Speakout 6-8

To the person who beats their dog as hard as they can every time the dog doesn't come, I must ask you, would you go to someone if you knew they were going to beat you? Of all the creatures on Earth, only humans and chimpanzees wage war on other creatures and their own kind, and even chimpanzees don't use excessive force to train their young. You can continue to beat this dog and break its spirit, if breaking its spirit is your goal. The dog will probably obey you out of fear. I can guarantee the dog will never love you. Pack animals such as wolves and dogs do not understand violence. They associate by choice, out of love. Please get help. You're out of control. You should especially educate yourself in animal behavior and training methods. Otherwise, please give your dog to someone who will treat it gently and lovingly. If you will change, your reward in having your dog love you will far outweigh what you are going through now. As far as class goes, there is nothing lower-class and behavior than beating up an animal.

Animal abuse is a felony and should be reported. If this is in the city limits of Sikeston, call Animal Control at 471-2186; or if it's outside the city limits, call the Humane Society of Missouri at (800) 383-9835. Tell the officials the location of this abuse. Your name will not be used.

I read in the May 29 Standard Democrat where Sen. Kit Bond said we may have to go to a "toll road" system to pay for extra highway construction and overhauling the aging interstate highway system. I disagree. It takes too long for those coins to add up to any amount of money. In some areas it does good. It works good in metropolitan areas but in smaller areas like Sikeston and Morehouse and New Madrid, it won't go as good. I would lobby against it in Sikeston and Morehouse. We do not need a toll road. Sen. Jim Talent is promoting a plan for $50 billion transportation bonds. I would come a lot nearer voting for this plan which would go over a lot better with the public than Kit Bond's toll road proposal.

I hope this makes SpeakOut. I just saw Gov. Bob Holden on TV wanting to raise cigarette taxes and gambling. Why doesn't he start at the main problem and raise it on alcohol and the license they sell for taverns and for selling liquor? There are more people killed by drunk drivers and they should start at the bottom. Cigarettes do kill people, but they're not half as bad as alcohol and don't kill as many. Just look at how many got killed in Sikeston by a drunk driver. If they put it high enough, they couldn't afford to buy it. Get some of these taverns and liquor stores out of business and we'd all be better off. The Mothers Against Drunk Drivers should fight them instead of fighting the drunk drivers. I guess some of them may be social drinkers too. They ought to be the family of an alcoholic and see how hard it is for them. And I know how hard it is for the ones who kill the people's parents.

I live out here at Pharris Ridge. Is there any way we can get good water out here? I hate this well water. It stinks and everything?

Can someone explain to me the Jeep commercials? On one, a lady is throwing paint on a red and a black Jeep and then she says, "I'll take the red one." The other one is a man covering up a jeep with bushes and tree limbs and all that kind of stuff. I just wonder what they're all about.

The lady is throwing mud, not paint, since it leaves the impressioin the jeep will more often be covered with mud. The guy covering the Jeep is trying to hide it so no one will buy it until he gets his chance.

If you lost a two gallon gas can from your truck or trailer, call 471-4048. I think I found it.