OpinionMay 1, 2000
SPEAKOUT
PROOF OF further mockery by this president is so very evident in this Gonzalez case. Here he's been preaching gun control and then unleashes federal gun power on a family, endangering the life of children in that home. JUST WHAT is the purpose of the Department of Justice? Is its purpose to cover up obstruction of justice and perjury? Is its purpose to carry off little boys in bags at gunpoint out of their home during the middle of the night when they could have just been led out by hand in the daylight? Is the purpose to go after the strongest industry in the United States, the computer high-tech industry, to try to make it smaller and less efficient so maybe the poorer countries can catch up with us? Just what is the purpose of the Department of Justice?. ...
Is he for gun control?
PROOF OF further mockery by this president is so very evident in this Gonzalez case. Here he's been preaching gun control and then unleashes federal gun power on a family, endangering the life of children in that home.
They call this justice
JUST WHAT is the purpose of the Department of Justice? Is its purpose to cover up obstruction of justice and perjury? Is its purpose to carry off little boys in bags at gunpoint out of their home during the middle of the night when they could have just been led out by hand in the daylight? Is the purpose to go after the strongest industry in the United States, the computer high-tech industry, to try to make it smaller and less efficient so maybe the poorer countries can catch up with us? Just what is the purpose of the Department of Justice?
Don't give cookies with nuts
ATTENTION ALL schools, churches, day -are centers, private baby sitters, the preschool groups: Please don't give children in your care cookies or candy that has peanut butter or nuts of any kind in them. There are so many children who have allergies to nuts. They could have a fatal reaction if they eat it. Please be careful. Give them just plain sugar cookies or plain chocolate.
Stormtrooper tactics
THIS IS the first time in a half a century I've seen so many stormtrooper-type tactics used on American citizens. It's like our civil rights don't mean anything.
Look for a compromise
THE SOUTHEAST Missourian's use of the word enclave' to describe the Priests' family home is an attempt to dehumanize this family. There has to be some compromise in this Priest situation. When people run businesses and other people build nice homes around this business, there has to be some compromise. I would have thought the compromise would have been a nice building to house these things in. They're erecting a concrete building right across from the courthouse. It's a monstrosity for Jackson. I don't know who came up with that brainstorm. There has to be some compromise for this family. One can't blame a person when he wants to defend what is his.
Keep up the fight
JACK PRIEST: Just keep fighting. There are definitely two sets of rules in Jackson, depending on who you are.
Jackson gets what it wants
I WANT to commend Jack Priest for standing up to the city of Jackson. The city fathers' statement that they didn't hold a gun to his head is laughable. It was either sign the papers or see his property condemned. Sounds like force to me. Mr. Wilson's comments that they have to follow the letter of the law about made me choke. My advice to Mr. Priest's attorney is to very carefully check the procedure followed by the city to take Mr. Priest's land. They get what they want by hook or crook. Also, Mr. Priest's comments that they are not important enough citizens in this community is a true statement. It doesn't take much digging to find out who gets special treatment by the city of Jackson.
Minority is the losing side
ACCORDING TO the polls, the majority of the people in the United States felt that the little Cuban boy's situation was handled properly. The minority said no. That's the way the minority will be when it comes time for the presidential election this fall when Gore beats Bush.
Force is standard procedure
THE QUESTIONS regarding the appropriate use of force in the Elian case are easily answered by looking at standard police procedures in any type of a raid. Overwhelming force, speed and surprise are the tactics used to overwhelm those being raided and to reduce the chances for resistance. The Reno forces also had reliable reports that there were guns in the house and in the crowd outside the house. Even our own esteemed Rush Limbaugh made comments on the radio the Friday before the raid saying the Cubans were quote "ready to rumble."
Stay home while we party
REGARDING A Speak Out item titled "Too much of a good time," I was one of those five people who had a good time that night at the Arena Building at bingo. I want to let the caller know I don't think it takes a great deal of concentration to play a game of bingo. If she was disrupted by our having a good time and our loud noises and voices, then that's just too bad. Stay at home the next time.
