SPEAKOUT

I WOULD LIKE to commend Dennis Stockard and staff for their excellence in reopening the N'Orleans Restaurant. I was there last Saturday night and it was better than ever. Cape Girardeau is so fortunate to have this elegant, historic restaurant. I would also like to mention how nice it was to see all the N'Orleans people back. Thank you.

THIS IS TO person who called about Sinead O'Connor not pledging allegiance to this country. She doesn't have to; she's not a citizen of this country. And furthermore, she probably pledges to her own country, native Ireland.

LOOKS LIKE WE'VE got Saddam Hussein between Iraq and a hard place. Way to go, troops. get the job done and hurry home. We love you. God bless you.

TO THE ANTI-ABORTIONIST who claimed that abortion is murder because of Exodus 21:22-23: That scripture clearly illustrates that abortion is not murder. It says that if a man hits a woman and causes her to miscarry and no "mischief follows" (meaning her death), that he will merely be punished as her husband or the judges see fit. If however, mischief follows and the woman loses her life, the man must lose his life. Since the man doesn't lose his life for causing the death of the fetus, only for causing the death of the woman, this clearly shows that the fetus isn't considered a person and that abortion isn't murder. By Old Testament law the penalty for murder was always death. So Exodus 21:22-23 shows that a fetus can't be murdered; otherwise the penalty for this would have been death.

I'D JUST LIKE to say thank you to cable channel 13 for broadcasting the Kenny Rogers Cerebral Palsy Telethon last weekend. The CP Center helps so many kids in the area. Thank you.

WE WATCHED THESE high officials in the government on TV bringing us up to date on what's going on in the gulf war. I would like to know why, when they leave the podium, these newsmen have to stay on the air and knock the local news off to repeat word for word what these officials have just gotten through telling the people. I think it's time we get back to our regular broadcasting on these stations. We have already heard it once; we don't need to hear it twice. Thank you very much.

I HOPE EVERYONE will read Mike Royko's article in the Feb. 22, Southeast Missourian. I always read his articles because he tells us like it is, the truth.

I SEE WHERE the president is asking Congress for millions and millions of dollars to help finance the war. He told us when it started that the coalition was going to pay for most of it. And besides, he did not consult Congress when he started sending all those troops and war materials over there.

I WOULD LIKE to say a few things to those war protesters who like to march in the streets. You people should be glad to live in a country where you can say what you want to and not be put in jail or shot on the street. Also, Hussein sent his Army into Kuwait and killed many people, stole everything he wanted and destroyed most of that country. Why don't you go to Baghdad and march in front of Hussein and demand that he stop sending missiles to kill people? The answer to that, of course, is that Saddam would use that pistol he always carries to shoot you down instantly. Or, you could join his Army, but I doubt if he would have you. Thank you, Speak Out.

WE WOULD HAVE better quality of everything this country produces and manufacturers if we didn't have unions that guarantee a minimum wage to inexperienced, careless and inept people. Competition is what made this country great. I do not believe a business should jeopardize itself by offering a person a job just to get him off the streets. There are too many people out there who are qualified and who will do their very best for a business. No amount of unionization can qualify a person for any job. If a qualified person wants a job, he will find one without any help from a union, and he will be paid what the business thinks he's worth. Otherwise he can leave. Thank you.

ACADEMICALLY-ABLE STUDENTS are turning away from teaching due to teaching conditions: pay and expected duties. Perhaps the governor should learn about children and teaching before he tries to impose his fancy ideas.

I HAD A horrifying telephone experience yesterday. I dialed a long-distance number and reached an answering machine, which responded with, and I quote: Out of all the answering machines in this country, you have reached mine and you are going to regret it for the rest of your life. Needless to say I do regret it. I wonder why that person has a phone. To be intimidated and threatened by an answering machine is the last thing I ever expected, and I pray I never reach that number by mistake again. In fact, I do live in fear of it. Thank you.

I THINK THE money we're spending on this war could have been much better spent on the people in California to help them get water, and also on the very poor and homeless. Of course, that would not help the big oil companies.

I THINK IT'S a wonderful idea that Cheney in the Pentagon is restricting news of the ground war now to the media. Way to go. That's the way it should have been done in the first place.

THIS IS DEDICATED to those people who abuse the Bible to put down long hair. The entire Bible is God's holy word. This includes the Old Testament as well as the new. Read Judges 13:5, and you will find the most famous of the special line of priesthood called Nazarites. These priests were not allowed to cut their hair as well as many other restrictions. These priests are mentioned in other books of the Old Testament as well. Paul was not the final authority on the Bible, and evidently he failed to do his research closely enough, as you have done. You know the name of this famous Nazarite priest, don't you? Yes, the most famous priest of these long-haired priests was Samson.

