Speakout 11/11

Monday, November 12, 2001

This is for Michael Jensen. On Nov. 2, where your article said racial profiling can improve security, where we're mainly looking for Middle-Eastern people as our terrorists. Did you forget about Timothy McVeigh? He was an American and he was Caucasian. I don't think you need to pick on just the Middle Eastern people.

Mr. Cotton Gin man, slow those trucks down. Those trucks are running people of the road, going 70 miles an hour. Slow them down?

I am calling in response to the one man calling the shots at the Sikeston Light and Water Company. I feel you don't have a heart for those who don't have the money to pay all their bills. For example, I spoke with a young lady who was burned out of her home and her car was broken down, which caused her to be unable to work. She recently began to work, went into your office to make an arrangement for payments on a deposit on her light bill on the house that had burned, and that you required it, and you wouldn't allow it even though it was written and signed by a secretary. This is not right. I feel we need to get at least two or three people to make the final decision on situations like this. Forcing people to live without electricity is not right, especially in cold weather. Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up. Don't be a Scrooge. I will go higher than the paper to get this person removed or some other people to be on staff to help make the final cut-off decision. Maybe the job is too stressful for one person to do it, but something has to be done about this.

I've been troubled for several years now and I wrote this poem that I'd like to recite. Together we stand, divided we fall. You did. I did and it wasn't duty that called. I had no money, son, to give for your protection and you were barely on your medication so your lawyer asked for a guilty plea. I just didn't have enough money. No one was injured, just you and me. The law took you away from me. I failed to press on in church; I lost my joy, the joy of watching you grow, the joy of your laughter, the joy I had always known. For seven years you have paid for an accident that's taken its toll. It's broken our hearts and wounded our souls. But "vengeance is mine," says the Lord. "I will repay." Have a good day and God bless America.