Speak Out A 11/13/01

Support for union

I APPLAUD the employees at the Dana Corp. plant and their efforts to become union members. Dana's management team and the anti-union propaganda this newspaper has published will not stop the employees from organizing. Dana has other plants that are organized. Your editorial suggested that if Dana's employees vote for a union, this plant would be eliminated. Bad management and bad decisions are what shut down plants, not labor unions. I would like to remind this newspaper of the many union households that contribute a great deal to the economy of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and this newspaper. So watch how you bash unions and intimidate these employees who are trying to better themselves through organizing and collectively bargaining for decent wages, hours and working conditions.

Not ready for sainthood

TO THE caller who loves quoting the New Testament, especially St. Paul: Keep reading, because I am sure that written in there are many of your sins too. Or are you ready for canonization? My guess is you aren't.

Give addicts a chance

BEING AN addict is a sickness, not a choice. You don't set out to become an addict, just like we didn't set out to disappoint our parents and just like we didn't set out to ruin our lives. Nobody ever thinks it could happen to him, you just get caught up in the moment. We can be pillars in the community once again with a little assistance instead of hard sentences.

Just don't tell us

STACY TAYLOR is right about the risks of teen pregnancy. Parents want their kids to be let out of school to get contraceptives, but they don't want to know about it.

All those other sins

NICE TRY, Jared. I really commend your efforts. But you missed the back half of that Romans passage where it lists some other forms of "wickedness and evil": envy, deceit, gossip, slander, being arrogant or boastful, disobeying your parents. Are you free from all these "gross sins"?

Student accountability

THIS IS in regard to the comment about the Chaffee students being rude at a Scott City-Charleston football game. I am a neutral party. I just wanted to ask why everything a student does outside of school is the school's fault? These students were at a sporting event away from their school, and the school is blamed for their actions. Also, the implication that just because the principal is the football coach he would approve of their actions is absurd. Why can't the students be held accountable for their own actions? I am tired of people complaining but doing nothing. Hold the students accountable, and they will grow up to be better citizens.

Vile viewpoints

THE SOUTHEAST Missourian is an excellent newspaper. But, I agree with a recent comment regarding hateful comments routinely printed in Speak Out. Like the caller, I am a very strong proponent of the First Amendment. There is, however, a critical distinction between editorial discretion and the First Amendment. The First Amendment limits the government's ability to suppress freedom of speech. The First Amendment does not limit a newspaper's ability to exercise editorial discretion. I urge the Southeast Missourian to exercise some editorial discretion. Your newspaper enjoys an excellent reputation, and that reputation should not be undermined by becoming a forum for vile and hateful viewpoints.

In full agreement

I READ with interest the letter from Jarred Ruggley. Although our religious beliefs disagree on the road to salvation, to the rest of the letter I can only say one thing: Amen.

Tourist alert

YES, CAPE Girardeau tour-ism is alive and well. I get behind sightseers all the time. They drive 20 mph under the speed limit in the left lane and look at everything else but the road and how they are driving.

Judgmental religion

ONCE I join a fundamentalist church, I have the right to judge, hate and condemn with impunity all others, right? Seems to be the case.

All about money

IN A reply to "Lives At Stake": The author is missing the point. The topic is whether security at airports should be privately hired or federal employees. Everyone should realize the issue here is money, not safety. Making security personnel federal employees will cost way more than it does now, since the folks doing that job are not well-paid and have little training. It has been my perception that most will favor the federal option until they see how much it will cost. Then the same folks will want to save money by contracting it out again.

Proud of the majority

SOMEONE WHO called in from Scott City regarding the Chaffee students' behavior at the game is very presumptuous. Because people act in one manner doesn't mean they were taught or encouraged to do so. The fact that the principal is also the football coach has no bearing on how he would've handled the situation had it been brought to his attention. Basing an opinion of an entire town on the actions of a few of its adolescents simply fuels the fire of name-calling, heckling, and poor sportsmanship. The Chaffee-Scott City rivalry has existed for many years and was re-ignited this year by such a close game. As a citizen of Chaffee, I can assure you I am not proud of those particular students' behavior, but I am extremely proud of the majority of our young men and women.

Victim of oppression

IT'S ME, the dyed-in-the-wool Democrat again. A recent comment asked me to name one woman or child who is being oppressed by Republicans. Easy. Me. I am a woman, and I, along with practically every other woman in this country, am still making 75 cents for every dollar that men earn. If that's not oppression, I don't know what is. It's the Republicans who have cut welfare, are trying to take away a woman's right to choose and keep clamoring for a return to family values, which as we all know means women barefoot and pregnant at home with 10 screaming kids because the Republicans oppose our access to birth control too. It's a nationwide conspiracy to keep women down.

Try loving approach

I THINK those people who debate specific religious dogma in the newspaper do a disservice to the mission of bringing others to Christ. I am a believer. But usually these letters and Speak Out comments seem to be more argumentative than loving. I think we would be better to open our arms to those we find doing wrong and talk to them in a tone of love rather than preaching to them arrogantly from a distance. If your goal is to score debating points and feel good about yourself, then keep up the preaching. If your goal is to convert, then please reflect on whether there are better ways.

Valuable education

I AM a former Perry County School District employee. The "waste of money via the school board" comment that was made in a previous comment is inaccurate in most respects. Although I agree previous superintendents did not use money in the most efficient way, I believe that the school district has turned a corner in appointing new district leaders. I was given a $10 budget to work with to buy supplies such as pencils, pens, markers and construction paper. This budget was supposed to cover a year. The question to the community is very clear: How much do you value your child's educational experience? Perryville community members need to expect more for their children than what they have. Think about it. Is your child's education worth the extra 50 cents per assessed $100 valuation? I hope so, or pity be upon your children.

Plea for rehabilitation

TO THE people who responded to "Addict seeks solution": It's apparent you never researched this nor have you walked in this man's shoes. You help people with 30 or 40 years of drinking problems. You help people with 30 or 40 years of smoking problems. Both these addictions affect society, but I guess that's OK with you. With millions of tax dollars going to the so-called drug war, why is some of this money not being used to rehabilitate drug users and make them better members of society?

Take medicine first

THERE SEEMS to be some solid scientific evidence indicating that taking anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil and Motrin may stave off the ravaging effects of Alzheimer's. It is also recommended that one consider taking these medications at least 30 minutes prior to perusing the Southeast Missourian's Opinion page.

Insatiable agents

IT SEEMS the federal government is making quite a haul by seizing the barbershop, the apartment complex and the nightclub in Sikeston in addition to imprisoning the owners for up to 40 years for the crime of selling five grams of crack. When drugs are the excuse, the agents of the federal government are insatiable. No wonder they love the war on drugs.