Speak Out A 12/23/02

Water park incentives

HAS THE Cape Girardeau City Council considered offering a few incentives to commercial water park companies such as the one at Eddyville, Ky., to build and operate a facility here? If the water park has financial merit, the private sector should be interested.

No protesters then

WHERE WERE all these war protesters when Bill Clinton was bombing Yugoslavia off the face of the earth? America had not even been attacked.

Generous church

I WANTED to call and give thanks to the Church of Christ in Jackson. It donated gifts for my children this Christmas. It donated way more than necessary, and I am very grateful to the church and to the members. I just wanted to say thanks for making my children's Christmas wonderful this year.

Go get bin Laden

IN RESPONSE to the person who claimed George W. Bush is a strong president in the face of terrorism: I'd be there with bells on if he wanted to go into Afghanistan and get Osama bin Laden. But he seems to have put that behind him. He wants Iraq, the oil land. I say get the one who attacked us. But until then, I don't want bloodshed for oil.

Cherokee club

THE KIWANIS Club wants to rename Cherokee Park for itself because the club wants to make Cherokee Park its major project. That's a good thing to do, but the city council might not be willing to rename Cherokee Park because it might offend some Cherokees. Here's the solution: Rename the Kiwanis Club. Call it the Cherokee Park Club.

Offensive clothing

I'VE BEEN a parent volunteer aide at one of the area junior highs for a year and half. I've noticed something that really shocked me this year. More and more kids are wearing clothes with things on them that have direct sexual references, references to drugs and praise for drug and alcohol use and things like suicide. They even have creative spellings of filthy words. Parents, do you not look at the clothes your children buy? Do you not look at the things when they come through the laundry? I saw a shirt the other day that had a filthy word with a creative spelling on a seventh-grade girl. She said her mom bought it for her. What kind of example are parents setting for their children? Schools enforce the dress code when problems are seen. But a lot of these kids wear a shirt over the offending garment, and they pull it closed when they see teachers. This is parental responsibility.

Thanks for the help

RECENTLY I lost my son at West Park Mall. It was for a brief time, but it seemed like an eternity. I really want to thank everyone who helped me look for him, including the mall security and people I didn't even know who took the time to help. I'm very grateful to everybody who helped me. God bless.

Saving a life

THANK YOU, Jackson police, for putting a traffic cop out by the school on Route D. It will save someone from getting killed. I just hope the cop doesn't get run over. Thanks again. That was needed.

This is not a test

WHEN YOU live in Scott City and you hear the tornado warning sirens, the best thing is call the police station and make sure they're not testing that day, because they like to test them on stormy days.

We're still here

CHEROKEE PARK has been Cherokee Park for a long time, and there are a lot of us Native Americans around here. You might not know by looking at us that we are Native Americans, but we're here. We would appreciate the people who recognize we still are here.

Fraudulent withholding

SOCIAL SECURITY recipients: We are once again being paid $1 short each month on our Social Security checks. After the government holds back this shortage to 45,000,000 recipients for another 19 months like it did the last time, we'll all get a check in late 2004 for the shortage. This is a fraud against retired Social Security people.

Questions about war

IT SEEMS that every time you read the newspaper or listen to a news report, they mention war with Iraq. I'm a Vietnam veteran, and I don't think people remember what a police action was back then or what war would mean now. The war in my day was over many things. Do we really need to go to war? Do we need to put our sons, daughters, brothers, fathers and mothers in harm's way? Is war the only possible way to provide safety at home?

Pandora's box

THERE IS a vast difference between a pre-emptive strike and a preventive war. In preparing to embark on the latter course, who knows what will result when the United States opens this Pandora's box?

No subtle threat

I CAN'T believe Catherine B. Leapheart -- a state government official, no less -- would write that she "takes exception to this case being tried in the court of public opinion" in reference to a current legal issue regarding the payment of unemployment-insurance benefits to someone who uses drugs. This is a not-so-subtle threat to the Opinion page of the Southeast Missourian. Leapheart's comment made my heart skip several beats.

Make a shelter

TO ALL who own empty buildings: Why don't you do something useful with them, like make a shelter?

Bully policy

THE DANGER with the United States always playing bully in its foreign policy is that bullies always have to be watching their backs.

Lopsided deals

THE U.S. negotiates lopsided trade deals all of the time. This is because our leaders, Democrat and Republican, are totally beholden to the corporations that fund their elections. These companies are making huge profits off of all of this. They couldn't care less if something is made in China or the United States, and they certainly don't care about the American worker.

No Call List problems

I AM on the Missouri No Call List. I recently received a newsletter from Attorney General Jay Nixon tooting his horn about the $645,000 paid to Missouri by violators of the no-call law. Where did that money go? Postage for this mailing totals $442,800. I wonder what the printing and processing costs were. I'm thinking that Nixon could have found a better use for the money. He positions himself and the state as being "a model for more than 20 states that have joined us in the national movement to end abusive telemarketing practices." Missouri was one of the last states to join. The telemarketing industry has been in need of legislation to weed out the illegal telemarketing operations for many years. However, the No Call List should simply be a service. In my opinion, states should have no right to take a position against telemarketers or any other profession. What's next?

Great dance show

IF YOU missed the Central High School dance team's performance at the Show Me Center Wednesday night, you missed an outstanding show. There was no vulgar or suggestive moves, just real talent and dancing and high kicks. Couldn't we have a repeat performance at the seMissourian Christmas Tournament since there was such a small crowd Wednesday night? Congratulations to all of these girls. They did an excellent job.

Thanks to street crews

I WANT to commend the public works department on being out on Thursday in a horrible rain, picking up leaves with bulldozers off the streets in Woodland Hills. Then the street cleaner followed up. I think that's very commendable. We really appreciate what they do.

Where are the tickets?

IN THE police report you see a lot arrests for drivers following other vehicles too closely. But you never see any arrests for peace disturbance of drivers who barrel through town with loud, exploding muffler noise. Why is this?