that parents should accept the fact that kids will have sex even if parents share their values misses a main point. Parents' messages about sex shouldn't be countermanded by the schools. And that's what is going on here. One other point: Taylor says it's better for kids to skip class if it prevents a pregnancy. Again, she sends the wrong message. She is allowing bad behavior for a seemingly bigger good. Kids should not skip class. Allowing them to feel OK about doing that simply trains them for believing that it's OK to do other things against the normal rules too -- like having sex.

Matter of fairness

THIS IS to the dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. Name one woman or child who is being oppressed by the Republicans. As far as tax breaks for the top 1 percent of the wealthy, they deserve one since they are paying over 15 percent of the taxes. You Democrats are always hollering about fairness. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and have everyone pay the same fair amount of taxes? Or are you just a bunch of hypocrites?