SPEAKOUT

THANKS, KBSI, FOR bringing Cape all those great Christmas movies. My family really loved "The Nutcracker" and "White Christmas" that you showed last night. Keep up the all-family entertainment. It's really great. Thanks.

THIS IS IN RESPONSE to Joni Adams' article on the quake projection repercussions. She asks what you do with the water and all the other emergency clothing and things. Well, that's easy. Save the water and use it for coffee, spaghetti or watering potatoes, and so on. As for canned goods, simply use them before the expiration date and restock to stay prepared. This means water also. The Missourian printed an article on how to keep provisions and when to restock. My car and living room closet is going to stay ready for any emergency. By using a little common sense and ingenuity, you can too. Thank you, Speak Out.

I ADMIRE DR. Browning for warning people about an earthquake. He honestly believed his projection was right. What kind of a person would he be if he had not warned the people and the earthquake happened? People are now prepared for an emergency should one occur. Thank you, Dr. Browning, for making people more aware and more prepared. I don't think people should make jokes about Dr. Browning's projection, but thank God we didn't have an earthquake.

INSTEAD OF PEOPLE in the community laying blame on Browning and Dr. Stewart for the predictions of an earthquake, why don't we all thank God that he intervened?

IN DEC. 2 SPEAK Out someone wants to trade George Bush and Dan Quayle for Margaret Thatcher. I'm also an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, a great lady. The liberals had England in a real mess. Her reform made a big improvement in Britain's economy. We should try to trade people like Michael Dukakis, Ted Kennedy, and most of our Democratic liberals for her. They are creating the same mess. George Bush needs a responsible Congress. There are things that Congress will propose that could almost get us in the same economic mess the Russians are in. Thank you.

THIS GEORGE BUSH seems so eager to send nearly one-half million troops into combat. Can he be the same George Bush who spoke of a kindlier, gentler nation? I guess it could be. I know he's the same George Bush who said read my lips, no new taxes. It seems a little wishy-washy to me.

AFTER WATCHING AND listening to John Martin on television in the city council meeting, the police officer involved should be given a commendation.

I JUST WATCHED Mr. Martin's presentation to the City Council on local television and I was wondering where a person could send donations to help Patrolman Jordan with legal counsel. Thank you.

I FEEL THE officer that got into it with my Cape neighbor was way out of line. Police officers should be models of good behavior. I didn't even realize that burning leaves was against the law. Thank you.

I'D LIKE to commend Chief of Police Boyd for his action at the city council meeting Wednesday night in defense of the officer that Mr. Martin said manhandled him. I believe this officer was more than likely justified in trying to refrain Mr. Martin. I appreciate all the Cape Girardeau policemen. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to say this about Dr. Browning's Dec. 3 earthquake projection: Never once did Dr. Browning say, yes, there will definitely be an earthquake Dec. 3; he just said there is a 50-50 chance. So the man is not wrong; it just happened to be that we didn't have one. Thank you.

I JUST WANT TO know why people have to cut down small towns in the Cape County, Bollinger County, and Scott County areas. We don't have a lot of things the bigger cities have, but we do have peace, and there are a lot of smart people in these small counties. People who cut down these counties don't know what it's like to live in a small town until they come. So, if you've never lived in a small town, quit cutting them down until you've been there. They're good places with good, smart people, and our revenue goes in to the bigger cities because we are in the county. Thank you.

I WOULD JUST like to say thank-you for letting us get out of school and giving us a boost to get prepared for an emergency like an earthquake. Now, if we have one, I believe I will be ready and more prepared. Now I know what to do. Thank you, Mr. Iben Browning.

BEFORE THE LAST presidential election I was advised to vote for a combat veteran because he would never lead your country into war. So much for that.

