SPEAKOUT

WE HOPE THOSE WHO are opposed to the senior tax will never grow old, will never need a home-delivered meal, will never need home-chores service, will never need home health care, will never need transportation or even a telephone call to see if you're OK. Remember, a lot of seniors are veterans of World War I, II, and the Korean War.

THIS IS IN REPLY to the person who spoke out and said there isn't much difference in our presidents. She said she remembered the Hoover days. Well, I do too, and how could you forget who pulled us out of that mess? It was a great Democratic president, Franklin Roosevelt. If God does use his power down here he used it with Roosevelt. Give credit where credit is due; all presidents are not the same.

THIS IS TO the person who said they had fallen into the credit-card trap: Welcome to reality. There's no reason that anyone should ever give you credit again. I do believe it would be due process for you to pay cash for everything you buy for the rest of your life. Thank you, Speak Out.

WELL, IT LOOKS like King Hussein of Jordan has finally tipped his hand and he's showing himself for the two-face snake in the grass he's been since day one. My son is in the gulf. When I wrote him my first letter after he arrived, I told him I thought that was what King Hussein was, and in stronger terms than what I'm saying here. I truly believe he is going to end up losing his country for his people. It will probably be taken over by the Palestinians and become the new Palestine. I feel sorry for his people, but I don't feel any more sorry for King Hussein than I do Saddam Hussein because they're birds of a feather, except one was a coward and wouldn't tip his hand until now.

I WOULD LIKE to comment about CNN's Peter Arnett, the reporter that is in Baghdad. He appears to be Saddam Hussein's mouthpiece. He's giving aid and comfort to the enemy and no doubt his boss, Ted Turner, knows what he's doing. How come they don't call him back instead of letting him tell how we're blowing up children and all this stuff, not saying what they did in Kuwait, murdering all those people. Beyond that he's just saying what is cleared by the censors. Thank you.

THIS IS IN response to the person who called in having credit-card problems and wondering how to re-establish his credit. I understand where you're coming from. I had the same problem. I got so far in debt that I couldn't keep up with everything. There's an organization in St. Louis called the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. It's a non-profit organization and they can help you. They'll deal with your creditors and help you work out a repayment program. Actually, it just about saved my sanity. I've gotten everything paid off, and I know that this is something that could help you. I don't know the phone number, but it's on Hampton Avenue. They'll treat you good and they'll help you. Good luck.

ABOUT THE 5-cent tax for the nutrition center: When this was started it was for the needy, not the greedy. Now people with two cars and lovely homes and a good income go, not the ones we started it for. I believe there should be a way; maybe the welfare office could issue tickets to the eligible. One man comes from Jackson to eat because it's cheap and he says the food is better here than Jackson. So I think something should be done about it. Thank you.

I UNDERSTAND NOW why the American government, the military, is not allowing news reporters to go in and report like they did in Vietnam. After watching Peter Arnett on Sunday release the latest Baghdad war films, I can understand. They're trying to make the Americans look like war criminals as they did in Vietnam. This is the man who was one of the top Vietnam reporters in the United States. Those people undercut the war efforts and the will to fight in Vietnam, and he's seeking to do the same thing over there. Baghdad Peter is at it again. Thank you.

THIS IS TO the person who said her mom stayed with her dad for the kids' sake to punish her dad. That's sick. My heart goes out to those kids. Their mom's revenge backfired on her. I'm a kid of five whose mom stayed with our dad for our sakes because she didn't have any skills to go out and make a good living for us. She is finally free of him and making it fairly well on alimony and has a good job now. We kids are all married now and are proud and happy for her. She deserves the best. It wasn't easy for her with dad, and she loved us and never complained. She tried to shield us from the hurt and I feel she deserves a medal of honor. Thanks, Mom.

THE PERSON WHO said the United States doesn't need any enemies because it has news reporters said it all.

I'M CALLING ABOUT Leslie Stahl, where the man said how ridiculous she is. She probably makes $1 million a year. I'm just wondering out of curiosity how much he makes to be so intelligent to criticize other people. Also, I imagine she's got enough money to go anyplace in the world she wants to, even to the boondocks if she cares to.

NOT THE CHURCH and not the state; women must decide their fate. Right to life, what a lie; you don't care when women die. Pro-choice activists will never quit; women's lives depend on it.

I REALLY LIKED the Feb. 10, Sunday paper. It was so interesting to read the little history from our neighborhood towns. The whole newspaper was one of the best for some time. Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to tell us.

WHY DO ADVERTISING agents, producers and manufacturers of edibles think that their products appear more appetizing in their television commercials if the actors slurp, smack, chomp, gnaw, grab, slobber, chew with their mouths open, slop food, spill it all over themselves, and generally eat like pigs? Sandy Duncan is a prime example, and all those messy, nasty little kids; it turns my stomach. Thank you.

IT'S ENOUGH HAVING to answer to God without having to answer to a bunch of self-righteous, blind, ignorant and careless hypocrites when we try always to do the right thing. It has become too complicated to live. You can have your pro-lifers, right-to-choosers, pro-warriors, anti-warriors, homosexuals, equal-righters, civil-righters, and all your demonstrators for the cause. The rock concerts held in this country where even lives are trampled and lost should tell us something. Everything and everybody in this country is out of hand. Thank you.

