SPEAKOUT

Another example

I HAVE a question: Suppose a man was holding his wife hostage in a house with a gun and said he was going to kill her. It might end up being on the news if he continued to hold her hostage. If he said, "I have the choice to kill her, because she's my wife," the world would be enraged. People would say, "What about her choice? It's not his business to kill her." My question: How is that different from the way many of us do the unborn? They're held hostage, and we talk as if we have the right to kill them. And if we don't have the right or choice to kill them, we call this oppression. Are we oppressed if someone doesn't get to kill you?

School advice

I DON'T think kids need to wear school IDs. It's ridiculous. I'm glad that one of my kids is graduating now so he won't have to go through this foolishness. I also believe schools should not be serving extras at lunch time. A kid should have a choice of this basic meal or that basic meal. There should not be extra things like a hospital cafeteria. It creates a caste system within the school. The kids with money can afford more. The poorer kids can't. There shouldn't be soda available at school either. It's not a healthy drink. If parents want to rot their kids' teeth, let them do it at home. It's kind of irony to teach health and have soda pop sold in the school. Somewhere, schools have lost their way in what a cafeteria should offer. Parents shouldn't have problems telling the school, "This is what my child can have, and not have." It should be a basic choice of one meal or another. And if the kids don't like it, they can pack a lunch or go somewhere else to eat.

Two responses

THERE WERE two Speak Out items on Aug. 17 that I have to respond to. 1. Bigger classes and the crowded hallways. My daughter was at the junior high in Jackson last year. You have no clue of how crowded it is. If there was ever a fire, I doubt they would be able to get all those kids out in time, it is so packed. You literally just move with the flow. When it's time for you to get across to get into your classroom, it takes forever to cut across and squeeze through people. Go visit that school. I haven't heard one teacher complain about heat or lack of air conditioning or anything else. They're concerned about student safety. There are days I've seen children panicking because they can't get to their class. It's scary. I went up there to pick up my daughter for an orthodontist's appointment, and I was frightened by what I saw. 2. Concerning the comment that we have enough Cape people living in Jackson now that we can't even pass a bond issue over here: What was the point of this slur? Cape got its bond issue passed. They're getting a new school. It's the older people in Jackson who don't want to part with a few more of their pennies. That's why it didn't pass.

Learn the definition

David Limbaugh recently wrote "socialism is still socialism," and it is high time he learned its definition. Socialism refers to government ownership of the major means of production, not government regulation. The American people are quite happy with an appropriate degree of regulation of our economy. Quit trying to mislead folks into thinking government regulation and socialism are one and the same.

She got it right

Regarding the Aug. 15 letter to the editor, "Fixed incomes limit resources to pay more," from Mrs. John Moyers, Oak Ridge. She said it so eloquently, and I couldn't have said it better. Ditto.

Slick convention

I agree with your front page headline that the Republican convention was smoother than the Democrats. In fact, I would say that it was not only smoother, but slicker. Oops.

Served in the Guard

A Speak Out caller erred in claiming George W. Bush avoided military service during the Vietnam War era. Bush served in the National Guard like Dan Quayle.

Comedy and drama

The Democratic convention is over and after listening to the majority of the speakers and news media, the only thing I got out of it was I had to buy another tube of Preparation H. Pat Buchanan at the Long Beach convention at least had some comedy and sounded more serious than either the Democrats or Republicans.

Medical emergency

Put the paramedics on alert. A Speak Out caller claimed George Bush will get 70 to 75 percent of the popular vote. In reality, Bush will be pleased if he gets a plurality of the vote, happy as a lark if he receives one vote over 50 percent and will spend several months breathing sighs of relief if he wins the election. The caller who made that prediction suffers from parochialism to the nth degree believing that the views expressed on the Opinion page of the Southeast Missourian are representative of the population of the whole. When the results start rolling in, the paramedics had better park their vehicles outside this Speak Out callers' homes and have the paddles ready.