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Kent State reopened
The Kent State tragedy never has been satisfactorily
explained. Witnesses who have testified in the federal
grand jury investigation of tha 1970 shootings, in which
four students were killed and nine wounded, are not
offering much help.
Ohio National Guardsmen who fired at the crowd of
students aren't talking. Most refuse to testify without
full immunity, pleading the Fifth Amendment, which
provides protection from self-incrimination.
Such actions only further point to a disturbing
possibility that the Kent State story still has several
unfinished chapters. It's not surprising that some
persons close to the case suspect a coverup.
No Guardsman or Guard officers" ever have been
legally charged with violations, although their conduct
has been denounced by FBI investigations and a
presidential commission.
Some observers claim there was a conspiracy among
the Guardsmen to fire at the students. Only a
Guardsman could confirm or convincingly prove false
that report.
Justice Dept. officials say that the Guardsmen's
defense that they opened fire to protect themselves
apparently is a fabrication. The department poured over
about 8,000 pages of FBI findings and concluded that
Guard units summoned to Kent State were not
surrounded by hostile students and that they fired at
students when they were in no real danger themselves.
Things look grim for the Guardsmen. If they indeed
are blameless, it's difficult to understand why they are
so close-mouthed. The federal grand jury ended its first
phase Friday, after 28 days, and is scheduled to
reconvene Feb. 25 with more witnesses. It is hoped that
the truth will be easier to ascertain then.
Mary Voboril
dllf
Letters appear in the Daily
Nebraska n at the editor's discretion.
A letter's appearance is based on
timeliness, originality, coherence and
Interest. All letters must be
accompanied by the writer's true
name but may be submitted for
publication under a pen name or
initials. Use of such letter will be
determined by the editor. Brevity is
encouraged. All letters are subject to
condensation and editing.
Dear editor,
This letter is in response to "Hell-met on Wheels," (Daily
Nebraskan, Feb. 4). It consisted of a defiance of LB795,
which would require helmets while on the seat of a
motorcycle.
Tve been riding motorcycles for a while on and off the
roads, and I am thoroughly convinced that wearing a
helmet is far safer than without. One helmet manufacturer
plugs its product with the slogan: "Is your head worth
$12?", referring to the fact that the cheaper helmets offer
less protection. At the moment I wear a helmet that goes
for $65, but that may not be really necessary. Even a $12
helmet offers better protection than none.
So-called "worthless" helmets have saved my life and my
friends' lives too many times to count them out I was hit
by a car once, and although my helmet was scratched up I
didn't even get a bruise. A friend of mine lost control of his
bike once and flew over a cliff. His helmet had a huge
crack, but again, no damage to his head.
Helmets on the market have been tested against shock
and some tests are pretty brutal. The Snell Foundation
drives a pointed instrument on them to defe mine what
force it-takes to penetrate Anything that doesn't pass test
is not given appro .! LJe'oie buying a helmet, check to see
what organizat;uns nave approved them.
As for hearing and sight impairment, it's practically nil if
not improved. While traveling at speeds in excess of 50
m.p.h., the win blowing against your ears causes more
impairment than a helmet covering them. Helmets are
des'gned to allow maximum peripheral vision. The only
way your sight can be impaired with them on is if you put
them on backwards.
Though 85 of all automobile deaths are caused by head
injuries, I wonder how many of the 85 would be alive
today if they had worn seat belts?
Daredevil motorcyclist Evil Knievel endorses motorcycle
helmets by claiming he'll never mount a bike without one
on. I agree with him wholeheartedly.
Just remember, "Is your head worth nothing?"
Dale Yamamoto
Truckers generating heightened self-image
The recent strike and violence of
the various associations of
independent truckers seems certain to
add another chapter to the myth of
the American trucker. There has
always been a fascination with these
men of perpetual motion; perhaps it's
their ceaseless jouneying that holds an
attraction to the wandering American
spirit, or maybe it's their image as
lough, hardtalkin' individualists that
gives them their special place in the
American pantheon of folk heroes.
-But whatever their glorified image, it
appears that the truckers are intent on
shaping a new image for themselves.
Though a majority of American
truckers already belong to some type
of union, most notably the Teamsters'
Union, the emergence of the various
associations of independent truckers
bears a striking resemblance to the
early union struggles of the '30s,
complete with destruction, scabs and
death. Now, the picket lines are
invisible, enforced by shippers and
high powered rifles.
But this heightened self-image is
not limited to the current strike; it is
evident in other aspects of tha modern
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truckers' realm as well. Nowhere is this
new attitude more evident than in the
new breed of truck stops, or truck
plazas, as they now are called.
On a recent trip, I stopped in
Raphiner, Va., at one cf these new
truck stops. The plaza was designed
like a modern hunting lodge, complete
with stuffed animal heads, oak beams
and gun collections. When a person
enters one of these establishments,
there is no doubt who the preferred
customer is.
This particular stop featured a
separate truckers' dining room
complete with overstuffed chairs,
special memj, free juke box and special
waitresses, plus a large aquarium. In
addition, for those drivers not on a
tight schedule, there was a private pool
and game room, a truckers-only sauna,
an all-night barber shop and a special
truckers' gift and equipment shop
featuring customized rig accessories,
stereo component, and an array of
100 American bumper stickers. In a
more professional vein, the truck stop
not only supplies ;i small technical
library and a bulletin board for job
notices, but it also supplies up-to-date
news and weather information via two
teletypes.
But most devastating to the ego of
the nontrucker is the training and
attitudes of the plaza employes. They
seem to know many of the truckers by
name and are interested in the special
terminology and problems of trucking.
iO S oGi'i iTuCrCor taia'y Seen! tO My',
"Well, if you're not a trucker we'll
tolerate you for a while, but you don't
really belong here. Truckers do come
first" And this philosophy seems
evident in their every word and deed.
Special privileges for truck drivers
are nothing new, but the popularity of
the new truck plazas seems to point
toward more than a desire for special
treatment. Drivers are congregating in
the private dining rooms to talk, rather
than grabbing that important hour or
two of sleep in the cab. The individual
driver is no longer isolated from the
mass of his fellow professionals.
And it is this new, complex sense of
unity that spawned the grassroots
rebellion to the energy hoax.
It is now evident that their success
against diesel prices is only the
beginning. Other chronic complaints
are also surfacing: displeasure over
weight limitations, speed limits,
individual state licensing.
In fact, it is beginning to seem that
the strike by the independent truckers
has worked too well. The truckers
spoke, an'd the government not only
jumped, it danced.
It is only too clear, in light of
England's current problems, that a
prolonged strike by a group such as
the truckers could indeed "bring
America to her knees."
It is now up to President Nixon and
his czar to decide if it could indeed
happen here.
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'Berkeley, '65!" "Columbia, '68!'
page 4
daily nebraskan
monday, february 11, 1974
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