SPEAKOUT

Happy Hollow history

THERE WAS a big, brick building at the southeast corner of 106 South Frederick Street which was called the Ross Tobacco Co. 65 years ago. It was about 58 feet wide and 165 feet deep east. The part of Happy Hollow that has been suggested for the federal building is not on any fill-in ground. Also, there are now a couple of large brick buildings and a large concrete parking lot half way on the east side of the 100 block of South Frederick.

Crossing common sense

I'M CALLING in reference to the wife of the BN railroader who called about railroad-crossing safety in Oran. She made the comment about the state law that one must stop within 15 feet of a railroad crossing but that the stop sign in Oran was only nine feet from the crossing. If the stop sign was in the middle of the track, one would not stop on the track, would he? There are also crossbuck warning signs on both sides of this particular crossing to warn motorists. One must use common sense. Also, everyone who lives in Oran knows about this crossing. It has been here longer than most if not all the residents here. If one thinks it's too dangerous, there are two crossings here to use. I work for the railroad and have been on trains that have stuck automobiles at crossings with flashing lights where we doing 30 mph. We were doing everything we're supposed to do. The rest is up to the public. Stop, look, listen and live. I, for one, wholeheartedly agree with the Southeast Missourian editorial.

Gun information

IN RESPONSE to the caller concerning assault weapons, as a duly sworn police officer I would like to ask the fellow where the Constitution refers to the right to hunt. I have nothing against hunting, but the Second Amendment, as I read it, refers to the right to keep and bear arms. If we're going to water down the Second Amendment, how about the Fourth and Fifth? If these can be weakened, how about the sacred cow which is the First Amendment? I realize I'm talking over the head of most liberals, because I doubt if they have ever read the Bill of Rights, much less be familiar with its contents. The assault-weapons ban that was referred to bans many more weapons than the semi-automatic civilian variety of the AK47. This would include a little .22-caliber rifle with a tube magazine of more than 10 rounds. And notice I didn't mention semi-automatic .22 caliber. It could be a lever or pump-action .22. The fully automatic weapons, such as the AK47 M-16 has been controlled since 1928. As a police officer, I do support the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the right of private citizens to carry concealed weapons, since criminals carry concealed weapons.

Blame the newcomers

I'M CALLING in regards to the comments about the accent of people from Southeast Missouri. To me this just illustrates the intolerance in our city that's apparently come in with our immigrants from the big cities. You know, I can remember when you walked down the street in Cape and you would speak to people you didn't know. It was a very friendly place. But the last 15 years or so, with the influx of people from Chicago, St. Louis and others, it seems that we have a lot more intolerance and crime. If these people don't like our accents, maybe they could just go back to where came from, and Cape could be a nice place again.

Accent is like a melody

THIS IS relative to all the comments coming in about the so-called swamp bullfrog or whatever accent in Southeast Missouri. I grew up in St. Louis and lived there until 1988, and I tell you the Southeast Missouri accent is music to my ears. When I say "thank you" or "how are you," I love it. There's no other accent quite like it. You're just far enough south of St. Louis for the southern accent to take over. Like I said before, it is music to my ears.

Too much TV sports

I'M WONDERING if the Southeast Missourian could do us frustrated TV viewers a big favor. Could you print a big notice in the paper telling us when we can turn our TV sets on again? Why? The unconcerned arrogance of TV programmers doesn't account for those of us who are fed up with the non-stop back-to-back live sports. Especially all that lousy basketball and baseball. Let's face it, most regular dysfunctional programming is pathetic enough. But the spoiled bad attitudes of these overpaid jerks in basketball and baseball have ruined sportsmanship forever. The only folks who may want to watch all this live sports crap are the gamblers. Thank God I have a backlog of books to read. Even so, let us know when we can fire up the old TV again.

Another UFO sighting

I WAS calling in reply to the UFO comment. Our daughter who is 10 had come in and told us that she had seen something which she thought was an UFO and not an airplane with several lights on it. We didn't think anything about it until I read this in the paper. So I just wanted to call and let you know that, yes, someone else may have seen the same thing.

Check on the feds

IF THE county contemplating building a jail in partners with the federal government, this would be a definite mistake. Then the feds are going to tell you how to run your jail. They're not going to pay sufficient amount of funds. It's strange that over the last 10 years or so, Cape County has not housed any federal prisoners at all. There has to be a reason. I hope the commissioners check into this before they sign any kind of an agreement.

