SPEAKOUT

I'VE BEEN WATCHING C-Span and CBS all day long, and C-Span was requesting callers to comment on this country's process. It scares me to think the Supreme Court justice nominee is the only one who is scrutinized, put before a panel, questioned, condemned and judged. A Supreme Court Justice merely interprets the law. Our senators are the ones who make the laws, but they're not put to the test. Our president runs this country, but he's not put to the test. I would think there was something wrong with the system, the process, when a Supreme Court justice is put through such grueling examinations. The president of the United States is not questioned. Every member of Congress is not questioned. No member of the House of Representatives is questioned. Don't you think that's a little bit peculiar and a little bit stupid? Thank you.

THESE HEARINGS going on in Washington, D.C., concerning Judge Thomas make me sick. These people sit up there like they're God almighty and question these people as to their integrity and morality when they themselves write rubber checks, cannot balance the budget, get parking tickets and don't pay for their meals. Who are these people to question anyone else? The world is not going to be any better off whether he gets the nomination or whether he doesn't get confirmed. This one man is not going to make that much difference, and as far as I'm concerned they're only doing this to keep from getting into the real problems that are facing our nation. If Judge Thomas gets confirmed, the murderers will still go free and the victims will have fewer rights. It doesn't matter who gets in. This country is in the worse mess it has ever been in as far as drug trafficking, tax evasion, you name it. These people had better get busy and balance this federal deficit. What do my grandchildren have to look forward to? They're avoiding the real problems. Thank you.

I HAVE JUST been watching the U.S. Senate committee hearing on sexual harassment charges against Judge Thomas; in particular, Sen. Spector of Pennsylvania questioning Professor Hill. After watching this three-ring circus for five hours I can certainly understand how things can be in such a blankety-blank of a mess in our country and in Washington, D.C. We need to send the whole Senate and Congress home, scrape the barrel, and start over. If this isn't ridiculous. Thank you.

I WAS WATCHING the congressmen harassing this young black girl. Why do people vote these kind of people in office? They look at their sheets of paper and they don't know hardly what to say. They're making a fool out of themselves harassing that girl.

AFTER SPENDING THE entire day watching the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings I would like to suggest the next time we need a Supreme Court justice we nominate Pee Wee Herman. At least if somebody said Pee Wee was discussing pornographic movies, we would know he watched them.

WHAT AN ACTOR. The Democratic chairman, Joe Biden is one who betrayed his own group, but he wants to blame the press, who has a responsibility, an obligation to report the news to the public. If this wasn't a setup by the Democrats, I've never seen one. Thank you.

IN THE FIRST place, I would like to note that it is highly irregular for the FBI not to tape their interview with Anita Hill. I'll have more comments later. Thank you so much.

IF I WERE a Democrat, I believe that after all of the Democrats' low blows and nasty, dirty methods they have used to try and get back into office, I wouldn't have to go to the Republican Party, but I sure would change my name. I might go to a doggie party, elephant party, donkey party, anything but call myself a Democrat. They have done the most disgraceful thing, and this is not the first time they've done it. One year before every election time they're going to come up with something and they don't care who they hurt or how they do it in order to get back into office. It'll be a cold day before that party is ever back in office. Thank you.

I THINK THE hearings to confirm Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court have been ridiculous. It dragged on and on. Who really cares if Judge Thomas tried to persuade Anita Hill to go out with him 10 years ago? Big deal. She obviously didn't have too much of a problem with it or she wouldn't have continued to work for him until 1983. Also, if we spend as much time scrutinizing and putting our potential presidents, senators, and representatives in the public eye investigating their past, we probably wouldn't elect a one of them. Thank you.

I HOPE EVERYBODY in this country has heard that black man's comments about what has happened to him. I'm watching C-Span, but he knows and I know that the Democratic Senate and Democratic Congress will stop at nothing to destroy anybody in order for them to get back into office. It's the Democrats. I would be ashamed today to call myself a Democrat. Thank you.

I HOPE OUR children never see the tapes of the Hill-versus-Thomas Senate hearings. That would be so humiliating because even our children would show much more intelligence than our senators and more adult behavior than our polite senators have shown. It has been perfectly childish. I'm ashamed our children will ever see the behavior of these adults, and they're senators.

HOW COULD ED Kennedy, a Democrat, have the audacity with his lack of character and lack of morals to question anybody else's morals, furthermore to judge anybody else? It's all beyond me but it is typically Democrat. Thank you.

I AM UPSET, Speak Out, because all I have heard all day long from numerous people at this Senate committee hearing on Hill and Thomas is that the press is responsible for the leak. I grew up believing that the press was supposed to keep the public informed. Are all the senators trying to tell us that the press is supposed to keep secrets from the general public? In this one instance I admire the press for doing its job, and I thank them so much. I don't think I'll ever put them down again for reporting the news. Thank you.

