Michael Phelps is not a national treasure, hero, or role model gone bad; he's just another human being making bad choices. True heroes and role models are the men and women who take care of their responsibilities day in and day out. They do not scam the government out of disability payments when they are able bodied. They do not expect the government to pay for their out-of-wedlock children. True role models do not depend on parents and grandparents to raise their children, they do it themselves.

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I am angry. Last Friday and Saturday's papers' front pages (Globe, Sept. 21, 22) had articles about a cannabis revival to be held in Landreth Park. I couldn't believe that our city would allow something like this to take place, especially when we are making such an effort to make Joplin a place where people would like to come to raise their families.

I drove by Landreth Park and found that not only was the revival being held, but that it was being held right across the street from our Little League ball park. They had pictures of marijuana leaves attached to the trees so it could not be mistaken what they were doing there.

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