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Home-->Op-Ed
Jimmy Carter's peace mission >> Op-Ed hastings
It takes a (former) president by Dr. Fred Struckmeyer,philosophy chair, West Chester University, West Chester, PA Jimmy Carter, I have just learned, is going to Damascus to talk to the Hamas ...more

Dollars and sense of campaigning >> Op-Ed ddavison
This partial rendition of a movie poster parody that appeared on About.com" political humor comes with the message that "Arrogance is a force with dire consequences." It was created in 2005 by a ...more

Sidewalk chalking event to mark horrors of war >> Op-Ed ddavison
Just having the solemn events of the anniversary of the fifth year of war held by thousands of peace groups nationwide we very much regret that it is almost time to mark another solemn event. We are ...more

Mom works to end deployments in Iraq >> Op-Ed tina-r
by Tina Richards My journey to Washington, DC began a little over a year ago when I received a call from my son about his impending third deployment. After countless hours in the halls of ...more

Is the U.S. Constitution dead, or is it alive? >> Op-Ed midgep
I commend those of you in Joplin who have been brave enough to sign the petition for lessening marijuana penalties in your city. It takes true patriots to stand up for what is good, right and true in ...more

What's in your pocket? >> Op-Ed ddavison
We all know this is one of the most critical elections in quite a few years. People are angry over various issues, and are going to go vote or bust. I have no doubt this primary election on February ...more

Zogby calling >> Op-Ed mariwinn
I just got a phone call from someone doing a poll for Zogby International...and my reaction was wow, that organization is considered highly respectable by the mainstream press, especially Reuters, ...more

Another side to Senator McCain? >> Op-Ed dgilbert
Presidential Candidate and Senator John McCain may appear more presidential these days following his recent primary wins, but one aspect of his fitness for command has been strikingly absent from ...more

Bill sponsored to limit CAFO expansion >> Op-Ed jharris
Commentary by Jeff Harris (D-23), Minority Floor Leader Today I filed legislation to give rural communities greater power to limit the development of concentrated animal feeding operations near ...more

Stop whining; smell the roses >> Op-Ed robinson
Commentary by Governor Matt Blunt (Photo by Vince Rosati) In 2004 Missourians demanded change. Missourians wanted their state government to put Missouri families, Missouri values, and ...more

Just who benefits from ethanol? >> Op-Ed e-emery
The ethanol compromiseby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of retaining ...more

Blunt practices unethical doctoring of health-care >> Op-Ed bob-pund
Primun non nocere First, do no harm, is a common known oath taken by medical practitioners. Medical practices should be considered carefully before they are applied to the patients because this ...more

Special interest politics flaws the process >> Op-Ed e-emery
An historic perspectiveby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) Leadership requires as keen a sense of where you have been as where you are ...more

Should US citizens be trusted with weapons? >> Op-Ed dgilbert
Within December, we’ve seen a private citizen stop a madman wielding a rifle and a thousand rounds of ammunition from possibly killing hundreds of people. The liberal media is spinning this as if she ...more

Vets on disability, be wary when you marry >> Op-Ed jdotson
Please allow me to take you on a brief journey. Try to imagine yourself as one of the many wounded military personnel (man, or woman) currently recovering from combat injuries at Walter Reed or Brook ...more

Public input encouraged in Missouri budget process >> Op-Ed g-nodler
NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Missouri State Senator Gary Nodler (R-32/ Newton, Jasper and Dade counties) Beginning the budget process This summer, I was appointed as the chairman of the ...more

Home inspector's role: working for the buyer >> Op-Ed jbushart
by James H. Bushart In this passing year, Missourians have seen the highest number of foreclosures than at any other time in their history. Families are being forced out of their homes and are ...more

Is the US softening its alliance with Israel? >> Op-Ed angelpix
by Daniel Gilbert During a peace summit in Annapolis, MD, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has vowed to heavily pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem. Worse, Rice and the current administration ...more

Marvel Comics goes digital >> Op-Ed 4comics
Commentary by Mark Allen Recently, Marvel Comics decided to begin making their comics available online. Dubbed Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, the program will boast 2,500 comic books ...more

When the majority doesn't speak >> Op-Ed ddavison
If you missed the impeachment protest on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Springfield, MO at the major intersection of Glenstone and Battlefield Rd., you missed a gratifying experience in seeing and ...more

Muslims cautioned against following mullahs >> Op-Ed admin2
S.A. Rehman has been disseminating messages on the Internet for several years now. These messages addressed allegedly to his fellow Muslims preach against violence and misinterpretation of the ...more

