SPEAKOUT

Hate as entertainment

HAVING LISTENED to Rush Limbaugh for some time now, I cannot help but be puzzled by his statements that he does not engage in hate radio. I am puzzled because he certainly sounds like he hates President Clinton, Hillary, all liberals, many environmentalists and feminists. But since Rush says he is just an entertainer, he must want us to believe that his brand of hating is just good entertainment.

More senators too

A RECENT letter to the editor concerned increasing the number of representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives. For several years I've thought that we should have three senators per state instead of two because of the growing population. I agree with Donn S. Miller.

Taking responsibility

A YOUNG man drowned at Lake Boutin at Trail of Tears, and I'd like to express sympathy to the family. Some people are saying why don't they have a lifeguard out there, and the response is lack of public funding. It makes me wonder: People have got to start taking responsibility for their own actions. We can't afford to have a safety net for everything.

Naming the bridge

I'M CALLING in about naming the Mississippi River bridge, the new one after Mr. Emerson. I think that's great, but why does Missouri get to name the bridge? Doesn't Illinois help finance it? I was just concerned about that.

REPLY: Most of the funding for the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge will come from the federal government. Missouri and Illinois will pay for the remainder. As for naming the bridge, the resolution to name it after the late Bill Emerson was sponsored by legislators in both Illinois and Missouri.

Hillary who?

I TALKED to Eleanor Roosevelt, and she never heard of Hillary Clinton.

Memories of snakes

WE WOULD like to answer the piece in the paper about the blue racer snake. I was born and raised in Perry County between Crosstown and Red Rock, the old red clay rocky hill. We had blue racer snakes. They would chase as they played. They didn't hurt you. We'd get up on a stump, and that blue racer would go round and round that stump but he never bothered us. There's another snake I never hear talked about anymore. It's called the spreadhead. It's the same color as a toad, and when you come up on them they'll just flatten their head out just as flat as they can get them, but they do not bite. The blue racer snake does not bite. The blue racer snake is a friendly snake. I've often wondered why we don't see or hear about those two snakes anymore, the blue racer and the spreadhead.

Fireworks are for kids

I AM 45 years old and I am sick of everyone crying about fireworks. Have you forgotten what it is like to be a kid? No one was trying to ban them when you were using them. So do what I do: clean up the streets and yards, bring the animals in and hope the kids have a good time just like you did.