SPEAKOUT

Daily TV listings

I THINK the TV coverage in the daily paper is just terrible. I really miss the complete schedule being given, especially since the weekly schedule is often wrong. Just last night, the schedule said absolutely nothing about the country music show replacing two hours of regular programming. If the daily paper had a complete schedule it could make corrections and at least be accurate and we could see what the cable channels contained also. I think it would be a big improvement to have the whole schedule returned.

REPLY: Thanks for your comments. Changes in television programming are published daily on the comics page. The changes for Jan. 27 included the "Best of Country" show.

Special rights for gays

THE GAY rights movement is trying to get special rights, rules, regulations and special legislation based on sexual behavior. They don't simply want the same civil rights afforded to other Americans like me. They already have all these civil rights. They want special, preferential treatment, which is a stupid thing to consider, because none of the rest of us has any special rights based on our sexual behavior, heterosexual or whatever it may be.

Social Security warning

I HAVE voted for Bill Emerson in every election. However, if the Republicans let Newt Gingrich touch the Social Security fund in any way, I will from this day forward vote forever a straight Democratic ticket.

Thanks for blood

I WOULD like to give a big thank you to everyone who donated blood this weekend and to the Red Cross. My life depends on that.

Working with the GOP

PRESIDENT CLINTON, what is this? You'll work with a Republican Congress? Let them work with you. We voted for you for president. At least I did. I didn't vote for the Congress to run the nation.

For PBS funding

Slips of the tongue

WHEN BILL Clinton stated on Black Entertainment Television that "black people like to watch the same things as normal people," no major media outlet excoriated the president for being so insensitive to the plight of black people. Yet you let a congressman like Dick Army make a slip of the tongue, and every major media outlet is on his case for it. This double standard has got to quit. The people need to realize just exactly what the media are all about.

Road work needed

I'M CALLING referring to road report on Cape County roads. Our roads out here in the northwest part of the county are worse they've been in the last 20 years. We would like to see a major improvement in the roads.

Brotherhood Month

I RECENTLY attended a state conference for a national organization at which the speaker, an African-American woman, kept referring to February as "Brotherhood Month." I like the idea of including people from all races in a month-long celebration of unity. How does everyone else feel about this?

Comic commentary

I JUST wanted to call and tell you how much I enjoyed Ellen Goodman's and Sen. Eagleton's columns. They provide an excellent comic relief to the editorial pages.

Prisoners on floor

I hope Cape voters never vote for more prison beds. Make the prisoners sleep on the floor, not on beds. In two years time, Cape will have empty prisons when the prisoners find out they won't be treated like kings and queens.

Assault weapons

THIS IN answer to that bird-brain Democrat who is complaining about President Clinton's stand on AK7s, machine guns and assault rifles. I happen to be one Republican that agrees with the president on the stand he is taking. He doesn't want to take away your handguns, hunting rifles and shotguns, but he does want to get the assault weapons out of the hands of the criminals that attack people in public places and spray homes on any given day or night. Many Democrats gave up their seat in Congress by voting with him on this, and I believe that he is willing to give up the presidency to see that the criminals have them taken away and to keep them in the hands of the law enforcement officers. After all, would you want to be endangered yourself and your family by one of these goons that misuse these weapons? I say to the president, keep up the good work and hang in there.

Memories of sheets

I WOULD like to say thank you to Jean Bell Mosley for her memory of white sheets. I bought some recently at a sale, and I am sure they have gone through most of the process Mosley mentioned. What a pleasant childhood memory. I could smell the sunshine as I took them off the line. What a nice bit of American history.

Defacing Rushmore

I THOUGHT it was against the law to deface government property, especially like Mount Rushmore. Why does Rush Limbaugh have a commercial on television with his picture on Mount Rushmore? And if it's against the law, I want to press charges against him.

Balanced budget vote

I WOULD like to commend two Missouri congressmen, Rep. Clay and Rep. Gephardt, for their votes concerning the balanced budget, but I deplore Congressman Emerson's vote to not to exempt Social Security from being cut. When he says he's for the poor and senior citizens, that contradicts his statement.

Singing the anthem

IT WAS pleasant to hear the national anthem sung in a normal and patriotic manner by Kathy Lee Gifford at the Super Bowl.

Jail suggestion

RECENT NEWSPAPER articles indicate overcrowding at the local county jail with some prisoners having to be released early. The cost of housing prisoners and increased numbers could be reduced by building a minimum-security detention facility, such as a road camp or honor farm. This type of facility would be used to house only nonviolent and weekender sentences. Those housed in the regular jail would be more violent prisoners and those awaiting trial.

Older welfare mothers

SINCE THEY are taking welfare payments away from teen-age mothers, why not the older ones too? There are older women receiving these benefits while the father of the child lives with her and also is working without his earnings being known to the welfare system. This is much worse than the teen-agers receiving welfare. If they're going to clean this up, get the ones that are really old enough to know better.