Speakout 5/5

I recently got a hold of a Sikeston Red Pepper constitution and while reading over it the following was revealed to me. Article 8 it says that "positions for minority cheerleaders shall be reserved based on the number of minority participants," meaning that if two tryout, one must make it and so on. I ask the residents of Sikeston, who to turn to in this matter. Is this fair? No, of course it is not fair. Where are the judges when you need them? We do not need the Bleacher Bums determining who gets quarterback or who is on the basketball team. I just wonder when judges will pick the SHS cheerleaders. It needs to be soon. I would like to remind the school that reverse discrimination is illegal according to the United States Constitution. This is not fair.

I would like to tell everyone about a recent experience I had a local Sikeston rescue mission. If you are like me and give every year thinking in turn, they were delegating and giving to lots of needy people, you and I were both wrong. There are new people running the one here and it seems they only care for no one in need. I have a family member who has colon cancer and has been battling with chemo for the last two years. In the past two years would give us 16 pieces of clothing per year and couldn't have been nicer since my sister required constantly clean clothing due to accidents. I asked for help this year and the new people said no. They would give nothing. I could not believe how someone given out of good to them could refuse someone in need. This is what I thought the rescue mission was all about. In fact, that is why I always gave them my miscellaneous items, thinking they took care of several needy people. I can assure you that I will never do this again. While I was standing there at the front counter waiting on the lady as she checked with management, she opened a door to a room in the store where clothes were piled to the ceiling on tables all around the room, yet they couldn't help my family with only 16 pieces. I stood there and realized how these people are just taking from people but they weren't giving back. If you didn't have money to buy then you were out of luck. I was trying to help my family and they made me feel like a pauper.

I was calling Speakout about the article on April 14. Leonna Heuring's "The State raises ante on poker games." I would like to say I have a question for Paul Boyd, the prosecuting attorney of Scott County and Capt. Dan Armour. The question is, what is the difference between the Jaycee two-man scramble tournament, the Nunnelee tennis tournament, the Kelly Booster golf tournament and a Texas hold'em poker tournament under current Missouri gaming laws? The answer is there is no difference. All of them are illegal and I would like to know there response to that? Why can't Jamie Howard have a Texas hold'em poker tournament when the Jaycees can have a two man scramble tournament, the Nunnelees can have the tennis tournament and we can have other golf tournaments? Why can't they have a poker tournament for fund raising?

I was looking in today's paper, Monday, April 25, and just wanted to give appreciation and thanks to the people in the Sikeston community such as Mr. Robert Ross who is helping the community cleanup at the Sikeston Compost Site, such as the people who didn't have a truck or didn't have the strength to cleanup. I just thought that was a nice thing he did and wanted to commend him and anyone else in Sikeston who was helping with that.