SPEAKOUT

Criticism is deserved

I'D JUST like to comment on the column by Mr. Sullivan on Sunday's paper defending Speak Out against members of the school board. The school board does not like Speak Out because it is critical of the outlandish and wild decisions the school board makes and it rubs in their face the fact that no one in this community has an ounce of backing for the school board and they don't want to see that in print. So what are they trying to do? They are trying to change that or modify it because they don't want to see the criticism that they so richly deserve in print.

Where's Webster?

SPEAKING OF Slick Willie, could you Republicans tell me where Slick Willie Webster is right now?

REPLY: Bill Webster, former attorney general of Missouri and Republican candidate for governor in 1992, is currently in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of misusing the resources of his state office for campaign purposes.

Venting frustrations

THIS IS a message for Mr. Joe Sullivan, the editor of the Missourian. He had asked for input as far as whether to leave Speak Out in or to eliminate it. Please, please, leave it in. It is a way for all of us people out here to vent our frustrations. I know many times I may call in with something I feel strongly about, and it does not get printed, but I feel better for having to talked to a machine, because I know somebody has to listen to it. Please leave that in. That's part of the people.

Bidding process

THIS CALL is regarding the bidding of two-way radios for the Cape Girardeau school system. During the bidding process the bid specifications are written (usually by the bidder and given to the board) so as to virtually eliminate all other competitors from bidding on the purchase. They do that so that the purchaser can do business with the company they want to do business with. When taxpayer money is at hand, the process should be fair and open to all and not put any undo restraints on any of the participants. In addition, I believe there is a conflict of interest on the part of one of the board members since it is her company bidding on the equipment. Also, every board member knows she owns the company which is bidding on the equipment, so there in itself is some unspoken pressure on the other members to approve her bid even if she did leave the room in the actual bid process. What we have here is the board and especially one board member not acting on what is the school district's best interest but what is in the best interest of the individual board member.

Turncoat Gramm

SEN. GRAMM, you are a turncoat. You live in a glass house. You scorn the president for not serving in Vietnam, but also you did not serve. You say it's different. I was all for it, but he protested against it. You remind me of the man that said let's go fight, I'll hold your coat. Also you say the liberals want something from the government. You sure have gall.

Emergency lights

TO THE young man driving the small pickup truck on Kingshighway near Cape Rock on Monday morning with a small child next to him, don't get all upset with me for pulling to the curb and slowing down. There was an ambulance with red lights and siren on right behind you trying to get through traffic. I suspect your mind was elsewhere but I didn't appreciate the arm waving and the movements and gestures you were making.

WWII anniversaries

THE WHOLE country is honoring World War II with 50th anniversary remembrances. Just where does Vietnam fit in? There was Korea, Panama, Desert Storm, Lebanon, Iraq and others. What the heck is wrong with these Vietnam veterans?

OUR TRUE heroes are living Vietnam veterans. They did it all, and they still continue to do it all.

Dodging the non-war

HOW CAN anyone be a draft dodger when there was no war? Get off the president. He and a lot of others just did their constitutional rights.

Cheers for St. Mary's

CONGRATULATIONS to the St. Mary's eighth grade basketball team for winning third place and the seventh grade basketball team for winning fourth place in the SEMO Parochial League tournament. Also congratulations to the coaches, Bob Garner and Oscar Gardner.

Stupid stuff

I'M CALLING in about the stupid person who was complaining about the stupid people working for minimum wage wanting an increase in pay. This person must have been a stupid wage earner or a stupid businessman who never made any money, because he can't afford a hamburger. I hope the stupid editor of Speak Out puts in this in his stupid remarks.

Unfair to Democrats

WELL, YOU have accept the Speak Out column for what it is. A Republican paper. It is not fair on the Democrats and Bill Clinton. That's the way they operate, and they get worse all the time. And if Bob Dole gets in the White House, it will be back in the Hoover days. He and his wife are millionaires, and when did millionaires help anyone? Don't let him buy your vote. He's an Ollie North, Reagan and Bush man, win any way you can. They proved that against Jimmy Carter.

