SPEAKOUT

Headed for war

WELL, CLINTON'S at it again. Getting ready to bomb. Well, what about Bosnia? Isn't that how we started with Bosnia? We were just going to bomb. Next thing you know, we've got troops and everything. We were only going to be there a short period of time. I think if you look into it, we've still got troops there. The man's been a liar all along. So American people need wake up, open your eyes, because this man's been lying to us from the very beginning. If we don't watch it, he's going to have us at war.

Make it a transportation tax

I AM for the proposed public transportation system which the city and Southeast Missouri State University could put together, but the thing I don't like is why don't they make the tax a transportation tax rather than a hotel/motel/restaurant tax? I would like to see where that tax money is really going. I'm truly for a transit system in Cape Girardeau. We're big enough to use it, and it would help a lot of people.

No single men as deacons?

ABOUT ORDAINING women as deacon: someone said in Speak Out that a deacon must be a husband. So single men and women are not eligible? If we're not deacons, is it all right to have more than one wife? We're supposed to pattern our churches after the early church but use a little common sense too. Ask yourselves, what in the world does this have to do with salvation? Isn't this what we're supposed to be concerned about? Give me a break.

Negative ad: Switch channels

WHEN THEY show negative ads for election on television, we turn the channel and get interested in something else. So it's really costing the big companies that are advertising their products. It will reflect back on the television station. That's my opinion.

Jail or impeachment

ANYTHING THAT the average person can be thrown in jail for certainly should be impeachable.

Teaching responsibility

I AGREE with Mr. Rau's perspective on the parking situation around Cape Central High School. I think one of the most important things that we can teach our children is to be responsible members of the community, and I think part of that includes not throwing garbage into other people's yards and being loud and destructive and disturbing the peace. I don't think that necessarily if you buy a house in that neighborhood it means that people should be allowed to do these things to you or your property.

I URGE all minimum-wage people and all the people on welfare and all people who are unemployed or with families and the working poor who are trying to make ends meet to sign up to vote. That's been the problem. That's why the wealthy man's party has been prospering in Congress. That's what happened in 1994. Most people who are really worse off did not vote. Just the wealthy voted, and the settled and the privileged.

REPLY: The deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 3 general election has already passed. However, it is still possible to register for future elections.

Less, not more Speak Out

I'VE OFTEN wondered about some the decisions made by the management of the Southeast Missourian. The recent decision to increase the size of Speak Out, I believe, is a very unfortunate one. I actually like to read the paper to get news, not repetition of people's opinions over and over. Perhaps you should begin to sell your paper next to the National Enquirer.

More lawyers in Washington?

LISTENING TO the congressional debate, Heckemeyer was very good at spinning. He is a lawyer and a judge. Do we need more lawyers in Washington, more support for trial lawyers? I think not.

Some good arts deals

I AGREE with the person who said arts support is expensive, and if they wanted to see "Spirit of the Dance" and "Nutcracker" it's big bucks. One of the great things that is coming to town is the Miami City Ballet. For $5 per person, you can go. And that's an example of what I think this person is talking about. So there are some good deals, and you just have to keep your eyes open for them. That's exactly the kind of stuff I'd like to see in this town, and I agree with that person very much.

Put this aside too

I WANT to comment about the two guys who allegedly beat the young guy to death up in Wyoming and the guy who's been arrested for selling atomic secrets to the Russians. I just say this: The economy is doing good, and if they're doing their job good, maybe they need to just push this behind us and go on with it and not hold what they do in their private life against them and not be prosecuting them -- just like we do public officials. Why is a public official better than a private citizen? We should just push it aside and go right on and put this behind us and get on with the country.

Goal is to reach the unsaved

SCRIPTURE CAN be used to support just about whatever position one wants to take to promote whatever agenda one has, hidden or otherwise. Two obvious cases of this were the support of slavery and the denial of women the right to vote. People found Scripture to support both. The fact is that in the early church there is evidence that there were female deacons serving, but as the church became institutionalized women were pushed out of public view. Using the same reasoning, I would assume the local Baptist association dared to exclude a sister church for ordaining female deacons and following Scripture to the letter, then I would assume that even Paul, himself, the writer of I Timothy 3:12 would not be qualified to be a deacon as he was not a husband to one wife nor did he have children. It is really frightening to me going into the 21st century that people will use God to justify the persecution of others who may be called to serve the Lord in a capacity greater than the traditional woman's role. Jesus was extremely inclusive of women in light of the culture in which he was living. I'm not a Baptist, but my advice to you would be, if your goals to reach the unsaved, you had better rethink your position. Half of the souls you're trying to reach are female, and this is not Afghanistan. They're educated, think critically and have voices.

Heroes: All shapes and sizes

I'M CALLING in response to the person who doesn't feel that Mark McGwire is a hero because he doesn't risk his life to save someone else's. I'm just wondering how many lives he has saved by donating the enormous sums of money to charities, especially to the charity that helps abused children to which he is going to contribute $1 million. This person needs to wake up. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. I hope that someday my children view me as one of their heroes, not because I rescued someone in danger, but because I have taught them good values and the difference between right and wrong. Not all heroes have a red cape on their back and a big red S on their chest -- although I do know one who has a big red bird on his chest and a big red 25 on his back.

PAC represents small percentage

PLEASE BE very watchful how you word your news items. "VFW endorses Jo Ann Emerson." The VFW as a whole does not endorse Emerson, only the VFW PAC endorses Emerson. There is a vast difference. Please be reminded that the VFW PAC represents less than one percent of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Other humor writers

BEGRUDGINGLY I will admit the truth of the advertisement that Dave Barry is America's humor writer. But, by golly, I believe that collectively letter-to-the-editor writers of the Southeast Missourian are a close second. I especially get a kick out of Ray Umbdenstock and Professor Journet. Those guys are an absolute riot.

Understanding creation

THE ACCEPTANCE of evolution by teaching institutions and atheistic views of some intellectuals without truth are a tragedy. They base their theory without any solid evidence. They give their view with computer drawings and statements like it may have happened, it could have happened, it probably happened. Many of their earlier findings were proven fraudulent. Carbon dating can't be accepted by many scientists. Darwin said his theory of evolution would be proven by fossil records in the future. Where are all these species and transitions? We should be up to our armpits in species and change if this were true. What triggers the growth of a cell? They can't do it in a laboratory. They're telling me a cell or blob which didn't know what seeing was decided to grow an eye so it could see. Space scientist Carl Sagan said the earth was created by the Big Bang theory. Well, where did the universe come from, the oxygen, the air, the matter? I guess you can't believe in the Bible, but maybe you're just lost in space.

Seize all the farmland

I READ with great interest Tony Heckemeyer's comments at the League of Women Voters forum that was reported in the Southeast Missourian. Mr. Heckemeyer brought up many of the same points on the prior Sunday during his appearance on "Going Public" on KRCU. On of the particular points I was most interested in was Heckemeyer's point that China was the largest cotton producer in the world and the reason for that was that the government owned all the land. He seemed to use this piece of evidence as proof that we need more government subsidies. I think Mr. Heckemeyer is absolutely right. I think the government should seize all the farmland in America and turn it into cotton-producing land. I really appreciate Comrade Heckemeyer bringing up this important point. I hope that he'll distribute those cute, little black hats that they distribute in China when all this takes place.