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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1977)
F3 4 thursday, epril 14, 1977 flECA arter takes the moo out bslks During Easter, Washington was quiet. Congress went off for what used to be called the Easter recess and is now known as a "District Work Period" which some, nonetheless, spend in China. The President went to Georgia to renew his roots, and perhaps walk in the piney woods to sneak a look at his polls. Flattery has gotten him everywhere. His rating has gone off the boards. The American people, who didn't even know who he was a year ago, have lost their heads over him. One- poll shows him at 80 per cent approval rating. And what has he done? He walked down Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day. He wore a sweater on television. He retired the trumpeters and the limousine fleet. He went on a radio call-in show with Walter Cronkite and got a girl in Maryland a government job. He went to Clinton, Mass., and told the people they were absolutely marvelous and his food bills are high, too. The crowd went wild. Washington winds He sent Congress a reorganization bill. It won't cost any jobs or save any money. Congress said, hey, wait a minute, what does it do? What's it going to do? Carter said, none of your business, sign here. Congress tugged its forelock and said, "Yes, sir." Carter didn't tell Congress it was wonderful. He said he was going to cut out 16 dams in their home districts. They said you can't do that. And he said, just for that, I'm going to study 14 more for extinction. Carter's polls went up another few notches. , Ballet, opera Carter went to the ballet, the opera, the theater. He caused a treehouse to be built for his daughter Amy. He told Congress he was going to reorganize the entire energy situation. Congress said, how? He said, watch for the grand open ing on April 20. He announced he was going to sell his yacht. He sent Cyrus Vance off to negotiate a new era in peace. Vance got to Moscow, opened his briefcase and put his offer on the table. Leonid Brezhnev gave him a couple of hours to get out of town. A fiasco? Not at all. It was a success, Carter told the American people, and if we have one more like it, I'll start up the arms race again. Nobody seemed disturbed. Looked at in a certain way, it was a triumph. He didn't disarm the Soviets, but he dis armed Henry Jackson, who told Carter to "hang tough." Jackson was ecstatic about Carter's offer to the Soviets. It couldn't have been better if he had written it himself. Carter may not have a treaty, but he has the votes in the Senate, and the Cold Warriors have joined his fan club. Not a great deal has been said about unemployment, which was going to be. the first order of business. He's been too busy about human rights. The Republicans claim he's stolen their thunder. American's are so delighted to have a President who doesn't sweat at his news conferences, and doesn't stumble, they don't pay any attention. Few reductions He hasn't been able to reduce the size of the White House staff yet. It's grown a bit since he took office. He hasn't been able to reduce the budget yet, either. As a matter of fact, the White House staff got a raise, but since it stopped a thousand short of what it might have been, he claimed a "savings". He hasn't gotten around to making those cuts in the Pentagon budget yet. He may even go ahead with the Bl -bomber, even though during the campaign he said he wouldn't. It doesn't matter. Eighty-nine, per cent of the American people think Jimmy Carter is "sincere." So it's been a beautiful spring for Jimmy Carter. He loves everybody, and everybody, it seems, loves him. His success is an argument for an inactive presidency. If he does something, he might spoil everything. He's a little like Mark Fidrych, the Detroit pitcher. Fidrych, unfortunately, is benched until June with a torn ligament. "The Bird,' who is also an idol with the stands, spends a great deal of his time on the preliminaries. He is extremely fussy about the moundL He gets down on his hands and knees to rake the dirt and rearrange it, scouring the terrain for noisy ants who might disturb his concentration or grasshoppers who might trample him. He talks to the ball as lovingly and intimately as Jimmy Carter talks to the American people. Then he throws the pitch. Jimmy Carter hasn't done that quite yet. He's enjoying preparing the mound, taking bows. Any minute now, he will have to play ball. (Copyright 1377 lasfoington Star Syndicate) falph WEL IT woxs mi ill m!E to 5w wis mt. a JUL. 1 THE CDUnSB MJ5 V d WW t vv v lUBECUrOFSOtdOL VI M . . i fmh) ILL HAVE TO . SETVPir&Dto EVSttl ( FAINT Y DAy mp put cm a suit Kmo.hth it. J tM TIE 50 I CfitJ v f I think it is time that something accurate be said about the recent Student Court hearing concerning the validity of the actions cf the 1976-77 ASUN Senate. The petitioners alleged that all actions taken since Dec. 15, 1976, by the Senate were invalid. The basis for this contention Was the supposed lack of a quorum on that date. The requirement of the quorum was given to the guest opinion present at the meetings. The Student Court then went on to "reconsider" the first quorum requirement and to reverse itself and change the requirement to be "23s of the current seated members who are presently serving on the Senate." This reconsideration allowed the Senate which had 24 members recognized by the . Court to meet and validate the appointments of 1 1 senators to fill the Senate to its authorized capacity. This whole affair was interpreted by the Daiy Ne brsskm and other concerned students as making the ASUN Senate look like it operated unauthorized. In reality the interpretation should be analogous with one's own driver's license. The bottom line of your driver's license says "not valid unless signed" The sisnin Senate by the Student Court on Dec. 6, 1976. This opinion stated