SPEAKOUT

Sons, neighbors there to help

I WANT to thank my sons, Tom and John Holshouser, and neighbors, Doug and Elizabeth Hileman, Betty Hopen, and George and Mary Savoy for helping her while I have been ill. They have been wonderful helping to take out trash and shoveling snow in the winter.

Tribute for a good neighbor

BILL STALLINS is the kind of neighbor everyone wants to have. He is there every time anyone wants a helping hand, running errands, watering lawns and being a carpenter or plumber, and he is great in neighborhood watch. We have lived here a long time and never met anyone who gives so much of himself to so many people. He is a wonderful person.

Landlord's work appreciated

I JUST wanted to thank Bill McGuire, my landlord, for putting handrails on back steps of my duplex.

Neighbors are wonderful

THANKS TO Gary and Dolores for all the wonderful things they have done. They are the very best neighbors. Also Louise, who lives up the street on Sherwood, for being such a good neighbor.

Grass on vacant lots needs mowing

ALL THE houses that have been purchased by the city and have been knocked down, who is in charge of mowing their grass now? If you've driven around lately, you'll notice the grass is almost at least knee high. I'm just waiting for any kind of creatures to crawl out of there. I just don't think it makes Cape Girardeau a very pretty place anymore. Maybe someone should look into this. I don't know if its the city or the parks department. Maybe as a random acts of kindness, everyone could bring lawn mowers and all get together and do it. I would do it.

Thank God for nice people

TALK ABOUT Random Acts of Kindness. Yesterday, May 15 at about noon, I was driving west on Kingshighway going towards the mall. When I got to the stop sign at Mt. Auburn, a young man pulled along side of me and motioned for me to roll my window down. When I did, he told me my purse was on the trunk of my car. He got out of his truck and handed me my purse. I was so shaken by this, I did not get his name, and I'm really not sure I thanked him properly. So I want to say a big thank you and God bless you for your kind act, and I will repay this act by doing extra acts of kindness and thank God for nice people.

Neighbors even mow the lawn

THIS IS about neighbors. We have a great couple, Minnie and Ray Compas. When we are away, they check on our house. And even though they are both very busy people, they have mowed our lawn on more than one occasion. That is quite an act of kindness and very much appreciated.

Too much political correctness

I HAVE been attending SEMO athletic events since I was a small child. Not once have I seen the Indian mascot used in a way that would be offensive to Native Americans. In fact, my wife who has Indian blood considers it an honor the American Indian is used as a symbol of SEMO's teams. As a SEMO graduate and more importantly as a Missouri taxpayer, I resent my tax money being wasted on a committee of supposedly highly intelligent and highly educated university officials to study something as silly and childish as a school mascot. This is political correctness gone amuck.

A kindness to be remembered

THE WEEK before Easter, I carelessly lost a small envelope containing cards valuable to me: Social Security, Triple A, car insurance, receipts, Medicare. A young man named Fred found them and called me. I insisted that he accept a reward, suggesting that he take his girl to dinner and to a movie, buy some flowers for his grandmother, put the money in the church offering. But he refused. This 84-year-old senior citizen will always remember Fred's random act of kindness.

Library books returned

I WANT to say a big thank you to the person who found my library books in the middle of Lexington Road and return them to the library for me. It was a great way to end the great Random Acts of Kindness Week. I really appreciate it.

Governor's real motivation

GOV. CARNAHAN showed blatant disregard for the Constitution and his word when he forced the $300 million tax increase included in Senate Bill 380 several years ago. He was just too much of a coward to let the people vote for it, even after he'd given his word. Now the governor has new-found respect for the Missouri Constitution and is putting up a totally bogus argument about the constitutionality of a tax deduction for private school tuition. Again, the governor is too big of a coward to express his real opposition to the bill. The fact of the matter is he is bought and paid for by the public teachers union, and he will back them to the hilt. We not only have a coward in the governor's mansion, we have a liar. It's time for a change.

Planting trees in cemetery

I BELIEVE people should consider other people's feelings before planting trees in Russell Heights Cemetery. Think about the roots running all over. Think about it years from now when flocks of birds roost and bird droppings are on the stones.

Actor's voice in commercials

CAN YOU believe that the great George C. Scott is doing television commercials, unseen? I recognize the voice.

Taking care of mother

I THINK a special heartfelt thanks should go to Debra Self for all the extra special attention she has given her mother.

A touching column

SAM BLACKWELL, you were so right. The column you wrote about our Jane Barnett touched my heart like no other could. All the things Sam wrote were oh so true. Jane had so much beauty and class inside and out. She had plenty of love to share. Thank you, Sam, I love all your columns, especially when you write about DC.

Thanks for little favors

I WOULD like to thank my neighbors for all the kindness they have done for me. She picks up my newspaper and throws it in the garage. She and her husband are always doing things for me. During kindness week, I would like to thank them.

Against the will of the people

I REALIZE that Mississippi County needs a courthouse, but more than ever they need different commissioners. What a sorry lot to go against the wishes of the people.

It's political rhetoric

UNFORTUNATELY WE have an example in our own county of why our legislators will not or cannot do the job for the people as a whole. I may not agree with the governor, but the statement "there was a time when Southern segregationists stood in the schoolhouse door" is self-serving political rhetoric. It is also not true. Public schools accept all of God's children. No one stands in the door. It would be unfair as well to state that parochial schools are racists because they have few or no blacks in their schools.

Takes exception to column

I WOULD like to make a statement to Marty Mishow concerning Sunday's column, "The Latest Line." I think before you make statements like the one you made in your column, you should at least know the facts. For one, SEMO's basketball team was not at its lowest point when Coach Shumate came. The year before he became coach, the Indians were third. Also, I think that the last comment in his article was immature and irresponsible. You would think that someone who's supposed to report the sports for Southeast Missouri State University should not have such fun running down our university. I also think he should wait until the facts are presented before making such stupid statements. I feel the men who served at the university have been in this community for a long time and would not do anything to discredit their reputations or integrity, especially over the loss of basketball games alone. And the NCAA commissioner would not be here to investigate if there was no real reason to be here. I think Marty owes the university an apology for his column and should stick to reporting the facts instead of trying to rip the university with speculation and ugly comments.

Offensive to nuts

IF THERE'S one mascot that needs to be changed, it's the Ohio State Buckeye. The buckeye is a nut. Thus it must be offensive to all the other nuts who actually take this type of thing seriously.

Need independent nutrition facts

I THINK the so-called nutrition expert, Judy Lueders, needs to get a clue as to what good nutrition actually is. Instead, she just seems to do nothing but repeat information given by the American Dairy Association. The fact is that while milk and dairy products are high in calcium, very little of it is available to the body. In fact, high amounts actually lead to calcium loss. My suggestion is, Judy, do some independent research. Don't just repeat information that's given to you by the American Dairy Association.

Mishow wasn't here to know

MARTY MISHOW should be ashamed of himself. That column he wrote in the paper the other day about Ron Shumate's dismissal was disgusting. He wasn't even around SEMO basketball before the Ron Shumate era began. So how can he comment on the situation with the level of where the program was being played at?

Need a community theater

CAPE GIRARDEAU may indeed be blessed with meeting places as per your editorial of April 24. However, there is something missing: a theater or auditorium to seat 300-500 people. There is no place in Cape Girardeau for a theater group except SEMO and the schools, and these are only available when not in use by the school. Are our city fathers so sports oriented that they cannot see that there are other options that people enjoy? We were so hopeful that the old seminary could be saved. It has a wonderful theater. How sad that music and drama are not considered necessary by the city. I notice that Perryville isn't so short-sighted. They are planning a small theater in their building.