Speak Out 11/8/13

Cyclists do

belong on road

Yes, I'm calling in regards to a caller to Speak Out. The caller stated that cyclists should stay off the roads, off the streets, off the highways. I've got a questions for him--where does he want us to ride our bikes? I've got a mountain bike an 18-speed and I'm sure not going to riding it out on the grass. I ride it on the city streets. I follow the rules of the road. I stop at stop signs. That's the way we're supposed to do it. I stay on the right side of the road like we're supposed to and yet I have had drivers of vehicles honk their horns at me. I've had them speed up and act like I'm right out in the middle of street when I'm not. People in this area need to realize that we cyclists belong on the roads and on the streets. We're not riding toys. We're riding vehicles, and we do belong on the road. Thank you.

Keep politics out of classroom

I have a Ninth grade granddaughter in school here in Poplar Bluff. I go to church for the Lord and for religion. I don't go for the preacher that condemns one's politics over another one, vote for this or vote for that and the same way with school. It's all right to learn our history, but I don't think that teacher ought to stand up in front of the class and talk about Obama or any other President of the United States--that it's his fault and all this to these Ninth graders. My granddaughter comes home all the time and tells me what the teacher said about Obama and other stuff. I think it's wrong! And, if this teacher is doing this, I think she ought to be reprimanded or fired! Politics is -- that kind of politics -- is NOT for schools or churches. There's a reason for separation of church and state and school, to me, takes federal monies so it needs to be stopped! Whatever teacher is doing this, if more than one, need to be reprimanded or fired! What's your opinion? Thank you.

We're on the

no-call list

Yeah, has the Tea Party been calling you? Those robo-calls? They been calling me almost everyday, but today I got lucky. I got a live person from the Tea Party called me from a 404 area code, and I'm ashamed of myself for what I said, but I cussed him up one side and down the other and then told him what I thought about the Tea Party and he listened to me for a minute and then he hung up, but he got his ear full because we're tired of the Tea Party and everyone else calling us. If we want the Tea Party to call us, we'll ask them. If we want the Republican Party to call us, we'll ask them. If we want the Democrat Party to call us, we'll ask them. We're on the no-call list. No-call list means no-call. So Tea Party leave us alone. We can use choice words to say that, but we don't really like to do that, but in this case I'd had enough and I did use those choice words. So, again, Tea Party stop calling us. I don't believe in your way of life. Thank you.