TO MAKE A pass is not too harass. I am fed up with so many women saying that they have been harassed when they've only had a pass made at them. If a man doesn't make a pass at you, you're not worth looking at. There are just as many women who harass men with their slyness as there are men who harass women. I was in the workforce for 40 years and was never harassed, and I was a pretty woman. I had a lot of passes made at me but I was never harassed. The whole thing is ridiculous. Thank you.

I SEE ON TV that President Bush has been true to his word and has vetoed the unemployment bill. At the time he said that the recession is over and there's no need for the bill. If such were the case, there would be no bill, no reason for the bill. The reason there would be no reason would be because everybody would be employed. Such is not the case. President Bush has again shown his total disregard for the American people. If he was concerned about the American people he would sign this bill, and the huge amount of people who would be again employed if the recession were over would tremendously reduce the number of people who would be applying for unemployment. Such will not prove to be the case. He should be ashamed of himself. He is refusing to help the people who have supported this country through payments of their taxes. He has taken the money they have paid in to the U.S. Treasury, given it to countries like Egypt and Russia and other countries that have never paid this country one cent of tax. He has no good reason for any of his movements. He is disgusting.

I WOULD LIKE to know which one is going to be appointed to the Supreme Court: Thomas or Danforth.

I SEE WHERE SOME of the Republican senators on the committee made Thomas look so great they probably ought to run him for president and put Bush out. According to them he's the greatest; so squeaky clean it doesn't sound right. I wonder if they've got him convinced yet that he can walk on water? He ought to try it. It might work, too. Thank you.

ONCE AGAIN WE can see the Southeast Missourian is a Republican newspaper by the opinion stated in Sunday's Southeast Missourian. I, myself, am of no political party but I do think that whoever does anything wrong should have it exposed. If Clarence Thomas wants to run for an office of that nature his personal life is up to public scrutiny just like everyone else's, all the way up to the president of the United States. I believe we have a right to know, and I don't believe the Southeast Missourian should wholeheartedly take his position and not believe hers at all. He has no way to substantiate his claims that it isn't true, and we as the people have a right to know whether this happened or not. So I'm kind of disappointed in the Missourian for taking such a strong stand when none of us knows the truth. Thank you.

IN SUNDAY'S PAPER you have an editorial on Thomas' nomination talking about a senator leaking the news. Why don't you and the rest of the Republicans have guts enough to say you're blaming the Democrats? Surely you aren't going to blame a Republican for it. I know it has to be a Democrat, according to you. You have no proof he did not do that. Who has come up and said he hasn't? Think of that. Thank you.

I HAVE BEEN listening with great interest to the Thomas hearings on television. I listened to Professor Hill and I've listened to Thomas. In my opinion, Thomas is without a doubt lying through his teeth. The Republican members don't seem to think so and they have slanted their questioning toward Mr. Thomas; not questioning him but making statements to him about how much they admire him and inferring that in their opinion Professor Hill is a crazy person. The thing that I would like to call attention to is that Thomas has indicated that he will not subject himself to very much and has intimidated them. On the other hand, Hill has cooperated, has answered everything and has indicated she will take a polygraph test. I say put both of them on the polygraph; give them each a test and prove it to yourselves and then you will see who is lying, and I'm sure you're going to find out that it's Thomas.

I WONDER IF THE citizens of Missouri are having to pay Sen. Danforth overtime for being with Clarence Thomas at the hearings. Thank you.

AFTER READING BRAD Harris' column Friday on the Jackson-Central game, my thoughts were, did we watch the same game? I watched it on TV and thought I saw lots of spirit and intensity. Guess you had to be there. I can remember in years past the spirit would sometimes get out of hand with spray painting and vandalism. The students were criticized for that and now they are criticized for not having enough spirit and intensity. The sportswriter for the Central paper had a much better attitude about the game and high school sports in general. He wrote of the values gained, the fun of playing, and winning is just a bonus. This is what we should be teaching, not winning at all cost. Thank you.

MY, MY, MY, were you wrong, Brad Harris, when you said the players and fans at Central weren't spirited enough at the Central-Jackson game Thursday night. I'd like to know where you were looking. Even I, not known for my school spirit, was up cheering and yelling. Furthermore, being a sportswriter, you hopefully know what sportsmanship is, and I don't think it's very sportsmanlike to gloat to your opponent after scoring. It's also in the rules that you're not supposed to gloat after scoring. So why don't you think before writing the next time? Thank you.

DOES BRAD HARRIS wear ear plugs to the game or what? I don't know how he possibly missed all the enthusiasm. Most people were hoarse the next day because of it. Thank you.

THIS IS IN response to the Brad Harris article in the Friday edition of the Missourian. Mr. Harris speaks of no spirit and no intensity and he holds this against both the Cape Central team and fans and the Jackson team and fans. We have a lot of great boys that play on both teams and they are well behaved. I'm sure that Mr. Harris does not understand this since I understand his roots are from Oklahoma. Thank you.

IF MR. BRAD Harris wants to see celebration in Cape Girardeau he should resign and move. He has no right to talk about our young men that play hard the way he does in his sports column. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to thank the freshman band for their performance. I enjoyed them very much. Thank you.