SPEAKOUT

Another book for suggested readings

I WANT to comment about the person who said he was a homosexual here in Cape and that people ought to read a book called "Stranger at the Gate". Well, I've got a book he can read. It's called the Holy Bible. And I call your attention to Romans, the first chapter. See what it says about men who lie with other men. Then read the last chapter of Revelation, where Jesus plainly tells you that sexual perverts and adulterers cannot get into Heaven. They do not inherit eternal life. All these people that are not normal have a spiritual and character problem. They weren't born that way. These people have a problem the same as a murderer does, and they need to solve it.

What a deal the president made

I'M REALLY proud of the way our president took those communist Chinese to the cleaners. They only got nuclear technology and trade benefits. And we got an all-important communist promise that they wouldn't share it with others. What a deal he made.

Baby sitting is too dangerous

I WILL advise my adult children to advise their children to never baby sit for anybody. I vow that I will never again baby sit. Something may happen to that child. I would not only be accused of murder, but I'd probably be convicted. No way should any teen-ager ever baby sit again. So I guess you working mothers will just have to stay home and raise your own children.

Exploration broadens our horizons

THIS IN response to Ron Farrow's letter to the editor about drawing the line on exploration. Thank goodness Copernicus, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, Einstein and Lewis and Clark didn't think like you. Mankind has crossed several lines since coming out of the trees. Measurable in their effect alone are the celebrated travel narratives, which, since the time of Marco Polo, have broadened man's horizons and expanded his world.

Buying the rope to hang ourselves

I WANT to comment on how, for a long time, the capitalists have said Karl Marx was all wrong. Karl Marx said capitalists will sell you the rope that you use to hang them with. If this deal with the Chinese buying these 50 jets from the United States isn't a true $3 billion they're paying for it, that's just nothing but a payback for all the money they gave President Clinton for his election. They're coming over here and getting nuclear power secrets, and they're buying weapons and jets. Why would they need all these jets? They're building up their army, and our young men are going to pay for it. I'm glad I didn't vote for Clinton because I'm not going to be responsible for what he's doing there.

Many Americans in the stock market

I'M JUST looking at a cartoon in the Southeast Missourian that says the well-to-do have stocks and bonds and mutual funds, and the middle class has debt, Master Card and Visa. I would just like to say that right now in the United States there are 100 million Americans who are invested some way in the stock market. That includes a lot of us middle-class people. I'd like to point out one other thing. Banks, savings and loans, and retirement plans have stocks, bonds and mutual funds. So it looks like to me that the biggest percentage of us middle-class, working Anericans are involved in what happens in the stocks and bonds market.

Enlarge park for cleanup project

FOR A nice good cleanup in the south end of Cape, just off of Independence, they should enlarge Indian Park. There is a lot of space right off of Happy Hollow there that is really good for a park. The city should do that, and not expect the neighborhood citizens to do it. It's the city's job.

A quicker apple butter recipe

ALL RIGHT, Speak Out, I want to offer a recipe for quick apple butter. Buy a can of apple sauce, add a half cup of sugar, your spices, and cook for a few minutes until thickened. No preparation of apples, no canning, and a small investment. Make as needed.

Teen-age baby sitter is outraged

AS AN American teen-ager, I am outraged by the verdict in the nanny trial. As a frequent baby sitter, parents entrust their children to my care. If a parent I am sitting for thinks that I am not doing a good job, and they have instincts about the way their children are being handled, they in the children's best interest are able to fire me. The American justice system is so messed up. O.J. Simpson stood trial, and they had a lot of evidence against him, yet because he wasn't seen slaying his wife and her boyfriend, he was found innocent. People have abortions all the time. It's an unborn child. We fight to save whales and trees, but we don't even care about our unborn children who don't have the strength to fight. So tell me, America, are we a nation of justice, or are we just out to make ourselves happy? We don't care about other people, only if it becomes our business. I feel so sorry that that baby died. But I feel even more sorry that the parents are not going to be able to live with themselves, knowing that they put their nanny in jail for maybe an accident. If this is what America is like, sometimes I don't want to be an American. If this is what we've come to, then I pray that we will keep fighting for a better country. This nation has truly lost what it was founded on.

Suggestions for taking aspirin

ACCORDING TO an article in the Southeast Missourian, doctors say to try to take an aspirin while having a heart attack. I think that's wise advice. Though I'm not a doctor, I would also advise taking one before reading the kooky columns of Cal Thomas and Mona Charon, the crazed carryings-on from the Cato Institute, and the clap trap emanating from the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal. Occasionally the musings of Gary Rust drive me to Mylanta.

A heavy loss for one family

DURING WORLD War II, there were five brothers by the name of Sullivan on a destroyer. It was sunk, and all 5 brothers were drowned or killed. That was a tragedy. The news from Malden is bad enough, but imagine five of them at one time.

Thanks for finding our checkbook

I WOULD just like to thank whoever the gentleman or lady was who found our checkbook at Triple E Barbecue on Thursday night and put it on the hood of our car. I'm just thankful that we still have people who are honest and do such nice things. We don't know who you are, but thank you.

