SPEAKOUT

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A store where I live sells a lot of barbecue meat pretty cheap. The meat is half-ruined. Is it against the law to sell meat that is half-ruined?

We contacted Environmental Public Health Specialist Keith McCord with the Mississippi County Health Department. "My job is to protect the public health through inspections in Mississippi County. If people would be more concerned with trying to call the health department to take care of the problem, instead of calling the newspaper to throw a fit, it would be easier for me to take care of these problems." Your complaint would be handled better by calling the Mississippi County Health Department at 683-2191. Call them with the name of the business you are referring to.

I think the Ku Klux Klan should be on the list of terrorist groups.

I want to respond to the person who called in "Another solution," suggesting that the Humane Society give stray animals to laboratories instead of killing them. First of all, no animal deserves to be tortured before they die. Secondly, the Humane Society will not be responsible for "killing" animals when it's the irresponsible pet owners' fault for the pet overpopulation by not having them spayed or neutered. The the Humane Society winds up getting their offspring. It's the irresponsible pet owners who are actually "killing" the animals. Not the Humane Society.

In response to "Everybody can help," nobody said one animal control officer could do it all. He rescues a lot of animals that belong to someone who doesn't care for them, which is good. If there are 50,000 strays in the town, that is a problem. I put an ad in the paper asking for someone who I would pay to trap five cats and take them to the shelter. Not one person responded, not even the "Everybody can help" person who is so fast to tell you what to do. I had some friends that trapped them and took them out on a farm. They are free and being fed. I didn't "skat" them away, not caring what happened to them. Now, "Everybody can help" person, practice what you preach. What can you do to help? I assume nothing.

Last night we had the Junior Miss Contest. I feel like one or a couple of us black girls should have made first alternate or second alternate or something like that. I'm not racist or anything; I'm not racist at all. But I feel like one black person should have made it. A couple of years ago my daughter was in the Junior Miss and she was the only black girl in the competition and didn't get anything. I think I'm going to go to the Board of Education about this. None of my relatives were in the event this year, but I think they should have at least one black person up there.