SPEAKOUT

I WAS JUST calling to offer kudos to the people who organized the concert at the Parks and Recreation Department's Arena building. I attended it and enjoyed it immensely, and I'd like to just say good job to all who organized it and brought those bands in from out of town.

IT SEEMS LIKE Cape Girardeau has something new to complain about along with their many lists of grievances. They're even arguing now over who's going to take the senior pictures in the high school so they can decide about that. Seems to me they ought to be able get them took where they want them took. And they're complaining about the big lake out in western Cape and eastern Bollinger county. That has already been decided, been laying there for eight months after we thought it was all decided. We fought the battle to keep the lake out; now somebody wants to make some more money off of it. They spent all this money on this study and everything and they still haven't decided whether they're going to have it or not. It wouldn't do any good for the fellow who owns property out there to speak up and say he didn't want his land covered up with water because they'll just condemn it and take it for the good of the community. If I owned a farm out there, I wouldn't want it covered up with a lake. I'd want the farm. That's what they bought the thing for in the first place.

I WAS JUST wanting to call in about the person who thought the new Spike Lee movie stunk and said they wouldn't go see it if it was free. Well, how do they know it stunk if they hadn't gone to see it yet?

IN RESPONSE TO the 13-year-old child staying by himself, if he is a responsible, mature 13-year-old there should be no problem with leaving him by himself, even if for the greater portion of the day. But let me ask you this: should a 10-year-old not only stay by himself but also be responsible for five of her siblings ranging in age from 1 through 8? Of course not. But that's what's happening right next door to me, every day, even when the parents go to work. Parents this irresponsible should never have been blessed with children.

COULD SOMEONE TELL me when Tammy Wynette's concert will be this year in Malden? Thank you.

It will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Tammy Wynette Fairgrounds. Tickets are $3 in advance and $5 at the gate.

I WAS INFORMED that if you spank a child at home you can be charged with child abuse, yet our public school systems are allowed to paddle children at school. How can one be called child abuse and the other is okay? I'd like for somebody to explain this to me, please. Thank you.

THAT MOTHER IN Scott City who is upset with the police over the welfare of her child better be glad they didn't take him to the police station, and called the juvenile authorities instead.

WE HAVE FOUR adults living in our home and each has their own vehicle. We have a fifth adult who is here five evenings a week and they have a vehicle. We have friends and relatives who visit frequently and they each have vehicles. Yet, when one of us parks down in front of the people's house on the corner, they leave a note, unsigned, on the windshield asking that we please not park in front of their private property. These people have a driveway and a garage. They never park in front of their house. If this is public property, I think it's very rude and selfish of these people. Thank you.

IT'S SUNDAY AFTERNOON and I can think of nothing I'd rather do than sit down after my big meal with three channels of paid advertisement. I feel very fortunate that I live in an area that has big enough stations to reach this kind of fulfilling entertainment on a Sunday afternoon. Thank you. I'll be watching.

THE WAR IN the gulf has been over for months everywhere except on channel 12, KFVS, where they insist on constantly playing those Heartland homecoming songs. Please give us a break and discontinue. Thank you.

WHEN GUESTS AND neighbors do not respect the street-parking area of others, it may not be against the law but is surely an aggravation. We have oil spots in front of our house because the neighbor across the street constantly parks one of their oil-leaking vehicles in front of our house. They are frequently too near our mailbox, which is an inconvenience to the U.S. mail carrier.

I AM 52 years old and have lived in Bollinger County all my life. I love Bollinger County. Bollinger County is one of the poorest counties in the state of Missouri. We have an opportunity to help Bollinger County and the entire region by jointly building the lake with Cape County. Many jobs will be created. It would mean lots of new construction and that would provide much-needed tax revenue for our schools. The benefits the new lake would provide would be by far the best thing that ever happened to Bollinger County. I sincerely hope Bollinger County is not deprived of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I WOULD LIKE to comment about the caller who had been involved in a situation such as that in the movie "Jungle Fever," evidently about a black man and a white woman. I have sort of been involved in something like that, although not exactly. What it was, was I was engaged to a young woman and was supposed to get married. Two weeks before the marriage, I found out she had been engaged in the past in an interracial relationship. We didn't get married. We had it another time in my family. My cousin was married to a girl who had been involved in one of these situations and it led to a divorce after he found out. She had carefully hidden it as my fiance had. If a girl, and most of the time it's a white girl and a black man, is involved in this, she should tell the man up front before he falls in love with her and wants to marry her because it hurts. It hurt me, but when I'm married, which I am now, I want to marry a woman that I respect. I just didn't feel I could respect this woman. It's not something I go for although I think it's all right if other people want to. I just think the girl should come clean with guys before they find something like this out the way I did from strangers and then she owned up to it later.

