SPEAKOUT

Words shouldn't be abuse

I THINK the hazing issue has gotten out of hand. Verbal abuse shouldn't be a form of hazing. Physical abuse, yes, but verbal abuse, no. Like the recent caller stated, the young man should have joined the Marine Corps. I do not condone foul language, but what do you expect out of a bunch of fraternity guys? And the university did not take his side on it. They are following hazing guidelines that are enforced by the government.

Morons with guns, not bounty hunters

AS USUAL, the Southeast Missourian gets its opinions screwed up. On the editorial page the other day, there was a long article about the bounty hunters. Well, come to find out after further investigation, the bounty hunters weren't looking for the house next door. There was nobody in there that there was any bounty for. There was some other reason those fellows broke into the house. To blame it on bounty hunters is nothing but a scapegoat. If you want to be against bounty hunters, fine, but don't use those two morons with guns as an excuse. As I've told you before, Peter Kinder and his idea of turning anybody loose with guns is goofy. You've got to start controlling the guns. If those cowboys hadn't had guns in the first place, they wouldn't have been in the house.

Whitewater valley flooding explained

I'D LIKE to comment on some of the reasons that opponents of the proposed lake are using. For starters, the lake is not designed to prevent flooding in Cape or Jackson. It is designed to prevent flooding in the Whitewater valley. The reason this river floods in this valley is there is no place for water to go that is being created by the excessive clearing of land. There is a bridge down at Schneider's Mill on Route OO that stops the flow of water. The creek has been pushed by old cars, trash, and trees, the river and Byrd Creek. If this were cleaned out, it would cost as much if not more than the lake, and it would solve this problem. So the people of this county need to address this problem. It is not the people's fault who are being flooded. We did not cause the problem. We have made numerous attempts to get these creeks cleared out over the years and have always been voted down. Now, it's either build the lake or clear out the creek or replant trees whenever you clear property. One way or another, we've got too much water coming down and not near enough flow. And the reason Cape and Jackson floods is because when all this additional water comes down through Whitewater River valley, it hits the Diversion Channel and backs up all these other little creeks.

Holy Family memories are rekindled

I HAD the pleasure of having Father Darling eat dinner in my home in December 1994. He came to my house to visit with the Spicers who were having dinner with me. The Spicers were among the first blacks attending Holy Family. We ate together, laughed together and reminisced about the good days of Holy Family church and school. I was not a member of the church, but my friends were and would visit often, especially the big May Day Festival each year. Father Darling is still the loving and kind father he was in 1940. May God forever bless him.

Canadian plan better than nothing

CONGRESSWOMAN EMERSON, you seem to be an authority on what's good for Canada. You said their plan isn't good for them because there's a waiting list. Well, there's no waiting list here. If you are low income and have no insurance or welfare, you just die, or else you lose everything you've got. Also, you feel that you'd like to work toward a more affordable insurance. Just what do you consider affordable? The average insurance plan for a single person is $300 a month, which most people cannot afford if they're forced to leave their employment and if they're under the age of 65. What do they do? Do you think there's no problem with health care? We have a big health-care problem in this country, and there's no excuse for it. We're almost to the year 2000. Yes, we need the Canadian plan. It would be good. It's not perfect, but it sure beats what we've got. We've got nothing.

Governor's logic is questioned

IF GOV. Carnahan's position is that the partial birth abortion is unnecessary legislation, why, in heaven's name, is he proposing a compromise? Now, if Carnahan were in a court of law, his testimony would be impeached and he would be laughed out of the witness seat. It's a sorry day when we hold criminals to a higher standard than we hold our elected officials. It's a sorry day in Missouri.

Kinder's efforts earn praise

I WANT to praise Sen. Peter Kinder for his move to override Gov. Mel Carnahan's veto. Kinder tried to put a stop to the needless slaughter of innocent babies. I believe that if our society continues to condone partial-birth abortion, we will eventually see ourself condoning mercy killings of the elderly and handicapped. Wake up, society.

High-rise parking at SEMO?

SEMO UNIVERSITY here in Cape does not need no more parking lots. What it needs is a parking high rise near the college itself, not way out in the country.

Health-care window dressing

I'D LIKE to speak to the people who call into Speak Out and write letters saying that we ought to have a national health care system, that we need this in order to get quality care at less cost. I would like for you to look to yourself and ask yourself if you are impressed by health-care facilities that have new wallpaper and fancy furniture. Do you want to go to an institution based on the kind of advertising that they present in the media, or do you really look around and see what kind of actual care you get while you're in the facility? If the focus were on paying for the things that really matter and that help people get well instead of the things that impress people, we could have a lot better health care with a lot less money.

Fast food at schools coddles students

AFTER READING the article Sept. 9 of the Southeast Missouri school district's lunch program, I am thinking, do the monkeys run the zoo? So we are now trying to encourage children to eat lunch by offering fast-food look-alikes and decorating the cafeteria like fast-food restaurants. I think we should halt this immediately. We should offer one balanced meal to all grades and demand that they stay on campus to eat. If the meal offered, which is printed in the Southeast Missourian weekly, is not to the student's liking, then the student or parent can pack a lunch to their choosing. This is unnecessary coddling of students which costs the taxpayers unnecessary dollars.

Tabloids are dream-world medium

A SPEAK Out caller recently told us that "tabloids keep us from living in a dream world." What a nightmarish statement. The opposite is true. Tabloid readers are taken into a dream world.