PAGE 2
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1969
Vietnam stands firm as NU debates who should take them
?
J
J
ft
I,
A.
I
If.
V
ft
1
A
5'l
1
2 I
.1
by Frank Manklewicz and Tom Braden
Washington If common sense is still valued
at the White House, President Nixon will follow
up his speech on Vietnam with hard concessions
to those who want rapid disengagement. This would
mean an announcement sometime before Nov.
13 of a substantial troop withdrawal.
If he has no such plan in mind, he and
the country he leads faces a time of frightening
division and of head-cracking in the streets. There
ran be no other end to it, and surely Mr. Nixon
has too much common sense not to know It.
Moreover, the procession of Republican leaders,
Including the President's spokesmen in both House
and Senate, who speculated aloud on the eve of
the speech about everything from cease-fires to
troop withdrawal timetables, cannot have lied or
been lied to.
Therefore, common sense says that having
made himself solid with the Hawks, Mr. Nixon
will now do something to appease the Doves.
And yet there is that lingering doubt and the
danger that Isolation from the real world, the desire
of a leader to be thought "tough" and
"hardheaded," will cause him to cast common
sense aside.
In the wake of Mr. Nixon's speech, it is this
possibility which is frightening that he baa lost
bis political common sense and is ready to pose
a "hard line" against the "hard line" of that
tiny minority of crackpot militants in the peace
movement. That possibility should cause the "Great
Silent Majority" in and out of the peace move
ment to shudder.
If this Is the reality, Mr. Nixon may find himself
on unfamiliar ground. There are short-term political
benefits for him in pictures of long-haired
demonstrators charging the police. But the long
range odds are more even. The peace movement
in this country does not consist of a few professors
willing to sign a full-page ad in the New York
Times defending Owen Lattimore. It will be hard
to label roughly half the population as "soft on
communism."
Meeting on the morning after the President's
speech, the leaders of the Peace Moratorium here
determined that the President's feet must now be
held to the fire. Their fears of being linked with
the "crazies" of the mobilization are cast aside.
They simply do not believe that the Great Silent
Majority is prepared to go on with an endless,
debilitatitU - and self-brutalizing war. They believe
that they are the Great Silent Majority, and they
are determined to prove it.
The danger as in all confrontations is
that the Silent Majority will be crushed between
extremists between the Hawk extremists whom
, Mr. Nixon appeased with his speech and those
peace extremists who really seek confrontation
more than peace. And so there is only the common
sense of the President and that of the peace
moderates which now can keep Washington from
(violence and which can put Mr. Nixon in tune
with the Silent Majority he seeks.
Surely he does not think as he implied
. he did a South Vietnamese army which has
" never had less than a 10-1 superiority in the field
can defeat the enemy without us when it docs ,
not do it with us, and loses 10,000 deserters a
month Into the bargain.
If, in the privacy of the Oval Room, the PresL
dent really came to believe these things, he is
far more simple-minded than is his reputation,
and the Silent Majority which he assumes is his
constituency is not his constituency at all. It will
be an opposition, more sophisticated and now
mobilizing.
Ya gotta
have a gimmick
by Kelley Baker
Keir Dullea has gone from the mad boy who
couldn't touch anyone In David and Lisa to the
mad boy who has to touch everyone In de Sade.
Dullea made his debut as a catatonic and everyone
thought he was a great actor, but by now they
realize that a computer expresses feelings better
than Keir.
The Marquis inhabit a world of beautiful
women where the only ugly one Is his wife Rene.
He can't really be blamed for choosing Rene as
his spouse because the marriage contract was
signed during one of the blurry scenes.
De Sade, blinded by love and an out-of-focus
camera, thought he was pledging his troth to Anne
(Senta lierger), Rene's beautiful sister. Senta runs
the gamut of emotions from a to b and bares
both her talents in the process.
De Sade tries to change the contract but Is op.
posed by his parents and Rene's mother (Lllll
Palmer), who threatens to drop him into the
dungeon (and does) If he doesn't behave (and he
doesn't). In fact, de Sade spent 28 years In jails
and asylums. In her challenging role, Lllll easily
rises to the dramatic heights she reached when
she did the Pond's facial cream commercials.
