frlday, novembcr 2, 1979
PSS34
dally nebrasken
Gfl(3(o
Single-issiae groups hanrmfml to candidate9 voters
"And they're off. The race is on. . .
The campaign of the 1980 election has begun.
And with this election year, again conies the
powerful influence of single-issue political groups.
These self-serving powerful influence of single
issue political groups. These self-serving organiza
tions devote vast amounts of money, time and
effort into defeating candidates who oppose the
issue the groups represent.
Such groups are not new-abolitionists, pro
hibitionists and suffragettes all are examples from
American history. Seldom, however, have the
organizations been as powerful as they are today .
Anti-abortionists welded considerable influence in
the 1976 election, they are widely credited with
the defeat of former Sen. Dick Clark of Iowa in
his bid for re-election last year: and they report
edly are gearing up for the 1980 campaign with a
"hit list" of at least six more senators they have
marked for defeat.
This year may see the rise of a new group.
Many people believe anti-nuclear organizations
may become the single most powerful influence
in the 1980 races.
According to some theorists, such groups are
strong because the political parties are weak and
because so many voters are apathetic. Without
knowledge of the issues or of the candidates,
voters are easily swayed to one position or
another. Groups such as the well-organized and
well-financed right-to-life movement have the
money to be persuasive.
CHICK6N . rmSL
mm
Judge disappointing
We, the undersigned, students at the University of Ne
braska College of Law, publically declare our disagree
ment with public statements made by Judge Hugh Stuart
after the conclusion of the Erwin Simant's trial. Judge
Stuart's remarks were inordinate and injudicious. His
actions disappoint us. We expect that a member of Ne
braska's legal community and one so vitally involved in
the administration of justice show greater respect for the
law arid its processes.
We respect the First" Amendment rights guaranteed all
citizens, including Judge Stuart. Judge Stuart's remarks,
however, show a lack of respect for the jury system and
the difficult task which the jurors were called to fulfill.
We believe that Judge Stuart's remarks are a poor ex
ample of judicial discretion and hope that they will not
set precedent for future trials in the state of Nebraska.
David Hahn
Robert Copple
Jerry Abbpud
M. Therese Kennedy
Chas. Sorenson
Kay Ridenour
E. Burke Hinds
Jerry Soucie
Karen Montee
Dorothy Walker
Victor Covalt
K. Bollman
James Broderick
Danny McCarty
Allen Brown
Steve Krumm
Eileen McBride
Candy Marshall
Sandra Hockley
Larueen Van Norman
Mary Fischer
R.Bolley
Elisabeth Davis
Thomas Sullivan
David Bergin
Virginia Gilbert
Tom Copland
Greg Snyder
Randal Brown
Jene Gengenback
Jackie Bailey
Marie Ashe
Carole Larson
PeteWegman
Terry Uhling
Kurt Hohenstein
Deborah Weston
Bruce Stephens
typographical errors, the review wants for a critical
sophistication to adjudge for the reader the whys and
wherefores of the production's success. The Setzuan re
view does no more than cite a few visual images and de-
scribes some events. It neither analyzes nor lends insight
into the drama, its characters, the acting or the directing. I
assume the grammatical and typographical errors are self
evident. Although in an era symbolized by the lanquishing
of the term paper and the ascending electronic media, 1
may assume too much. The . inconsistency of "Japanese
characters" lettered on cloth found in "modern China"
should have puzzled the editor, if not the reviewer. The
Japanese theater is not "informal." On the contrary, it
conforms to a disciplined regimen. Could there be a reason
why "Much of the scenery, and its ideas, are symbolic?"
How does the use of these symbols relate to Brecht and
his ideas of Epic Theatre? Could this information help the
viewer to better understand and appreciate the play and
its production?
1- realize a student newspaper must rely on volunteers
and that their backgrounds may not coincide with their
respective assignments. As a result, it may not be able to
reflect a journalistic standard commensurate to the
academic community it serves. However, I think it would
strive to set a critical example to emulate, not mock.
George W. Loudon
Graduate Representative
Department of Theatre
Continued on Page 5
Such influence is dangerous. There is a dancer
in electing people who know one issue but little
else. We need elected representatives who are
concerned about the needs of the entire country
rather than the needs of a single group.
There also is a danger in having elected officials
who are pulled in every direction by hundreds of
well-financed groups-each of which is capable of
posing a serious threat to the re-election bids of
those officials. When an official tries to please all
those groups, the voters are left with weak and
ineffective legislation. The slowness with which
Congress deals with energy proposals is evidence.
There are no easy answers to the problems
these groups pose. They do have a right to express
their views and to fight hard for them. In the end
the responsibility probably lies with voters who
should be alert to their campaigns. Voters should
look at the candidates and judge them on the
merits-on their stance on all the issues rather
than on just one.
Reviewers
opinion
Review needs improvement
While I appreciate the laudatory opinions expressed in
the Daily Nebraskan's review of The Good Woman of
Setzuan, (Oct. 25), I object to the poor critical standards
exhibited in the manner of their expression. Rife in
theatrical ignorance, inconsistencies, grammatical and
SQZy WELL, Go AHEAD ANb
JJ1 .SULK! I'hfeOlNQOUT
look r you! wtm ant celebrate'
Behind a newspat2 .
one person s view
By Michael Zangari
If you have, ever found yourself sitting at a table with a
group of friends after a movie when you are the only one
who really understands the deeper inner significance of
the subplot, you have a general appreciation for the
position of critics faced with publishing their opinions
weekly.
No, this does not mean the critic is the only one on
campus. who can possibly disect a given event. It means
that the critic risks being the odd person out every time
he sits down at a typewriter In the back of every critic's
head, there is a watery image of his readership. It appears
like the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, expelling a
lungful of smoke and asking Who are you . , . .?"
The answer to that question may be the easiest part of
the job. Having reviewed everything from blues to
barbanz.o beans, I can honestly say that the only thing re
viewers can ultimately claim to be experts on is them
selves. A reviewer who recognizes this and does not take
himself too seriously is half way to being a good critic.
The reviewer has a responsibility to do some research
into the subject which is being reviewed when it is
possible. An informed opinion is certainly more valuable
than one based on what the reviewer had for breakfast.
Ultimately the reviewer is simply another set of eyes in
the audience. What he or she comes away with may or
may not be what you come away with, but the resulting
review opens a forum for thought that is vital to the
appreciation of any event. At a bottom level the reviewer
might interest you in going to see the event for yourself
because the reviewer's view of it interests you, or the
description of it does the same thing.
A perceptive critic with a real feel for his or her subject
is a very valuable thing. They might point out things that
you have missed, or make you think. This doesn't mean
you always have to agree with them.
On the other end of the scale, there is still .'.omething
to be said for the critic who misses the mark by a country
mile. A reviewer that gets a multitude of angry responses
creates the same type of forum by route. It's good to be
inate about your opinion; it forces you to think it
through.
A review, at best, is only an essay. It is presented as
one person's opinion, not a degree from the mouth of
God (although some of my reviews have been divinely in
spired.) Ultimately you, the reader, must make up your
own mind, and that's the way it should be.
Z MATE LOSING
AT BACKGAMMON
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