SPEAKOUT

Honesty lives

MY DAUGHTER and I want to thank the honest person who found her watch at Wal-Mart around noon on Dec. 27 in Cape Girardeau. This person was very honest and turned it into the customer service desk. There are some honest people in this world, and we want to thank whoever did it from the bottom of our hearts.

Personal touch

AFTER READING the stories about Christmas for the Elderly, it seems to me that the main thing most of the elderly people need, especially the ones living alone, would be for someone to invite them to home for dinner.

Moaning about Mona

I JUST really wonder what other newspaper in the country has the lack of taste that the Southeast Missourian does to carry Mona Charen's columns. I tell you what, without a doubt she's the stupidest woman and the stupidest columnist I've ever read in my life. She's trying to make a hero out of Nixon. Everybody in the country but the Republicans know he was the biggest liar and thief who's ever been born. Yes, I'm one of the people who think Nixon had a lot to do with the Kennedys being assassinated, because if they hadn't been, you never would have seen Nixon in politics. He would never have made president. Nobody wanted him in there.

Not from Cape, thanks

I'M CALLING in from Perryville, and I would just like to say that I think it would be very inadvisable for the Perryville School Board to consider anyone associated with the Cape Girardeau School District for any position in our school district. I think it would be very, very inadvisable.

Conservative cover

THE VOTERS of this country are overwhelmingly conservative. Look at the record: Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Eugene McCarthy, Adlai Stevenson. All liberals, all losers, most by landslides. So how did Bill Clinton, the most flaming liberal of them all get elected? He got elected by acting conservative. He promised tax cuts, he promised to change welfare, he promised to balance the budget, not in seven years but in five years. In short, he did what he does best, he lied, and the American voters won't be fooled again.

Don't change

TO PUT a mule on our license plates would give out the message that we're a country-bumpkin state instead of the wonderful state of Missouri that we are. So to those people who will make this decision, please do not change our license plate. Leave it as it is, and don't put a mule or Rush Limbaugh on it.

School taxes

I AM a senior citizen. I paid my taxes. I was just astounded to find my school taxes more than three-fourths of my total bill. I guess I've just never very carefully observed it before.

Fed up with GOP

I THINK the people are pretty fed up. Only one year in Congress, I think they're fed up with the Republican Party. They know their colors.

Train whistle

IF A teen-ager plays his car stereo too loud, he creates a peace disturbance. Yet the train that comes through Cape between 5 and 6 every morning gets by with murder. It must be stopped. During these cold, clear nights with the ground hard and no leaves on the trees to absorb the sound, the sound shatters the entire Cape and East Cape area, north, south, east and west. Case in point, about 5:45 a.m. Dec. 29 I was awakened by several shrill blasts from the train, I would say more than six blasts. I finally got back to sleep, and at 6:02 a.m. there were more blasts. I counted nine blasts over a period of four minutes that shattered the night. I am aware of the safety at train crossings, but this is absurd.

Remember the reason

THE MERCHANTS are sad about the Christmas sales this last year. Could people be realizing what a farce Christmas is becoming, gaudy lighting, fat Santas everywhere, useless gifts, toys for kids who already have too much? Next year let's remember the Christ child and gifts of love.

Sikeston starters

THIS IS response to Jamie Hall's column, "I can see but a little too well." Now if we could only do something for his knowledge. Could it be Sikeston is 0-5 because four of their five starters are playing college ball and one is studying to be a doctor? Maybe you should check these things out.

Spoon advice

MR. SULLIVAN, you must wash the spoon. It has been contaminated by someone else handling it and could have germs on it. So please send it to the dishwasher.

Straighter facts

I'VE GOT information for the caller under the heading of "Straight facts." He apparently must be a Democrat, because he wound up saying he wished people would get their facts straight. He puts the blame for the deaths and the atrocities in Somalia on the Republicans. That's not necessarily true. Secretary of Defense Perry failed to ship the equipment that would have protected the troops and stopped the death of dozens of our men. Later on, Perry himself admitted that he had made a mistake by withholding this equipment and materials they needed. It wasn't the Republicans who made this stupid error. It was a Democrat.