SPEAKOUT

THIS IS IN response to those callers in Tuesday's Speak Out who complained about the use of yellow ribbons to honor our military. Our son finally got a call through to us from Saudi Arabia on Monday. The thing he was most concerned about was how the people here felt about them having been called upon to do for all of us. He said they saw the protesters on TV and heard about them on radio, and it really lowers their morale. We were quick to tell him how proud we are of him, and we have our flag displayed on the porch of our home with a light on it along with yellow bows on all our lights and mailbox. He said that was great and please send him a picture of it. Today I took my camera and went all over Cape taking pictures of every home, business, and park I could find displaying signs of support for the troops. He's going to know how many hometown people care about him. It also helps us as parents to see these yellow or red-white-and-blue bows and flags as a show of support for our loved ones. The yellow color goes back to the sentimental song, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree." It's a bright, sunshine color and we like it as well as the good ole' red, white and blue. Thank you, Southeast Missourian, for your flag insert in Tuesday's paper with our son's name on it. He'll be receiving that too. Thank you.

WE'RE GOING TO win the war in the desert in spite of CBS and CNN.

WE REALLY THINK it's awful to raise postage now. Of all times to raise it, this is the worst possible time when we want to write to our service people overseas. There are a lot of people on fixed incomes and schoolchildren who are writing to these people. It is really a shame to do this to us now when they need us so much over there. It will make a big, big difference in the amount of mail they get and I hate that.

I SEE THAT some caller wants Peter Kinder confined to his column. Me, I'd just like to see him confined.

IF MOST OF YOU will remember, when John F. Kennedy was in office we didn't have this outrageous deficit. I was just a small girl and I still remember there were problems. Back then people were proud to be Americans. I think back to the way things were then and how they are now. I agree the Vietnam vets were treated badly, and I think this was a total injustice. The people have forgotten why they fought in that war. They shouldn't have been treated any different than the other war heroes. They weren't baby killers and assassins like they were told; they were just doing their jobs. Now our men and women are sent to do a job. We should support them in their endeavors, but here at home we could also be doing our part for the war. Please give blood for our members who need it. Hopefully they won't need it but still we should give it. Also, we should fight the government's excessive and stupid spending.

I JUST WANT to thank the newspaper for putting the flag in today. It is so neat. I've already put it up on the wall in my house. I just hope everybody else does the same. Thank you very much.

I HOPE THE people who are busy out in front of the news cameras protesting the war heard the interview with Saddam Hussein, where he was thanking you guys for helping him in his efforts to stop us from conquering him. I really hope to God you don't cost the life of my brother because, if you do, I will never forgive you.

I NEVER REALLY liked Don Pritchard's columns before, but I changed my mind after reading his Tuesday column on funding for higher education. I think he's absolutely right. The educators, especially university-level educators, are much more interested in getting power for themselves power that more money would bring than really doing what's right for the people of Missouri. It has gotten to where everybody is expected to have a college education anymore. What has happened is a lot of people who really don't need one and shouldn't have one are walking around with it in their pocket and degrading the degree. We ought to take that money, as Don Pritchard says, and spend it on the elementary level so that everybody who gets through high school or even the eighth grade has a minimum level of functioning and confidence. That's more important for the whole society. Thank you.

I DON'T KNOW anybody in the war zone at this time, but I weep for the men in the combat areas. I weep for their families, especially for the dead and the wounded.

I WOULD LIKE your comments on CNN and Peter Arnett interviewing Saddam Hussein on the evening of President Bush's State of the Union message to the nation. I stayed up to watch this interview and I thought it was atrocious. Arnett was not allowed to ask any necessary or direct questions on behalf of the United States, but had to listen to a one-sided view of a liar. There are some viewers who are going to believe what he says. There was no rebuttal on our behalf. CNN and Ted Turner and Jane ought to get out of there. Saddam wants to be able to be seen and heard and watch all of our war tactics and use them to his advantage. There is no advantage to the U.S. being in there because all we hear are lies.

I'M HAVING AN awful hard time justifying this war in the Persian Gulf. If anybody can help me understand it I would appreciate it. I don't know why two of the wealthiest countries in the world, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, did not have a better defense system when they knew very well what Saddam Hussein had and the kind of person he is. It's a well-known fact that they've always had their menial labor done by foreigners. Is this what they've done to us? Have we a mercenary army? It looks that way to me.

I WOULD LIKE to make a comment to the person who called in about the yellow ribbons. Apparently he or she is not aware of some old songs, one of them very old and another one more recent. An old song dating back to the Indian wars and the Civil War is about a young girl who wore a yellow ribbon. If you ask her about the yellow ribbon she'd say it is for her lover who was far, far away. And more recently there was a song, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree." In the old song it was assumed that her lover was in the cavalry because each branch of Army has a different color: yellow for the cavalry; light blue for the infantry, which I served in; red for the artillery; and so on. I want to thank the person for their comment, though, because it made me realize that along with the red-white-and-blue and yellow ribbons that I fly with my flag, I'm now going to include a loop of red ribbons for my son, who is a sergeant in the artillery serving over there. Thank you, Speak Out.

I WAS SOMEWHAT disturbed some time ago when I read in Speak Out that someone was very anxious that they couldn't find a church open and there was no place to pray. Doesn't that person know that we can pray anywhere anytime? I can't understand this and hope this will be helpful. Thank you.