WHAT'S SAD ABOUT the cutback that Ashcroft has just put forth to Southeast Missouri State is that the elevator at Grauel building must suffer and not the athletic programs and other programs they have. They've had 20 years to make accessibility a reality at Southeast Missouri State and they haven't completely done it. The only ones who suffer for it are the potential students that will never hope to get to go, at least in their academic lifetime. Hopefully, by the next generation, maybe something will be done. Hopefully someone else will have enough gumption to see that they follow through on their accessibility. Thank you.

WE LIVE IN Marble Hill. No other radio station has given us as much pleasure as KGIR. Although we don't get good reception after 8 or 9 p.m., if you're over 40, as we are, you will just love the music they play. Is there anything we can do to make this a powerful radio station and lock out interference from other less-wanted stations? Thank you.

WHEN ARE YOU Missouri teachers going to do something about yourselves? The Missouri governor berates you publicly for the kind of job you're doing. He's making sure that you will not have enough funds to maintain status quo or better your performances. Read in the paper daily about all the budget cuts he is providing you with. Give up on MSTA; all they have successfully gotten done it make the legislators angry and dissatisfied with education in general. The time has come for teachers, administrators and school board members to become vocal enough to defend themselves. You are doing a good job with what you have to work with. Don't be a doormat for Missouri education any longer.

I WISH THE people who have cats would keep them in their house at all times and not turn them out to run through their neighbor's garden and use it for a bathroom. I have a garden, and a neighbor's cat has been digging in it and I cannot eat my food out of the part of the garden the cat has used. Please, people, respect your neighbor. Thank you.

MR. ROBERTSON, YOUR ad in Sunday's paper was disgusting. Grow up.

I AM AMUSED at the obvious attempt of local photographer Steve Robertson to discredit the Cape school board because of sour grapes at not getting the yearbook contract for himself in the past. Everyone deserves the chance to have a successful business, but these tactics such as investigative threats, name calling, and public temper tantrums only serve to prove the questionable motives of the accuser. Thank you.

I BELIEVE MR. Robertson is overreacting. CHS is not encouraging a monopoly by awarding a contract to one photographer. Other photographers had a chance to bid for the contract. If the school is to continue to produce a quality yearbook, then they need consistency. Besides, there's no policy that says a senior has to have his senior photos taken by the contracted photographer; he just has to have his yearbook photo taken there.

WELL, THEY TELL us to Speak Out, and I do speak out on the shameful stuff that goes on in Washington and the White House but I never see it in print. So, if the people get tired of paying for the trips and entertainment of this administration, you can do something. At least we can try.

I WOULD LIKE to thank the Speak Out line for letting people let out their feelings and say what they think about things and what they feel about things. Thank you.

I HAVE A problem. My boyfriend told me he couldn't go out with me but instead he went out with my best friend. I really need your help. I don't know if I should tell her I don't want to be best friends with her. Can you please help me?

NOW, IF I figure this out properly on my trusty solar-powered calculator, the big Diversion Channel drug bust comes out to $14,000 per plant. I realize they've got to justify all these billions of tax dollars spent on this witch hunt, but who are these people trying to kid?

IF PARENTS ARE going to burn their money on fireworks for their children, I think the kids should be supervised so they stay in their own yard. I'm tired of cleaning up my yard in the morning. I wish Cape would ban fireworks. Thank you.

I WOULD JUST like to say that I don't think they should close these Army bases because we've been planning on going there whenever my boyfriend joined the Army. I just heard on the news tonight that they're closing it. Now we have to go to Washington instead of California. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to know how large of an area could of been destroyed in the fire Saturday of the Resource Industrial fuel plant. How could a plant that is so dangerous be allowed to open in such a populated area? Thank you.

I'D LIKE YOU to ask the governor of Missouri and also the prosecuting attorney of Cape if it's against the law for me to drive with a V-8 juice in my hand. I know it's an open container but I just love the stuff. Thank you.

YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD all you want to hear on the issue of the dogs in the park. A year ago I called Speak Out with my opinion on it: that I'd taken my daughter to the Cape park to have a good time, and she got messed by what the dogs did in the park. I was told at that time to stay out of the parks because I was from Bollinger County. So, what makes the people of Cape County so much better than me? The issue has gone on now and they have said that the parks are for the children, not the dogs. I was told at that time there was a leash law. I know there's a leash law but that does not mean that you just walk your dog into the park and let him do whatever he wants. I was just wondering how come now the issue's open again. Is it just because I was from Bollinger County and wasn't worth anything or because people from Cape County have all the say over anything that goes on.

BOY, I'D LIKE to hit that Missouri lottery. That would go a long ways to paying off my debts. Thank you.

I HAVE A question. Do you think we shouldn't resume the bombing of Iraq before the July 4 celebration? Thank you.

I WAS DRIVING on Broadway today. All along Broadway where the kids sit and drink sodas, whatever, apparently their parents haven't taught them how to clean up after themselves because Broadway looks a mess out around the hospital and that area. Thank you.