d3ily neBraskan
mond3y September 26, 1977
page 4
Gomer Pyle, television's inept Marine private
had a good word for it: "Goooooolllllyyy "
Pyle was simple and direct. You knew exactly
what he meant. The same cannot be said about
William F. Buckley's speech last Tuesday in the
Nebraska Union.
In a letter to the editor today, the Daily
Nebraskan is criticized for its coverage of the
Buckley speech. We accept the criticism, but
stand by our account of the speech. v
We noticed and reported that "many students
glanced nervously among themselves when
Buckley made (some) comments, . ."..We. wonder
if many students reading the letter from John P,
Johnson might also glance nervously around while
trying to decipher it.
It is not that Buckley is not brilliant. And, as
far as we can tell, Buckley and Johnson use the
language correctly. We believe we understood
their comments. But can't some things be said
more effectively so words are not the challenge,
ideas are?
The problem may lie with education itself
. which, rather than producing communicators,
. breeds word-users.
Few libraries are being built by schools today
but several media centers and learning resource
facilities have been. It's no longer a gymnasium
and classroom building, it's the health, physical
education and recreation complex,
Or as nationally-syndicated columnist James
J, Kilpatrick felt compelled to remind us, bananas
are not elongated yellow fruit,
Buckley might give us a nice long phrase to
describe the phenomena of the dying art of
communication. All we can say is:
"Goooooolllllyyy "
6
Israeli militarism deserves U.S. look without tears'
Washington-The sight of Moshe Dayan in Washington,
his black eyepatch as jaunty as ever, makes one realize
again that Israel is rich with emotional symbols, like a
brother or favorite cousin, it has a stronghold on the
United States.
Yet, to be a true friend means to look without tears
on occasion to avoid being blinded by emotion. The
United States must continue to support Israel, but the
United States also must take a hard look,
.
Israel is so heavily armed that it is a veritable
Little Prussia, Wars of the past 29 years created a siege
mentality. But today Israel is not threatened by
immediate war,
nick thimmesch
r
Egypt, poor and beset with domestic problems, is in
no condition to wage war-and Egypt is necessary for any
Arab war against Israel, Syria and Jordan would not start
nor Join a war without Egypt.
' Still, Israel Involves itself in the" war in "Lebanon
sending troops and jet fighters. According to one recent
news dispatch, Israeli troops, backed by artillery fire,
raided two Lebanese villages, kidnaped 32 civilians and
killed 14 others.
These invasions are not new. Israelis, in following an
eye-for-an-eye philosophy,, have crossed borders many
times to raid airports, villages and cities,
The most shocking Israeli overreaction was in June,
1967, when Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats
attacked a defenseless U.S. Navy intelligence ship, the
Liberty, leaving 34 Americans dead and dying on the
bloody decks.
According" to British journalist Anthony Pearson, the
Israelis attacked because they thought the United States
was using the Liberty to interfere with Israel's conduct
of the Six-Day War.
Americans-including one Jewish-American boatswain's
mate who ripped the Star of David from his neck-cursed
the Israeli raiders.
'Go to hell, you bastard!" cried Cmdr, William L,
McGonagle, the Liberty's captain, when an Israeli heli
copter, carrying, medical orderlies, tried to land on his
ship after the attack.
Medal of Honor
McGonagle, severely wounded, was awarded the Con
gressional Medal of Honor, Israel apologized for what is
said was a mistake. After a great deal of pressure it paid
" reparations to the families of the dead and wounded men.
But to this day, Israel refuses to pay the United States for
several million dollars of damage to the Liberty,
As Pearson pointed out, there was a "conspiracy of
silence" in the U.S, government over this devastating and
embarrassing episode,
Pearson wrote that the CIA, the White House and top
Israeli officials, including Dayan, promoted a "contained
war' between Israel and Egypt, But Israel went beyond
the game plan. If the liberty attack was thoroughly
investigated, all parties on this questionable plot would be
exposed-hence, the hush-hush treatment by the U.S,
government,
While Israel has good' reason to be wary of Arab
neighbors, some Jewish thinkers in Washington and in
Jerusalem believe Israel will never find peace by over
reacting and indulging in excessive violence,
'Akin to Nazis'
Back on Dec, 4, 1948, the New York Times published
a letter signed by 28 prominent Jews, including Albert
i Einstein, Sidney Hook, Hana Arendt and Rabbi Jessurun
Cardozo, warning of an Israeli political movement
"closely akin in its organization, methodspolitical phita
' sophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties,"
Menahem Begin, Israel's current prime minister, led
that movement and was condemned in the letter.
