SPEAKOUT

More on the Unabomber

TO THE speaker-outers who have requested a definition of "una": "Uno" is Latin for "one" and may be translated as "one man." Thus, a Unabomber is one who works alone. An oft-quoted Latin expression is "unus vir, nullus vir," meaning "one man, no man," which has come to mean "two heads are better than one." Obviously, our notorious Unabomber didn't think so.

Standards for vouchers

THIS VOUCHER idea we've been hearing something about for poor people to have choice of school -- is that for the poor only? And if so, what is the yardstick on poor and who determines that? Would that not be considered discrimination against the people who have money? Please, give me some answers.

REPLY: Public school districts currently administer a number of programs that rely on state and federal funding that are measured by predetermined levels of poverty. Since the standards already exist, they could be used to administer a voucher program too.

United on abortion teaching

WE NEED to all get behind this priest over here at St. Mary's who had this sermon on abortion. Pat him on the back and God bless him. All of the pastors, Lutheran, Baptist, all the way down the line, you pastors, get behind this man. Let's just don't let people give him a hard way to go. Back him up. That's what Bible teaching is. Abortion is killing. It's murder.

Describe all the sins

I'D LIKE to say that everybody, especially the Catholics, if they want their priests describe in detail the sins of the abortion, why not have the priest describe in detail the sins of adultery, the sins of the fornication, in details so the children can hear it, the sins of murder, well, they see that on TV, etc. You get my point. Describe it in detail so the children can hear it.

Elect Clinton, gas goes up

I WOULD like to make a comment on the higher gas prices and the other people who hate paying these high prices. You've got to thank the people who voted for Bill Clinton, because it's Bill Clinton who raised the gas prices. Sounds like Jimmy Carter's in there with them too. Remember 1976?

Cavalier about life

I don't believe that there are that many Democrats who profess to be human beings who can support a person like President Clinton who would have such a cavalier attitude toward human life. I will not vote for any person or any party that supports the destruction of baby human life. How can we do things of this nature and still point our fingers at Germany when we have worse than that going on here? Think carefully when you pull your lever or cast your ballot for the president of the United States.

Too young for pro sports

I THINK it is absolutely ridiculous on how the NBA will take a kid right out of high school -- a junior, not a senior -- to play professional basketball. What ever happened to the morals and the education and the teaching in this country? It's ridiculous. This kid could lose out and have a knee injury, and his career would be over. Then what would he do? Well, he'd probably be a criminal. He's probably end up behind bars just like everybody else who's uneducated. I think it's ridiculous, it's repulsive and money makes the world go round, even in sports. I think people from the past in the NBA and any other sports would roll over in their graves if they knew these kids were taken at 17 years old to play professional basketball.

Thanks for city cleanup

I WANTED to thank the city of Cape Girardeau for having cleanup days. We got rid of items we no longer needed. Some of it was picked up before the city trucks arrived. So I presumed our trash was someone else's treasure. Again, I feel cleanup days are great. I only wish they could do the same in the fall.

Fascists will be repudiated

I ADMIRE Donn Miller of Tamms for calling a spade a spade in his letter to the editor. Fascists such as many of the new House Republicans, Peter Kinder and the Southeast Missourian will be repudiated in November.

Help spruce up Oak Ridge

TO THE town of Oak Ridge: We have a nice school, two nice churches and some nice homes that are well taken care of. It is time some others take a look at their homes. Paint does wonders. How about removing old cars, refrigerators and junk from porches and yards? Make the town look like it did several years ago. It is embarrassing to the ones that do care.

Dismissed for speaking up

IN THE current issue of the Rutherford News there is an article about a doctor who was working for the Clinton Peace Corps who had been dismissed because he claimed that the sexual revolution was over, that it had commited suicide. His views were that abstinence from sexual activity or mutual lifelong sexual monogamy are 100 percent effective ways to prevent the contracting AIDS. But his views ran against the grain of traditional Peace Corps education. He said you can't even go to the bathroom in the Peace Corps without getting a lesson in condom use. He also indicated that 95 percent of Peace Corps volunteers are sexually active with the native population. By the time he left Africa, 33 volunteers had contracted AIDS from sexual intercourse with nationals. The Peace Corps terminated this man's job eight months ahead of schedule without a buyout. You see, the doctor took a stand against the misleading and dangerous message which is constantly being forced down the throats of American people, which says the use of condoms make casual sexual encounters safe. He should be applauded, not dismissed.

Speed limits and gas prices

PRESIDENT Clinton cannot understand why gas prices are going up, and he has put U.S. government supplies in use to help control higher prices. Also, he has appointed a committee to study why prices are going up like they are. Dole says repeal the 1993 gas tax increase. The problem is very obvious. Our politicians raised the speed limit, and the law refuses to seriously enforce the speed laws. We also see that they don't care about more people getting killed on the roads. People's egos are the only reason for driving faster, not necessities.

Other art students, teacher

I WOULD like to respond to the article in the newspaper about the Cape Girardeau public school art exhibit that they have at the public library. It was a wonderful article, but I would like the community to know there is another art teacher and there are other art students. The article zeroed in on only one teacher and specifically one student.

NASCAR section was nice

JUST WANTED to say that the NASCAR section was really nice in your paper. Keep up the good work. Hope you would consider moving the section from the Saturday paper to the Monday paper. I think it would be nice to have it the day after the races, the weekend of the races.

Abortion is private matter

I WOULD like to come to the defense of that person who had the courage to speak against his priest about the strong sermon on going through the gory ordeal of abortion, the one that President Clinton vetoed. I know that he's unpopular, but he has the courage to speak out. I am not Catholic, but my pastor also speaks out on abortions, maybe not as strong as that. Each abortion should be handled individually. I think that the priest or the government or the pastors have no business in the woman's delivery room telling her what and what not to do, particularly when it pertains to her life.

Too much sensationalism

SOMETHING NEEDS to be said concerning all the anti-choice I read in Speak Out and letter section. Anti-choicers are taking this partial-birth abortion and blowing it up into all kinds of sensationalism. This does not constitute the majority of abortions. These anti-choicers are often the same ones known to favor limiting to single poor women and their children. They would better use their time at seeing hungry women and children are better housed and fed.

Fiddling with nature

I CANNOT understand why we have a flood in this part of the country every two to three years now. It makes no sense. They have tried to take what God put here, and they've channeled it to point where we have fought it to death. We're all tired of it. I work on commercial properties and industrial properties, and we're fighting it like crazy. You cannot dam up what God put here and expect it to work.

KFVS can't spell either

CHANNEL 12 is not making the grade by misspelling "Bismarck" two consecutive mornings.

Dealing with tax cheats

I'M VERY happy to read that the tax cheats will have an extremely difficult time in Wisconsin. I do hope and trust that other states follow suit immediately.