SPEAKOUT

Courage and responsibility

WHILE I agree that the photo of the young woman and her child at graduation was not representative and even perhaps inappropriate in the context of the article, I find the outrage voiced by so many concerned readers much more unsettling. How can we tell young people to take responsibility for their actions and then vilify them for trying to do it? How can people call abortion murder, yet be offended by a young mother choosing to raise her child and share a proud moment in her life with him? Is it these young people's moral imperative to bear and raise their children, but only if they keep them out of sight? What kind of message does that send to our already confused and insecure youth? I hope they will have the love and support they will need to overcome the obstacles they'll face in the future.

Some pagan holidays

I'M CALLING about the person who called and said how horrible that you had the story about pagans in your paper. I was just going to comment that it never ceases to amaze me that this person probably celebrates Christmas and Easter and all the other holidays that are so-called religious, and they are just as pagan as the other ones were that were in the paper. There is no basis in the Bible for either one of them, so it has to be pagan. They didn't celebrate them during Jesus' time. They didn't even celebrate birthdays. Everyone has the right to voice an opinion about their way of worship. Those people's way of worship is not different than anybody that goes to the church on the corner.

A positive change

I HOPE Southeast Missouri State University will move on to a better future than what we had with Dale Nitzschke. So let the community be helped and encouraged that this is a positive for our school.

Three cheers for Dobbins

THREE CHEERS for Dr. Ken Dobbins. Man, it's good to have him as president of the university. I hope he'll lead the university back to where it belongs: outstanding education at affordable prices.

Other prevailing sins

I AM amazed but not surprised by the outpouring of vitriolic and sanctimonious calls your newspaper received concerning the picture of the young mother, with baby, graduating from high school. Nowhere in the caption under the picture was information supplied concerning her marital status. However, there were a lot of people who were perfectly willing to assume the worse and then make public statements concerning the young lady. These statements were at best unfeeling and, in some cases, wicked and cruel. Did they ever, for even a second, stop to ask how she would feel after reading them in the newspaper? Jesus said, "Judge not lest ye be judged," and "Let those without sin cast the first stone." It seems that in this instance, self-righteousness and thoughtless cruelty are the prevailing sins.

An important message

IN REFERENCE to the picture of the high school graduate with a five-month-old child: I think it's a matter of judge not lest ye be judged like in the Bible. I think it's important to show that just because you had a kid when you were a junior, you can still stay in school and graduate. That's a real important message too.

Sowing and reaping

INSTEAD OF some parents working to buy fancy cars, clothes and other nonessential items, if one of them would stay home and teach their kids right from wrong, this country would be better of. Whatsoever a country soweth, that shall it also reap.

Power company did its best

INSTEAD OF complaining about your power being out, why don't you get out and get to know your neighbors and get to know the community? It's ridiculous to continue to complain that UE's not doing its job when UE's did the best it could. I don't work for UE. I don't know anybody who does. But you've got to understand those people did the best they could. If you don't like it, find you a job at UE and get out there and do a better job, if you think you can.

Needed more information

I AM outraged at the public service given by AmerenUE over the recent power outage due to the May 17 storm. People have no way to direct their complaints to anyone. You call and get the standard recorder. We needed to know specifics: how long it would be out and what areas it would be out. We were out 47 hours and lost the entire contents of the refrigerator and freezer within. It seems to me that AmerenUE could have been more organized. If we would have known at the beginning, we could have taken our food to a family in another town.

Too much judging

I RECEIVE this paper, and I will keep receiving this paper. I feel sorry, not for the girl graduating holding her child, but for the people judging her and the paper. The paper could have printed someone else on the front page graduating, but would readers know if that person drinks alcohol, does drugs or has sex? Do you people ever listen to why these children are shooting others? Because most of them are outcast or do not belong to a clique or they are not jocks. Sadly, we as parents are supposed to be our children's influence, and we are judging a young woman and her child on the front page of the paper. And Lee Watson, I feel especially sorry for you. Are you going to be proud of yourself when that child's classmates call him a mistake? Can we all look at ourselves and say we didn't have pre-marital sex, didn't drink before 21 years of age or smoke before 18 years of age, cuss or judge others? I believe Jesus Christ died for this, didn't he?

Let's wise up

REGARDING THE front-page picture: I am very disgusted with the Missourian for putting the senior and child on front page. I have resented a long time putting the births of unmarrieds in birth section. I think it's time we as adults wise up.

Thanks, good neighbor

HELLO, THEO. I would just like to put in the paper something about the best man in my neighborhood, who is my neighbor and friend. He does more for the neighbors than any man out here. He brings your garbage can up to the house, he'll pick up your paper, he'll help you in any way that he can. And also on that, he goes two or three days a week to the nursing home in order to wheel the patients around. He is one good neighbor, and I say thanks.

Mean hypocrites

I COULD not believe all the mean comments on the picture of the senior and baby on the front page of the Southeast Missourian. I thought the photo was wonderful. As Jesus said, "Little children, come unto me." Jesus loves all children, no matter what. All the negative comments bears out what I've known all along. Cape is full of mean, narrow-minded hypocrites who probably sit in church every Sunday.

THIS IS in response to all of the closed-minded people who had nothing better to do than to criticize a picture of the Delta graduate and her baby. Instead of griping about her being a single mother, you should congratulate her for graduating with a child. Do you people know how hard that would be? Besides you don't know the circumstances of her situation. I applaud the young lady for having the strength to raise a child and graduate high school.