CITY OF ROSES FESTIVAL PROMISES TO BECOME A MAJOR EVENT

The City of Roses music festival held last weekend could become a major fun event for the area. Certainly the musicians who participated enjoyed the opportunity to share their musical talents with their friends, press and the audiences.

Started by a group of the younger area musicians ... some of the "more mature" joined in this year. Notably JERRY FORD won the public's balloting award for "best wind instrument" for horn (not his speaking) and VI KEYS the 80-year-old piano-organist presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to LOU HOBBS. Southeast Missouri State University provost CHUCK KUPCHELLA was a well-received special entertainer with his folk singing.

The Cape Police personnel seemed to enjoy their tours of duty, and the crowds after 7:30 p.m. grew each evening (the heat of the daylight was a little too much for most).

I'm waiting for a final report ... but there's some good talent in this area looking for a chance to perform classical, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, alternative rock, rock 'n' roll, country or western and Christian rock ... you had your choice.

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The SHEPHERD'S COVE FOSTER HOME on Gordonville Road had an open house over the weekend to show its almost completed facility designed to serve a need for the area. Unanticipated expenses find them about 10 percent shy of the funds for completion.

Please,if you can help financially, mail your contribution to The Shepherd's Cove Foster Home, c/o Rev. David Butler, Route K and Highway 25, Gordonville, Mo. 63752.

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While discussing music and religion, my church had the blessings of both when the 25-year-old TEEN CHALLENGE CHOIR recently sang its soul-felt music. The singers inspired me with their songs, faith and testimonials.

The openness and honesty of the speakers at the music awards banquet and Teen Challenge were what made both of the occasions so enjoyable.

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Although I wasn't selected for any jury duty ... I was on the three-month, 60-person May panel. The following is a letter the panelists received from CHARLES HUTSON, circuit court clerk. I print it here to help better inform you about your responsibility and probable time required if called. Most people only served on two or three juries.

August 21

Dear Gary,

As clerk of the circuit court, I want to thank you for serving our community by being on the jury during the May 1998 term of the circuit court. During this session the jury tried 10 cases during this three-month period.

During this term of court we tried three civil and seven criminal cases. Usually our cases are completed in one day, but may go late into the evening. However, during this term of court we had one case that lasted three days, three cases that lasted two days, and six cases that were completed in one day. The criminal cases ranged from careless and imprudent driving and witness tampering, to assault, armed criminal action, possession of controlled substance, DWI, burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools, robbery first degree, and felony stealing. The civil cases involved one for personal injury, and two were for an action on a contract involving home construction and driveway construction.

The judicial branch is the only branch of government that allows you, the citizen, to come in and participate in the decision-making process. At times it may create a hardship, but we appreciate your willingness to become involved in the decisions facing our local community and state.

If you have any suggestions to improve the jury system for future jury panels, would you please advise this office? Again, thank you for giving of your time to bring fairness along with justice to our local community.

Sincerely yours,

Charles P. Hutson

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A telling exit: Scott Ritter, a top American on the United Nations weapons inspection team in Iraq, resigned. His reason was the weak stance that the Clinton administration and the United Nations have taken toward Iraq. Senator Brownback (R-Kan.) and Representative Gilman (R-N.Y.) announced that when Congress returns, they will conduct hearings to investigate this weakness.

Finally, we have someone with convictions so strong that he would resign rather than compromise. This contrasts with the inaction of President Clinton's Cabinet. Over 15 days have passed since the president admitted to misleading the nation about his "inappropriate relationship" with Monica Lewinsky. Doesn't someone in the Cabinet have the sense of honor held by Scott Ritter? -- Washington Update

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Sudanese suit: Sudan announced that it has filed a criminal lawsuit against the United States for last week's missile strike. The Sudanese attorney general said that President Clinton was named in the suit and added, "The normal procedure is that if a person or an entity fails to show up in court, he will be tried in absentia." Regardless of the outcome of this suit, it is a reminder of the dangers of establishing the International Criminal Court approved in Rome this summer. The president of Sudan last week accused President Clinton of being a war criminal for his role in the strike. Under a new world court, Americans could actually face trials with few of the protections of the American Constitution.

Meanwhile, more details about Sudan's connection with Iraq have emerged. Foreign diplomats and the Sudanese have said that Sudan received financial help from Iraq, along with civilian and military assistance, during a time of hardship. In exchange, Sudan allowed Iraq to use installations in Sudan to advance the Iraqi chemical weapons programs away from United Nations inspectors. Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering said that officials from the destroyed factory had been "in touch with Iraqi officials associated with Iraq's VX (a deadly nerve agent) program" early in the history of the company. -- Washington Update

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Joint chiefs reject Rumsfeld's missile defense: On Aug. 24, the military's joint chiefs of staff sent a letter to Congress rejecting a blue-ribbon commission report on missile defense. The congressionally appointed commission -- led by a former secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld -- warned that the U.S. could suffer a ballistic missile attack with "little or no warning" in the next five years. At present, the U.S. is powerless to intercept incoming missiles. The chiefs expressed confidence in the Clinton "go-slow on missile defense" approach. The letter seeks to deflect attention away from missiles and toward a terrorist-style "suitcase" delivery of weapons of mass destruction. The latter concern is real, but the chiefs' get-in-line communique is a disappointing bow to defeatism. -- Washington Update

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Up or down? Truly a question to haunt the nap time of Alan Greenspan is whether the rest of the world's currencies are going down or whether the dollar is going up.

A knife divides the domestic marketplace, severing those goods and services that are internationally traded from those that are more or less immune to international competition.

For all the talk of a "new economy" of giant productivity leaps and international competition, there are sectors where sellers find it easy to raise prices. Movie tickets keep going up. The $300 haircut has become, if not ubiquitous, a fairly standard item in fancier neighborhoods. College tuition has not come down. And if you happen to need to staff out a team of sitcom writers, you can end up spending a million dollars a year to hire even a modest journeyman of the profession.

Not the least reason why the Unites States motors along so smoothly is that services account for 80 percent of employment and nearly as much of output. Many of these services, such as haircuts, restaurant meals, liposuction, entertainment and apartment rentals, are indifferent to the cost of labor in China. Almost the whole manufacturing sector consists of "tradable" goods. Only a small part of the service sector does. According to McKinsey's Byron Auguste, in 1950 tradable goods accounted for 40 percent of the economy. Today they account for 20 percent.

Much as the Japanese once oppressed the world with their relatively low standard of living, we now oppress the world with our sophisticatedly high standard of living. More of what we spend our money on consists of human attention rather that material goods. -- Holman W. Jenkins Jr., The Wall Street Journal

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Civilized people cannot fully satisfy their sexual instinct without love. -- Bertrand Russell

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It's the economy, STUPID! -- James Carville

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CHARACTER doesn't count ... -- Clinton defenders

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.