SPEAKOUT

I WOULD LIKE to express my feelings about the Cruzan family. I recently lost a son in an accident. When we got to the hospital we were told he was brain dead. Brain dead means several things can happen. As time went on I knew he would never live a life of his own or know anything that was going on around him. I did not want him to die. I know the Cruzan family did not want their daughter to die. I can only express my personal feeling to them or anyone who has come close to this type of situation. Ecclesiastes 3 in the Bible says: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the Heaven: A time to be born and a time to die; ..." Death is something most people do not have a choice or decision to make. I, myself, have tried to put myself in the Cruzan family's place. I can only see a living hell for them in what they have gone through. After the funeral the feelings will still be there. Your child is a part of you, and when your child hurts you hurt also. When your child dies a part of you dies also. Nothing will ever take their place, but they will always live in your heart. Nothing is more precious than your child. You want the best for them in life or death. My family decided to donate organs. We know of at least four people who received organs and had a second chance. This has helped me so much in the past months. I will never forget my son nor will I ever forget the organ recipients either. A part of him does live on. I feel that Nancy Cruzan was in a forced-life situation. How many of these people were there for support the past eight years? God was there and so were the parents. Thank you.

I WAS JUST reading the editorial in Friday's paper about teens working too much and it affecting their schooling and it not being a number-one priority. I can say that I'm a senior and I totally agree with the author of this editorial. I know that you're looked down on a lot of times in the work force because you can't stay up until 12 working on a school night, and sometimes you can even get into trouble for this. I think that it needs to changed with the employers. They need stricter laws and they need to be followed and obeyed because a lot of teens are like that. I don't care if my grades are terrible, I'm making money. So I also pressure authorities to make sure that teens aren't working too much, not working too many hours on school nights. Thank you.

I CAN'T HELP but wonder, and I know that other countries do too, where we stand and what for. Iran has no use for us. Ronald Reagan, behind Congress' and the people's backs, shipped missiles and equipment to Iran to help defeat Iraq. Then we went into the Persian Gulf to help Iraq defeat Iran. What happens if Iran and Iraq join forces? I think this war could go on and on. It would be disaster for this country.

I'M APPALLED AT postage stamps going up to 29 cents each. I think the post office had better start earning what they're making already. For example, service is so poor. I've gotten mail recently where it was postmarked halfway across the United States in the opposite direction; therefore, delaying it up to one month before I've gotten it. Also, the postman puts the neighbors' mail in my box and I end up delivering mail, which is his job. They had better take a lot into consideration before they raise the postage rates. Thank you.

I'M REALLY UPSET at the thought of them raising postage rates to 29 cents per stamp. Our mail is lousy here in Jackson. I received a letter from Virginia by express mail. My friend mailed it and it was postmarked in Virginia Dec. 31. It got sidetracked here and went clear to Springfield, Ill., and it was postmarked there Jan. 2. I finally got this letter on Jan. 4. Can you believe this? I think they had better forget this increase in postage rates. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to comment about the recession, how people appear to be losing their jobs. What they ought to do is drive their Japanese car down to the unemployment office, and when they get hungry eat their Japanese television and all the things that they bought that were made in Japan and all these other foreign places. When they made money and had a job they didn't worry about anybody else. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. Maybe they could write a letter to these foreign manufacturers and maybe they'll take care of them, give them enough to live on. People brought this on themselves by putting Americans out of work. Now it finally boils down to where it hits you, too. Thank you.

IF KFVS-TV WOULD place "People's Court" on at a decent hour they would not have to advertise to get people to watch it. Who wants to watch this show at 5:30 a.m.? Thank you.

IF ANY MINORITY in this country has a true complaint it should be the American Indian. That's a minority that has been forgotten about. It was their land that was taken over, their land that was just totally brutalized by the forked tongue. If any minority has a complaint they should talk to a true, American Indian. Unfortunately, the American Indian is forgotten, but not for long. Thank you, Speak Out.

I KNOW THIS sister and she thinks she's a better Christian than anybody else. She's arguing about the Bible and what God has to say, like she's the only one who can interpret it. I just want her to know that I do love her, and rest assured that God loves me just as much as he loves her. Thank you.

IT LOOKS LIKE there's going to be divorce at my house and sometimes that would be a blessing. The only thing I have to complain about is mamma running daddy down and daddy running mamma down to the young ones, and that's just not the way to do it. The only ones you hurt are the kids. If you want to hurt each other go ahead, but keep it away from the kids and love your kids regardless of what happens. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE TO address an issue which may be of little importance to some but is of utmost importance to my family. Recently we purchased tickets to 10 basketball games at the Show Me Center: seats for my husband, two small children and myself. When we arrived for the first game we were told to park in the last row because we are not boosters. We went quite early because we did not want to walk so far with the children and we expected we could get a good parking place. There were at least 100 vacant places, but we were told we could not park there. Please find out if this is legal. As we understand, this was a community center and not just a Southeast Missouri State University building. How hard is it to be a booster? Do you pay extra or is it a part of a season-ticket package? Parking should be first-come, first-serve.

Of 2,250 parking spaces at the Show Me Center, 593 spaces are reserved for boosters, said David Ross, center director. Of the 593 spaces, 335 are on the north side of the building and most of the others are on the east side in front of the building. Marvin Rosengarten, director of athletic development at Southeast, said that for a minimum, annual donation of $100, a booster is entitled to reserve parking for both basketball and football games. As to basketball, the best parking spaces those in front and on the south side of the center are reserved for boosters who contribute the most money. Ross and Rosengarten said it's common practice at universities to have reserved parking for boosters at athletic events. To join the boosters, call the athletic development office at 651-2005.