We are not the enemy nor serfs >> Op-Ed rraney
How federal, state and local govenments have allowed a perfectly good cash cow to escape Let's consider the price of gasoline. If the wind blows, it goes up. If the season's change, the gas ...more

CWC initiative lambasts Carnahan >> Op-Ed curtmerc
The Cures Without Cloning initiative (CWC) to prohibit human cloning in Missouri yesterday has questioned Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s inaccurate re-write of the initiative’s ballot language. ...more

Political chicanery and the Sunshine Law >> Op-Ed rpund
In a truly representative democracy, the politicians we elect should be working for us. Each of us should be tracking their votes and listening to their speeches to confirm this dictum. In ...more

Screamin' over Sen. Durbin's Bad Dream >> Op-Ed wgheen
By William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC As the US Senate prepares to vote today on the 'Bad' Dream amnesty amendment offered by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), that ...more

Tyson's dirty water bail-out bill >> Op-Ed belleann
Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) is on the list, at least as of August 26, 2007, of 25 co-sponsors of S.807, a bill introduced last spring by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Tysonville) that would amend the ...more

Arrow Rock citizens to toughen stand against CAFO >> Op-Ed dfinke
The life of a CAFO pig makes vegans out of the more sensitive souls. Dietary habits contributing to an ever-expanding America, however, have resulted in the establishment of a growing number of ...more

Labor unionist defines 2007 struggles >> Op-Ed timr
The history of our great country has been shaped by the ability of individuals to come together as a group to fight for a common cause. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement, ...more

Majority speaks on CAFOs vs. park preservation >> Op-Ed smarkin
What will it take to get the Department of Natural Resources to live up to the mission of the department to protect and conserve our natural resources? This agency, supposedly, was created to ...more

Protecting big business at any cost >> Op-Ed dfinke
It's no surprise that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is looking the other way as the rampant CAFO industry charges ahead to do what it likes, regardless of public will, input, or ...more

Water rights revisited; how deep is thy well? >> Op-Ed wdjpc
If you have something on or under your property and someone takes it, did that someone steal it? Then, how do you feel if the state of Missouri agrees they will do “nothing” about it? Did you ...more

Bush-power opens borders for big business cronies >> Op-Ed wgheen
by William Gheen,ALIPAC director Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is calling for a formal congressional investigation into the non-enforcement and under enforcement of America's ...more

What a home inspection is not >> Op-Ed jbushart
Our friends with the Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR) have been very successful in helping their members totally transform the public image of their profession. I have to hand it to them. In ...more

The scuttling of amnesty bill S.1348 >> Op-Ed wgheen
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA): pro-amnesty and in support of Big Business. There has to be irony in that! A striking defeat for the Open Borders Lobby (OBL) was achieved by historic and unprecedented ...more

Missouri's balanced budget >> Op-Ed e-emery
The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets. --Will Rogers Tax cuts and the 2008 budgetby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the ...more

Please fence me in >> Op-Ed oharward
Oscar Harward of Monroe, NC has called this commentary to our attention with the permission of the author. By Rep. Duncan Hunter (District 52-CA)-- It’s much tougher than it should be to secure ...more

Free lunch breeds contempt >> Op-Ed wmiller
A sad parallel... I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week there were hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily ...more

Murderers act; why are the victims passive? >> Op-Ed e-emery
An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to ...more

Feedback on the Iraqi lesson >> Op-Ed ashihaba
It's unwise to consider President Bush responsible for every bit of the US dilemma in Iraq. His father's administration encouraged Saddam diplomatically to invade Kuwait in 1990, to bounce on him ...more

Theme-park for Southwest Missouri arouses locals >> Op-Ed jean-b
Newton County commissioner Jerry Carter released information recently that a land-acquisiton company had sent a man named Todd Marshall representing ARM Risk, a recently filed company with the ...more

Shafting of the small farmer >> Op-Ed admin2
Pork and beans: It's all about CAFOs by James (Rich) Lawson Perhaps it’s time to stop looking though a glass darkly and understand the facts about Senate Bill #364. Many have been drawn down the ...more

Can Missouri be the U.S. transportation hub? >> Op-Ed trhode
Time to Plan for Missouri’s Transportation FutureBy Neal C. St. Onge (R-Ballwin),Chairman of the House Transportation Committee I have filed a funding proposal that addresses the future of ...more

Name-calling: the good ole boy >> Op-Ed d-burton
by David Burton-- What exactly is a "good ole boy" anyway? I’ve heard the phrase “good ole boy” several times in my life. However, I probably have never heard it (on a radio talk show) and read ...more

