Speakout 12-24

The East Prairie city crew starts decorating the poles for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. The lights start getting strung before Thanksgiving by Jerry Burton. The Chamber starts putting up the decorations as soon as weather is permitting. Thousands of hours are put into making the city look beautiful. People come from other places just to admire our city of lights. We always have compliments on our lighted parade. The city crew, Jerry Burton and the Chamber brave the weather and other elements to make our town look pretty, while you sit in the warmth of your home and criticize. We surely would appreciate your help next year.

It is a sad day when the President of the country can have sex- yes, sex - with a young intern in the Oval Office, then lie about to the entire country and remain in office. Yet a senator can't make a stupid unthought out statement and be condemned to damn near death.

Well, here goes the Democrats and black leaders after Trent Lott. They don't accept any apologies at all. Where were these leaders when Farakhan was speaking hatred against whites for years, and these same people did nothing? I would like an answer.

On the topic of Senator Lott's comment, ladies and gentlemen, I know society has changed. But if any other ethnic group would have made a comment like that, nothing would have been said. But since a "whitie" said something like that, all heck breaks loose.

I don't know what this world is coming to when you can't pay your money to sit down and eat in a restaurant, when someone sings a quiet song at a birthday party. There was almost a fight because someone was singing a church song in a restaurant. The manager didn't handle the situation professionally.

In the Dec. 18 paper, I would like to comment on the "How rude!" article. I am a cashier. The caller said it's rude for us to lick our fingers when giving cash or receipts back to the customers. We don't do this to be gross. We do this to be sure the customers are accurately getting their money back. If they feel that's rude or gross, the customer should be sure their money is not sticking together to begin with.

I would like to comment about a SpeakOut "How rude!" which was published Dec. 18. For the customers who think that's really gross, how would they feel if they got short-changed or how would the cashiers feel if their registers came up short. I'm a cashier and I have done that, not meaning anything by it and not trying to be gross.

In defense of hygiene and curbing the spread of germs, products are available that are very effective in place of licking your fingers when counting money.