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daily nebraskan
friday, October 31, 1980
O
Reagan would turn us back to the 50s
It is no secret that this semester's Daily Ne
braskan has been highly critical of Republican
presidential nominee Ronald Reagan. In this,
the last anti-Reagan editorial to be run before
election day, an attempt will be made to state the
reasons for our sentiment in as calm a fashion as
possible.
The international state of affairs has made
U.S. foreign policy a major issue in this campaign,
perhaps diverting some attention from the shabby
state of the economy under President Carter.
It is in his world view and foreign policy
proposals that Reagan, in our opinion, receives
his lowest marks. It is wrong to try to paint
Reagan as a warmonger. Rather, he seems to
exemplify a simple-minded world view and
strategic policy that, without drastic changes,
could return our foreign policy to the unwork
able massive retaliation doctrine of John Foster
Dulles.
Reagan paints images of world communism
as a creeping disease, much like leaders in the 50s
and early 60s. It is this erroneous understanding
of a ficticious communist monolith that led
our nation into the Vietnam War and caused our
failure to recognize the People's Republic of
China for more than 20 years.
We do not suggest that Reagan would make
old mistakes over again, but it is our fear that
when new situations come up, they would be
dealt with under a mistaken world view likely
to push the United States into conflict for the
wrong reasons, based on inappropriate goals and
perceptions.
This newspaper firmly believes and has
stated -that the United States must strengthen
its conventional forces in order to lessen our
reliance on nuclear weapons.
But Mr. Reagan apparently wants to strengthen
both, which we view as a dangerous policy,
even if there is no intent to use thermonuclear
weapons.
While nuclear deterrence must remain intact,
it is wrong to assume that the United States could
win an "arms race with the Soviets. Their
technology is close enough to ours now that they
could play to every card we offer. At one point,
Reagan suggested that we could win an arms race.
A clear-thinking person is likely to realize that
resumption of Cold War philosophy will not make
the world safer.
During this week's debate, Reagan went to
the other extreme, saying he would like to ne
gotiate with the Soviets until neither side's
nuclear arsenal threatened the other. That is
impossible. When the United States introduced
nuclear weapons to the world, it changed the
world. When missile technology became refined
enough to accurately deliver those weapons, it
was clear that thermonuclear strategic weapons
were here to stay.
The Chinese now have good enough technology
to build intercontinental ballistic missiles. Hie
superpowers cannot deter that threat without
maintaining the strength to threaten each other.
What is reflected in both the arms race state
ment and the debate statement is a failure by
Reagan to understand the reality of the world
in 1 980, especially as relates to strategic doctrine.
Domestically, Reagan wants a special minimum
wage for young people. We absolutely stand by
fair pay for young people and a maintenance ol
the present minimum wage structure. A capital
ist society can afford to exploit its young people
who must work to eat. A democracy cannot.
Reagan's adherence to the private sector,
especially concerning oil, is distressing. The major
oil companies will continue to fuel inflation and
artificially fix prices until government firmly
moves America toward a forward-looking energy
policy. Perhaps big government is evil, but big
business is interested in its own profit; not the
well-being of this nation's people, from whom the
profit is extracted.
Some argue that Reagan's views would be
tempered by his aides; that he has shown a wil
lingness to listen and modify his own ideas on
expert advice. That is commendable, but we are
going to elect a president Tuesday, not a staff.
The man and his views are the issues most
important. It is our view that Ronald Reagan,
however sincere in his views he is, would turn us
back to the 1950s as we move toward 1984.
Political election choices
range from nasty to nice
Marie seeks the monk
Halloween on the wires. It's true, Marie
spreads the word. The monk is on the
loose, a bit of puckish mercury flowing in
dark eyes. He's grafted horns to forehead
pointed ears under curly hair, and now
plays a tiny pipe outside of her window.
A satyr self-image manifested under the
cloud-laced skies of October.
Marie throws window open and laughs.
Door locked tight, she climbs out the
window and down a story, dropping to the
grass with her arms spread wide. Books on
the windowsill flap in the wind, papers
blowing from the fanning pages. It's true.
Jason saw them disappearing down the
alley hand in hand.
He stands somber under the streetlight
watching. His ear is cocked slightly to the
chilly wind and the distant sound of reed
pipe touching lips. He wheels around -too
late to avoid the blanket's sweep as it goes
over his head. He feels the bite of ropes
being wrapped loosely around him, his
shouts of protest cut short by the rich
smell of incense on blanket, lie inhales
deeply, and hastens to keep in step with
the rope pulling him forward.
Did you see them? Dancing naked as the
day they were bom with voices ringing in
the open chord of rapture. Moving onward
through the void vistas that pop up like
ducks in a shooting gallery. Free.
Jason and Marie strain to keep up with
the monk, they chase the scarf streaming
from around his neck as he disappears into
a cloudy bank of trees. They cartwheel to a
stop, bending over and huffing and laugh
ing with hoarse voices.