De Sade spends the first half of the film in
constant pursuit of Anne but she Is Just as constant
in fleeing him. It's as if they were magnetically
drawn together but his magnetic pole was pointed
In the wrong direction.
The entire movie is a series of flashbacks
within the framework of a larger flashback (the
film is a nightmare memory of the Marquis just
as it is a play within a play.
Technical effects are trlie and predictable. Slow
motion equals sensuality as does the suffusion of
color (usually passionate red). One predictable
transition, known as the vertical-horizontal boudoir
transition, works this way anytime a girl in
any scene leans her body more than 30 degrees
in any direction there will follow an almost im
mediate movement to the bedroom. The 30 degree
requirement is soon modified to Include tilting of
the head, bending the fingers, etc,
Unfortunately, none of these bedroom seenes
b very Interesting despite all the cavorting,
tiie sex is not at all arousing. There are no In
volvements between the characters either in bed
r out
If you go to see de Sade, don't go late because
the best part of the film is the art work during
the credits. De Sade's continual search for "a
moment of reality" leaves the viewer searching
for his own moment and it finally comes when
he steps out of the theatre and realizes he shelled
out $1.73 for that.
THE SI LENT MAJORITY
Nebraskan editorial page
Open Forum
Dear Editor:
I would like to make public
this letter written to Prof.
Bud Narveson.
I am writing you in your
capacity as secretary of the
University Senate. I un.
fortunately have a class from
3:30 to 4:30 on Tuesday, and
since I do not have the
elasticity of conscience ex.
hibited by our liberal
brethren in playing fast and
loose with teaching obliga
tions to grind their own
political axes, I will not be
able to attend the University
Senate meeting on Nov. 4.
But I would like to have the
following statement of my
views regarding the resolu
tion presented by Professor
Stephen II. Voss for en
dorsement of the Vietnam
Moratorium by the
University Senate placed on
the record.
This resolution Is simply
another attempt by the
totalitarian so-called liberals
to force everyone to
goosestep according to their
own tune. This new
McCarthyism seeks to Im
pose a tyranny on the cam
puses far more oppressive
than any even envisaged by
its predecessor.
The statement that
participation in the
moratorium "is likely to
contribute to the total
educational process" Is tlie
most blatant hypocrisy. The
moratorium is an avowedly
political movement with
avowedly political objectives
to pressure the govern
ment of the United States to
adopt a certain policy or set
of policies.
A university faculty is
composed and rightly so
of members of diverse views
and social questions.
The sanctity of individual
opinion is its fundamental
principle.
This resolution is an at
tempt to Impose a particular
.standard of political con
formity upon the faculty as a
whale. The inevitable, and
destructive, corollary is to
base appointments and pro
motions, not upon academic
competence, but loyalty to a
given political faith.
To be specific, I personally
regard the moratorium ac
tivities as giving "aid and
comfort" to the enemies of
this country. Many of those
involved are moved by a
simple-minded degire for
peace-at-any-price regardless
of the consequences; but
many others consciously and
purposefully seek the defeat
and even the destruction of
the United States.
Adoption of this resolution
would stigmatize me as
belonging to their company
simply because I am a
member of the University of
Nebraska faculty. I can think
of no more noxious form of
"guilt by association."
Therefore, if permissible
under Senate rules, I wish
my vote counted against this
resolution.
Sincerely Yours,
John rtraeman
Associate Professor
of History
Dear Kdltor:
Thank you for the Nov. 5
headline story concerning the
Faculty Senate's refusal to
endorse t h e moratorium.
Congratulations are in order
for Dr. Edward Megay and
those that supported his mo
tion to keep the university
separate from Issues that are
not directly germane to its
official functions.
Dr. Megay's motions was
especially admirable in view
of the fact that he
participated in the October
moratorium. It would be nice
if the opposing faculty
members could see past their
emotionaJly-freckled noses
and consider the long-range
implications of their ac
tions. Sincerely,
Duane It. Tappe
Dear Editor:
The Nebraskan quoted me
(Oct. 22, page 4) as saying
"there are not any aspiring
writers at the University."
