SPEAKOUT

I AM GLAD to hear about the no-smoking signs at City Hall.

I JUST WATCHED AN edition of "Crossfire" where the analysts were concerned about teenage drinking. I don't know about all teeangers, but I'm 19 years old myself and I do feel like if the U.S. government is going to ask me to register for selective service when I turn 18, and potentially tell me some day down the line that I'm going to have to pick up a rifle and shoot a man, that I am more than old enough to have a drink. Thank you.

I'M GLAD THAT the city council passed the no-smoking ordinance for grocery stores because that will also include quick shops. Quick shops must be grocery stores because they're not restaurants. Thank you.

Convenience stores are excluded from the ordinance passed this week that prohibits smoking in grocery stores.

I JUST WANT to say thank you to Speak Out. It may well be the only place left for frustrated, ordinary people to be heard. Most of us are busy raising a family and working, which doesn't leave us much time to join special-interest groups or become an activist for special causes. I see many of our freedoms eroding, including everything from the smoking issue to the so-called environmentalists, who are telling us to turn all our land over to mother nature for better care. How long before big brother will have the majority believing that he alone can solve our ills? Thank you.

TWO MONTHS AGO I opened a can of green beans and there was a great big grasshopper over an inch long in the green beans. Last month, one month ago, I opened a can of tuna fish and there was fishing line in the tuna fish. Thank God a show airs on television on CNN entitled "Do we really know what's in the food we eat?" Thank you.

WHEN ARE THEY going to change the census count on the highway signs so the public will know the population of their city? I think most people would like to know. I feel we have waited long enough. Perhaps you can find out and publish it in the paper. Thank you.

A spokesman for the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department said population figures are being changed on city-limits signs that the department is responsible for. He said some cities have installed their own signs and changes on them would be their responsibility. Changing population figures on signs is not a high priority of the department, he said.

I WOULD TO SUGGEST an ordinance banning smoking in nursing homes. Nursing homes are supposed to be health facilities, so seeing the employees smoking is unbelievable. Thank you.

I SAW A dog roast to death inside a locked vehicle yesterday. The windows were left up all the way on a parking lot. I tried for over an hour to find the owner and get the car opened before the death. I think the owner of that poor animal should be punished. Thanks.

SINCE MY CHILDREN have grown up I have come to a painful conclusion. There are three things I must learn to do and all of them are hard. Number 1, I must learn to let them do without; number 2, I must learn to let them do for themselves; number 3, I must learn to let them do for me and others. This is a hard lesson and I'm trying really hard to abide by this rule. Thank you.

HOORAY FOR THE state of Texas. I'm glad that someone has come to their senses and seen the need to get MTV off of cable system. It just shows how when the community gets together they can take control of their public systems such as cable TV. Congratulations, state of Texas.

ALL RIGHT, BOLLINGER County, now's your chance. Remember when that medicine man said he was going to come out here and educate us so-called country bumpkins to the benefits of that lake. Get out and express your opinion, your family heritage; that land and that special way of life is at stake.

GOD BLESS MICHAEL Landon.

THE SITUATION WITH the CHS official photography policy is an alarming situation. While Mr. Robertson's tactics smack of overreaction, I can only wonder how I would react after a long five- or six-year battle with this school policy. After hearing our new superintendent speak, I'm reassured that our school board can make good decisions. Now, make another good decision, school board: open up your clients to the free market. This is more simple than complex. Show us what you are made of right away.

IN THE MAY issue of Reader's Digest, page 83, under the heading "Religion: The Great Untold Story," it prints three condensed articles titled "Unspoken Name," "The Things that Matter" and "Moving the World." I would suggest anyone interested in religion, the church, the press and politics should read these. An interesting statement from one of the articles: "Religion is the constant of American life. So much so that more people go to churches and synagogues in any week than to all sports events combined." Thank you.

I NEED SOME help, and I can't believe that I'm the only one who has this problem, or the only one who doesn't know what to do about it. The problem is store price tags being put on plastic products. I swear, I'm going to stop buying anything that's made out of plastic, but it seems that you can't avoid it since more and more products are made of this material. I have tried alcohol and nail-polish remover, and I end up ruining or leaving a marred spot on my products. Now I have bought stack chairs, and there is about a 2-by-3 sticker that is stuck and it's a gummy mess. Help. How do you get it off and still have chairs that I'm not ashamed to put out to sit on? Thank you.

A CITY ORDINANCE states that no vehicles shall be parked within 10 feet in each direction of any mailbox. I would make a suggestion that they need to have yellow curbs painted for these areas. We, for instance, had one parked nine feet, six inches away, and they refused to leave the mail. How do we judge it within six inches if we don't have yellow curb markings stating that there is no parking? Thank you.

I WAS SHOPPING Saturday in two different grocery stores, and in the last one I noticed a man smoking a cigarette quite freely in the store. I remarked to one of the checkers that I thought that we were trying to get a no-smoking ban in the stores, but apparently that man hasn't read anything about it. She said, Oh, but he's the manager. Well, that's even more terrible that he would be smoking in front of everybody. A manager should set an example. She just kind of shrugged her shoulders as though, Well, who can say anything to the manager? Thank you, Speak Out.

PLEASE DON'T CALL my thoroughbred dogs mutts. They have as much right to go to the park as your children. Just where else do you suggest they go to potty?

I WISH THAT these here men and women who go around and gossip about their neighbor would stop it. They are disturbing the neighbors and everything. Gossip, according to the dictionary, means false news. We're going to get a court order and make them stop this gossip. That's all I have to say.