"What's got into him?" hacks Jason.
Marie smiles. She tweaks Jason's nose
and takes off running into the woods.
Jason follows, rubbing his nose with the
palm of his hand. He calls after them.
The monk sits on a rock, hands clasped
around knees. He snaps the reed pipe in
half and tosses the pieces down to Jason
and Marie as they look up at him. Ribbon
madness undone by the denial of chains.
He gets slowly to his feet to greet the
moon coming over the trees. Lunar
mothership confirmed by the loonies twirl
ing under her.
"Careful," Marie calls. "Your gypsy kin
ship is showing."
The smile dawns brighter. I swear it's
true. I saw them all dancing on the razor's
edge, arm in arm. A testimonial to the
costly oneness of spirit.
Column by Michael Kilian
BUFFALO I think Jimmy Carter really
is going to lose this election.
Political predictions this year including
my own have largely ranked with sports
writer's expectations of having the New
York Yankees in the World Series.
And this does figure to be one of the
most pain fully -close presidential elections
in history. If most Americans cringe at the
thought of keeping that nasty little Georgia
cracker in the White House four more
years, they are just as unhappy about re
placing him with die affable California
dunderhead.
But stepping back a little and taking a
long look at it, one sees things falling the
way of the dunderhead.
Here's what sticks in the mind:
Battleground-This election is being
fought in places like Illinois, Michigan, and
Ohio, which is logical. It is also being
fought in places like New York, Massa
chusetts, and Pennsylvania, which is insane.
A Democrat looking toward victory
should not have to be fighting for his life
here in New York. It's as ludicrous as
Reagan being in trouble in California,
which hs is not.
Anderson Most of Anderson's Republi
can supporters have deserted him. Polls
taken in Illinois' North Shore suburban
10th Congressional District showed Ander
son leading Reagan 2 to 1 in June and trail
ing him 2 to 1 in September.
What's left are mostly disgrunded
Democratic liberals who want to stick it to
Carter for defeating Teddy Kennedy, who
equate Carter with Reagan, and or who
want to take back control of their party
from the rednecks. They may only give
Anderson 5 percent of the vote, but they
will do it in places that could kill Carter.
Southemers-Politically, the Civil War
finally is over. Richard Nixon's "Southern
strategy" is in full force. The Republicans
are no longer the party of Abraham
Lincoln and Hmancipatton. Carter will get
most of the Moral Majority southern vote
but far from all.
Labor If Walter Mondale were the
candidate, the Democrats would not have
to be battling for Michigan. Pennsylvania,
and Ohio. But Mondale isn't. The
Teamsters love Reagan. Many members of
the United Auto Workers are fond of the
"shirt sleeve boss" in George Bush. Politics
is largely con. Carter's politics are almost
entirely con.
War and peace-As with his 197(
"ethnic purity" remarks. Carter lias been
much more effective with his characteriza
tion of Reagan as a warmonger than people
realize. But it won't be enough.
Hostages -Carter's likely "October sin -prise"
is the return of our hostages in Iran
unless the Avatollah Khomeini, cacklmu
fiendishly, decides to play Lucy to
Peanuts' place kicking Charlie Brown. It
won't be enough. Last December would
have been fine; this November is too late
especially if it means our taking Iran's side
in the current war.
Undecideds-A liberal Democrat
colleague of mine, who almost finds
Republicans synonymous with concentra
tion camps, thinks voters will go back to
Carter when it fully dawns on them that
their only alternative is to make Ronald
Reagan president. I think this dawned on
them weeks ago -along with this realiza
tion: The only alternative to Reagan is
Jimmy Carter.
(c) Chicago Tribune Co., 1980
O
nsbraslian
UPSP 144-080
Editor in chief: Randy Essex; Managing
editor: Bob Lannin; News editor: Barb Richard
son; Associate news editor: Kathy Chenault,
Assistant news editors: Tom Prentiss and Shelley
Smith; Night news editors: Sue Brown, Nancy
Ellis, Bill Graf; Assistant night news editor
Ifejika Okonkwo; Entertainment editor Casey
McCabe; Sports editor: Shelley Smith. Photo
graphy chief: Mark Billingsley; Art director
David Luebke; Magazine editor: Diane Andersen.
Cony editors: Sue Brown. Nancy EMs,
Maureen Hutfless, Lori McGinnis, Tom McNeil,
Jeanne Mohatt, Lisa Paulson. Kathy Sulm. Kent
Warneke, Patricia Waters.
Business manager: Anne Shank; Production
manager: Kitty Policky; Advertising manager
Art Small; Assistant advertising manager Jeff
Pike.
Publications Board chairman: Mark Bowen,
475-1081. Professional adviser Don Walton
473 7301.
The Daily Nebraskan is published by the UNL
Publications Board Monday through Fridav
during the fall and spring semesters, except
during vacations.
Address Daily Nebraskan. 3-i Nebraska
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