Hazing alternatives

I HAVE an idea for fraternities and sororities to use instead of hazing to prove the worth of a pledge to become a member. Just like when a boy wins his Eagle Scout award or some young person becomes confirmed in their religion, they have a project that is positive to society. So I suggest these ideas. 1. Become a big brother or big sister to children who have a few positive role models in their families. 2. Clean up a creek or highway for one mile or five miles. 3. Volunteer to tutor elementary students who need help. 4. Help the city crews in painting on public property. 5. Read and entertain elderly in nursing homes. 6. Help serve meals at the Salvation Army. 7. Go house to house and teach citizens who do not recycle how to organize to recycle. 8. Volunteer to organize and supervise physical activities at the civic center. I know that some fraternities and sororities do some of these activities now, but if they would increase this and increase the time that they spend on this, I think it will be very worthwhile. We should ask students to spend their consider energy to result in something positive for society.

A waitress speaks

I'M A WAITRESS, and I had the displeasure of waiting on a very rude customer. Ma'am, I would like you and everyone else to read this and remember this well. A waitress takes your order, she brings your drink and food, she checks to make sure you're doing OK, she brings your bill and takes you money. However, she doesn't cook your food or mix your mixed drinks. So if something does not taste right, do not yell at your waitress. It does no good. If the food takes a while to cook, we are sorry you have to wait, and it does no good to yell at us. If you are dissatisfied with anything, simply politely let us know. We will resolve the problem ourselves or get a manager to speak to you if we cannot. And finally, try to understand that you are not the only table you have. We can have from five to 10 other tables, or more. We have to serve them too as best we can. We are not perfect, but we try our best to keep you happy. We cannot do 10 different things at once, so don't expect us to. All we ask is that you be patient as we are with you. We are only human.

Learning lament

AN EDUCATOR who was named New York State teacher of the year stunned his colleagues and the New York politicians with a stinging indictment of the public school education. He decried the dummying down of our population and the standardization and regimentation that depersonalize and dehumanize students emphasize equality and mediocrity and discourages excellence. His words really struck a chord with me. In reading Rush Limbaugh's second book, "See, I Told You So," he comments about a lady calling about outcome based education or mastery of learning. She was saying it was responsible for deteriorating standards in her child's school. She had called the principal looking for answers. The principal told her the kids are taught that there are no objective right and wrong answers, even in subjects like mathematics. The educational process is everything. Facts and right answers are secondary. "Are you telling me, sir, that two plus two can equal five in your school?" she asked him. "Yes, what of it," he replied with the obvious disdain that the academic elite hold for the general public. And people wonder what's wrong with our school system and our kids graduating without being able to read and write, do fractions or decimals.

Wage hogwash

IN RESPONSE to the person who said a minimum-wage increase would make higher prices. Hogwash. If they're going to raise their prices, they're going to anyway. It won't be for a dollar on the hour or whatever. They're going to raise anyway. The only the person the politicians want to give raises to are the big men who help pay their campaign finances and put them in office. They're not interested in the small everyday working person who strives to make it on minimum wage.

Honoring presidents

CONCERNING Presidents Day. We can shut down the university for Martin Luther King day, but to honor the presidents of the United States, we're not able to. I think it's a disgrace, and I think it's reverse discrimination.

Hazing poll results

ONE-THIRD of SEMO students believe that hazing is a positive thing. Those students, along with anyone else who even remotely thinks it's a positive thing after a human being lost his life in a hazing incident, need to be disqualified, eliminated and put out on the streets somewhere, but get them out of that college. They have no business being anywhere near normal human beings, because they are definitely sick.

What about drug dealers?

FLORIDA is trying to sue RJR and Phillip Morris because they say that smoking has caused the state to spend a lot of money on Medicaid payments. I wonder, why doesn't Florida take the drug dealers to court and sue them for civil liabilities for the same things? Is it just because RJR and Phillip Morris are legitimate and they're a lot easier targets? If all of our 50 states would target drug dealers, maybe we could end some of the drug pushing in our communities. This would be a good thing for Missouri to try.

What's E-mail

I FEEL kind of silly asking, but could someone tell me what E-mail is and how to get it?

REPLY: E-mail is the term used for messages sent and received by computer. Many offices have E-mail that allows employees to send and receive messages within the company. Anyone with access to on-line services can send and receive E-mail messages to and from virtually anyone in the world who has a computer and access to the on-line services. Anyone who doesn't have a computer doesn't have to worry about E-mail. The telephone or the Postal Service are still around.