SPEAKOUT

New low for ABC

ON ABC, the most liberal station of the Big Three, Peter Jennings hosted a show on Jesus. What a disgrace, with their so-called scholars -- of what I don't know. To have atheists with no rebuttal by any Christians for two hours is a new low even for ABC and Peter Jennings. As religious values are denounced, as homosexuals are heralded as an alternative lifestyle, as abortion is said to be necessary to our culture, and now even Jesus denounced on TV, still many accept liberalism as their political choice.

Using the ABCs

I AM calling in regard to some of the recent comments concerning the Rush Limbaugh portrait on the wall of fame. They again point out some of the primary differences in conservative and liberal thinking. Conservatives say, "Let's discuss this and see if we can come to a mutual agreement beneficial to both." Liberals rely on their ABCs: abandon, abolish, ban, burn, condemn, crucify, deface or destroy.

Pray, don't fight

I GENERALLY like Paul Greenberg's columns, but his June 26 "School as prayer-free zones" left me pretty disappointed. I think he's reading a lot more into what happened. I don't believe the Supreme Court told anybody they could not pray in school. All they said was people couldn't make it a public address to everybody there. I'm a Christian, and I believe in Jesus Christ. I have no problem praying silently on a regular basis. I don't feel the need to make a show of it to everybody around me. I don't know why the schools have a problem with just initiating a moment of silence for everyone to say their own prayers, why the schools feel like one person has to speak words aloud in order for a prayer to rise to God. The Supreme Court is protecting freedoms of everybody, whether we like it or not. Regardless, we still have to protect everyone's freedoms. Some people don't believe in Jesus Christ in their religion, and some do. Others are agnostic, and some believe in nothing. We have to protect all people's rights, whether we like others' beliefs or not. If we don't, sooner or later, they'll come after our rights. The Supreme Court chose to protect the state and the church by completely separating them the way they should be. We don't want a government-run religion, and that would be the first step by blending church and state. The schools should just initiate a moment of silence and allow people to pray. We're stealing the rights of people to pray by not allowing them to have a moment of silence. Just let them pray without a fight.

For the record

THERE WERE two calls on Reagan in Speak Out that need a little elaboration. One of them is from somebody who is really completely off in left field who made the statement, "We sure don't want any more 21 percent bank interest rates and high unemployment like we had under Reagan." Reagan inherited the 21 percent interest rate from Carter and his Democratic administration. He brought the interest rate down and also cut taxes, which started the productive society we still are enjoying today. The second item says Reagan "pressed the Soviets hard economically by cutting off credit and orchestrated the lowering of oil prices which slashed their export revenue." We're now hearing that Clinton and Gore administration and secretary of energy Richardson a few months back talked to the OPEC people to cut down on their oil production so they could raise prices of oil revenue in Russia. Now they're saying the government has nothing to do with the high cost of gasoline. But the fact is they wanted OPEC to raise the price of oil so Russia could get some revenue to help it get out of its miserable situation left by the communist hordes. Now they say it's big business and oil companies are causing the gas prices. It's Clinton and his administration who caused it.

Alarmist language

MANY SCHOOL superintendents moan and groan about what they call deficit spending in order to fund teacher raises. Don't be fooled by that kind of talk. It's incorrect. Spending a portion of a surplus or excess funds is hardly deficit spending. Superintendents learn to use alarmist language like that in administration courses. Its purpose is generally to try to convince teachers that the school district is going the extra mile for them while trying to build public support for a levy increase. Of course, Cape's local levy is embarrassingly low, and it a reason why the Cape public schools don't receive more state funding. However, the chances of seeing the levy raised for the purpose of improving teacher salaries is less than zero.

Ugly buildings

I FULLY agree with the caller about the jail and archives buildings in Jackson being ugly. They are not attractive. I also wonder where people visiting the archives building are supposed to park.

States rights

THE JUNE 27 editorial in the Southeast Missourian regarding the blood alcohol content issue was an excellent one, effectively arguing the case for states rights in this country. It reminds me of another issue. Whatever else the Civil War may have been, it was also a fight for states rights. Which is the reason I'll be flying the Confederate battle flag right alongside Old Glory come the Fourth of July.

Donating their time

I THINK all these people who complain about dentists and doctors turning away Medicaid patients should donate money to a fund to cover their bills, because that's in essence what a lot of dentists and physicians are doing. They're donating their time, which a portion of them are already doing on a regular basis. They just can't accept everybody with no payment.

Steve was right

SORRY, MR. Jenson, Steve was right on track with his letter to the editor. By the way, I am a Republican, and I'm very conservative.

Minds won't change

SIKESTON STANDARD-Democrat publisher Michael Jenson's bizarre preoccupation with attempting to justify the flying of the Confederate flag on public ground rivals but does not surpass my quirky compulsion to call Speak Out. In a letter to the editor, Jenson cleverly but wrongly tried to characterize those who favor flying the Confederate flag at taxpayer-supported places as "conservative" and those that oppose it "liberal." Nice try, but wrong, Mike. This issue cuts across the political spectrum. Almost incredulously, Jenson tried to convince readers that the Confederate flag in no way stands for ideology of any sort. Why should the Confederate flag be exempt from an ideology test? Surely Mr. Jenson wouldn't make the same claim for the American flag or the Nazi flag. Jenson also whined and complained about what he deemed were separatist symbols in our society today while steadfastly attempting to justify the ultimate symbol of separatism -- separation from the Union and relegation of African-Americans to separate, non-human status. Cape Girardean Steve Robertson simply caught Michael Jenson attempting to justify the unjustifiable. Jenson claimed that Mr. Robertson will never change his mind. Thank goodness. The sad thing is, neither will Mr. Jenson.

One mess at a time

WHY DO the street workers dig up the street before they finish what they did last month? They come back and make a big mess and then leave for a week or more. Please finish what you start before you make another mess in a different place. The total mess at Spring and Bloomfield has been an eyesore and dangerous for months. Let's finish it now.

Why we tithe

A LOT of people don't pay tithes to their church because they don't understand what tithes really are. They think paying tithes is giving the preacher money. But that's not only what your tithes are. It supports churches. In every church they have to have a tithe and offerings paid so that we can have churches to be able to preach our gospel. It also brings our Christian programs on TV. We have to have the tithes to have money to spread the word about God. If we don't pay tithes, we're not working for God, we're working against God. The money is here to enable people to relay God's message on earth.

Era of appeasement

WHAT'S IN a name? Not "rogue states" any more, but wordplay like "states of concern" or "impish" or "mischief-loving" states. My, my. We mustn't offend these terrorists like Iraq, Libya, North Korea, communist Cuba or China. We must appease them, like England started appeasing Hitler. Clinton wants their trade. Be hanged about democracy values.

Fireworks in June

I AGREE with the caller who complained about fireworks being shot off in June. The same thing happened in Marble Hill, and I made exactly the same comment. I even have to keep my dogs in because the noise terrifies them. It terrifies me too.

Out of step

WELL, PETER Kinder, you slobbered on and on for months about the procedure you called partial-birth abortion and were an attack-dog for a position that didn't allow for the protection of the health of the mother or rape or incest. Well, the Supreme Court has put you in your place, and again you're in the contention for the Equine Posterior award. When a conservative Supreme Court that was mainly appointed by Republican presidents makes such a decision, it means you are out of step with your own court, and many of us wonder what you're in step with.