Ibrahim on the Middle East: a lively debate >> Op-Ed ddavison
Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim, through an invitation by the Peace Network of the Ozarks on March 28, 2007, spoke at The Library Station in Springfield on "The U.S., the Middle East, and the War on Terror."  ...more

Is global warming a hoax? >> Op-Ed scasey
Less than a decade ago, we were being deluged with unending reports on the coming horror that would be created by Y2K. Billions of dollars were spent to correct an imaginary problem. Then on that ...more

MO HealthNet: preventative or cost-cutting? >> Op-Ed akilova
MO HealthNet as alternative to Medicaid: Is it as good as it is claimed to be? The destiny of all those who currently depend on Medicaid for their healthcare and those 177,000 who were cut in 2005 ...more

Medicare Part D and the "little guy" >> Op-Ed mambo
Commentary: An open letter to U.S. Representative Roy Blunt Dear Roy, Hope your prostate cancer does not return. Glad you had great preventative care. My wife remembers the little chat she had ...more

CAFO to add to ambiance around Roaring River >> Op-Ed mambo
The view from Roaring River might have a smell in the future--and I don't mean that the local garden club ladies are planting a rose garden--but at least the good folks around Grand Lake dodged this ...more

Royal Doyle and the animal farm >> Op-Ed mayfly
I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been screwed. There was one time in the night that my cat walked on my stomach when he wanted me to let him out. That wasn't it. When he thumped on the ...more

Changes to energy policy: pipeline to reason >> Op-Ed hschmidt
by Herbert J. Schmidtpresident of Contract Freighters, Inc.Joplin, MO Any time there is a change of control in our legislature, there are corresponding shifts in the direction of policy. As ...more

Politics: red, blue or gray? >> Op-Ed maddy
According to political stereotypes, those who have lived an upper middle class or upper class lifestyle are almost all conservatives and generally vote for Republicans. Consequently, those who grow ...more

Why stay where you're not wanted? >> Op-Ed brianne
Springfield doesn’t want underage adults downtown. With the passage of the amendment that bans anyone under the age of 21 from all establishments that derive 60% or more of their total revenue from ...more

The issue of paperless ballots >> Op-Ed jdean
by Jim DeanDemocracy for America On Election Night, DFA-endorsed candidate Barbara McIlvaine Smith was down by 19 votes in her race for the Pennsylvania state house. She refused to concede, ...more

Bush administration eliminates hunger >> Op-Ed mambo
For any out there losing faith I am here to proclaim that miracles still happen. The proof is in the recent elimination of “hunger” by the Bush Administration. I think the next Republican ...more

Astonishment over minimum wage vote >> Op-Ed mambo
Commentary by Mark Adams After this last election, Nov 7,2006, there have been numerous opinions, albeit astonishment, expressed over the large margin of support for the minimum wage. I was not ...more

On the switch in Congressional power >> Op-Ed d-welch
Three little girls from school are we:U.S. Left's unwarranted giddiness over election gains by Daniel Patrick Welch Giddy as Mikado schoolgirls, Democrats and their allies on the Left are ...more

School safety addressed by Missouri governor >> Op-Ed keithb
Commentary by Governor Matt Blunt (Photo by Vince Rosati) Keeping Students Safe at School Recent events in schools across our nation and in Missouri have captured our attention and ...more

Miracles are for the living >> Op-Ed jmyers
A few years ago my friend Henry Waggoner was just barely run over by a fire truck. In less time than it takes to type it, a slip on the ice and a nanosecond's difference in when the driver hit the ...more

Dunn defends use of Jasper County sales tax >> Op-Ed a-dunn
Commentary by Archie Dunn,sheriff of Jasper County in Missouri It has been brought to my attention recently, that there are a lot of misconceptions concerning the Jasper County Law ...more

Keeping the clean in the Clean Water Act >> Op-Ed kknowles
...and in the White House as well On its 25th anniversary in 1997, Vice President Al Gore praised the Clean Water Act as one of America’s most important environmental laws. The Vice President ...more

Missouri governor supports children's issues >> Op-Ed hfoster
Commentary by Governor Matt Blunt (Photo by Vince Rosati) Supporting Missouri’s Future Generations Our children deserve the best we have to offer. As a father and as governor it is my ...more

Today's economy: greatest tale never told >> Op-Ed alex-f
It's become the greatest tale never told, the best-kept secret in America today... With today’s economy, if the current president’s last name were Clinton or Kerry, we'd already be coining money ...more

God's only party: vote them out >> Op-Ed jryan
For years now we who dare to dissent from the views of the Republican Party, aka God's Own Party, have been told we are ignorant, are against the troops, that our religious beliefs are wrong, and ...more

