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Priority decisions are strange raises, it becomes difficult to deter
things in any institution. But they mine where the state places its
can become extremely peculiar in a priorities-on the football team or
university environment which enjoys the quality of education at its lead
better than average football every ing university,
fall. Obviously, Nebraska is concerned
The Board of Regents recently about the football coaching market
approved 10 percent salary increases and the possibility of losing good
for the UNL football staff-without coaches. That is one reason for the
even debating the issue. At the same different dates for salary raises
time, Gov. Thone was drawing up Jan. 1 for football coaches and July
his budget recommendations which 1 for faculty,
outlined a 7 percent increase for'. But what about the faculty job
UNL faculty. market and the possibility of losing
With such discrepancies in salary good teachers? Isn't January the
t,w uhpn the fncultv iob market fact, women's athletics have been
may also look promising? And strongly supported by this surplus
especially for a faculty that ranks income.
seventh in salaries in the Big Eight. But with such successful athletics,
While administrators say they will it's easy to lose sight of educational
continue to request a 10 percent pay priorities and the fundamental ob
hike for faculty, the fact that foot- jectives of NU. v
ball already received its increase It all boils down to the quality
shows that the regents are very con- of university we want in Nebraska
cerned about the Nebraska foot- and how much we want it. Do we
ball program. Let's hope they share want a university that is proud of its
that concern in the area of education, football team, or a football team
The university is fortunate that it that is proud of its university?
has quality athletics and that Corn- The decision is all of ours,
husker football is so profitable. In Harry Allen Strunk
The trick was to explain
Iowa outcome in advance
WASHINGTON-Anyone can interpret
the Iowa caucus results after the returns
were in Monday night. The trick was to
explain them in advance As a service to
regular readers of this column, here are the
authorized interpretations of all the
possible outcomes in Iowa.
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Today, January 22, marks the seventh
anniversary of the Supreme Court's
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choose death for her unborn child.
-, Anniversary, ine wora onngs 10 mmu
pleasant mental associations of celebrations-laughter,
relaxation, and gaiety. So,
on this anniversary, is a celebration in
order? Here's a toast to all the tiny ones
ripped from their mother's wombs. Their
only crime was that they were unwanted.
Shall we celebrate? Are we proud of our
record of over 1 million deaths annually,
due to the abortion of unborn infants? Is
ouf society to be commended for its
acceptance of this widespread destruction
of human life?
Echoing some pro-abortion thought, it
has been stated that those who decide to '
go through with an abortion ' make the
choice that is never easy, but sometimes is
the only solution. On the surface, abortion
appears to solve something. It takes away
the baby and it takes away the pregnancy.
It leaves the woman empty. Empty in more
ways than one. Looking at the long-term
effects of the choice, one sees that it is the
woman who must live with that choice for
the rest of her life. There is no turning
around.-The unique little being that she
carried within her is gone forever.
Continued on page 5
If President Carter. had won, you'd
say: The Carter victory caps one of the
most remarkable comebacks, in political
history. It was fueled by public fury at
the capture of the hostages in the Ameri
can Embassy in Iran, compounded by the
crisis atmosphere resulting from the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
While ostensibly removing himself from
partisan politics in order to receive the
Opinions.expressed on the editorial page
are not necessarily those of the college,
university, student body or , Daily
Nebraskan staff.
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes letters
to the editor and guest opinions. Time
liness, clarity of writing and originality
is considered when selecting. material for
publication. : v
All submissions are subject to editing
and condensation and cannot be returned
to the writer. r . ; ;
Material should be typed if possible and
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standing, academic major or occupation,
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Mail or deliver letters and guest opinions
to the Daily Nebraskan , Room 34 ,
Nebraska Union, Linoln, Neb. 68588.
full benefits of the presidency as the
symbol of national unity -Carter skillful,
ry used the resources of the White House
to woo opinion-leaders in Iowa and to
rebuild the powerful precinct organization
that gave him his first victory in 1976.
But if Kennedy had won, you'd say:
The upset victory of the Massachusetts
senator was achieved by dint of a quickly
assembled political organization which
even Carter's backers admitted in advance
had made more phone calls and reached
more voters than did the President's nine-month-old
machine.
