SPEAKOUT

Thanks for band concert

A BIG thank you to the Southeast Missourian, Ron Nall and the Central band for the Air Force concert. This fine-looking group gave a very enjoyable performance. Thanks again.

Principal choice questioned

I'D LIKE to direct this comment to the Cape Girardeau Board of Education and superintendent. I think you goofed when you hired Dr. Dan Tallent as high school principal. Where is the cool, calm, solid judgment that should come from a man in this position? Instead of concentrating on taking care of real student problems, he makes a rash and hasty decision to reprimand students who support their team by yelling "air ball." How utterly ridiculous. School leaders, you need to correct this error quickly.

President's old trick

I WANT to comment about the presidents' speech Tuesday. He said he wanted to get along. Later he said he wasn't going to compromise on the assault weapons ban. What is this? We can get along, but I'm not going to compromise. Clinton also said you shouldn't take money from lobbyists, but who is it asking everybody to contribute to his defense fund? I wonder if he asks people who are donating money if they are lobbyists? It's just ironic. It's just the same old trick. Say one thing and do something else.

No fair trial

I THINK O.J. Simpson is not getting a fair trial.

I WISH that KFVS would put something on TV instead of that O.J. Simpson thing. People are tired of it. We really don't care if he's guilty. If he's not, that's fine too. But please get it off. We're tired of looking at it all day long.

I JUST wish they would take this O.J. Simpson trial off the networks. Why do we have to have this crammed down our throats? I mean, they could have it on the news for a few minutes, just following up with a summary of what's going on, I think that's ridiculous. I'm going to call the TV station too.

Best message ever

PRESIDENT Bill Clinton delivered the best State of the Union message I have ever listened to. He wants to so much for this country. Some say we want action. We've had action under Bill Clinton. I've never seen a president work so hard as he has. We do need health care, and we do need a raise in minimum wage, and we need to keep a lid on the Brady bill gun bill. I applaud President Clinton for that. This man is working very hard regardless of what Bob Dole says or does. I heard Bob Dole say when Clinton was elected he would not get any help from him. Mr. Dole, this is not between you and the president. It's what's best for the country.

Old male stereotypes

TO THE idiot who would prefer working in a nude bar than for slave wages, why don't you stop and realize that maybe, just maybe, professional women in business are paid slave wages because the old male stereotype that women are sex objects. Wake up and grow up.

Conservative intelligence

POLITICAL Junkie said Jay Eastlick and other conservatives are both well-read and intelligent. I used to have a very conservative and well-read landlord. He said he never could understand what President Nixon did in Watergate that was so bad. No, not all of your are intelligent. This is Political Junkie II.

Have rules changed?

I JUST read where Coach Kitchen from Cape Central said that the principal acted according to Missouri State High Activities Association rules prohibiting negative cheering by all fans. I just wonder where Coach Kitchen and these rules were back in 1981-83 when I was a member of the raunchy rooters at Central High School. Not only did we chant at the opposing players, we took newspapers to hold up in front of our faces when they announced the opposing team, and we even threw things out onto the floor when we felt it necessary. Is this a new rule or has it been around and just not enforced? What's going on?

Words are abused

I TOO, am a Republican, just like Abraham Lincoln, but I must say Lincoln made a dire mistake when he did not elaborate on his words "all men are created equal." Those words have been used, abused and misused because he did not take the time to elaborate on what he meant. The only way that all men are created equal is in that all men who are born have a choice to do right or to wrong. I have all kinds of children, some with blue eyes, some with brown eyes and some with green eyes. They can't all sing, they can't all dance and they can't all play music. One is not as perceptive as the other. They are all different in every way you can even think of. Consequently, all men are not created equal, because they've been that way since the day they were born.

Game attendance

IN MY opinion, the administration at Cape Central High and the athletic director have no one to blame but themselves when the attendance at sporting events drops.

Likes O.J. coverage

I AM a current events buff. I see the O.J. Simpson trial every day on Channel 25. I suppose the people that don't have cable do find it an irritant if they don't like watching current events. But I find it very engrossing being a buff of anything that happens currently and I am glad that is being shown on Channel 25. This might be a good time for people to buy cable.

Respect the flag

I HAVE full sympathy for the people in Kobe who were injured or lost their homes in the earthquake but I agree with the person who wrote to Speak Out. The flag is not a tablecloth, and we are only promoting misuse and abuse of our flag by allowing this to happen by some people who probably are not aware of it. Someone needs to tell them our flag is precious to America.

Tired of O.J.

I'M SURE I miss a lot of TV news that I'd like to see, but I get so tired of O.J. coverage that I turn it completely off. Thanks for letting me complain even though it won't do any of us any good.

Democrats and cuts

I WOULD like to make a comment about the Democrats going around hollering that the Republican Party wants to cut Social Security. It was only four months your own political leader and your own surgeon general, Jocelyn Elders, said "Why should we spend this much on senior citizens? After all, they're going to die anyway of something aren't they?" Democrats complain about what's going to be cut when they had a person like Jocelyn Elders up there making statements like that. Get real, Democrats. See the light and listen to Rush Limbaugh.

Give students a chance

AS A high school student in the 1960s, my grades were mediocre at best. I put more effort into having fun than into studying. After graduation, I spent a year working at a dead-end job which, if nothing else, convinced me of the value of a college education. I enrolled at SEMO and graduated four years later. Mark Scully was SEMO's president at that time. Dr. Scully's main objective was to keep tuition as low as possible and give everyone in the area a chance to get a college degree. Many of the students failed, but there were also those who reversed the low grades of their high school days and went on to obtain their degrees. I would support denying loans and grants to students with low ACT scores, but to deny a cash-paying student a chance to prove himself is nothing short of ridiculous, especially at a time when SEMO officials are crying about declining enrollment. Let all cash-paying student enroll, and weed out the bad ones, the old fashioned way, in the classroom.

Cutting PBS funding

THE REPUBLICANS want to stop funding for the Public Broadcasting System and national public radio. Considering the fine programming on these two, isn't is shortsighted to cut funding? Shouldn't we be trying to raise the cultural level of our country? The amount that PBS and NPR are funded now equals what the Pentagon spends in 10 hours. And we give to Israel and Egypt each year a total of $5.5 billion. How about cutting 10 hours worth spending by the Pentagon on overseas bases and drastically reducing aid to Israel and Egypt instead?