Little confidence in Emerson's trip

I CAN'T tell you how happy I am that Jo Ann Emerson is going abroad to see what she can do to untangle the hype of the global warming effect. I'm so impressed with her intellect, I'm certain she'll understand everything that is being said. She has as much business going over there and cavorting with those people as a hog has with a side saddle. She won't have a clue what they're talking about. But the Republicans, especially in Missouri, will believe every word she says.

Keep freedom of speech alive

I WANT to comment about your Speak Out. I noticed someone called in, offended by what someone else had said about Waco. They didn't want you to print stuff like that. I hope you never start censoring your news. I mean, we might as well watch Dan Rather and CNN. CNN is very careful about censoring their news. Now they're down to about 200,000 families viewing. People will not watch something like that. I hope you never censor. Sure, someone calls in once in a while and tells it like it is, cutting to the quick. Someone else might not like it, but uncensored comments are in the best tradition of American freedom of speech. Speak Out is very special. People get to have their say. I'm against censorship. Keep freedom of speech alive.

Councilmen are cleaning up

THE BEST of luck to our two councilmen, Melvin Gately and Tom Neumeyer, for cleaning up a portion of the city. I wish the other councilmen would get started on something like that too.

Let's get past campaign finances

WOW, THE Republicans have dropped the campaign finance issue like a hot potato. Could it be because we're finding out all this dirt about the Republicans and where their money was coming from? My goodness, I thought they were all good guys. We're finding out otherwise, aren't we? They're all the same. They need the money and are going to get it wherever they can get it. So let's accept it and get on with our lives.

Baby carriages serve a purpose

THIS IS in response to the lady who suggested that baby carriages and strollers be banned from such public events as arts and crafts fairs. Since I like to attend such events and am the parent of an 11-month-old baby. What do you suggest I do? Should I carry my 20-pound baby around in my arms, and risk running into you because I can't clearly see around my child? Or maybe I should leave my baby outside? Or maybe you'd prefer if I stay away altogether. For your information, I've never been run into by anyone with a baby stroller, only by rude people who aren't watching where they're going.

Kinder's viewpoint is too narrow

PETER KINDER'S views on Ellen were fairly good. However, he has too narrow of a perspective. He says he would have been hard-pressed to find a single negative word spoken about the idea except by the Christian Coalition and the Family Research Council. That is a very narrow way of talking. I can assure you that in any Mormon church they would not be happy with the Ellen show. They would not be happy that it's more popular now than it was a few months ago, when it was more of a quality, family show. Also, I imagine the Hasidic Jews would not be happy. I think all across the nation people are speaking out in their own religious groups.

Will EPA save the legislators?

JACK STAPLETON recently wrote that legislators are an endangered species. Why did you have to write that, Jack? Now the EPA will probably step in and save them.

Important channel on satellite

UNLIKE RECENT complaints about movies, TV programs and commercials being immoral, I'd like to inform everyone of a remarkable television program that we've received in our household via satellite. This 24-hour program is called MTA. This channel is being viewed around the globe with great interest. On a recent viewing of this program, a producer and representative from BBC visited the station headquarters in London, England, and on June 12, 1997, BBC broadcasted a program about MTA. The next day, after viewing the channel, a columnist from the Evening Standard, Lou Smith, was so impressed that he wrote an entire article on MTA and made the following comments. He revealed that if Carlton, which is the biggest television company in Britain, would hand over its franchise to MTA, the social and cultural problems of Britain can be resolved. I have the same suggestion for all TV stations. Every viewer can benefit from this free program, because its purpose is solely to serve mankind.

Expanded financial page is appreciated

I WOULD like to thank you for the new, expanded financial page. I'm sure a lot of people appreciate the increased coverage on that page during the week, and on Saturday as well. I hope you get a lot of good responses.

Time to drop the Whitewater case

I'D LIKE to know when are we going to drop this Whitewater issue. I'm so tired of hearing about it. I'm sure everybody else is as well. This has been going on for six years. They've been digging and prodding. They say they've found something, and then they don't find something, and then they look somewhere else and there's nothing there. Let's admit it, there's nothing there. Mr. Starr wanted to quit, obviously, because he realized there's nothing there and he wasn't going to make a name for himself.

Reading while standing on my head

PETER KINDER is very good at turning an argument on its head. That's why I always make sure to read his columns while standing on mine.

Watch out for that guillotine

I BELIEVE area columnist Jack Stapleton may be a closet anti-democracy revolutionary. In a recent column he offered the opinion that schools never have, and don't now, do a good job of teaching civics. According to Stapleton, the reason for this is that the schools place more emphasis on democratic principles as opposed to stressing the process of how the system works. Gee, Jack, if teachers spent their time explaining how the system really works as opposed to teaching ideal constitutional and democratic principles, we'd have a youth-led revolution on our hands. And, Jack, you know the old saw about how a revolution devours its own. You'd be one of the first led to the guillotine.

Show your support for the Capahas

I WOULD like to shed some light on the Kohlfeld Capaha baseball team here in Cape Girardeau. This is a team that has a lot of history and a lot of tradition. Their manager, Jess Bolen, has continually put a winning team out there. The local fan support is improving, but that team needs a lot of help with money from what I've read in the Southeast Missourian this year. I wish a lot of people would take more pride in the Capahas and what the team stands for in the tradition of Cape Girardeau.