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American people, real victims in Watergate
'You oughta see the one that got away."
When John Mitchell left the U.S. Courthouse in Washington,
D.C., last week after being sentenced to from 30 months to eight
years in prison for his role in the Watergate cover-up, he was asked
what he thought of the sentence.
"It could have been a hell of a lot worse," Mitchell said. "They
could have sentenced me to spend the rest of my life with Martha
Mitchell."
While such punishment probably was not given because it would
qualify as "cruel and unusual," there is truth to at least part of
what Mitchell said. The four sentences handed down last week
could have been worse (or better, depending on how you look at
it).
Along with Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman were
sentenced to at least two and one-half years in prison for
obstruction of justice, conspiracy and perjury. Robert Mardian,
convicted of conspiracy, was given a ten-month to three-year
sentence.
The sentence given means they must serve the minimum time
imposed without opportunity for probation. All four men
announced their intentions to appeal, a process that could take up
to two years.
While these four sentences are stiffer than those received by any
other Watergate defendants since the original burglars, they seem
out of proportion to the crime. These men tried to cover up what,
in spite of their efforts, was revealed to be America's worst
political scandal. These men lied to either Watergate investigators
or grand juries. And these men could be back on the streets holding
down good jobs in a profitable law practice within two and
one-half years.
"Whatever Bob Haldeman did, he did not for himself but for the
President of the United States," Haldeman's lawyer told U.S.
District Judge John J. Sirica before sentencing. One of the defense
attorneys told reporters that the four defendants would suffer "far
more than Richard Nixon will ever suffer."
Attempts to" portray these men as public servants just doing
their jobs or as victims of injustice because they got light sentences
while Nixon got none at all overlook one thing-the real victims of
injustice are the American people who put their faith in leaders
who were hardly deserving of it.
That the four defendants will suffer fa more than Nixon may
be true. That they will suffer far less than anyone else would suffer
for committing a similar crime is hardly debatable.
Wes Albers
Our 'enlightened' world jusf a mirror image
It's been a lone time since Sinclair Lewis first
unmasked America. Through his novels Babbit, Main
Street, and timer Gantry, to name a few, he plucked
the scales from our eyes, revealing to us the dark,
seamy underside of this society.
A quick review of certain events from the past
year is enough to raise Lewis' ghost from the grave.
For one, it seems book-burning is still in vogue.
The Christian fundamentalists across the country
have been up in arms. God, democracy and morality
are giving way to "vile and corruptible literature."
The fundamentalists, however, aren't going to let
Adam and Eve die without a fight. Witness the recent
trouble in West Virginia and the book-banning in
Drake, N.D., two years ago.
"Witch hunts" haven't diminished in popularity
either. Recently in Boston, Dr. Kenneth Edelin was
found guilty of manslaughter in the death of a fetus
he had aborted.
The circumstances surrounding the case were
murky indeed. For one, it was rumored that the
D.A.'s office was pressured into forming a case
against Edelin by certain anti-abortion groups in the
Boston area.
Secondly, conspicuously enough, a majority of the
jurors for the case were Roman Catholics and all the
jurors were white. Dr. Edelin is a black man.
Speaking of Boston, one might as weli speak of
rascism as well. Sadly enough, it's still around also.
joe dreesen
The busing issue has created a storm of controversy in
Boston. Irate white parents refuse to send their
children to school with blacks and vice versa.
Evangelism is almost as popular today as it was in
Lewis time. Billy Graham, Oral Roberts and
countless others pick up where Elmer Gantry left off.
Send $4.95 to the Wappitome Bible Institute in Pea
Ridge, Ark., and get your own personal pre-fabricated
god. He comes complete with a cure for every ailment
known to man, except ignorance. However, read your
guarantee carefully. Many of these gods have
built-in-obsolescence.
Closer to home, one finds no lack of ignorance.
The religious preference card issue is a good example.
The campus religious leaders tell us 60 per cent of
Nebraskans are church-goers. Religion is a very
important part of most student's lives. For that
reason, the churches should be allowed the use of the
registration packets to discover the "religious needs
of the student."
Well, by the same reasoning, sex is a very
important part of most student's lives-probably
more so than religion. Maybe massage parlors should
be allowed the use of the registration packets to
discover the sexual "needs of the student."
As a friend of mine said the other day, "If Sinclair
Lewis were to come back now, he'd look around and
shake his head - nothing's changed."
Recession forcing college students to adjust
Among those suffering most from the
recession are college students who have been
living joyfully in communes.
Take the sad case of Irwin Phlute. For the
past five years, young Irwin has been attending
Siwash University, where he majored in seven
different fields of study at one time or another.
He lived in the Higher Organic Consciousness
Family, which was housed in two rooms (plus a
laundry tub and - broken toilet) in a
highly-desirable tenement area 27 blocks from
campus. He shared these facilities, as well as
numerous rats, with friends of various sexes also
seeking higher organic consciousness.
In five years, he had acquired junior standing
at the university, the knowledge of how to cook
alfalfa sprouts and macaroni six different ways,
and a loathing for material possessions -all
thanks to his intelligence, application and a
$200-a-month allowance from his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Phleger Phlute.
Imagine his concern, then, when his father
reluctantly informed him that, due to the
recession, he would have to cut off his allowance.
"But how can I go on living with my
Family?" asked Irwin.
"You can live with us, dear," said his mother.
"Please think of us as your family, too."
"It isn't the same," said Irwin despondently.
HTm sorry, son," said his father firmly, "but
we simply can no longer afford to support you in
the poverty to which you've become
accustomed."
Irwin made a frantic effort to get a job so he
could remain with his Family, but there were no
jobs to be had. Having no choice, he bid an
emotional farewell to his Family and moved back
in with his family.
Fortunately, his family lived only 14 blocks
from the campus, for Irwin was now determined
oaae 4
to finish his education, not having anything else
to do.
So Irwin unpacked his hi-fi in his old room
with its twin beds, clean sheets and private bath.
He breakfasted on bacon and eggs, lunched on
baloney-and-cheese sandwiches, dined on meat,
vegetables and potatoes and neglected his bike
for the family car. Naturally, he was unhappy.
"I wish you wouldn't mope so, dear," said his
mother. "With this recession, we all have to make
sacrifices."
It is doubtful that Irwin could have borne up
under the strain much longer. But then a glorious
event occurred: Mr. Phleger was laid off.
orthur hoppe
innocent bystander
"At my age " said Mr. Ilileger, rubbing his
temples, "I don't know where I'll ever find
another job."
"Oh, what will we do?" cried Mrs. Phleger,
wringing her hands. "How will we live?"
"Don't worry," said Irwin confidently. "I'll
show you how to apply for food stamps. I'll take
you around to the supermarket alleys with the
best thrown-out vegetables. And I'll teach you
how to cook Alfalfa Sprouts and Macaroni
Krishna. Happy times are here again!"
His father clapped hirn on the shoulder
proudly. "And here I thought you were just
wasting your time in college, son," he said in a
choked voice. "And all these years you've really
been preparing yourself for life."
(Copyright Chronicle Publishing Co. 1975)
daily nebraskan
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Wanna cooperate?"
Ihursday, february 27, 1975