SPEAKOUT

A white flag of surrender

AS I left for church on a hot summer morning, I thought back to the sad news of the week, the fact that the ACLU won out in, of all places, a town in our state called Republic. Despite the efforts of many of the town's citizens, officials elected to throw in the towel and remove the fish symbol from their city flag. Now I envision a different flag for that Midwest town: a white flag of surrender. Could that happen to us here in Cape? Consider that the Missourian placed more emphasis on two children playing in the hot summer sun than on the tragedy against our First Amendment rights.

People keep electing Kennedys

I WAS reading Speak Out. Hey, wake up! Look at all the Kennedys who are in office in all the states. They must be admired by the voters. Kennedys are people to be proud to know.

Get car tags by mail

AND NOW you've got another editorial about how we only have to go to the license office half as often. Actually, for your automobile license, you don't have to go at all. Just follow the instructions on the back of your notice. Put your papers in an envelope, mail it to the address at the bottom of the instructions for 33 cents and no hassle. The office in Jefferson City will send you your new tags. Try it.

There were no rules violated

I READ Peter Hilty's letter to the editor in the July 25 paper, and I don't know what he's trying to say, but one line in particular really perturbed me. "Young Kennedy has crashed into the sea, violating all the rules we were taught as student pilots." Is Dr. Hilty saying he was a student pilot and knows all the rules? My husband has a pilot's license. He specifically said that had not been taught to fly by instruments. He didn't violate all the rules he'd been taught. He hadn't been taught that stuff yet. Dr. Hilty, why don't you quit making flip comments about someone's death and making it sound like it's his fault? Granted, he made mistakes perhaps, but it's not like he flagrantly violated rules. He didn't know any better. Haven't you ever made a mistake, Dr. Hilty? Would you like someone to make flip comments about your mistakes in the paper where it could harm your family and hurt other people? Don't you grieve for anyone, or are you too sophisticated and too high-brow for that?

Headed for a bank loan

I JUST read Mark Bliss' column on the baby teeth. By the time those girls lose all their teeth, he'll be taking out a bank loan. Goodness, have you ever heard of not quite spoiling your girls that much? Wow!

Is McClure ready for events?

I AM a concerned person and wondering if the planned events for Aug. 6-7 in McClure, Ill., have been properly organized. Has security been considered as events are planned on the busiest street through town? Has proper hygiene, such as outdoor restrooms, been considered? Has parking been considered? Has cleanup during and after the event been taken care of? What about the noise factor? Have the organizers of the event really planned for it, or just been caught up in the excitement of having this two-day event and not thought of these possible problems?

Tired of Kennedy bashing

I AM sick of these self-righteous people Kennedy bashing, Clinton bashing, federal government bashing. The Kennedys were blessed with wealth and prominence in government. They had compassion for people who were less fortunate. That's something we lack here, and a lot of our political people lack it too.