Those school boundaries
I'D LIKE to comment on the school boundary changes that were mentioned in the paper. I really appreciate Martha Zolokovich for standing up for Franklin School and our needs at the school. I see that it's not right for Blanchard to be overcrowded. Franklin has been overcrowded for many years. This is the first year we have had decent class sizes. I don't understand why the district thinks it's going to be beneficial to rob Peter to pay Paul. I don't get that point. They're trying to put more students at Franklin when we have the ideal situation as it is. If there's overcrowding Blanchard, certainly some other things can be looked at like adding more classrooms or adding more teachers. They should have done some better planning when they were designing the new school if they were going to try to accommodate that many students.
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Staffing concern
ANOTHER REASON a person may want to go to St. Louis for surgery is that Cape hospitals may not have enough qualified staff. A member of my family had painful surgery at Cape. On two different shifts, there was no qualified nurse to give medicine through an IV. There was one very nice overworked aide who was doing a lot of work she should not have had to do. They were just understaffed, so the care of the patient suffered.
You bet it's serious
IN AN editorial, a Southeast Missourian scribe wrote, in part: "Word games aren't popular in southeast Missouri." Still another testimonial that Speak Out is a serious form of public opinion.
Try original opinions
I AGREE with the caller about David Limbaugh's column being worthless. I've been meaning to call about that every single time Limbaugh has a column in the paper, and I agree with the caller whole-heartedly. Get off of your brother's coattails, David, and get your own opinions.
Glad her dog is safe
I'D LIKE to thank a lady from Oak Ridge who saw my little $600 Yorkie that was on the highway in front of my house. She had been out for over an hour, and I did miss her. When the dogs came back in, I saw that only two of my three dogs returned. I'd like to give her special thanks for saving the little dog because she was on the highway. I didn't get the lady's name. I just went into shock.
This sounds phony
PRACTICE WHAT you preach. Do not post the Ten Commandments in your front yard and then stand out there and curse at your spouse or your children. We have enough phonies.
Grandparents need rights
I WANT to comment on the piece in the paper about rights for grandparents. I am a grandparent, and I too feel we should have rights. We go around taking care of the kids when the mothers can't or the dads won't. If there's a divorce, the grandparents do not get visitation rights. It's as if we don't even have any say in anything. I would like to be an advocate for grandparents' rights. There needs to be something done. If grandparents were to raise the kids, some of them might not be in as much trouble as they are today. After we all, we are older and a little wiser.
Can't win either way
YOU PEOPLE here in the Heartland are so biased against Clinton. You're all saying he showed no courage, he showed no leadership, he didn't do anything about the Cuban boy being held by his relatives and wouldn't return to his father. You said if we had a real president, he'd take action. So he took action, and now you call him another Castro or that the tactics were like those used in communist countries. Clinton can't win either way with you people.
Laughter is good medicine
WE NEEDED a good time. In response to "Too much of a good time," we also enjoy the bingo games at the Arena Building, but do not get to attend as much as four or five times a year. What we appreciate is the opportunity that is provided to spend a much-needed night of fun away from the many problems we face on a daily basis. Some of us were dealing with sick parents, grandparents and even children with life-threatening diseases. So please excuse us for trying to get away from out continuous problems by having a night out together. The Bible tells us in many places that laughter is good for us and lightens our heavy hearts. In fact, Proverbs 17:22 says "A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries up our bones." It's promised to us that just a little laughter could keep us off Prozac or other mood-altering drugs.
Pollution tells the story
MR. BUSH claims that he is pro-environment. If he is such an environmentalist, then why is it that Houston recently replaced Los Angeles as the most polluted city in America?
A father's point of view
I'M A 27-year-old single male father. I have a 5-year-old son who I take care of myself. I love him very much. I wouldn't give him up for anything. It's obvious to me that this person who says they should take Janet Reno over to Cuba handcuffed has never ever had a child in his life. I would think much less of that father if he wouldn't come after his son.
Lying with the best
CARNAHAN CAN lie like Clinton. He said the television crew rushed toward him at the airport and pushed the camera and microphone into his face to where he could hardly get out of his car. However, a video showed him getting out of his car and shaking hands with the TV crew. Thank goodness they had the video to show how Carnahan lied. It isn't his first lie. Remember the $380 million of taxes he gave us, but he said the people would get to vote. We didn't. He lied there.
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