SPEAKOUT

A free country

I HAVE a comment about Speak Out. I've been reading it now for several months, and I notice a lot of people just seem to bicker with each other over given values or whatever they choose to hold themselves. I think a lot of people forget this is a free country, and we have the right to live whatever way we want. I don't think we have the right to shove it down anybody else's throat. I think we should stick to debating issues that concern the community, like where do we put this federal building and what block is going to get knocked down to put it in. Also, talking about things like wheelchair access on the sidewalks, I have yet to find a corner that you can get a wheelchair over. I think we need to stick to debating civic issues rather than making moral judgments or just plain judgments on how people live. That's how I think.

Homework vs. malls

THIS IS in regards to the comment on homework. I'd like to tell these parents that two hours is not to much to spend with your children. If they would spend that time with them instead of dropping them off at the mall for the merchants to babysit, then the whole world would be better off.

Beauty from loss

SOMETIMES WHEN we suffer a great loss and that door is closed, never to be open again, if we take it in good grace another door is opened that we did not know was there, and we find a world of great beauty in our life. There are others that have found this, and we would never have known if we had not suffered a loss. There are many beautiful people of character in this world of ours.

Sting hollering

IT SURE amazes me how these people who were caught in the sting hollered and screamed about their legal rights and how illegal it was, and they don't consider the illegality of their bad check writing and their other felony offenses they committed to other people.

Hitting the nail

THIS OLD-time country adage describes Peter Kinder's Sunday column perfectly: You hit the nail on the head. Thanks.

Winner's Circle

THIS IS about your Winner's Circle. I subscribe to the Southeast Missourian, and I was wondering why I couldn't have a chance to win since I do subscribe the paper. My name is not in the phone directory. It's an unpublished number.

REPLY: As explained in the Winner's Circle announcements, both subscribers and non-subscribers are eligible. If you don't have a telephone or have an unlisted number, you can enter by mailing a 3-by-5 card with your name and address to the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702. Happy entering.

Stapleton's gem

SUNDAY'S column by Jack Stapleton proved to be another one of his real foolers. Just when I got almost totally tired of reading Jack Stapleton and all the crock that he seems to put out, he'll come up with a gem. A real gem almost worth clipping out. He's done it one time in the past, and Sunday he did it again. I guess a person at least has to look at it, glance at it a little bit to see whether it's a crock or whether he's come up with another gem. It's nice to have a gem of his once in a while.

Power Team message

I'M CALLING about Jackson not wanting the Power Team in their schools. I think they should have had the right to speak about self-esteem and just helping you feel better. They should have the right to speak about Christianity, because in the social studies books they're always talking about Hinduism, Buddhism and Muslims, and Christians should get just as much chance to talk about their religion and help people come to Jesus. I think they had a great way of ministering to kids, and it would be a good thing to come to our school.

Police image

SO THE police have a problem maintaining a positive image. Could this possibly have something to do with the fact some of us oldsters still remember when the police had to obey the same laws as the citizens? Now they have this dangerous notion that the end justifies the means. This recent scam is good example of how police work is now just deceit. If a citizen had sent out those letters for any purpose, he would be behind bars for mail fraud.

More on image

PERSONALLY I think the police department is getting a bad image, and it's not necessary. I think the police in this area are doing a great job. I know they get a lot of criticism that's not merited, and I'll tell you one thing: I wouldn't want to trade jobs with them for twice the salary, and I've got one of the best paying jobs in this area as far as labor's concerned. Policemen, keep up the good work. I'm behind you 100 percent.