Democrats--verbiage, no substance >> Op-Ed d-welch
Denouncing Hugo ChavezAnd other sports of the rich, infamous and just plain stupidby Daniel Patrick Welch Nancy Pelosi apparently has so much time on her hands, and so few issues to address, that ...more

Stop griping, start acting on environmental issues >> Op-Ed dwolek
...Why are we so content to be the “silent majority” about any issue going on in our part of the world or the bigger arena? Why don’t we push for some zoning laws designating what lands should be ...more

Missouri governor supports legal immigration >> Op-Ed keithb
Governor's Columnby Gov. Matt BluntA Nation of Laws, Support for Lawful Immigration The United States has been and can be a nation of laws and supports lawful immigration. We must stop the ...more

Will you be supporting cures or clones? >> Op-Ed e-emery
Whom do you trust? by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) I personally cannot support the initiative because I've always been opposed to ...more

Drive attentively or face prosecution >> Op-Ed hfoster
Governor's Columnby Gov. Matt BluntProtecting Lives on Missouri's Highways We all have an obligation to look out for the safety of the men and women who work to keep our roads and bridges ...more

Eli Lilly's Zyprexa linked to diabetes >> Op-Ed dhaszard
I took Zyprexa starting in 1996, the year the Federal Drug Administration approved it. It proved to be ineffective for my condition and gave me diabetes. Zyprexa, the product name for Olanzapine, ...more

Undocumented immigrants defined as self-serving >> Op-Ed e-emery
Freedom or plunder? by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass ...more

Emery: on democracy >> Op-Ed e-emery
Prosperity or Dependency by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) “A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a ...more

Fee office reform plan is unveiled >> Op-Ed wright
By Rep. Mark Wright (R-137)Administration & Accounting ChairMissouri House of Representatives As I joined members of the Missouri House on Monday to announce the unveiling of a new reform ...more

The Bush/Cheney leaks - politics as usual >> Op-Ed gotownus
So now we really know what we always figured we knew, but couldn’t prove: Bush and Cheney are both habitual leakers of top secret government information. National Journal: Libby Says Bush ...more

Coal-fired power plants: cheaper but deadly >> Op-Ed s-mahan
Commentary by Simon Mahan, president, Sierra ClubSouthwest Missouri State UniversitySpringfield, MO As children, we were taught that we will have to pay for our parents mistakes. No matter ...more

Water pollution + odor=doing business in Missouri >> Op-Ed mambo
The Mythical "little guy" is not part of the equation. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has a recurring theme, it seems, on all issues. The use of phrases such as “evidence is ...more

Average guy's empty pockets >> Op-Ed s-snapp
Listening to the Bush - Cheney team the last couple of weeks, one would think that we are approaching an economic era that has dollar bills falling out of the average guy’s pockets, sugarplums and ...more

An American portrait >> Op-Ed mambo
Giddy with greed, at any cost, the elite slip and slide through meaningless lives. Our society has become the preservation of privilege for the privileged. Instant gratification rules as if there's ...more

Citizen appeals to fellow Missourians to bag trash >> Op-Ed dwayne
Observations during a trip Over Thanksgiving my wife and I went to her mother’s house in Topeka, KS. Out of Goodman, MO, we went north on Hwy 71, west on I-44, over to Kansas on Hwy 400, and north ...more

Iraq's enemy: terrorist, insurgent or American? >> Op-Ed ajournet
Despite the protestations of right wing commentators, it is increasingly evident to most Americans that Bush and Cheney mounted a campaign of lies and deceptions to get voters to endorse their ...more

What will Bush's legacy be? >> Op-Ed jesse-h
I talked to a couple of rightwing conservatives today about George W. Bush. I asked them what will be the legacy of this president. They wanted to know what I thought about it. I replied that I was ...more

Claims of Blunt's spokesperson refuted >> Op-Ed kimber
With respect to a November 2nd Springfield News-Leader commentary by Burson Taylor, Roy Blunt's communications director, please allow me, a constituent of Blunt, to respond. Ms. Taylor claims that ...more

Bushwhacked in Argentina >> Op-Ed jesse-h
From 1,000 points of light to 1,000 years under the new Third Reich! The George W. Bush & the Criminally Insane Band is on tour in South America. At his first show in Argentina the crowds go crazy ...more

Gripe sent to FCC about cancellation fee >> Op-Ed mariwinn
Hardly a day goes by that I don't find what seems to me to be a legitimate thing to gripe about. If my Dad were alive, he'd be chiding me about my wasted efforts in "fighting city hall." He was a ...more