THIS IS IN response to Thursday's caller, who spent one hour watching Oprah Winfrey talk about whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry and adopt children. This person says that was one of the most disgusting and disturbing things they had ever seen, yet it seems they were fascinated enough with it to watch an entire hour on a nationally syndicated talk show whose only job is to get high ratings and make money for the host. Apparently the person found the subject more intriguing and fascinating than they did disturbing and disgusting. I would think that if something disgusted me I wouldn't be able to watch it for an hour. Perhaps just remotely, possibly, maybe it will open up their mind. I know that's not very probable.

CAPE GIRARDEAU and Southeast Missouri, stop blaming Browning for your fright and your panic. You did it yourself. He said there was only a 50-50 chance. You are the ones who scared you. Thank you.

I'M AN EX-MARINE and I don't feel sorry for some of those hostages over there because they were told to get out of there long before things started happening. They would not listen to the president of the United States. If they would have gotten out when the president told them to we wouldn't have had to have a buildup like this; we could have sent a few special forces in there and run them out of Kuwait. American people are a little bit lazy and greedy. We don't pay attention to our leaders. As far as these politicians telling you how to handle this man, he's got us pushed in his pocket right now. If we would have gotten out of there we wouldn't have had near the problems we've had so far. American people like that lavish lifestyle over there; they didn't want to give it up and they didn't care. So I feel very little sympathy for them. Thank you.

PEOPLE ARE NOT giving Iben Browning enough credit. Who says his prediction was right? He said there was a 50 percent chance that there wouldn't be an earthquake. He wasn't wrong was he?

PEOPLE AROUND HERE don't seem to understand that Dr. Iben Browning didn't predict an earthquake; he only projected that there would be a 50 percent chance of one. For all we know we only hit the lucky side of the coin. Unless someone can prove that there is a less than 50 percent chance, Dr. Browning hasn't been proven wrong. It's easy for ignorance to find fault with something, but until people in this area begin to educate themselves they will continue to show how truly ignorant they are. Thank you.

MR. BUSH, WOULD you please reinstate the draft? That way everybody gets a chance and you don't have to call in all the reserves.

I AM FROM the Bootheel area, where people are often stereotyped as hicks. I find it amazing that further north in Cape Girardeau live the true hicks. People here actually took stock in Dr. Browning's claims. School let out and some businesses closed to protect people from the disaster that never happened. Others of the Bootheel region are embarrassed by the ignorant actions of many Cape Girardeau citizens. In the future, please request scientific proof before crying wolf. Thank you.

AFTER THE MESS we have now under the Bush and Reagan administration, if Jimmy Carter would have run a scheme of his own - lying to Congress, going behind their back and the American people - that would have pleased some, I'm sure. But you could believe Jimmy Carter. He is a fine man, and I say happy hunting, Jimmy, you never lost your popularity, as Greenberg says. It was covered up and now it's coming uncovered. You're popular with me. I happen to like honest people.

ABOUT PAUL GREENBERG'S COLUMN on Jimmy Carter saying Bush was impatient: Well, half of the country is saying that. When the country voted Jimmy Carter out and brought Ronald Reagan in, that's when our mess started. Jimmy Carter was a fine, decent man. As you can see after what's happened in the Reagan years, a man like that doesn't fit in Washington. God bless Jimmy Carter. we sure need more like him.

I HAVE ATTENDED many functions at the Show Me Center. The Christmas concert last night was the best performance ever. I hope it will become an annual affair.

I DON'T BELIEVE we need to rehabilitate the terminal building at the Cape airport. Our town should be ashamed wanting to take federal money. Our country's in a severe debt and close to a recession. Where does the city think the federal money comes from? No wonder federal taxes are so high, with every city acting like kids at Christmas. Thank you.