A week or more after a
telephonic interview, I can
not recall my exact words
and so cannot say flatly, "I
was misquoted." But the
curious wording "not any
writers" leads me to
guess that either the report
er misunderstood me, or
that this ks a typographical
error for "not many," which
would be a moderately ac
curate statement sup
portable by the relatively
small number of entries In
the annual fiction and poe
try contests, and by the
paucity of contributions to
the magazine "Scrip."
If there were lltcrully
"not any aspiring writers,"
the u riling courses taught
by several of us would be
superfluous.
Further. I specifically did
not say that my only reason
for holding a somewhat
negative attitude toward
writers' conferences was
based on "unfavorable
printed reports." I did use
essentially those words with
out, as I recall the word
"unfavorable"), but I also
mentioned that I had known
writers and would-be writ
ers none from here, as
it happens who had at
tended such gatherings, and
had come away unim
pressed. There may be, of course,
many "aspiring writers"
who remain for one reason
or another, unknown to us.
As a teacher of writing, I
hoe there are. But If they
exist, they would be doing
themselves and the campus
magazine a favor by reveal
ing their presence by sub
mitting manuscripts to the
magazine and for the an
nual poetry and fiction con
tests. Wilbur Gaffney
Associate Professor
of English
DAILY NEBRASKAN
lacond (lata aoafaqo paid at Lincoln, NaD.
Totoohonoai tailor 7MM(. Now 4;l 1M, MnoM 471-tloa.
Subscription rotoi Ir, H w .m,ltr or M dor yoor.
gkllanod Monday, m(,v, Thvrtday on Friday tforlnf tho
tchool yoor oacopf during vacation, and aam oarloda at M No-
broska Union, Lincoln Ntk.
Mtmbor M lnttro!'tgiatt Prott, National educational AdvartHlna
Itrvlco.
Th Dolly Nooroikan It itud.nt ouolkatlon, Indopondont 01 rho
Unlvtrtily ol NcOrotko'l odmlnlilrollon, faculty and ltvd.nl
fovornmonl.
utinott Staff
ininoat Managor td Icanoalai Local Ad Manag.r J. L. Schmidt)
National Ad Manaoor Mamarot Ann arowm ookkaopor Ron
owllni tinman locmary and (abtcrlptlan Managor Jantt
oatmani Circulation Manaoor Jam Italian Clattlllod Ad
Manaor J una wagonart Advortltlna. ftaaraaanlatlvao J. L.
Icnmidt, Marjarof Ann drown. J oat Oavla. Joa Wilton. Linda
Rontnaon.
Dear Editor:
I appreciate your running
the short article which I
wrote for the Lincoln Jour
nal. However, I was dlsap
iwlnted that you cut the
last two paragraphs, I be
lieve fehey are crucial in
terms of summing up what
I said.
Walter Brunlng
Editor's Notei The two
paragraphs, which were In
advertently left out, follow.
"Drill has been reduced
to a trivial amount. Finally,
those students who partici
pate in the R.O.T.C. pro
grams can verify the
high level of instructor par
ticipation by the military
personnel In student advis
ing and counseling activity.
"The immoral aspects of
war are real, but within the
framework of the public
university, military science
as a practical profession
cannot be denied academic
istatus."
'iS$ ilp
" ' 1 - J L, . ft'
by Bruce Cochrane
Student Senator
I usually try to avoid long and lengthy
arguments on subjects such as the Vietnam war,
feeling that I am so far removed from those who
actually make the decisions about that conflict
that argument is essentially a futile effort of
rhetoric.
However, last Wednesday Student Senate pass
ed a resolution to be sent to President Nixon and
Nebraska's two senators and three congressmen
that strongly implied (though didn't state) that
Senate as the representatives of the student body
deplored the presence of American combat troops
in Vietnam and called for their immediate
withdrawal.
Then, the Senate refused even to consider an
alternative proposal which, instead of calling for
immediate withdrawal, supported President Nixon's
plan for Vietnamization of the war and gradual
withdrawal of American troops.