Fitzgerald's search of truth earns our repect >> Op-Ed jesse-h
We have arrived; someone please give me the time on the stop watch: 4 years 9 months 8 days (?) since George W. Bush took office. I would like to remind everyone about the line in the movie, “Every ...more

Ten reasons Bill Moyers should be president >> Op-Ed sbeckman
Ten reasons Bill Moyers should be president Commentary by Scott Beckman Beckman explains that he has tried to identify with Democrats for years but has found wide differences between his thinking ...more

To flee or not to flee what is America >> Op-Ed d-welch
Try and catch the windby Daniel Patrick Welch To understand fully the nature of the American dilemma, one has only to view it from slightly outside the bubble. The sanity of my wife and I depends ...more

Slamming Baldwin and the ACLU >> Op-Ed sjackson
Alan Sears has co-authored a new book entitled, The ACLU vs. America: Exposing the Agenda to Redefine Moral Values. In an interview with Front Page Magazine, Sears uses quotes made by ACLU founder ...more

Mr. Childers, what more facts do you need? >> Op-Ed ma-earth
More birds mean more problems for the citizens of Southwest Missouri The "Award-winning" newspaper, the Neosho Daily News posted on the Internet on September 27, 2005 an article entitled , "DNR ...more

Neocons are eroding the Republican Party >> Op-Ed jesse-h
The Neocon political credo is uncompromising just as that of the Machiavellians; it is alchemy of the must toxic and corrosive known, a collection of elements to hold and maintain power. This ...more

Pro-life is redefined by Gov. Blunt >> Op-Ed mariwinn
In a letter addressed to life science companies, Gov. Matt Blunt last week reiterated Missouri's ongoing commitment to strengthening the research and life sciences industries in the ...more

Government's role should protect life >> Op-Ed beatrice
The European states have a long history, including good and bad times, economic rise and political descent. These past experiences left traces behind affecting our current society and culture. We ...more

We need more geography scholars >> Op-Ed d-welch
Americans know so little about the world that how could they imagine one continent to be worse than the others. Daniel Patrick Welch explores the depth of ignorance about Africa through the eyes of ...more

How to get the green by being green >> Op-Ed s-mahan
To a certain extent, government is to be held responsible for the decisions regarding the future of our country. However, since government is created by the people, perhaps, it is the people that ...more

Jehovah's Witless victims >> Op-Ed muzikmav
Bait and switch is the technique of offering something too good to be true and then switching to a different offer that costs much more. In retail it is bad and in religion it is worse. Jehovah's ...more

Nuclear waste watch - 6/30/05 >> Op-Ed bourgoin
Mobile repositories by Ron Bourgoin The Department of Energy (DOE) announced two weeks ago it's getting ready to ship out 2000 trucks of spent-fuel reprocessing waste from its West ...more

Parallels to Bush's America seen in Gotham >> Op-Ed d-welch
Is Gotham Worth Saving?by Daniel Patrick Welch Synopsis: Almost every society finds a way to address even the most taboo subjects. Daniel Patrick Welch finds a frank depiction of America's ...more

Nuclear Waste Watch - 6/22/05 >> Op-Ed mariwinn
'Safe'Scandanavian repositories by Ron Bourgoin To get the American people to believe that burial of highly radioactive wastes in rock is a good idea, politicians every now and then will ...more

What would Jesus do? >> Op-Ed sjackson
According to the Missouri Office of Administration’s Division of Facilities Management, Design and Construction, Governor Matt Blunt plans to spend about 1.8 million to renovate his mansion. How many ...more

Stem cell research is pro-life >> Op-Ed sjackson
Will the Real Pro-life Movement Please Stand Up? On the same day that a bipartisan group of legislators passed a bill to further fund stem cell research, Bush was meeting with former frozen ...more

A slip of the strategy? >> Op-Ed vensevon
In his appearance Sunday, June 5, 2005, on the George Stephanolis Show, Benjamin Bradlee, editor of the Washington Post during the era of Watergate, was asked why he thought the print media (and ...more

Crowder shows concern for the environment >> Op-Ed mambo
By now everyone knows that the Board of Trustees of Crowder College unanimously voted to oppose Moark's expansion in Newton County. What people should realize is that this vote reflects a thoughtful, ...more

Democrats continued to be labeled sinners >> Op-Ed mambo
The cleansing continues. Democrats are excommunicated from East Waynesville Baptist Church, Waynesville, North Carolina. For those who didn’t take the radical right’s promise to “eradicate liberals” ...more

