This is addressed to those who routinely mispronounce the name of my home state. Some of you, inexplicably, are from this state and you still don't know how to pronounce it. Since you somehow managed to escape any proper instruction in its pronunciation, allow me to enlighten you. It is pronounced Mizz-oo-ree. Please note that the word ends in the letter 'i' and not 'ah.' Would you care to explain why Missouri gets special treatment? I've never once heard anyone say "Miss-iss-ipp-ah." Or talk about how they had spaghett-ah for dinner. So what exactly is your problem, anyway?
I don't mean to impugn anyone's upbringing, or education level. I don't think those are relevant, anyway. Our very own Senator Kit Bond, who grew up in St. Louis, went to Princeton and was a Rhodes Scholar after all, suffers from this same horrible affliction. I guess I need to write him a letter and ask why it is he can't correctly pronounce our state's name.