SPEAKOUT

I WOULD LIKE to thank the person who a few weeks ago found my big set of keys. God's blessings and thank you.

THE PERSON QUOTED in the reaction article about forced death had the situation reversed. If a person is in a vegetative state, and would die a natural death if artificial means were not used to maintain vegetative life, it is a situation of forced life. Withdrawal of the artificial means of life could allow a natural death. Thank you.

I AM ONE OF your customers in the Tamms area and I would like to say what a good job your delivery people are doing, all of them, by getting the papers out in this kind of weather. I heard one complaint the other day because his paper was half an hour late. People like this ought to take into consideration what the drivers on these routes have to drive through to get their papers to them. Thank you.

I AM SO tired of channel 12 employees wishing their families merry Christmas on the air. Please, couldn't the time be put to a much better use?

I'M CALLING IN regarding the Cruzan case. What I don't understand is why everybody is making such a big deal out of what they decided to do. It wasn't because they wanted to. Think about it: what would you do if you would have spent nine years unconscious just living with nothing? Nothing was happening. She was just living unconscious; there was no future for her; she would just suffer. I think the mother and father did make the right decision.

IN REGARDS TO the Speak Out call claiming that there are not enough handicapped parking spaces and that the gentleman or the woman is very handicapped and doesn't have a sticker to identify that their car as having someone who is disabled driving and parking in the handicapped parking spaces: It is the law in Missouri and a national law that you are required to have a sticker designating that a doctor has given you permission for physical health reasons that you are entitled to park in a handicapped parking spot. If you do not have one you do need to be ticketed. It is only the law. It should go for everyone, not just able-bodied people. Able-bodied people get fined because they do not have a sticker. Disabled people should also be required to have a sticker. If not they are considered able-bodied and, therefore, they deserve a ticket. It doesn't cost anything for the hang tags that can be acquired with a doctor's slip down at the license bureau. If you don't want to adhere to the law, then you do not need to park in handicapped parking spots. Thank you.

CONCERNING THE CRUZAN case: The parents fought a three-year court battle to secure the right to let their daughter die. Why did they wait so long to get evidence from Nancy's three co-workers saying they remember Nancy saying she did not want to be kept alive if she should become incompetent?

WHAT'S WRONG WITH some of these people in weather like this driving without headlights? You drive in a blizzard without headlights. You drive in a thunderstorm without headlights. If you're starting to pass me on the left, and I don't know you're there because I can't see you, who's fault is it when we collide? And use your turn signals. Why do you think manufacturers installed them? That little handle on the column is not just for hanging your jewelry. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Cape Girardeau and all the surrounding cities. I hope you have a good one.

I WANTED TO CALL and say thank you to the person or persons who put the package inside the door from my son. It sort of makes you believe in Christmas. Thanks, whoever did it. May God bless you. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to comment about how poorly the Cape Girardeau streets are treated after a snowfall. The removal is probably the poorest I've seen. I live in Chicago and I have never seen a street they don't clean off so people can get around. Thank you.

I READ IN THE paper today in Speak Out that someone said all the wars were started under Democrats. Well, they didn't remember that Abraham Lincoln was president when we had the Civil War. So whoever stated that should go back and read history a little bit. We had Grenada and Panama, all under Republicans. Thank you.

THE CRUZANS HAVE their rights. Leave them alone. Thank you.

I WOULD JUST really like to thank Central Junior High for all their improvements. They have improved so much.

I'M IN THIS program where you can write to soldiers in Saudi Arabia, and this person who wrote me back said it was so heartwarming that people had programs over because some people don't get letters. He said it was so heartwarming to know people here did care. Thank you.

I WOULD like someone to explain why it's necessary for these companies to advertise women's underclothing, panties and bras, so often and so openly. It just does not make good sense. Can someone explain this?

CONCERNING DON PRITCHARD wanting Speak Out to be removed from the newspaper: I wonder if Don has realized that on his regular talk program people who call in may give their first names, but he still does not know who they are. How much different is that from Speak Out? We don't know their first names, but it's not much different knowing their first name and nothing more on his talk program.

I AM CALLING in response to the person who stated in Tuesday's Speak Out about senior citizens. I see in the paper tonight that the senior citizens don't get everything they want. That's hogwash; they do. You take a person who's disabled. He has to pay the same prices as anybody else. He or she is on Social Security disability and they're not 65 years of age, and they have to pay the same prices as everyone else. The senior citizen gets a 10 percent discount on everything: groceries, medicine; you name it, they get it even when they go out to eat. You take someone that's totally disabled and not 65 years of age, and they get no discount whatsoever.