SpeakOut 9/24

Call 573-471-6636

I just wanted to speak out about a story I heard on the news. Apparently there's an 11-year-old boy playing football at his school. His coach decided he wasn't good enough, he couldn't keep up with the team. So the coach took the boy's uniform off of him and made him walk home in his underwear and T-shirt. The school decided not to do any kind of punishment to the coach. I want all the coaches around here to know that that will not be tolerated in this town. If one of you do my child, or any child that way, and the school does not punish you, you will be punished. And that is that.

I live in Charleston and I pay rent. I always pay it on time every month. In with the rent, they are supposed to mow your yard. But do they mow your yard? No. The grass goes to seed and you could step in a hole and break a leg for all they care. If you pay your rent on time, they should mow the yard as they said they would. The people that lease and rent these houses are doing wrong, wrong, wrong.

This is on Wednesday, Sept. 12, the heading on the front page of your paper, Vote for county workers to join union. That's like a double-edged sword. I work for a major trucking company here in the United States. They've been trying to organize us into their group. But we are already organized, not in a union. It's for the police officers. In the big cities they are all unions. But with the trucking companies, they show favoritism. If you're not union or Teamsters, they will wait until the assailant is gone to check out the situation. Especially when there is a demonstration to be organized by the Teamsters. We've already been through it for the last 15-20 years. It's been harassment. They've been having it in Memphis and St. Louis. In a small town in Scott County, all that will do is bring more hatred toward the police department. They're going to show favoritism to certain organizations that support their little groupies. Employers need to be put in their place, especially the crooked ones. Again, union labor is not like it used to be either. Once the big boys get the money out of your check when they get their cut, they could care less how they represent you. It costs millions of dollars to get out of it. It only takes one little card to sign up for it. Think about it before you sign that card. You may be upset with your boss, but somebody else that you don't work for is going to take money out of your pocket. And he could give a rip about you. He is sitting somewhere out in Vegas at the crap table saying, I've got another check coming from those poor suckers that we conned to sign up on that card, we get our money up front. All I'm saying is think before you act.

I wish they would put back layaway in Wal-Mart, The Dollar Store and Family Dollar to help people during Christmas. They need to have a little bit of compassion in their heart in this town. Please think about this.

What did I think of George Bush's speech on TV Thursday night? We have an unpopular president going on to prime television, interrupting America's TV programs, to remind them of why they don't like him.

Since George Bush implemented his "surge," 760 U.S. soldiers and upward of 15,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed, untold thousands were wounded and Iraqis have been fleeing their homes at a rate of 60,000 per month. But Bush apologists want us to stay the course because otherwise, things might get worse. Worse than what?