SPEAKOUT

How long?

WE'VE NOW had troops in Japan and Germany for 50 years. How long will we have to have them in Bosnia?

It was Scrooge

ON NOV. 27 there was a Speak Out comment from old Scrooge. He called in to complain that he didn't want people in the Christmas parade to throw candy for the kids because it disturbed his view of the parade. Talk about a meany.

REPLY: The caller may have been concerned about the safety of children who dart into the street to pick up the thrown candy. In any event, the candy is part of the parade tradition, and most children -- and adults -- seem to enjoy it.

Death of dreams

THE DESTRUCTION of life through the current welfare system is not often dramatic, but the death of dreams is evident every day. Through the past three decades, we have seen lives destroyed and dreams die among poor individuals who have gradually become used to dependency. Those who stress independence used to be called the worthy poor. Now a person who will not work is also worthy, and mass pauperism is accepted. Those who are willing to work to put off immediate gratification and to sacrifice leisure time in order to remain independent are called chumps rather than champs. It's a poor indication of the Democratic socialism which has become so popular under the welfare state.

Stop the murders

I HAVE an idea. Instead of sending 20,000 of our troops to Bosnia to stop the killing over there, why don't we send them to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles or Miami? Lots of people are getting murdered right here in our own country.

Not all bad

ALL THIS talk about slamming Newt Gingrich because of dumb statements. He can't be all bad because he said he wouldn't run for president.

Clinton's address

I WOULD like to make a comment about President Clinton's address to the nation Monday night, such as the stuff about the Bosnian war where he claims they've only been fighting for four years. They haven't been fighting for four years. They've been fighting for 500 years. A lot of people, Clinton claims, want peace and want the children to stop dying because of all the violence. Look at the United States. I bet you there are more children dying in this country than there are in that country.

Where's the music?

THIS IS in reference to the Christmas parade. Where was the Christmas music? The St. Vincent's band did a fantastic job. Also the candy was really nice for the kids, but maybe it would be best to throw it on the street instead of at the kids to prevent putting an eye out. It sounded like it was hailing on my car.

Security guarantee

OUR PRESIDENT said in his speech that NATO has ensured America's security. Ha. Anyone that believes this should stand up, come to attention, click their heels together, raise their right arm and say, "Heil, Clinton."

Unconvincing

I WANT to comment about something I saw on TV: a pathetic looking person trying to sell us the idea that we should get into a war. President Clinton is trying to make himself look like a big strong hero. He'll never be able to do that. He may be good at convincing people in the band who already believe in him, but he's not going to convince other people . It hurts America to have somebody like that. We knew it when we put him in there. Now he's made promises, and he expects American boys to live up to his promise. Hey, this ain't Arkansas, Clinton.

Home problems

SOME FAMILIES fight, some don't. Some individuals fight and others don't. There are different ways people of various countries choose to handle their own problems and situations. The United States is wrong and even stupid to try to change the whole world when we have people in our own country who are in need of help in one way or another. Do you interfere in your neighbor's lives? Do you force your opinions on them? Do you strong-arm them in order to get them to do things your way? I think not. So it is with the rest of the world. Paint any kind of picture you would like to paint, but the truth will always come out in the wash.

Candy concerns

I WAS at the Christmas parade. It was a very beautiful parade, but there was one thing that spoiled it, and that was children running out to get candy. It seems to me that's a very dangerous thing to do. The children where we were standing were running out into the middle of the street. Some of the floats had to pull over to the side to get around them. Some of the bigger kids were knocking down the smaller children so they could pick up the candy. It seems to me that it would be a much nicer scene if we didn't have candy thrown at the parades.

Not in Bosnia

I'D LIKE to state that, as a former serviceman, I'm glad I'm not in the armed services right now. I fear that I would have to be tried for mutiny or something, because I would refuse to go to Bosnia to help serve Clinton.

School of life

LIFE IS a better teacher than any textbook. I don't care if you didn't have a high school education. I don't care if you didn't have a third-grade education. You have lived. Your opinion is important. You must stand up for yourself. Do not ever feel inferior to somebody who got through MIT, Yale or what have you. That doesn't mean a thing. You have probably more common sense than any graduate of Yale or Harvard.

Doing his job

WHERE do these people get off talking about our president who was dully elected and who is trying to do his job. They call him draft dodger and anything else that comes into their minds. I had two sons in Vietnam. Where were the others who went to college to stay out of Vietnam? That's how they dodged the draft.

Diversion ploy

ONCE again, Clinton's trying to divert our attention from what's really important here in the United States, and it's not sending our boys to Bosnia.

Council can decide

I DISAGREE 100 percent with the caller about distributing the funds for the Colonial Cape Foundation saying that they need to have a board of governors. There is already a board in place, and it's called the city council. They determine how the proceeds from the motel and restaurant tax are distributed.

Purely political

HAVE FOREIGN troops ever been effective in ending a religious war? Did American troops in Lebanon bring an end to Arab and Jewish hostilities? Did British troops in Northern Ireland bring an end to Catholic and Protestant hostilities? Does Bill Clinton really think that the Bosnians and Serbs will embrace each other as loving neighbors after the American troops are withdrawn? And now for the most important question of all: What does our illustrious president think he'll gain from this action? One should remember that this man does everything for purely political reasons. It just makes me wonder what kind of scam is he pulling now.

What if...

I AM calling regarding President Clinton's decision regarding sending the troops over to Bosnia. If there was a problem in South America or Mexico and troops were needed to be sent in, would we want the European troops or NATO troops be sent down into South America or Mexico? No way. We would want to clean up our own hemisphere. So why aren't we allowing the Europeans the enjoyment of taking care of their hemisphere over there? They know better. They know it's a land mine and we're all going to be mixed up in it. I don't agree with what President Clinton's doing. I feel that they should be the peacekeepers for their own hemisphere, and we should take care of ours.