OK, SO YOU chose not to send a reporter to the Eagle Court of Honor. That's your choice. But you could have at least printed the names of the boys who received an Eagle award. This was something those boys have worked for for years and years. It was certainly something the community knows about. If they had been arrested you would have put their names in the paper again and again, every time they came up before the court. How about putting their names in when they have a really good accomplishment? Next to graduation from college, receiving the Eagle award is about the greatest thing a boy can do.

I HAVE ONLY been here for about three weeks; however, I have been an avid reader of Speak Out since I first started reading the Southeast Missourian when I came. I can't stand it any longer, and I must now speak out as well. To the two people who wrote in about investment of Cape Girardeau dollars out of state, I wholeheartedly agree. If the banks locally can offer as much in return as out-of-state banks, by all means invest it here; otherwise, let's make sense with our economic policies and invest out of state. To the person who called in about why can't Johnny read, a massive applause to that person. Finally, somebody pointed out something that doesn't have to do with the war. Yes, we need to spend more time with our kids, and what better way to do that than around a book? What a great family activity. And, to the person saying, if it's not country it ain't music, get off your high horse and go back to the barn and milk your cows. And, to the one against long hair with I Corinthians 11:14, have you ever seen a picture of Jesus or of God without long hair? Think about it.

I WANT TO see some Blues hockey. Also, to the people complaining about men with long hair, why don't you find something constructive to do besides worry about the way somebody else has their hair? It's none of your business or your concern.

AS MUCH AS I admire Dan Rather and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, there is another important person who deserves much credit: Wolf Blitzer of CNN. Wolf is my main man. Thank you.

MY CONGRATULATIONS TO KFVS-TV for the excellent coverage they gave to the support parade that was held here in Cape. It was very good and lengthy. Having attended the parade, I think they did an excellent job. It was too bad the crowd was not more than what the paper estimated at 500. Surely we could gather up more than that to give support to all those fellows who make the opportunity to participate in these parades possible. It was a wonderful day for it. Maybe next time we have a parade we'll have more bands and more people come out for it. Thank you.

TO YOU OUT there who are not happy with sharing the center with beer drinkers and tobacco chewers, my advice is just not go. If you are the majority, the center will not allow the stuff. And, if you are not the majority, then stay home anyway. Furthermore, if that's the only problem you've got in this world, then you're luckier than most. Thank you.

I AM PROUD to be an American and support our troops. As my three small children and I walked in our support-our-troops parade I wondered where were all our city officials and top business people who had out yellow ribbons to support troops. Is it only for show? I have a nephew in Saudi and know a lot of people who have friends and family over there. God bless them all. We love you.

PETER KINDER GOT his dandruff up when someone accused him of lies about Wayne Cryts in his efforts to retain his beans in Ristine's elevators in northern Arkansas. These commentators have a very clever way of using protective clothes, not to incarnate themselves as they destroy people. Oddly enough, Mr. Kinder couldn't give up on Wayne Cryts even after he had him defeated. I agree wholeheartedly with the caller: Wayne Cryts is a hero.

I JUST SAW the best parade ever. It was all these bikers parading from Cape County Park through Jackson in support of our troops. We all hope and pray that our troops will all come home soon and there will be peace on Earth. As for all you bikers, girls and guys, thank you all and God bless you.

FOR THOSE WHO are interested, there is a prayer vigil continuing at St. Andrew Lutheran Church daily from 11 to 1 in the worship area. Anyone who is interested in praying for our soldiers in the Middle East can stop in and stay as long as they would like. Thank you.

IF THEY WANT to end the war real fast, why don't they put all the big chiefs on both sides of the front line and give each one a gun. They caused the mess so let them do the fighting. Thank you.

I JUST WANT to say I really enjoy Mr. Gary Rust's columns. They reflect my thinking almost 100 percent. However, one little suggestion: I wish he wouldn't use parentheses in so many instances; they do detract from the line of thought. The important thing is that he keep up the column and keep conveying the thoughts because they are the thoughts of most southeast Missourians. Thank you.

I WAS SORRY to hear that Saddam Hussein has burned so much of Kuwait. It makes him no better than Gen. Sherman.

ON THE LAKE issue, I don't believe Bollinger and Cape county were thinking near big enough. I think we should have made it sort of the eighth wonder of the world and built the dam all the way from the city limits of Fredericktown, and put about half the city of Jackson under water and have about a 35- or 40-mile lake. That's my opinion about it. They just weren't thinking big enough. This would have attracted world-wide attention. What do you think about that?