The results prove the too easily over
looked point that caucuses are not pop
ularity polls, but tests of an organizational
capacity to turn out voters. They also
prove that, despite the overhanging inter
national issues, most people vote their
pocketbooks, Kennedy's insistent
hammering on Carter's ineffective war
against inflation-plus his reminder that the
President had broken his promise to Iowa
farmers on grain embargoes-put the chal
lenger back in the driver's seat in the
Democratic race.
If,Ronald Reagan had won the Republi
can caucuses, you'd say: The results in
Iowa did no more than confirm what
everyone has known since 1964 there
is no more devoted band of people than
those who have cheered "Dutch" Reagan
(as he was known in his Iowa, sports
casting days) and cherished the hope
that some day he might be President.
With former President Ford on the side
lines, no one came close to Reagan in the
polls. While his refusal to join the Iowa
candidate debate or to 'campaign
extensively in the state may Have caused
a slight dip in his margin, the results vin
.dicate campaign , manager John P. Sears'
judgment that, without a serious m.sstep
of his own, Reagan was a sure winner.
Continued on page 5
Crusade mentality describes anti-abortion push
The idea of a free competition of views ensuring free
dom haunts anyone who ever took an American civics
course at some point in their education .This idea is why
the anti-abortion movement should be worrisome.
The anti-abortion movement ascribes to the crusade
mentality, an occasional wave that sweeps over segments
of American society in twenty-year cycles. Groups of
people band together and decide the nation should take a
quantum leap forward or backward, prohibiting this or en-
couraging ttat, returning to the Good Old Days or creat
ing a Great New Society. The goal is philosophical and
therefore dogmatic, but it's the means that crusaders use
which cause alarm.
The "appeal of the antUbortion crusade is more
emotional than cerebral. It is tied to spiritual ideas like an
individual soul and a God-given morality. This changes the
perspective compared to other political issues where the
debate concerns lone-term benefits and rnsts fnr crvWv
The anti-abortionists use this emotional push to con
vince themselves that the righteousness or their cause
breeds rights not allowed to others. They can use personal
abuse,. twisted logic and shout down anyone who dis
agrees. They can picket abortion clinics and cruelly harass
women who have already suffered a complex personal
decision.
The emotions of their movement breed a community
spirit among the anti-abortionists, not in any positive, get
. the-work-done sense, but with the tacit understanding of
being the elect, the upholders of an ideal, the keepers of a
flame. This means anyone with reservations about their
methods or goals becomes an infidel, one of "them" ide
facto threat and not worth listening to. ' ,
Listening isn't their strong point, either. Discuss the
issue with an anti-abortionist, and it's like you're not
having the. same conversation. They learn rote catch
phrases and buzz words to use as belligerent non-answers
to questions, speculation squashers and pat "final words"
to complexities and conundrums.
Knowing the answers is a nice feeling. I understand
why one would want to be associated with a point of view
that claims to have The Truth. Putting one's faith in the
educated guesses of science and the frank ignorance of a
random world is distressing-but it's all there is.
Which brings us to politics. Whose idea was it to take
an agonizing personal decision and make it a national poli
tical issue? Don't we mere mortals have enough to worry
about without snooping into the operating rooms of
America?
Part of the' answer lies in the unthinking nature of
politicised medicine. A politician can get himself large
numbers of supporters cheaply by mumbling a few words
against abortion. By blowing it into a major campaign
issue, a mindless, spineless politician with the moral fiber
of swamp moss can cover his own failings and obscure de
' bate on more important issues.
The 'Them and Us" aspect of the anti-abortion move
ment is also contributing to the increasingly fragmented
, nature of American politics. With single issue candidates
and well-financed pressure groups, anti-abortionists make
the tenor of politics shallower, and erode the notion of a
government for all the people. The spectre ot the parts
destroying the whole is not impossible.
Since the end of the Vietnam conflict and the resigna
tion of Richard Nixon, truly "national" issues have been
few and far between. Now that we've learned we may
have to stoop to fiehtine for our national Ideas, perhaps
the drive to return to a traditional Ideal of sexual behavior
. will fade into the distance and the anti-abortion Issue will
become the subject of scholarly articles in obscure history
publications.