It appears to me beyond a shadow of a doubt
that complete withdrawal of American troops would
lead almost immediately to a Communist military
victory in South Vietnam.
The prospect of this with the past history of
the actions Asian Communists take after they attain
victory, actions which include fifty thousand ex
ecuted in North Vietnam, hundreds of thousands
executed in China, genocide in Tibet, slave labor
camps it may well be that we napalm babies
but I cannot believe it is deliberate or stated policy
while one has just to look to the mass graves
in Hue with their slaughtered and butchered to
grasp the magnitude of death that would occur
following the occupation of South Vietnam by North
Vietnam's People's army.
American men are dying, but to remove them
and sacrifice tens of thousands of civilians in their
place is to adopt the idea that somehow an
American life is better or more holy or something
than the life of a Vietnamese. I cannot hold with
this.
This concept Is based on only the most basic
of humanitarian ideals. I've mentioned nothing
about our honor, our commitment to the Ideals
of freedom, or our concept of justice, all of which
are justifiable reasons for leaving GI combat troops
in South Vietnam.
I realize that the message Senate has voted
to send, one which I fundamentally disagree with,
will be little heeded by those who receive it, so
perhaps I should not be concerned but I am deeply
disturbed that Senate can take this stand looking
no deeper into the question than that in our genera
tion it is fashionable to be against the war, or
that they are draft liable, or that we are "tired"
of it all
I do not believe that the majority of the students
here at the University would endorse the stand
their elected representatives have taken.
Me
by June Wagoner
Ah, homecoming.
... A time when old grads return to recall
past collegiate glories and cheer the "Scarlet and
Cream" on to another victory (can you hear the
soft strains of 'Hail Varsity' in the background?)
And as alums wonder down familiar paths marking
campus landmarks reminiscing of those by-gone
days . . . They're really missing the boat.
All summer this writer came in contact with
many Nebraska alums, who when learning that
I was an NU student, had abundant questions and
opinions concerning the University.
Their Interests ranged from the political at
titudes of the students to the quality of education.
And their interest as alums and taxpayers wai
both justified and gratifying.
Many of their questions reflected a good amount
of thought but also a lack of knowledge about
University life today. Their assumptions and fears
were often based on the extensive press coverage
given troubles on other campuses and resulted from
the too human trait of generalization.
This is not to say that there are not common
problems faced by all universities. But with re-oc-curing
questions about Communist professors,
rampant sex, or racial conspiracy, it becomes ob
vious that some are missing the forest for the
trees.
Mn 1CI I" . ,deV amI lden,nS. between
college students and the adult population. But It
has definable boundaries which are only aggrevated
by the stereotypes and generalization that increase
dally. The best, the only way, to bridge this gulf
comes from a basis of accurate, personal
Knowledge. This homecoming celebration can also
be a homecoming education.
If you are questioning what is happening on
college campuses, why not use this perfect op
portunity to explore the realities and the reasons?
You 11 find students very willing and quite able
irf ft','. 6 S;SUSS 0i lh day-If yu conc"-
ed with the cost of education, why not make sure
vantage1"1" "'"" 18 bel"g USed lo best d"
th. I,nslead,.o( 1(okinK t displays, find out about
he innovations in education today. Stop by Lov
SEtudemr lf yU U,lnk iri ad-tePfory about
Evaluate the quality of student life at NU (or
do you know what the quality of student life is?)
what about relevant education, academic freedom
oi - depersonalization? And of course there are
extremely important social issues of the draft
racism and the war.
k ll iyou "lVa,,y wwwned about' thew thlnrs.
about how student, feC . . . agk one. w w 1 '
But ask only If you really want to learn If
you find yourself reacting to the wrflonao.
pearance of student, to such an extint S y
nvm0n siSht' then back to your cM
party. (By the way, some of you look pretty strange
Usi'lZ S "V- ?r ? you d0 more taVklng tJS
listen g then you've forgotten what education 1
ft'Sorir "-"vmgtffne'w