TO THE PERSON who says he loves his country. If we truly love our country, vote. It's important we elect those who are truly going to serve our country. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to comment about the person who has called in saying that marijuana is good for you and the American public should give it a chance, and they should be given a chance to make their own decisions. One thing: This person says people should be informed before they make a decision. Let me give you this to think about, having dealt with marijuana. Who do you think is bringing that into the country and selling it? It's the Mafia. They're selling this to stupid people, and they're murdering and killing people to sell this marijuana and to maintain their monopolies on it. The people who are smoking it are contributing to it. Even people who say they smoke it just a little bit are contributing to Mafia activities. They are abiding and contributing to the Mafia and these murders the Mafia is doing. These people are helping contribute to it the same as the man who does the killing. These people are equally guilty and sometime they're going to have to tell their twisted viewpoints to the supreme being. They're going to be standing there and they're going to have to answer when he asks about this marijuana and explains to them how they helped contribute to all of these deaths.

I'M WONDERING IF there is an active protest group in this area that is against the war in the Persian Gulf. If so, I'd certainly like to join it, I'd like a phone number. Thank you.

IN LAST SUNDAY'S Missourian, printed on the 2nd, it told of an elderly woman, 90-years-old, that could use financial help. It stated she was taking 14 different medications. This should be looked into by family or friends. Should anyone take that much medicine? It seems as if she is being taken advantage of. It has been proven that many older people are better off the least amount of medication they can take. I'm truly worried about her.

I WOULD LIKE to thank the lady who called me on the night of my son's accident on Kingsway Drive. There are some great people in Cape and she's one of them. Thank you.

CAN YOU BELIEVE I work for a company that has at least 50 faithful employees and they're not having a Christmas party? Thanks.

SCOTT CITY LADY Rams, we are so proud of you. You may have taken second place in the Chaffee tournament, but you're a first-rate team. You're first in our hearts. You did great. Anybody that missed that game missed a good game for the Rams. Good luck, Rams.

I CAN'T UNDERSTAND why the American people are so concerned about the hostages over in Iraq and Kuwait. These people voluntarily went to these places years ago in order to avoid paying the United States income tax. Now that they're in trouble they want the United States to spend all kinds of money rescuing them, putting our troops and everything else over there. I don't see why we owe them anything. When they went they more or less renounced their American citizenship. They paid nothing into this country and yet they expect everything from the country. I say let them be there and let them take their chances. Thank you.

I ALSO AGREE with Pritchard, knowing Gary Rust only prints in Speak Out what agrees with his opinions. I have called several times and nothing has been printed. Some of these calls concerned our environmental problems; other speak outs I called in concerned Bill Emerson. These were true, verified facts, but Heaven forbid Gary Rust ever printing anything against Emerson. Also, I bet this call will not be printed. Sure wish we had the Guardian newspaper back. They had the courage to print all opinions.

As we've explained many times in this column, Speak Out is available to anyone who wishes to express an opinion, and that includes opinions on environmental problems and Bill Emerson. As we've also explained, this newspaper is responsible for the contents of Speak Out, and we, therefore, will continue to decide which comments are published and which are not.

I JUST READ the article by Don Pritchard in the Sunday paper and I wanted to call in to say that I do not miss the News Guardian or their biased editorial comments. They did not ever carry any competitive advertising, and it was created to serve the needs a few businessmen and not the people of this area. It's a great asset to Cape Girardeau to have lost this newspaper.

I'M RATHER AMAZED about the parent who was surprised that her son would be run off from a place by a security guard with a weapon. I'm also rather amazed that they would go public with such a statement of their own fragile incompetence that their son would be need to be run off by a security guard. Thank you.

IN MONDAY MORNING'S paper there was a question about the War Powers Act that was not answered sufficiently in Speak Out. The War Powers Act was passed in 1973 over President Nixon's veto. It restricts the president's use of American troops abroad. Specifically, the president may not send troops unless, one, Congress declares war; two, a law authorizes such actions; or, three, there is a national emergency. If there is a national emergency the president can send troops without consulting Congress but must notify Congress within 48 hours. Thereafter, American troops may not remain abroad longer than 60 days without congressional approval. At any time Congress can require the president to withdraw American forces, bypassing a concurrent resolution, or, they can grant an extension to keep the troops where the president has sent them.