Speakout 3/6

Wednesday, March 6, 2002

I have been a Lilbourn resident my entire life and I want to speak out and say that I and quite a few others are so proud to have a law enforcement officer that makes us feel so safe and that we can count on. It is a comfortable feeling to call for help or assistance and have law enforcement there so fast and immediately on top of the problem. We just want to say thank you Donald Hanner for making a difference in this town. Keep up the good work.

George Bush stood before the Japanese Parliament recently and made a speech where he was quoted as saying, "For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times and that alliance has become a bearer of peace in the Pacific." I was just wondering, did George Bush forget about World War II? We know he didn't forget about Vietnam because he ran from it.

I would like for the police department to answer this question. I wonder why the police department, you see kids walking the streets at 1, 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning and they're up to no good. They vandalize decent people's property. If we see it, the police department must see it too. These kids are not good kids; they're punks. Why don't the police enforce the curfew? Take the kids home, knock on the door and ask the parents why aren't their kids in bed instead of out roaming the streets at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning? They're out to destroy property and other things in life that they do. The only way you're going to eliminate this is to start putting a stiff fine on the parents. If the parents have to pay out a bunch of money because their kids are out on the streets instead of home in bed, and they're supposed to go to school the next day, then they would make more sure the kids are where they're supposed to be at nighttime. And another thing, the kids are out walking the streets during school hours or shopping at a store or anyplace they want to be when they're supposed to be in school. I believe the police department could do more about these young kids than what they're doing. Next time, put a fine on the parents because money talks.


I want to talk about the Sikeston Police Department, not all of them but some of them. They do illegal searches, they dig through people's purses, go through people's cars as soon as they get off work. Somebody needs to change that stuff. I thought Sikeston was supposed to care about the people who live here. Why don't you wake up and change stuff?

I, T.J.W., think my Mom is a good candidate for Beautiful Black American Queen. It takes a special person to fit that category. She was a BBAQ at age 16. I'm only 11 years old. I never saw her to tell her that I love her and that we should always live each day as if it were our last. So I'm letting my BBAQ Mom know I love her.

Can anybody tell me what happened to the tobacco tax the state got back from these tobacco companies? You never hear anything about it anymore. It looks to me like the state could use some of that money to keep from closing down the schools and prisons and these other things they're shutting down. Somebody must have walked off with it or something. You never hear a word about it. I know the smokers never got any of it. If somebody knows, please inform me, would you?