Enough real life

I HAVE some comments I'd like to make about film critic Michael Medved's comments in the newspaper. He said that movies and TV do not reflect real life and that movie makers and TV program makers don't make shows the public wants to see. The things that reflect real life that come out of Hollywood or television are called documentaries. They never find an audience. Film distributors and TV companies won't put them on because they're too controversial, too reality oriented and nobody will buy them or go to the movies to see them. They don't make money. Therefore, the film distributors and TV people don't put them on. If the public would like to see them, they have the opportunity to go to the library and the university to see the films, but most people don't. Apparently people have enough of real life in their everyday waking life. They watch TV and go to the movies not to see everything they've seen all day long, but to see something different. I'm sure Mr. Medved thinks "Pocahontas" and "Beauty and the Beast" are wonderful movies that everybody would like to see. However I have a hard time believing that they're real. When you have singing raccoons and dancing trees, what could possibly be more not real and yet undoubtedly high on Mr. Medved's top movies that are great? Please rethink. Reality is not always as pleasant as it's cracked up to be. Sometimes we just want escapism.

Keeping what you earn

AS A hard-working citizen, I am sick and tired of hearing these liberals complaining about what the government owes them. I wish people would start thinking about what they can do for the government and what they can do for their society. I'm sick of these liberals who treat the income tax as a misery tax. People who work hard and get a good education, which is the American dream, will make a good income. Why should they penalized with a misery tax which increases the more successful you are in life? If it weren't for hard-working educated people in this country, this country would be nothing. If everybody just sat back and waited for the government to give them benefits like many of these liberal people who call in expect, this government would be nothing and this country would be nothing. If taxes were cut, then there would be more spending money for each person. That way, instead of a person who makes a high income sending a large portion to Washington, the money would stay in that community where that high income person will spend it on real estate, cars and furniture. The person with the high income will keep that money in the community where it will create more jobs.

Against line-item veto

THESE REPUBLICANS are so much in favor of the line-item veto. Who are they trying to kid? President Clinton may be for it, but I don't agree with him in any way, shape or form. But the Republicans are so much for it because in the past we've had a Democratic Congress and a Republican president. Most of the time when we elected a Republican President, he always had a Democratic Congress. And they want to take the rights of the congressmen and senators and turn it over to the president. And that I don't want to see. As a taxpayer, I want my senator and congressman to have the power that I send them in for. God forbid if Dole has the line item veto in his hands with a Democratic Congress.

Dole doesn't deserve it

I'M LISTENING to this rhetoric that Bob Dole's putting out here on C-SPAN. I've got news for Mr. Dole and a bunch of other Republicans. The only way he'll ever see the inside of the White House is if he's invited over there by President Clinton. It's no more right for him to be president than it was for Richard Nixon to up there at the helm of the country. There's no way he deserves to be president. All he's done is sit on his can for 35 years and go against every kind of program for the poor people and for the working man. He's voted against every one of them. He's like Bill Emerson, has no heart anywhere. He deserves to be in politics all right, because politics is a hard road to hoe. It's for heartless people up there who don't care about anybody, just to get legislation passed. And another thing, about this gun control law. Why don't they quit hashing around in the House and Senate. Why don't they put it on the ballot in November like a referendum and see what the American people want? You'd be surprised how quick that gun law would go out the door, that assault weapon deal, if the people had a chance to vote on it. How stupid do they think we are up there?

Questions about English

I WOULD like to speak out on English as the official language of Missouri. I do believe that everyone should learn English. It gives us the commonality that bonds us together. However, in the real world, I have to believe that we should be able to speak whatever works, whatever gets the job done fastest. If you're a Hispanic social worker, you have a Hispanic client who does not speak English, then you should be able to speak Spanish, whatever works, whatever's fastest. Also, how far are they are going to take this? If you go to court and you need an interpreter, are you going to be allowed an interpreter? You have a right to know what those charges are against you, and you have the right to hear the testimony of the people who testify against you. If you're deaf, will they provide in sign language? That would be kind of a borderline thing. What if you're blind. Would they give you stuff in Braille, or would they say English is the official language here?

Mostly it's taxes

TO THE person on gasoline prices, you are only paying 75 cents for gas. The rest is taxes. The same goes for cigarettes. You pay $2 excise tax on every carton in Cape. An idea that might work: if you pay taxes Cokes and hamburgers, five cents each, we might be able to pay off the national deficit.

Constitutional waffling

THE SAME people that supported Senate Bill 380 with is unconstitutional $310 million-a-year tax increase, now do not support House Bill 1037 because they think it may be unconstitutional. Where is their credibility?