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE I see between this country and a lot of other countries as a matter of fact, a majority of other countries is our right to vote. From what I've seen, that right has not kept us from being manipulated by those in power: politicians, their press agents, publicity agents and rioters. Thank you.

I'M A MOTHER with a 19-year-old son who is serving in the Marines over in the desert. I just wanted to say thanks for all the support with the flags and the ribbons that are all over town. It's really great to see. It doesn't make any difference what color the ribbons are, just so it's support for our boys. My son always asks me if the boys are really getting support back here. It's great to be able to tell him so. Also, they're not getting their mail very fast over there, and I'd like everybody to write your congressman, assemblyman, and anybody in Washington you can think of who might help. Just tell them, if the United States can afford to send our boys over to the desert to fight and maybe die, why can't they spend a little more money and make sure they get the mail over there and the personnel so they can separate them and get that mail to those boys? It really makes a difference when those kids are getting mail, hearing from home. Thanks again for everything.

MY HUSBAND AND I are 70 and 61-years-old, respectively. Our families have been in this country since the early 1600s. We are fed up with being unable to better ourselves because the federal government penalizes us for earning more money than it allows after retirement while the rich get richer. We're fed up with every congressman living high on the hog at our expense while we scrimp and can't save. We're tired of not being able and not being allowed to control our own lives and bodies. We are tired of paying taxes for everybody else's benefit when we can't get our own heads above water. We're fed up with having to account for every dime we earn in order to support an oversized government and everybody else. We would rather have no laws at all than too many, and we are not lawbreakers. When it comes to the IRS there are so many rules, regulations, and publications that we can't keep up with them; and we live in fear of breaking a rule. That's no way for us to live the remainder of our lives. We want some peace. Everything is wrong with the way this system of government has gone, and it's all because of greed and selfishness. Many people will tell us to leave, and that is exactly what we plan to do. Thank you.

I SAW IN THE paper about the person who thought the long-haired people ought to be sent overseas with the rest of our soldiers to fight in this war. In the first place it would be a disgrace to the American uniform for those people to be wearing them. In the second place, if we had a bunch of them trying to win the war we'd sure as hell lose because they're not good soldiers to start with. It's a shame we've got good-looking, American boys over there having to fight while these people reap the benefits. Thank you.

LESLIE STAHL AND Charles Kurault are two of the finest reporters we have. They're truthful and knowledgeable on the issues, and that slow drawl that Kurault speaks with is so easy to understand. I enjoy them so much.

I WOULD LIKE to answer the person who wanted to know why we're fighting a war in the Persian Gulf. We are over there because Saddam Hussein would not stop in taking over Saudi Arabia or Israel. He took over Kuwait real easily. What would stop him from going into Saudi Arabia and taking that over and then over to Israel when Israel doesn't have anything to do with it in the first place? Thank you.

I AM VERY critical of people who are critical of Peter Kinder. I feel he does a wonderful job at the newspaper, and, if these folks can do a better job, I wish they would try. Peter is very concerned about people in this community and he's an excellent writer. I wish you would leave him alone and allow him to do his job in the best way possible. Thank you.

SOME PEOPLE PROTEST this war and I can only wonder why. Is it because people get hurt and die? Here's a news flash: people get hurt and die whether a war's at hand or not. We can try but we cannot end it; it is a side effect of life. I'll admit I'm not completely sure I understand why American troops are over in the Persian Gulf, but I am sure I have many friends from high school and my dad over there. I guess these protests exist because they don't want people to get hurt or die when, in fact, the protest hurts me, my father and my friends over there. I'm proud to be an American citizen. I'm proud of many of my friends from the 1989 Cape Central graduating class. I'm proud of my dad. Sometimes the harsh reality that I may never see dad again hits me hard. So, the next time you hear of a harmless protest think of me and many others crying in their sleep. It could be your son, your daughter, your dad, your mother, spouse, or anyone else. These harmless protests hurt.

I HAVE SOME GOOD news and bad news about the war in Iraq. The bad news is Jane Fonda is going to Iraq. The good news is Ted Kennedy is going to drive her to the airport. Thank you.

I WENT TO the show last night at the Show Me Center and it was fantastic, but I really object to several things. First of all, beer was sold. The gentleman in the seats ahead of us was drinking constantly, getting up and going back and forth. One gentleman was doing something very disgusting: he was chewing snuff and spitting in a cup. It was enough to turn your stomach. This went on during the course of the evening. What I'm wondering, is this permitted? If I had gotten up and objected to one of the ushers or something, would this gentleman have been required to stop this? I really would like to have an answer to this because I don't know if I'm going to go back and witness such repulsive behavior. It was really sickening and disgusting. I thought, in this day and age, people knew how to behave in public. Thank you.

Show Me Center Manager David Ross said the Sunday night country music concert was the first concert at which beer has been sold. He said he decided to permit beer sales because of the type of show it was, the expected age of the people who would attend, and the fact the concert took place on a Sunday. "We were expecting an adult crowd, it was on a Sunday evening, and things went well," said Ross. He said beer buyers of questionable age were required to show identification and sales were limited to two beers per purchase. Ross pointed out that beer is not sold at any Southeast Missouri State University functions. As center director, Ross said he decides whether beer is sold at events. Smoking is prohibited in the main arena, but tobacco chewing is not, said Ross.