SPEAKOUT

Big reward offer

HOW CAN the federal government afford to offer an up to a $2 million reward for information about those two men they are looking for when that money comes out of our pocket? They didn't even ask our permission to do it. They can afford to offer up to a 2 million dollar reward when we have such a gigantic deficit. It doesn't make any sense to me.

REPLY: The reward probably makes sense to the many Americans who were appalled by the needless death and mayhem. It also looks like the reward may have helped provide important information.

Advance cheerleaders

I AM wondering why the Advance school newspaper hasn't run a picture of the high school cheerleaders selected several weeks ago. Is it because they would have to run two pictures, one with the first captain mentioned, and another one with the co-captain that moved up to share the captain's position? Who took it upon themselves to do this, the sponsor, the principal? I don't think so. They just do as they are told, but by whom? Seems to me this is a good way to lose one or both, although they are good people who do a very good job.

The real heroes

NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, private citizens, please, please don't do this anymore. Could we all just please stop referring to O.J. Simpson as a hero? He was a guy who played football who's a thug and possibly a murderer. A hero are people who are working desperately to save lives, extract the dead, extract the living, putting themselves in danger from falling debris in Oklahoma City. O.J. Simpson is not a hero, these people are heroes, but I think they would hesitate even to call themselves heroes. They're simply being human and humane and doing what they think anybody else might do.

Forests for the people

IT SEEMS to me that the needs of this country have changed since the national forests were first established. The timber industry has had more than enough time to become self-sustaining. The government should not be growing trees for lumber yards any more than they grow corn for farmers. The national forests are the property of the people, and what we need from them has changed. What we need today is recreation areas and we need habitat for our birds and animals. Those are the new public priorities for what to do with our forests.

Cleanup scavenging

JUST WONDER if people noticed all the different cars and trucks that go around scavenging on the spring cleanup. During the night, people were shining spotlights all over the neighborhood and going through our trash out by the curb. I was wondering if there was some kind of ordinance against doing that. It's kind of spooky knowing that sometimes I'm away at night leaving my wife and family at home.

REPLY: One person's trash is another's treasure. What's the harm letting someone else find a good use for what otherwise would go to the landfill?

Fence post punishment

I HAVE just read the article about the woman who was tied to the fence post filing a false report. If this is true that she filed a false report, I think she should be tied to the post for turning it in. Our law officers have enough to do to take care of the real crimes.

Waiting for justice

IT APPEARS that the Oklahoma City bombers will be caught. President Clinton guaranteed swift justice in asking for the death penalty. The problem with that is in our system they will have free room and board for years of appeals before it will actually happen.

Still critical

IN JON Rust's column about one of the worst disasters in America's history, the bombing in Oklahoma City, he still has to be critical of the president. Unbelievable.

Punishment idea

IN REFERENCE to this Oklahoma bombing and these people they have arrested: I don't think they need to seek the death penalty. I think it would be a good idea to put them in isolation cells with photos and videos of all the children and all the pain and the people who have suffered and fix it so that they don't have any contact with any humans at all and keep an eye on them so they can't kill themselves.