Specifically, the signers condemned Begin's terrorists
for raiding the Arab village, Deir Yassin, killing 240 men,
women and children, and proudly publicized the
massacre,
"Within the Jewish community," the letter went on,
"they have preached an admixture of ultranationalism,
religious mysticism and racial superiority," The signers
lamented that American Zionists did not oppost Begin,
Today, by invoking the Old Testament arid a religious
mission, Begin encourages takeover of land from Arabs
on the West Bank, calling it a liberated territory rather
than its proper designation? occupied territory,
4 He thumbs his nose at President Carter and sends
Payan to the United States with the diversionary plan to
keep the Israeli military on the Arab West Bank while
slowly giving the Arabs a measure of political control
Audacious
Begin acts audaciously because he knows he .does
not need Jimmy Carter as long as Congress continues its
lavish financing of Israel, which now gets more U.S.
money than any other country,
Moreover; he knows that Israel receives additional
hundreds, of millions of dollars from the U.S, because of
special tax breaks on Israeli bonds and from United
Jewish Appeal contributions (tax-deductible) used for
Israeli purposes, The Jewish lobby has reason to be
cynical,
The United-States must keep its commitment to Israel,
as it must, to South Korea and Taiwan, But there is
another side to this, a side shown by. ABC-TY's refugees
in a camp near Beirut, a side which more U.S.
congressmen are hearing about when they visit Arab
nations.
The United States wants peace for Israel. But, since
Begin plays games with the Carter Administration,
perhaps the onlv way he will get the message is when the
American people take a look at Israel without tears and
begin setting conditions for our support,
Copyright 1977, lot Angalai Times Syndicate.
f HIMD f Wff, DOWV ICMtim V OH W 600! YaJot
ryry TJVST JOIWD TO GFf MY V iVf GOT f AM
'-wsa w mm A u&u. tmt I 5 m J
letters
A super person and long-time administrator at NU
died Sept. 17, Ruth Frahm was the type of person who
dedicated herself to her career. She was instrumental in
the design and operational strength of your fine
residence halls food service,
She will be greatly missed by those who knew her.
R.Steve Bowers
Food service director,
v University of Iowa
Rcdorgutlon offered
l kit myself thoroughly entertained by the eloquent
William Buckley' last Tuesday, but the coverage of his
lecture by the Daily Nebraskan was unsatisfactory
in several ways, and for those unfortunates who missed
him and had to rely on the article, some explanation is
due.
The focus of his talk was conservative philosophy,
to be sure, but less its sufferings than its foundations;
focusing on the ideology of freedom and liberty, The
threats and erosions that individual freedom is suffer
ing on a broad political scale in the world community,
especially America, to be countered by exposing the
emptiness of egalitarian promises and by the reaffirma
tion of the sovereignty of the individual.
The article said many students glanced nervously
among themselves when Buckley made comments like:
"We should examine the civil consequences of the pur
suit of Utopia as it bundles us down the road to
serfdome (sic), making music of abundance, justice
and joy,"
This phrase (actually a misquote), may have caused
reporters to glance at each other, but the civil
consequences he had in mind, as I understand him, are
the disappointments and frustrations of a public that
has listened to the music of grand promises of
politicians (e.g. "Great Society," etc. ad nauseam),
promises that realistically couldn't have been fulfilled!
The letdown of false hopes. Or, to put it in another
more Bucklean way, the synthetic expectations raised
by the Utopianiation of political rhetoric unavoidably
effected frustrations en masse.
Further the article alleges Buckley mentioning the
"moral vacuity of Capitalists" actually this is another
misquote, Buckley's phrase was the Ies3 critical "moral
disorientation of Capitalists."
1 realize the limitations of newspaper space, but the
Daily Nebraskan missed the important points of
Buckley's reflection on a question once put to him
concerning the morality of making a "profit on human
misery" (not "profiteering from human suffering"
as misquoted).
lie went on to explain that "misery" was too broad
a term, and that even socialized morticians (or doctors)
would still be making a profit under socialization by
accepting salaries from the government, just, that
there would be no profit "at the per corpse level;" and
furthermore that there is a difference between making
a profit and taking "usurious exactions" (i.e. "pro
fiteering"). The implication is that the mere existence of human
suffering is hardly sufficient grounds to criticize the
, consequential existence of profit-making, and that to
label such profit making as villianous is an act of mis
understanding by the morally confused.
It is ironic, in terms of the article, that two themes
of Buckley's talk were ignorance and misunderstand
ing; and a rity that the Daily Nebraskan didn't do as
good a job in coverage as (the Union Program
Council's) Talks and Topics did in providing something
to cover. J hope this letter has cleared up some things,
and may we be continued to be provided with
exceptional lecturers.
John P. Johnson
I'Jitor's note: The Daily Nebraskan stands by Us
account of the speech.