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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2000)
Free-thought alliance provides forum for different ideologies BY GWEN TIETGEN Making a difference just got a little easier for people who are skeptical of religion. The new campus free-thought alliance was founded by Shannon Culek and Jessica Mills as they sat around last semester complaining about how few campus groups existed for non-believers. This semester, they decided to do something about it “With so many religious groups on campus,” Culek said, “We wanted to provide an alterna tive for people with a non-belief” The campus free-thought alliance is skeptical of the super natural, Culek said, including reli gious ideologies and beliefs. Jamie Dorn, a junior film stud ies major, said she looks forward to meeting like-minded people with similar beliefs. "We are people who are inter ested in finding out our own per sonal truths instead of believing what organized religion tells us,” Dorn said In addition to being an alter native to the religious groups on campus, the campus free-thought alliance wants to make a differ ence. 71 /s n/ce to know I don’t have to join a religious group to have an impact. We, also, want to help the community.” Jamie Dorn junior film studies major "Instead of focusing on wor ship of a supreme power, we are more interested in the condition of other human beings,” Dorn said. Topics the alliance supports include the separation of church and state, the pro-abortion rights movement, gay rights and other human rights. These topics are one reason Dorn chose to support the organi zation. "It is nice to know I don’t have to join a religious group to have an impact,” Dorn said. "We, also, want to help the community, like religious groups do, by raising money for homeless shelters and other organizations.” But non-believers aren’t the only ones supporting the new campus free-thought alliance. Katie Campbell, a freshman Spanish major, is a Christian and said it’s important that everyone have a venue to state their opin ions. “A lot of my friends are athe ists, and there was a time in my life when I was also,” she said Campbell sees the campus free-thought alliance as an oppor tunity for her to share her beliefs. “Christians here (at the uni versity) have to remember that regardless of other people’s beliefs, we still have the need to witness to people,” Campbell said. With religion’s being a touchy topic, Mills said, the campus free thought alliance doesn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. • “With our views, we could be perceived as hostile towards reli gious groups,” Mills said. “And we don’t want to do that at all.” Culek also is concerned with the impression the organization might give to religious groups. “We are not anti-religious at all,” Culeksaid. "We just want peo ple to start thinking about why they believe what they believe.” Pilot escapes plane crash off N J. ■■ a • ii .» i r i ■ . 4.1__i_j'_l_a. orn _ ■ i ne Air National uuara jei was one of four planes participating in a training flight on Thursday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. - An F 16 on a training flight plunged into the ocean Thursday off the New Jersey coast after its engine quit The Air National Guard Jfet was one of four planes from die 177th Fighter Wing on the exer cise. The pilot parachuted into Lawsuit says Bush violated free speech THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. George W. Bush has lost his bid for dismissal from a lawsuit accusing him of violating the free speech rights of environ mental protesters at the Governor’s Mansion. Travis County District Judge John Dietz on Wednesday said Bush, the Republican presiden tial nominee, could be called to testify when the case goes to trial. No date has been set. The lawsuit alleged Bush gave state troopers “unbridled discretion” to target protesters picketing in front of the man sion last year on a public side walk. "We have now established one important part of our case and that is that the governor is not above the law and that the Constitution can be enforced. We still have to prove the rest of our case so we aren't done,” said David Kahne, a lawyer for the protesters. Bush spokesman Mike Jones said Thursday that secu rity policies regarding the man sion were made by the Department of Public Safety, with no involvement by Bush or his office. The lawsuit was filed against Bush and theDPS in August 1999 by people arrested and jailed on four different occasions. They were protesting envi ronmental policies backed by Bush. In each case the Travis County’s district attorney’s office dropped charges of blocking an entry way. Rick Abraham, one of those arrested, said previous gover nors allowed protesters to pick et on the sidewalk and Bush was trying to silence his critics because of the presidential race. “Governor Bush is response ble, whether he told law enforcement officers to silence his critics, or simply gave approval with a wink and a nod,” Abraham said. iuw uv/waii| taiiuuig auuui yards off Brigantine Beach, wit nesses said. Within minutes, he was picked up by a State Police boat, and Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the pilot was in good condition. “He did a great job of ditching the plane, I’ll tell you. That's a crowded beach right there, with the surfers and the trucks and the houses,” said Dan Daley, one of several lifeguards who watched as the plane went down. The pilot reported a problem with the oil pressure just before the engine failed, said Ray Martyniuk, a spokesman for the Department of Military and i memo. The three other planes returned to their base at the Atlantic City International Airport. It was the third U.S. crash this month involving an F-16. Also Thursday, a military training plane crashed into a field in San Antonio after the pilot and co-pilot ejected. The single-engine T-6ATexan II trainer that crashed is part of the 559th Flying Training Squadron from Randolph Air Force Base. The two men suffered minor cuts, base spokesman Lt. Jerald Black said. 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