SPEAKOUT

Look at the problem

WHILE I find it saddening that students were not only injured but killed in the annual bonfire that they have down in Texas concerning a football game, my problem is this: We as adults who are concerned about a few things in this world need to stop and think. We cannot burn our own trash, but they can burn 7,000 logs strictly for a bonfire. I know this is happening in Texas, and Texas does what Texas wants to. But I think as a nation, everybody should look at this in perspective. Console the people, but apply it to the problem.

Thanks for VFW tribute

WE WENT out to Brookside Park on Veterans Day in Jackson to see the flags at the Veterans Memorial. They were just beautiful, blowing in the wind. I would like to thank Charles Schultz and Harland Seibert and all the other VFW men and women who are responsible for taking care of this. They do a great job. Harland Seibert has put in so much of his time since that memorial was started. He uses his own equipment and donates many hours of his own time, and still he brings his own truck to haul the flags up the hill so they don't have to carry them up and down. He deserves a special thank you. VFW men and women, you do a great job.

Hate crimes for all

WHEN THE homosexual boy out in the western state was beaten to death by two supposed heterosexual men, President Clinton made a lot of political hay over it in trying to get hate-crime legislation implemented. Recently, a 13-year-old boy was tortured and beaten to death and sexually molested by two homosexual adult men in Clinton's home state. It made the local newspapers down there. A reporter asked Clinton's spokesman about why Clinton didn't say something about this incident and was told "Oh, he didn't know anything about it. We don't read about that stuff." No media has played this up anywhere. They don't want to air anything that would put a favorite group like the homosexuals in an unfavorable light. The second thing somewhat similar to that is that several black men pulled two white boys off a bicycle in Carolina and beat them to death. Clinton never had anything to say about that. Neither of these merited any comment from Clinton or from the media to be looked at as hate crimes. Homosexuals and blacks are supposed to be the only victims of hate crimes. It's undermining the unity of this country by making certain status groups victims and not consider other incidents to be hate crimes and pay no attention to them. People should think about this. Heterosexual white Christian men can be picked on and mistreated and that's all right, but not homosexuals or blacks.

This is a test ...THE ELECTRICITY was off for an hour in Scott City today. I was just wondering. Did the traffic lights work any better? Was there less congestion when people had to turn it into a four-way stop than with the traffic lights? Maybe this was a sign. Maybe they should change the traffic lights.

It's the water's fault

I JUST heard on the news that last year they couldn't work on the Mississippi River bridge because of high water. Now this year they can't work on the bridge because of low water. I'm wondering if they've come to the same conclusion I have: the problem is the water. If they didn't have the water, they wouldn't be having any problems at all with the bridge. Think about it.

What about Tom Upton.

I WAS wondering, in connection with your piece on the athletes of the 20th century, one that I didn't see was a baseball player from about 1950 named Tom Upton. He was called Tom Upton in St. Louis. I've heard him called Herb Upton. He played for the St. Louis Browns and the Washington Senators. I was wondering if any of your readers know anything about him.

Survey caused tardiness

I'D LIKE to know who was responsible for the survey that's being done one recent morning on Highway 72 down by King Creek Bridge. It backed up traffic forever. Not only were both of my kids late for school, but I was also late for work, which can cause me to have a check mark. Once I get three of them, I'm out. The survey was not posted or advertised. No one knew or was prepared to leave earlier.

Standing up for Democrats

TO THE Republican making fun of his Democratic friends: I'm a strong Democrat, but I can't say I care for the ACLU. I believe in a woman's right to choose. However, I think in the case of incest and rape it's the woman's business, between herself and her God. Yes, I'm a strong Democrat, but the fact is we may have different views in the Democratic Party. We're all one big united party. We're for increasing the minimum wage when needed. We're for stopping companies firing people at will. We're for union representation for all employees. We're for a strong welfare program where it's needed. Yes, we do believe in national health care. That's the difference between us and the Republicans. Call us socialists if you want, but I think there's decency in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt plan for the Democratic Party.