THE POW-MIA bracelets the caller is inquiring about that we are wearing are not from Operation Desert Storm. They're from an organization called Freedom Now. It's a non-profit group seeking information about the 2,300 Vietnam missing personnel, the 78,751 from World War II, and the 8,177 from the Korean War whose sole purpose was to bring home our living and bury our dead POWs and MIAs with honor. You have probably read where Gerald McRainey, the star of "Major Dad," wears one of these bracelets at all times and keeps boxes of them on hand. So, when someone asks him about it, he explains it, gives the one he is wearing to them, and puts on another one. The one I wear I bought from a member of the local Vietnam veterans group. If the caller is interested in having one to do with the war in the Persian Gulf like the one Barbara Bush wears, it is a Desert Shield bracelet, not for POWs or MIAs. Send $9.95 to Voices For Freedom, P.O. Box 77037, Washington, D.C. 20013, or call 1-800-284-4USA. I hope this will provide the information that the caller is seeking.

We thank you and the other readers who have telephoned the newspaper to inform us of the address and telephone number. We also found out that for an additional $1, a personalized engraving will be included on the bracelet.

IT IS A shame and disgrace to let men and women die in the Persian Gulf when we don't know what for except to help these so-called friends that we have. George Bush is counting this war to help himself, not the Marines who were killed last night and not the people of this country. I heard a gentleman last night on a talk show say: What kind of a man is Hussein to get his men killed and slaughtered? Well, George Bush is doing the same thing.

TO ALL THE people in Cape and Jackson and surrounding areas: On the postage increase, there apparently is not a thing we can do about the postage rates going up and up and up because we don't have any say in this matter. Let's all, rich poor, find ways to fight this nonsense.

PLEASE, ALL JACKSON city residents and residents in the proposed annexation area, please vote no on Feb. 5. Farmlands are a valuable and diminishing commodity for our children. These council members do not care about the future of our farm families in the proposed annexation area. This only will add a few feathers in the caps of Jackson community leaders.

PLEASE LET EVERYONE know in your Speak Out column whether we are officially at war. If we are not officially at war we cannot hold war crimes against Saddam at all. This stuff about just calling it a war is not like it should be. It should be legally done. Thank you very much.

The United States is officially at war.

WAR IS NOT A beauty contest. We're told that all is fair in love and war. To expect the enemy to abide by certain rules as if we were playing a game of marbles is ridiculous. After all, Hussein has already broken the rules the United Nations laid down. What are we supposed to do: be the good guys and sit back until he nukes us? At the risk of nuclear fallout in this country, no more lives would be lost if we dropped a nuclear bomb on Iraq right now than if we drag this thing out and wait for the maniac to do it to us first. Thank you.

THERE'S SOMETHING DRASTICALLY wrong when we have to pay 5 percent interest on late income-tax money we may owe the federal government yet, when the federal government owes us money, they don't have to pay us one cent in interest even if they have owed it for five years because of their own mistake. Thank you.

THIS IS IN response to the person who couldn't find a church in Cape Girardeau that would let them go in and offer a prayer for the servicemen and -women. Tell them they are more than welcome to come to the Christian Church and we'll gladly let him pray. Every Sunday we pray for our men and women over there in Saudi Arabia. Thank you.

I AM MORE than just a little sick of seeing our elected officials, our congressmen in their tuxedos, eating caviar, riding in limos, and visiting faraway places while we live day in and day out like peons as we foot their bills. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to know why you don't ever have Mike Royko's column in the paper any longer. Is it because you don't print anything that you don't agree with? Thank you.

We don't control Mike Royko's writing schedule. Royko, a syndicated columnist, took a three-week vacation in January, from which he has just returned. We published his column Thursday when it resumed this past week. Your insinuation couldn't be further from the truth.

I JUST WANTED to say I think the support is great our community is showing for the men and women over in the Middle East. It really helps those of us around here who have relatives and loved ones over there. Thank you.

AS OUR SENATORS and representatives sit enjoying themselves tonight at the 47th congressional dinner in Washington, our sons, husbands, wives, daughters, fathers, mothers and children are on the firing line, the battlefield. Not one representative, not one congressman that I saw, seemed concerned. Under the circumstances, I think their timing for a congressional dinner is way off. And Dave Berry of the Miami Herald is un-funny. Thank you.

IN THE Missourian Jan. 30, page 10A, in Cochran's column, there was a typo or something. It said that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1939. It should have been Dec. 7, 1941. Just thought I'd call in case someone was clipping those out for future reference. Thank you.

You are correct; the year was 1941.

I GOT BURNED in the summer, I had first and secondary burns on my back. The man ran and I think that was pretty low. Thanks to the people who helped me.

I WAS WONDERING how come a local TV station goes for an hour and the network only goes for 30 minutes. When they go to local coverage they talk about people's opinions of the war. That seems kind of odd. When your car is broken you don't take it to a laundromat to get it fixed or to get an opinion of what's wrong with it. I would rather watch an hour of the nightly news than a hour of the local news. Thank you.

I WISH ALL you pro-choice and pro-life people would shut up and let the rest of us make our own choice concerning our own families as we have done in the past. We are smart enough to make our own decisions; we don't need you: either side. Thank you.

WHEN THE FIVE-year deficit-reduction agreement was reached last fall, and congressional officials claimed $42 billion in savings, that was a sham. They didn't mention that the actual spending increase was $111 billion. Also, in Washington, D.C., where there are no farms, $1 million was appropriated for the Agriculture Extension Service. Also approved was $500,000 to restore the boyhood home of band-leader Lawrence Welk; the Welk project was not killed. Congress is going to keep on spending until the public stops them. Politicians respond to special-interest groups. They've been forgetting there's a general-interest group: the taxpayers. It's time for taxpayers to remind them that we will stand up for our rights. Thank you.