that the correct quorum was 23s of 35 or 24 senators, regardless of the cumber of vacancies ia the Senate due to resignations or rsmovsl by the Senate. This opinion was based cn a court decision decided ia the stzis of Fbrida, 109 years aof On March 30, 1977 the Student Court ruled that the Eppcbtments cf senators to fill vacancies in the Senate, m action taken on Dec. 15, 1976 was invalid because the Senate did not comply with the Student Court's defini tion cf a quorum. As a consequence cf the invalidity of the appointment, all subsequent action was therefore Exposing il as the group it is We wish to congratulate Scott Whitcomb for , his brilliant expose published in Monday's Dzi!y Ncbmktm. Whitcomb alone was able to cut through the fog created by TNE and the Faction and lay bare the real source of political subversion on this campus . , , MECA. At great danger to his person and his sobriety, Whit comb ventured into the dark, underworld of Harry's Wonderbar. Cleverly discovering a MECA meeting, he hid himself at the back of the bar to watch the proceedings unobserved. Disguised as a long-haired, bearded, blue jeaned conservative, he gathered the facts, just the facts. guest opinion Not wishing to tip his hand, Whitcomb carefully remained out of earshot of the meeting. Several MECA members threatened to talk with Whitcomb, but he skill fully eluded these attempts to color his opinion with discussion. Preferring instead to rely on a carefully cultivated source in Michigan, Whitcomb pioneered the use of "long-distance" journalism as he raked up a scurrilous bit of muck in the university garden, exposing MECA for what it really was. Whitcomb 's efforts uncover ed a tangled web of conspiracy and intrigue. Covered tracks well But,he subversives had covered their tracks well. So well that even Whitcomb failed to uncover information of vital importance to university security. We shudder as we relate what we have come to know as "The Plan". Noting that students in MECA "were not able to participate in the regular channels of student govern ment," Whitcomb failed to recognize a grander scheme. Through its control of campus elections, MECA planned to further clog those "channels" with (gasp) mercenary turkeys from Nebraska's hintherlands. Fortunately MECA failed in this scheme thanks to the ever vigilant Faction who beat them to it. Having failed in this selfish power grab, MECA devised a more fiendish plot. The Hit-men of MECA planned to infiltrate and take control of the university, by silently stealing through the underground campus steam tunnels, and then coming up in the Nebraska Union and taking the Union and Frank Kuhn as hostage, t '. '.. . Extravagant demands i Certain MFC A demands would have to be met before the hostage and building would be released. Extravagant demands such as: student fee funding for MECA, an office for MECA in the Union, the resignation of Prof. Hiram Hedgehog to be replaced by MECA's man Jy Rubberdutch, complete amnesty for MECA members and War of 1812 military deserters, establishment of a DMZ (DcMECAniation Zone) on campus, and finally and most importantly, long sought B.A. degrees for certain in fluential MECA members. , This plan was abandoned when MECA realized that even if all went well and the Union was successfully seized, no one would want it back and then they'd be stuck with it. MECA is so powerful, this monolithic group was able to field not one, not two, but three losing parties in last year's ASUN election. MECA indeed finds "strength in diversity". . .. The Daily Nebraskan has fearlessly revealed the tip of a dirty iceberg and we only hope that it will continue its quest to find the truth. For who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of MECA. But, on the other hand, does any body really care? Bill Latza is an economics senior from Pawnee City. Don Wesery is a University Studies senior from Lincoln. decision only invalid, because the proper "signature" or form was not followed. The substance of the actions of the Senate were correct. By reversing it's own decision the Student Court allowed the Senate to validate it's actions by attaching the proper form to its meetings. Many people feci that the alleged "invalidity" of the Senate and the postponement of the elections will hurt voter participation in the April 13 election. But this postponement should only create more interest, by giving the voters a longer period of time to analyze the candi dates. Steve Voigt is a .Dr, xzpon junior ia the KU Law College. Voift served as defense counsel represent! ASUN ia the Student Court hearing. . . - mvilld. zl'2iOL"h at U to zrat tut Cits the isst and trsassctsi fcystrss vn2x at best 24 senator cf your name to the driver's license does not have any relation to your qualifications as a driver, it. that you passed your examination or that you passed your sight test, or that you reached the age as required by law, it merely makes the license invalid until it is signed. Thus the signature validates an invalid piece of paper. On the other hsnd, if ycu did not pass the written examination, or the eye exandnation, but still received the piece of psper, then your signature could not validate it, because the license would be null and void. If all ether qualifications cf a driver's liccna are met, then the form of stsning it makes it valid. The trne vis tree cf the 1975-77 Zsnzii, its action were not decscd rr-tl zr.i void ty the Student Court, TV m ft .!. r .. t . me umiy necrssKan welcomes letters to tne editor and guest opinions. Choices of material pub lished will be based on timeliness and originality. Letters must be accompanied by the writer's name, but may be published under a pen name if request- Cy. Guest opinions should be typed, tripled -rpaced, on nonerasable paper. They should be accompanied by the author's name, chss standing and rr.rjor, or occupation. All material submitted is subject to to the miter.