Speak Out A 12/16/02

Only if you pay

NOT EVERYONE in Cape complains about taxes -- only those most able to pay them.

Jobs and subsidies

I DISAGREE with Glenn Graham's point that we should all think of our jobs in the way farmers think about theirs, because that would mean we would all be seeking subsidies.

Outrageous action

IS ANYONE else as shocked as I am about the man hitting the woman in the face because he didn't like her driving? What kind of person would do such a thing? I hope others are as outraged as my family is.

Literary bankruptcy

SHAWN McCLAIN'S letter to the editor in defense of William Faulkner was wonderful in the sense that one gets the feeling that SEMO students actually focus on great works of literature without drowning themselves in a sea of deconstruction, a trend that has rendered most college and university departments of English bankrupt.

Destroying freedoms

I AGREE with the caller who said the Missourian has dropped the ball when it comes to reporting on President Bush's destroying our freedoms. There are all sorts of things in the Homeland Security Act and the Patriot Act that would boil people's blood if they knew about it.

Greatest threat

THESE GIANT corporations now control our government and television. They are the greatest threat our democracy has ever faced. I don't understand why more people don't see it.

Tactics boomerang

DEMOCRATS DID not learn in the 2000 or the 2002 elections that they can't fool Mother Nature -- in this case, the American people. Their slash-and-burn tactics and their stalling of important legislation for spite has come back to haunt them. Will they never learn that the American people want sincere leaders, not underhanded perpetrators?

Own worst enemy

IN RECENT weeks, I have read a number of comments about attempts to find just the right church in our community. I too have been in that search. While I am certainly no authority, I feel I have made some unsettling discoveries. Our new tolerance in society has invaded our churches to the extent that our pastors cannot preach the Word on many subjects without being reprimanded by someone in the congregation. Therefore, he or she must often hide in the Old Testament with stories almost unrelated to the problems of today. If they preach on homosexuality, abortion, gambling, smoking or even overeating or disciplining our children, they will eventually be looking for another job. If they preach what the Bible really says about today's tolerance of society, it will surely have repercussions throughout the church and maybe the community. We Christians go to church, sing, praise God and then leave our stained-glass walls behind, expecting pastors to the do the ministry. We are not hot nor cold but lukewarm. We are our own worst enemy.

Economic politics

BOTH POLITICAL parties claim responsibility for the economy when it's good. Neither party takes the blame when it's bad. I've heard a few politicians say they hope the economy collapses before the next election so their party can make gains. This is about the most selfish, uncaring statement anyone could make.

Consistent policy

THREATENING TO attack everyone who doesn't toe the line isn't going to lessen the terrorist threat. We are going to have to create a consistent foreign policy that values all peoples and all nations. If we want a safer world, perhaps we should take that WWJD slogan seriously and start acting like the Christian nation we proclaim ourselves to be.

Ongoing expenses

THERE IS a nice water park at Jackson. Drive by and see how many people really use it and then see if your tax dollar would benefit one in Cape Girardeau after paying upkeep, salaries, insurance and lawsuits.

No link to terrorism

THE ARGUMENT that an attack against Iraq constitutes self-defense is completely undercut by the failure of U.S. intelligence to find any evidence of a link between Iraq and global terrorism, much less between Iraq and the attack of last September. A U.S. attack on Iraq, therefore, would be an act of unprovoked aggression. Surely, in its foreign policy the United States is better than that.

A place at the vigil

THANKS, SAM Blackwell. Your recent column indicates that you are capable of seeing through the power of your own industry to manipulate people. I can also see that you are questioning this war. Whenever you're ready, there's always a spot on the street for you at the Thursday night candlelight vigil for peace. We tend to be a somber group, but we're friendly and highly informed, and we've got really good hot chocolate.

Listen to those who hate

IT IS true that many in this world hate us in the United States. But why? That's a question we better start exploring, first by listening to those who hate, not the president, and then doing some serious soul searching.

Good people must act

ANOTHER GREAT column from Sam Blackwell. This war against Iraq is inevitable if the good people of the United States fail to stand up against their war-mongering leaders. If you join the opposition, you can persuade your representatives to stop and think. All that is necessary for evil to occur is for good people just to stand by.

Hope they don't close

NOT ONLY is the salary of a Catholic school teacher or any other parochial school less than the public school system, they have to be equally qualified to teach, attend meetings and meet educational standards. What if all the nonpublic schools didn't open at the beginning of next year? What would all the public schools do? People complain because we support church-related schools, but just let us close down and see the cry that would resound from one end of the state to the other. We pay our own way and still pay the same taxes as any other person. Maybe you'd better pray for the church-supported schools to continue to keep their doors open.