`HOME OF RUSH'

Boy, talk about a tempest in a teapot, all because Cape Girardeau's convention and visitors bureau wants to make hay while Rush Limbaugh's sun is shining.

It all started when the CVB folks said it would spend approximately $18,000 to promote the fact that Cape Girardeau is where Limbaugh's roots are. That set off a storm of howls both locally and nationally. Among the knee-jerk protests was a smattering of support for the idea.

There are more positives than negatives to the idea. It is a fact that you can't travel anywhere in the country -- or the world, for that matter -- and mention Cape Girardeau without someone making a connection with the nationally prominent, conservative radio and television talk-show host. This is the sort of clear-cut, easily recognized identity most towns crave, so they invent their own kind of fame by claiming a president slept somewhere or by rolling a big ball of twine.

Interestingly, the biggest outcry so far over the plan to promote Limbaugh in his home town has come from Kansas City, where the local newspaper made a big deal out of the announcement. Callers to the Kansas City Star's Star Touch, a version of the Southeast Missourian's Speak Out, were 2-to-1 against the idea. Most of the callers based their opinions on whether or not they agreed with Limbaugh's own conservative viewpoints.

The Star's editorial cartoonist, Lee Judge, took a swipe at Cape Girardeau by depicting Limbaugh's birthplace as a barnyard stable, reminiscent of the birth of Jesus complete with farm animals and visiting magi.

All of this seems like they doth protest too much. Kansas City, after all, doesn't have much of anyone of its own to claim as a tourist draw. President Harry Truman is often associated with Kansas City, but he was born in Lamar, grew up on a farm in Grandview and later lived in Independence. Even Jesse James is frequently associated with Kansas City, but he was from nearby Kearney.

As a matter of fact, Rush Limbaugh is as instantly recognized these days as either the former president or the outlaw.

So Cape Girardeau will spend some money -- half from a state tourism fund and half from the city's own hotel tax -- to promote the Limbaugh connection. If it brings visitors and their dollars to town, the expense will be more than offset. More than that, tourists who come here will have an opportunity to experience the rest of the City of Roses too: its river heritage, its thriving waterfront downtown, its regional shopping opportunities, its antiques stores, its bodacious dining facilities and its Southern hospitality. Some visitors may take a fancy to Southeast Missouri State University's beautiful campus and decide to send more students here. Others may regard the lifestyle and surroundings suitable for making Cape Girardeau a permanent residence.

All because Rush Limbaugh never relented in making his high-profile media programming the most popular conservative forum in America. Not bad for a guy from Cape Girardeau who used to shine shoes at a local barber shop to make a little spending money.