I WOULD JUST like to say our family loves Cardinals baseball and we look forward to every time we can see a game on television. Thank you.

I GUESS THE people who have been complaining about not getting Cardinals baseball have been complaining to the wrong people. We now know we need to complain to either the cable or channel 23. Thank you.

I JUST MOVED to Cape Girardeau from another state and I am appalled at all the people who smoke around here. I am highly allergic to tobacco smoke. The results are normally an asthma attack, and, if I'm around smoke for very long, as in a restaurant, I get a migraine headache. Is there any way I can find out which establishments such as stores, restaurants, Laundromats and so on protect their patrons from second-hand smoke? Those are the places I plan to patronize. Thank you.

I BELIEVE THAT the actions of the City Council on the smoking ban in Cape on grocery stores are taking away the civil rights of the people. If they want to pass laws in grocery stores, how about when you reach for a vegetable and all of a sudden you get a shower, which is totally unwarranted? How about store scanners at checkout counters that incorrectly overcharge customers, always to the store's benefit? How about bulk containers that can be contaminated that are not properly sealed? How about those little shopping carts that children push around and hit everybody with? How about the stores running specials and being out of them when you get there? There are lots of things that the City Council could turn their attention to but they're more interested in passing useless laws. All the ruling members of government do is sit around and dream up useless laws. In the past year Missouri legislators introduced almost 2,000 new laws. Isn't it terrible that we would need that many laws? What is wrong with the country today is we have too many politicians that are lawyers and they pass laws for the lawyers. Thank you so much.

THIS IS THE second time I've read about the activity fee at SEMO being $25. I would just like SEMO to know that I'm a mother of three and I can't afford a $25 activity fee, and, if my caseworker knew that I was giving $25, I would be in a lot of trouble. That $25 could put clothes on my children's backs. Thank you.

THIS IS IN response to the grocery stores that have the little children's carts. I have children and I know how hard it is to do grocery shopping when your children have carts of their own. I think it would be best if the stores did away with the shopping carts for children. Thank you.

I HAVE READ this in the paper about the dog at the park, about the lady that lives out of town and moved to Cape. Well, I just had my little girl out to the park and I'm sorry to say that she stepped in dog mess and I've been cleaning that. I think that she's misinterpreted and she better stop and think a little bit. I don't think the park was meant for dogs to go and leave their leavings. I think they are for the children. Thank you.

IN REGARD TO Mrs. Diebold's letter in the paper, why not get the National Guard to build the bridge for the Ressels? If the government can send our men to Panama to build bridges, it would cost a heck of a lot less if they practiced building bridges in their own state.

I JUST MOVED into this area. I would like to know where a person could get a job earning more than $25,000 a year to support a small child of 4, get an apartment for about $300 to $500 a month, pay for utilities, support a wife, have transportation, take care of financial responsibilities and still be able to survive. Thank you.

I'M CALLING IN reference to Monday's paper and the cartoon about the Jehovah's Witnesses. I think that was in very, very poor taste. I think the guy who made that cartoon has hit an all-time low. Thank you for letting me talk to Speak Out.

I AM CALLING regarding flag-flying. I think it's very nice that people have supported our troops like they have. I think they ought to take care of the flag like they should. If you are going to fly it at night, it is supposed to have a light on it. This is showing respect for the flag, and I think this should be done. Thank you very much.

I'M CALLING IN reference to an article in the latest Reader's Digest. It is entitled "The Hidden Truth About Hospital Bills." I think everybody should read it, especially those contemplating going to a hospital in Cape. Thank you.

TO ALL THE parents who make their child's decisions on who to date: You shouldn't tell your children who to and who not to date. The teen is more than likely going to do what told not to do anyway. These days the teenagers are going to do what they want. So try letting your child make their own decisions when it comes to dating. They have to live with it, not you. So butt out when it comes to your teen's love life. They do have a mind of their own, you know.

IN TUESDAY'S PAPER, Mr. Kinder wrote quite a discourse on Mr. Bork. I would say it like this: Bork's attitude was so arrogant and self-serving before the committee that I would quote this: I am so intelligent, and learned that you must confirm me as I was nominated. Thank you.

I'M CALLING REGARDING the helmet law. I am a 21-year-old rider. I have been riding since I was 18. I have over 100,000 miles under my belt on my motorcycle and I'm forced to wear a helmet. I see all these young kids riding around on scooters and mopeds exceeding 35 mph, and they do not have to have a helmet. I just think that it isn't fair for us motorcycle riders to have to wear a helmet. I mean, if they're going to let the little kids ride around doing over 35 mph, why should we have to wear a helmet? Thank you.

I WAS REAL amused listening to the City Council last night when Mrs. Wulfers was reasoning for banning smoking in grocery stores. She said it was because someone dropped an ash on a strawberry.

I WOULD LIKE to say something about the new president of Southeast Missouri State University, Kala Stroup. I do agree with some of her views about the sports program, but I believe, especially with the budget cuts at Southeast, that the money should be spent toward getting us better professors, better buildings, better facilities. I have certain classes where teachers hardly know what they are talking about; they ramble on and on about nothing. I feel that my education has not been the best it could be. All they want is a good ball team, and those people they push right on through. So I would appreciate it if the people of the city of Cape Girardeau would try to voice their opinion concerning this because it's our education that's at stake.

MY HUSBAND IS a Vietnam veteran. I want to say thanks to the area businesses that are giving discounts to all veterans and not just limiting them to Desert Storm troops. All veterans deserve our gratitude. Thanks.