Moark doesn't fit in the Ozarkian puzzle >> Op-Ed mambo
The pieces that fit: Southwest Missouri Citizens Against Local Moark Expansion--1500 Citizens Strong and Growing daily --commentary by Mark Adams Life in our Ozark region is an intricate ...more

Unfair taxation of Missouri phone customers >> Op-Ed hloh
by Helen Louise Herndon Missouri telephone customers began paying an additional universal fee to help subsidize telephone service for the poor and disabled beginning May 1, 2005. This announcement ...more

Moderation can save the environment >> Op-Ed s-mahan
by Simon Mahan As a Christian and an environmentalist, I became interested in the op-ed titled “Bible does not endorse diet” (Springfield News-Leader, April 28th). Mr. Hardecke does have very ...more

Work together against factory farms >> Op-Ed jbalk
CLUCK CLUCK--Chickens crammed into cages is the type of picture Missouri legislators would like to see banned by law. The proposed legislation is just one of the many tainting the State's ...more

My dear Governor Blunt >> Op-Ed mariwinn
We received a snail mail letter from a gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio looking to get the attention of our Missouri governor, Matt Blunt. In spite of the grumbling of one our volunteers who had to ...more

If they don't like it, they'll just pass a law >> Op-Ed mambo
Don't photograph me without my smile. Actually, don't photograph me at all. A new kind of photo-pornography is defined by law. (Photo by Matt Taylor) HB 666 is an unconstitutional bill ...more

The CAFO bill - legislation gone awry >> Op-Ed mambo
One easily is able to see that the "CAFO" factory farm friendly HB 187 legislation is just one piece of the picture which is all business friendly to the detriment of the people of Missouri. Sam ...more

Will politics and morality coexist? >> Op-Ed sjackson
The Republican leadership has successfully passed a bill that will take health insurance from thousands of disabled, elderly, and impoverished Missourians including children. You might think these ...more

Neosho CAFO to generate 320 tons of manure daily >> Op-Ed mariwinn
According to the Missouri Senate Communications Office, the Senate recently approved legislation loosening local and state regulations on large farming operatings. Senate Bill 187, which was referred ...more

Bush's corrupt Korea policy >> Op-Ed kris
If you haven’t been reading the news, Korea has been becoming more and more of a problem as of late. When Clinton was President, negotiations with the North Korean President Kim Jung II were ...more

Sciavo issue--one of morality or hypocrisy? >> Op-Ed emma1
Currently a full-time student studying horticulture at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO, She is concerned about the future of our environment and precious natural ...more

Gov. Blunt needs new strategy for the disabled >> Op-Ed bob-pund
Missourians want the dignity that comes with labor Commentary by Bob Pund Columbia, MO I suffered a broken neck as a passenger in a car accident. I was your typical 20-year-old guy. I ...more

Citizen seeks more representative government >> Op-Ed mariwinn
We received the following letter from a gentleman in Slater. He is frustrated over the apparent evasiveness he received in response to his letter to Governor Blunt. Slater appears to be voicing the ...more

Truth about SCNT--Rep. Emery, hello >> Op-Ed jmccaff
It is important to address Rep. Ed Emery’s recent columns which claimed, quite erroneously, that stem cell research called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) is the same thing as human cloning. In ...more

Pollution and politics should not be bedfellows >> Op-Ed jstclair
The Bush Administration and the Republican Congress have some strange values when it comes to human and environmental health. Do you think... oil and gas development corporations should be ...more

Big business, yes; safe environoment, who cares >> Op-Ed e-ayres
An unconscionable travesty of all morality and values HB130, the Dirty Secrets Bill, is being rammed through the Missouri Legislature by controlling Republicans. This bill: Allows polluters ...more

Ford's alternative to your gas-guzzler >> Op-Ed jmiller
Commentary by Jill Miller, Conservation Organizer for the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Program, St. Louis chapter Global warming is a man-made climate crisis driven by our modern ...more

Let citizens be heard >> Op-Ed jherron
Who's working for whom? That's the question posed by Coloradans testifying before the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee recently on Bill 1271, Defend Colorado Now. To those ...more

Make April 15 just another spring day >> Op-Ed mikesky
FairTax is the most logical tax plan I have ever seen. FairTax's main plan is to flat tax everyone at the point of sale rather than through payroll tax deductions. The master stroke of the FairTax ...more

Christians, judge thyself >> Op-Ed sjackson
We appreciate C.K. Sigler’s answer (Joplin Globe commentary, Feb. 11, 2005) to the question of what Jesus would have thought of homosexuality. Not mentioning homosexuality leaves all of us to wonder ...more

