SPEAKOUT

Makes schools safe

I believe strongly that guns and knives in schools should be banned. There is enough violence in the world. Let schools be a safe place for children to learn and have fun. But administrators, principals, parents and teachers have to keep an eye on the children. If they see violence start, one thing leads to another and someone could get badly hurt or die. Violence in schools is growing more and more nowadays, and fighting does not solve anything. It only creates more problems.

Minimum-wage slavery

If these businesses cannot pay their help at least $7 or $8 an hour, they're doing slave labor. What can working people buy with $4.25 an hour? Let's cut out the slavery of today.

The balloon test

To the person who was at the fair and got one blue Emerson Republican balloon and one green Democratic balloon: They claim that the Democrats are full of hot air. Well, maybe. But the Republican balloon reminds me of Dole's programs to help the rich. They can't get off the ground because Bill Clinton has always knocked 'em down.

Elect a Missourian

It's difficult for me to understand why you promote Jo Ann Emerson. Most intelligent people would be happy to be represented by a true Missourian, not someone Newt Gingrich would like to have in the House. The late Bill Emerson was born in Missouri but spent most of his adult life as a lobbyist in the Washington, D.C., area until he was encouraged by the Republican Party and some financially secure citizens of the area to be their representative. Now it's time for us to elect a true Missourian as our representative, and Emily Firebaugh would be a great choice. It seems like the only one you know about it Jo Ann Emerson, and I don't believe she's a Missourian.

Story was unwarranted

I think that the article about the John Lowell case and him killing himself in jail was completely uncalled for. They had no business putting that in the paper. That was a very personal and private thing. I will never have respect for the newspaper like I did before.

Control the traffic

I just read in the paper about the paving of Old Cape Road on out to Jackson Boulevard. We already have a race track over here on Old Cape Road. What are we going to have now? And it's time to stop the truck route running through here. There are 18-wheelers running all hours of the night. Now we're going to have more unless it's stopped. Put some signs up, 30 miles per hour, because we can't even get in and out of our driveways.

Suicide intervention

It's unfortunate that an 18-year-old has to hang himself in the city jail before people educate themselves on suicide prevention. Where are all these wonderful community counselors who should've been there intervening and helping this boy?

Construction safety

I would like to speak out about the speed limit in construction zones. The speed limit is 45 mph. The sign says, "Merge right, left lane closed." It does not say "Drive like hell trying to cut off the person in front of you so you can speed through the construction zone at 55 miles per hour, making construction workers run hither and yon." I just wish that some of those construction workers had the power to perform a citizen's arrest. I'm sure they would. I know I would if I were in their boots.

Emerson not one of us

If Jo Ann Emerson was sincere, she would have her daughter enrolled in Central High School to say, "Look, I'm one of you people. I want my daughter to go to school here." She knows nothing about Southeast Missouri, I don't care what she says or how much she traveled with her husband. She's not from here, and she has no qualifications. She just married into it. She's just going to be a tool of the Republican Party, Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey. All she wants to do is just use this place. She's like a carpet bagger. The people can't see through that. Emily Firebaugh is one of us. She was in business here, she was a teacher here and when she leaves Washington she'll come right back here. Maybe Bill Emerson's roots were here, but his wife is not a native of here.

Check cap origins

The cap factory in Advance closed. When a person buys a cap, they should check where it was made. China and Korea are big in the cap business, and a lot of those caps are made by child labor. If they're made in China or Korea, put them back on the table.

We need Clinton

This is about Clinton. I hope to God that he wins. We need Clinton right now, he's a good president.

Transportation service

I'm calling in regard to the Cape County Transit. It is a very useful service to the handicapped elderly, and it also provides transportation for children to the Easter Seals Center. Without this service, many elderly or handicapped would not be able to shop for groceries or keep doctors' appointments. I have been informed that funding is possibly going to be dropped. Please, everyone, support this good cause, for it is needed for the good service they provide.

Giving Utah away

Bill Clinton gave Utah's land away while he was in Arizona because he knew very well that he wasn't going to get any votes from Utah. It's easy to give something away that you're not going to get anything back from. He knew he was going to get some votes from Arizona. So he stayed in Arizona and gave away Utah's land. And the governor didn't know anything about it until 11 hours before Bill Clinton did it. Oh, how cheap and how low.

Trouble with the truth

It seems that some American prisoners of war were left behind in North Korea after the war. The Eisenhower administration knew about this and lied about it. Did I say lied? Shut my mouth! Republicans don't lie, they just have trouble telling the truth.

Forgiveness for sins

Pictures speak louder than words. After seeing the pictures in the Missourian on the opinion page regarding Bill Clinton and Susan McDougal that was headed "Which of these zippers concerns Bill CLinton most?" I feel that we adults are teaching our young people that we do not have a Christian mind or that we do not realize that many times people may commit a sin and be forgiven. If you cannot be forgiven from a sin, aren't we all in a lot of trouble?

Blackwell's letters

I enjoy reading Sam Blackwell's column in the form of a letter. Are these people he writes to real, or relatives, or is it just a ploy? Just curious.

REPLY: Sam Blackwell's columns are in the form of letters to real people he has known over the years.

Full responsibility?

William Perry says he accepts full responsibility for troops being killed. Attorney General Janet Reno says she accepts full responsibility for killing the kids in Texas. What does it mean? They don't lose their job, no loss of pay and surely their government pension is not hurt. So please tell me what it means when these Democrats accept full responsibility.

Dole and drugs

What business does Bob Dole have in attacking President Clinton on his so-called drug crises? Bob Dole has been around a long time and not once has he said anything about drugs until this recent government study came out. Then Bob jumped on the bandwagon. Granted, both candidates are making claims of doing this and that, but Bob Dole was the guy who didn't even think nicotine was addictive, and now all of a sudden he's a crusader against drugs. Get real! He says government should get out of people's private lives, that government is too big. Then he turns around and claims President Clinton is not protecting our youth from drugs. How absurd. Bob Dole does nothing more than talk out of both sides of his face. This is just another one of his desperate attempts to gain the presidency.

Inane rhetoric

When is Bob Dole going to explain how he's going to do everything he says he's going to do? How's he going to pay for his tax cut? How's he going to reduce crime? He seems to following the Republican tradition of personal attacks, half-baked ideas and blatant lies. Maybe he could win respect, if not votes, if he'd tell the truth and stick with the real issues, such as jobs, education and health care, and knock off his inane rhetoric.

Football and politics

Hello, you Jackson football Indians. I can't wait til the Cape Central Tigers get hold of you. It'll be like Clinton getting hold of Dole.

Try it first

Bob Dole criticizes music he's never heard. He also criticizes movies he never saw. How can he criticize marijuana use if he's never used it? Yeah, Bob, the first thing I want to do after smoking a big, fat doobie is go out and commit a crime.

Governor on front page

It was great to see a real educational governor on the front page of the Missourian this week. Not like the last two governors, who professed to be, but sank Missouri to the 47th in state-supported education. It's rare to see the governor on the front of this paper too.

Power of government

I want to comment on the federal land grab, where Clinton took 2 million acres of land and put it under federal control. This land was privately owned, and the Indians owned a lot of it. It's just horrendous that the federal government would still be taking the Indians' land without their permission and just federalizing it. No return money for loss of the privilege of the land or any of the resources, just a federal edict declaring that it's now federal land. That shows you the power of the government. I think the right of private property should be one of our main rights, but it's being overridden in the guise of protecting parks and stuff like this. This land was rich in minerals, and the Indians have lost again.