Speakout 7/14

I wanted to tell all pageant people that you probably don't want to go to Portageville if you want your child's feelings and self-esteem to remain in tact. Monday at the Fourth of July pageant with many children participating and behaving appropriately, there was a vulgar display of clapping and cheering for one child. Can we all not bring a cheering section? Is that what we want to display to others and our children that this is the way to get attention and that the judges will be influenced by such behavior. Our child, who does many pageants, wondered what was wrong with her and the others that only this one child warranted such a display. I'm sure many other children felt the same way. Unless you want to take vulgar group and behave in such a manner, then don't go to Portageville for pageants.

I would like to Speakout about these people who rent houses. I understand that they don't want animals but I have a little dog. First off, I'm a 60-year-

old lady and I'm looking for a two to three bedroom home, preferably all electric. I have excellent references and all that. I have a little dog that is like 10 years old and I just can't get rid of this dog and it is hard for me to find a house to rent. My dog is house-broken and she doesn't mess up anything. If anyone out there has a two or three-bedroom home for two adult people, 60 and 40 years old, would you please print your number in the paper concerning about a dog. I'm looking for a place and need a place pretty bad by the first of August. My number is 667-5326 or 380-8497.

I wish whoever put that in the paper today, Tuesday, "Bring Them Home," should have been watching TV tonight when that guy from Texas told how proud he was when he landed in Texas and everyone greeted him and shook his hand. I think they ought to bring one boy home and send them over there. If they so want to bring the boys home, everyone wants to bring them home. They don't want to be over there. You ought to be one of those wives or mothers or fathers. I know what it is like. Every time they start a war someone starts hollering bring the boys home, bring the boys home. What happens another Pearl Harbor or 9-11 or them on the boat who got killed? They are afraid they are going to spend a $1 over there so they won't get it all free food stamps and stuff. Instead of letting them demonstrate, hit the police and stuff, load them in a boat and take them over and dump them in Iraq. That is where they ought to be. Everyone should help the boys and their families who are fighting for us to have a free country and go to bed at night.

I would like to add my comment to those about the farmers burning their fields. I've got granddaughter who is very small and she has asthma and we try to alternately go down the Interstate and Highway 61 to Sikeston for her doctor's appointment but invariably we will hit a farmer burning a field on one or the other and we have to turn the air-conditioner on, make sure all the windows are up until we get miles from that scene to keep from setting her into an asthma attack. I don't think they realize in Southeast Missouri how many elderly people have COPD and emphysema and how many young children have asthma and chronic bronchitis. They hurting this population severely and they need to stop looking at the dollar signs - they have got the big tractors, they have got the big government subsidies. Please, take a little time and plow those fields. You might save some of these people's lives.

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If you farmers have ever seen a small child gasp for breath after they have been in car going near your burning fields. Saw their eyes fill up and see them gasp for breath while they are reaching for their inhaler then I don't think you would ever burn another wheat field again.

I would like to know if anyone has a remedy for brown recluse spiders.