Open letter to Gov. Blunt reveals concerns >> Op-Ed mariwinn
We just received this letter from a gentleman who serves on the Slater, MO city council. We are passing it along to our readers as an example of how frustrating it is to request informtion from ...more

Wall St. will love Social Security privatization >> Op-Ed justinh
The more we hear about the plans the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have for Social Security the more frightening they become. Once again it is clear that the issue is one of ...more

How poor do Medicaid families have to be? >> Op-Ed sjackson
Gov. Matt Blunt has proposed that the State of Missouri reduce income limits for those individuals who receive or could receive Medicaid. Medicaid is a health-care program for the blind, poor ...more

I am not a terrorist, really >> Op-Ed mattt
**If you're easily offended and generally close-minded, please jump to the bottom and read my disclaimer, first, hopefully, to absolve me from going to Hell in your mind for my anti-authoritarian ...more

Fight to keep Roe v. Wade >> Op-Ed sandrab
The future of our fundamental freedoms, including women's right to reproductive choice, will be set by judges who hold lifetime seats on the federal bench. Recently, President Bush announced his ...more

Republican environmental stand attacked >> Op-Ed emma1
Since taking control of the state legislature, Republicans have engaged in a war against the Missouri environment and the health of Missourians. With a slate of proposals that would reduce standards ...more

Is Fairtax a pipedream? >> Op-Ed sfindley
It's amazing that when some people embrace an idea religiously suddenly that idea becomes fault-free. The FairTax concept seems to be such an idea. I followed the advice of the stream of forum ...more

Journal rejects Bush as conservative >> Op-Ed janiceh
Before the election, many thoughtful conservatives rejected the Bush candidacy. The American Conservative – hardly a left wing journal – even endorsed John Kerry hoping that a Kerry victory would ...more

Wake up, America >> Op-Ed justinh
In baseball, when an umpire makes mistakes, even though the game cannot be played again, the players appreciate it when he admits his mistake and vows to try to avoid future errors. Those who refuse ...more

Bush supporters disregard the facts >> Op-Ed justinh
A recent but marginalized news item illustrates a typical problem these days. A report by the Defense Science Board for the Pentagon-–an organization under Rumsfeld--states several findings that ...more

Impeachment still consideration for errant judges >> Op-Ed e-emery
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care ...more

Republican plan is to bankrupt the nation >> Op-Ed ajournet
As a concerned citizen of the state of Missouri, I think residents throughout the state should understand what Republican members of the Senate actually stand for - as opposed to what they claim ...more

SEMSU prof predicts more economic woes for U.S. >> Op-Ed rpolack
More than just an unnecessary and costly departure from addressing the real causes of terrorism, the Iraq war is also contributing to an impending economic crisis. Tax cuts (overwhelmingly for the ...more

Actions of Republican senators contradict spin >> Op-Ed ajournet
As a concerned citizen of the state of Missouri, I think residents throughout the state should understand what Republican members of the Senate actually stand for - as opposed to what they claim ...more

Prayer is a private affair >> Op-Ed jelton
Public school prayer? With great interest and concern I have been reading open letters on the editorial pages of newspapers and magazines, for many months. I have been silent until now. Now that ...more

Coleman Theatre chandelier shines gloriously >> Op-Ed srollins
Below are comments made by Sally Rollins, a volunteer for the Friends of The Coleman Theatre Beautiful in Miami, Oklahoma. She tells the story behind the restoration of the theatre's original ...more

Respect for civil and political liberties >> Op-Ed dande
Dear Editor: I trust local citizens will rise up against the fluoridation tyranny...This is more about freedom and accountable government than about health. Bandaid pseudo health ...more

Joplin council passes fluoridation ordinance >> Op-Ed mariwinn
All but two lights glowed green at the historic moment on September 7, 2004 when 6 Joplin city councilmen voted in favor of an ordinance authorizing and directing the introduction of fluoride ...more

Don't buy Pres. Bush's have faith >> Op-Ed wsampson
President Bush gave a speech all about what he will do, and what will happen, if he becomes president, except he already is president. He already ran this campaign back in 2000. He promised great ...more

Olympic Games--idealism vs. reality >> Op-Ed d-welch
Parade of Nations, parade of ignorance: one fan's disillusionment with the TV Games By Daniel Patrick Welch The author tells of his infatuation with the Olympic Games from early childhood--a ...more

Emery addresses Sarcoxie's pornography >> Op-Ed e-emery
ED EMERY (R-126) The city of Sarcoxie in Jasper County marks the most southern tip of my House district. Citizens of Sarcoxie are presently in the midst of a battle for the integrity of ...more

