RECENT EVENTS FEATURE BARBECUE, BRING OUT CROWDS

A number of events in Cape Girardeau and Jackson continue to be don't-miss affairs for many of our citizens.

The SEMO BOOSTERS BARBECUE last week drew over 1,000 fans who enjoyed the food and were favorably impressed with the video summary of SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY'S success in the OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE. Cape is recognized by the OVC as fielding one of the top all-around conference DIVISION I balanced athletic programs ... for both men and women.

In a continuation of the barbecue theme the CAPE CHAMBER'S ANNUAL BARBECUE CONTEST attracted strong team participation with a wide geographic representation ... AND ... large crowds turned out to preview and sample the cooking conducted last weekend.

SLAMFEST featured some of the best individual basketball talent this area will see this year. This was a well-organized event that the HOUSE OF PRAYER brings to our community. The music, food (yes, barbecue), auto show and family atmosphere makes this one of the top spectator events of our community each year. Also thanks for the great cleanup afterwards.

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COACH TIM BILLINGS heads into SEMO's first football game this year against nationally ranked MARSHALL UNIVERSITY this Thursday evening at 6 p.m. WDKA (Channel 49 on the air, Channel 17 on the Cape and Jackson cable system, Channel 36 on the Scott City cable system) will televise the game being held at Huntington, W. Va., before thousands of fans. Billings brings an excitement to the game. Don't expect a miracle, but the word is to expect this team to get better as the year progresses.

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LABOR DAY is next Monday, making it the last long weekend of the summer with a Monday holiday.

Then it's the SEMO FAIR Sept. 10-16. That means cooler weather is around the corner. The college students are back. Our public schools are in session. Where did the summer go?

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It can be hoped that cooler weather will bring a reduction in the boom-box sound systems that have been vibrating some of the downtown streets this summer.

Complaints about cars and trucks whose loud stereos rattle windows and disturb the peace seem to be increasing. Enforcing Cape Girardeau's ordinance covering noise is difficult. (Yes, it is illegal).

Enforcing it on the basis of a phone call to police is unlikely. "Citizens can make a complaint, but the likelihood of us getting there while the vehicle is still there is slim to none," says Sgt. Carl Kinnison of the Cape Girardeau police. Citizens themselves can sign a complaint but also must be able to identify the driver for the police to pursue the case. Kinnison says people in general are reticent about stepping forward and signing complaints against other people.

Thirteen noise complaints were made to the Cape Girardeau police between January and June for anything from kids' loudly playing basketball to loud stereos. That number doesn't include loud parties.

If the police witness a violation, they may issue a letter advising the person that they are in violation of the ordinance, or they may cite the person into court. If a second violation occurs, the device making the noise can be seized as evidence. The ordinance has a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The ordinance has been violated if a noise can be heard a distance of 50 feet across the property of another person. Anyone who lives in Cape Girardeau knows that ordinance is violated with abandon.

Kinnison says loud car stereos are a problem all across the country. He has heard of a community that has acquired decibel meters to monitor noise violations.

To the boom boxers: Please turn down the volume. Some of our citizens go to bed earlier that you do.

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Clinton's education plans are deceptive: President Clinton was in New Jersey promoting a massive federal spending program to fund school improvements. He failed to mention that he had vetoed two bills in the past two years that would have provided some of that much-needed relief. Instead he ignored his veto pen and promoted Al Gore's education plan. Thus is the nature of a presidential election season.

Clinton has an uncanny ability perhaps unmatched in American political history. He can stand before an audience and twist the truth to suit his personal agenda. Unfortunately, his words never hold up to scrutiny under the light of facts. Clinton wants the federal government to take over education responsibilities in this nation. When that happens all local control will evaporate.

For two straight years, the GOP-led Congress sent Clinton measures that would have provided tax credits to improve school buildings and reduce class size. On both occasions, Clinton pulled his veto pen and killed the measures. Yet on the campaign trail, he fails to mention this minor part of the story. Instead he condemns Republicans as the party of special interests and continues to promote Gore's education plan that does much the same. The difference of course is that Clinton/Gore want the feds to gain some control when they hand local districts the money. The American public can see right through this smokescreen.

I can only hope that Americans study closely the difference between the GOP and Democratic plan for our future. If you want the federal government to intervene in your daily lives, then you should vote Democratic. If, however, you support personal initiative and the ability to decide your kid's education future yourself, then the GOP should capture your vote. There are several other differences. And as the next 100 days roll around, those differences will become more apparent. -- Michael Jensen, Standard Democrat, Sikeston, Mo.

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Pray to God, but continue to row to the shore. -- Russian proverb

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JO MANNIES, political reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, in an article in last Sunday's Post Dispatch outlined the differences between MEL CARNAHAN and JOHN ASHCROFT:

After 21 months of attacks and slams, Missouri's two major candidates for the U.S. Senate remain embroiled in a battle so fierce that it can obscure a key fact:

They offer voters a clear choice.

* Ashcroft supports cutting taxes for all taxpayers. Carnahan favors targeting the cuts.

* Carnahan opposes school vouchers. Ashcroft calls for leaving it up to the states.

* Ashcroft is anti-abortion. Carnahan favors abortion rights.

* Carnahan supports a patients' bill of rights that allows suits against health-maintenance organizations, with no limits on the size of court-awarded damages. Ashcroft would require that an independent physician review any denial of care before any suits could be filed, and he would limit punitive damages.

* Ashcroft campaigned for last year's concealed-weapons initiative. Carnahan led the fight against it.

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