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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1979)
daily nebraskan frlday, february23, 1979 Ii)eODDiOG(il:2Dfe psga4 Rampaging juveniles willdo anyihingjpr-sugar By Arthur Iloppe The federal government, concerned by the growing wave of juvenile terrorism, is considering banning television commercials for sugar-coated cereals from Saturday morning cartoon programs. And rightly so. Traditionally, Americans have believed that what a child watched and what a child ate were the concerns of the child's parents and not the government. If the parents did not wish the child to - watch Saturday morning cartoons or eat sugar-coated ce reals, the parent would presumably so in form the child and there the matter would end. But those halcyon times are sadly behind us. Today, gangs of crack 5-year-:olds, their emotions inflamed by Saturday morning commericals, roam our homes and supermarkets, wreaking vengeance on parents, checkout clerks and all innocent citizens who stand between them and their crazed lust for a box of Sugar Fixes. Supermarket scene t Who nowadays -isnt familiar with the' all-too-common scene of the little tot in the shopping cart suddenly pulling a 38 on its mother if she dawdles too long in fresh produce? "Turn this crate around and head for sugar-coated cereals," is what these tykes usually say. "Do as I tell you and nobody will get hurt." Some parents have attempted to resist. Neighbors recall that Mrs. Madeline Fosk of Racine, Wisconsin, said firmly on hearing of the proposed ban that it didn't affect her family because (1) she didn't allow her 4-year-old daugher, Missie, to watch Saturday morning cartoons and (2) she fed her only sugarless rolled oats for breakfast. The following Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Fosk was found in her kitchen strangled with a jump rope and Missie has been miss ing ever since. Parental defense It is the swelling numbers of incidents such as this that have led to the increas ing popularity of parental self-defense courses across the country. Success stories abound. "My 6-year-old son, Willie, pulled a switch blade on me last Saturday When I tried to turn off the commercial for Chocolate-Covered Moch Puffs on Captain Ka Zowee," Mrs. Winifred Morgan of Kent, Iowa, told reporters. "But by kicking him in the groin while giving him a karate chop which broke his right wrist, I was able to disarm him without any trouble " she said proudly. Even Barents trained in the martial arts. however, are no match for the hunger strikes, sit-ins and countless other acts of uncivil disobedience ' being perpetuated these days by bur pre-schoolers, their little minds all but destroyed by sugar addiction. Thus the government has no choice but to move in and do the job the parents cannot -do themselves. But what, let us ask ourselves, about adult morons? Adult morons conservative ly comprise 78 J percent of the prime time television audience Their level of con sumer debt proves how easily brainwashed they, too, are by commercials. Dont these poor souls deserve Washington's protection as well. What if they also became violent? What if, God forbid, adult morons took over our cherished government? We can only pray that it's not-already too late. Copyright Chronicle Publishing Company More polling places needed The annual discussion of where to put polling places for ASUN elections occurred Wednesday night and once again parochial arguments based on living units were the major points of content ion. Interfraternity Council Vice President Brian Sloan said polling booths in the residence halls would create "unfair advantages for students living there. .Sen. Doug Novak talked about residence; hall voting power and Sen. Wesley expressed concern for the off-campus students right to vote. The point these gentlemen are missing and the crucial factor which is annually ignored is that only about 10 percent of the stu dents eligible to vote in the ASUN elections do so. This fact which would indicate ASUN should do everything possi ble to encouragestudents to take the time to vote. "- If more people will vote when booths are placed in Greek houses and residence halls, then the booths should be placed there as well as being placed on campus buildings used for classes and in the Unions. The question of living unit balance on the senate is a proper one and should be addressed by parties when they choose their members and by the voters when they go to the polls, it should not be the. factor used to determine 1 whertlolling booths are placed. ASUN should, hope for the maximum turnout in the election and the current senate-should do all it can to insure that its succes sor is put into office by a larger number of students than it was. To do this, booths should be placed .where the most people will vote. They . should not be on "neutral" ground because of fear of voting blocs, for ASUN's purpose should be participation and not restriction. JL Kent Wolgambtt v oft wSJm' J.fiAGUN 6One-humped-mmelwedw in Boys9 State days By Randy Essex Somehow, in 10 or 15 visits to the state capitol during grade school and junior high, it was never impressed upon me that any one worked in that grand structure. All I learned about the building was that the roof is made of something called gold leaf, it took several railroad flatcars to' transport the sower perched on the roof to Lincoln, from wherever it was made, and that big, round ceiling is c&Ued the rotunda. . ""- ' "V I think I learned all this in the fourth grade. That same year ve learned about something called the Unicameral, which I assumed was a camel with one hump. I guess I had an idea' that there was a state legislature, although I'm sure I didn't use the word at the time. But I knew the , members of that body ran for office and they were certainly next to God in 'prestige and importance.' ' ..i5rK- Passed laws ' ty the time I visited the capitol with my 1975 Boys' State delegation, I under stood that the Legislature passed laws, aha -during Boys State I began-to understand how, because JLwas a member of our kgidature.' 2'. J We defeated - after heated debate - a resolution that proposed to make the cow chip our state mineral. We passed some . thing called a bottle bill that was modeled after Oregon's plan , to clean up litter. And I remember then Gov. J. J. Exon telling us the real senators would consider the bills we passed. So, naturally, - and naively - I swelled with pride last year when the real Legislature passed the bottle biUV Perhaps, fortunately, the Boys' State Constitution did not provide for referen dum petition. However, when Boys State senators dis :; cussed -decriminalization of marijuana, those favoring the proposal were shouted " down and had to sit by themselves at 'dinner that night. Elected members Fortunately, the real Legislature is not appointed by the American Legion. Its members are elected. ; The point or all this sentimental and self-indulgent rambling is this: Citizens, and especially cbllege-rtudents who plan to become Intelligent citizens, have a responsibility to understand the process by which laws that they must live by are passed. - This understanding can lead to cynicism about politics and government, but it need not. What it should lead to is interest -however casual that interest may. be - in the work going on wert of the capitol rotunda. ' ' What Nebraska's one-humped-camel does is often boring, but it does matter. Very much. .-. By the way, the Boys State legislature had no chaplain, v "it ' -: . : I ter no Idsa of the source of the Information for Trend Analysis 1973-78 " published by UNLs Office of five-year period In question. Reference to page 18 shows your rcD. i aiu iwj v vw . ."Jt. ... . .... rsuiuAiy, . mat aunng mat same period. Teachers CcIIecs ouagei Lfncci. Inrrpit? ,-4 hv Ar,K C iw Tnt the Reference to page 16 of that document permits cost of tnttmetirtn in T,rhr rv t. w-r in re!. ISstttt. ia rrfpiriri d!s.ttatesxent I cave referred corrputaticfi snowing vizi w wctitea , student credit ' tlvi terms In 1978-79 than in 1973.74 to t document titled "hczizTzlz Cuiet Tlsnnbg Dits- z hours. Teachers CoZ$& increased by 72 percent over the . Cestui caprs 5