Were Bush protesters harassed? >> Op-Ed jcollins
When the police officer answered, “Intelligence” after being asked why he was taking pictures of the protesters at the Bush rally, I gasped. Intelligence gathering of the protesters but none for the ...more

Gay activist defines individual rights >> Op-Ed jk-emery
Separation of Church and State - A Family History By John Emery, Jr. Recently, I decided to explore my ancestral roots and found some interesting parallels with myself and today's historic ...more

Brutality is tool of both sides >> Op-Ed d-welch
Daniel Patrick Welch peers beneath the West's self-proclaimed cultural and moral superiority in the face of atrocities against innocents in other parts of the world. He says: "When we peel away all ...more

Empire-building is bi-partisan >> Op-Ed s-gowans
Critiquing the critique: Pandering to the lies the Left tells itself about the Democrats By Stephen Gowans Robert Jensen, a professor of journalism at the University of Texas, has written a ...more

Letter to the open-minded >> Op-Ed sbeckman
Every four years, the two major parties dust off their stale old "anybody but whomever, lesser of two evils, wasted vote," hogwash. Jesse Ventura ran a woefully under-funded campaign for governor in ...more

Let marriage be a religious act >> Op-Ed randy
I came to Missouri to be free ... free from the hateful treatment I grew up with in a small town in Indiana. I vowed, when I came here, that I would never hide or be ashamed of who I was again. For ...more

Defeating the Empire >> Op-Ed cameron
The increasingly rapid slide of the United States into a New Roman Empire over the past 40 years, has had many facets. Like Rome, we've shut down our industry and farms. Like Rome, we've turned the ...more

Science vs. Intelligent Design >> Op-Ed sltimme
Debate pits educators against lawmakers in Missouri and other states In recent weeks Representative Robert Wayne Cooper (R-155) introduced and sponsored HB911 with Missouri representative ...more

Grand Lake o' the Cherokees...memories >> Op-Ed nuevomex
“Mom, why didn’t they make Disneyland in Disney?” I thought this a logical question. Of course, I was 8 years old and was just being introduced to a lifetime of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees ...more

Is the Southwest Missouri water crisis baffling? >> Op-Ed jeanb
It's quite astonishing to me to be hearing lately that Southwest Missouri may be facing a serious water shortage in the immediate future. It's certainly true that the amount of growth in the area ...more

What is fair and balanced news? >> Op-Ed jeanb
During the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2003 I was active, along with several other area citizens, in organizing demonstrations against Mr. Bush's planned attack on Iraq. Some of the events we ...more

Sheyann Webb-Christburg impassions MSSU audience >> Op-Ed mariwinn
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, but journalists can't talk about it without seriously infringing on copyright laws established by the King Center of Atlanta. Those laws, they say, ...more

The invisible dead (reprinted) >> Op-Ed nppa-inc
The following is an editorial reprinted from News Photographer, the official publication of the National Press Photographers Association. No one can deny that it was a spectacular event. The war ...more

Petition for a new foreign policy >> Op-Ed k-martin
Like never before in our history, our current foreign policy is taking our nation, and the world, in a radical and reckless direction. The Bush Administration has turned our country into a global ...more

One day in the life of a stormchaser >> Op-Ed bobshaf
I caught up with a storm east of Liberal, KS on Saturday and chased it west (yes, west) for about 3 hours. Never before have I seen a storm threaten to tornado for such a long period of time and not ...more

Has the majority become degraded? >> Op-Ed d-nuzum
To the editor: I speak now for the millions of Americans who recoil every time the Supreme Court betrays their interests. White America, has watched their elected and non elected political leaders ...more

Beyond my control >> Op-Ed marcie
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the middle of May 1994 my normal life unexpectedly was shattered. I'm now able to write about it. I was the victim of a T-bone motor vehicle accident. With me ...more

Israel will survive! >> Op-Ed isr-lady
I am not the least afraid to go any place, by bus or to a mall. I didn't change or stop doing anything I used to do before this mess began! People tend to forget that twice the casualties from terror ...more

The absurdity of fingerprinting >> Op-Ed montague
Just the other day I was listening to the news about the beltway sniper and of course, Tom Daschle was out there taking another shot at our freedoms. Note that when I mean our freedoms, I don't ...more

Political q and a >> Op-Ed n99nt
Subject: And the worst part about it is... Non believers, Check it out...It's 100 percent true..... Q: Which party took Social Security from an independent fund and put it in the general ...more

American controversy >> Op-Ed mrbob
Protect the Pledge of Allegiance! Those who are acquainted with me know by now that I'm not a liberal. And, I suppose that a portion of my thinking is shaped by my military background. However, I ...more

 

 

 

 

 

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