friday, august 28,1981
page 4
daily nebraskan
pDD0DASaGl7D
Parole
Recent stories discussing the possibility of
parole for Sirhan Sirhan may make one stop and
think about the kind of world we live in.
Sirhan, the convicted killer of Robert F.
Kennedy, is scheduled to be paroled Sept. 1,
1984. But while the law may allow his parole at
that time, it certainly would not be justice.
For on the night of June 5, 1968, Sirhan
committed the most demoralizing crime a
country can face the assassination of a political
figure.
The crime Sirhan committed was more than a
violation of any state or federal law. It was a
violation of the political process and against every
member of the human race.
When Sirhan shot Bobby Kennedy, his bullets
became more powerful than all the ballots cast
that day in the California primary.
And when balloting through the democratic
process is replaced by some nut with a gun, we all
lose. It strikes at our very soul because it removes
a leader with ideas, who if elected, might help to
make the world become, as the late Harry Chapin
wrote in a song, "a better place to be."
But, Robert Kennedy's assassination is not the
only example of this lunacy called political assas
sinations. . .
Americans can reflect on periods in their lives
just by recalling who was the latest victim of an
assassination attempt. . -
Whether it be President Kennedy in 1963,
Martin. Luther King, Jr., in 1968 or the most re
cent death of John Lennon and the attempts on
the lives of President Reagan or Pope John Paul
II, Americans have all been touched by a madman
with a gun.
Does the public want men like Sirhan Sirhan
out of jail? Do we want to allow the James Earl
Rays, Arthur Bremers, Squeaky Frommes and
Mark David Chapmans of society to return to
normal lives? No.
The rationale for liberating a person who so
grossly may have altered the course of history is
mystifying.
The assassinations we have grown accustomed
to raise concerned citizens to a feverish pitch
when "their" favorite is mentioned.
And there are many people who oppose capital
punishment but would be willing to flip the
switch on the electric chair if it meant removing
one of these perpetrators from society.
Talk concerning Sirhan Sirhan has involved jail
yard rumors that he has threatened to shoot Ed
ward Kennedy, if he should ever become presi
dent. But, it is the crime Sirhan committed 13 years
ago that should earn him a stay at Soledad Prison
for the rest of his life, not idle gossip.
Let's hope Los Angeles County District
Attorney John Van de Kamp's efforts to make
Sirhan a permanent resident of the California
penal institution are successful. It would set an
ideal precedent for future cases.
i 1? YOU MEAN WEK.V?
Liberal Catholics out-foxing,
out-talking the Conservatives
Newsweek's religious section features a
flattering profile of David Tracy, one of
those modish Catholic theologians whom
Newsweek's religion editor can be counted
on to puff, in that he finds learned reasons
for disregarding papal authority, while
espousing politics somewhere to the left of
wherever we are now.
Jso)jD sebrara
The genre is all too predictable. One
whiff of it, and Helen Keller could prob
ably guess where Tracy would stand on
birth control, El Salvador and the whale.
Sure enough, we read that when a con
servative parish men's group asked Tracy
for a little talk on Communism back
when it was still permissable to regard
Communism as evil - that Tracy foxed
Jhenrgood. He delivered a homily on "The
Christian Marxist Dialogue" - "dialogue"
being what liberals prefer to have with
Marxists, "Marxists" being what liberals
prefer to call Communists.
Conservative Catholics have formed a
bad habit of being out-foxed by equivocat
ing liberals, and the Newsweek article is
only a tiny tile in the great mosaic, liberals
have a cede all their own; it has served
them far better than straight talk, which
would have been fatal to them.
In Charleston, W.Va., the other day, I
listened to a priest deliver a sermon on
"tolerance," and somehow 1 knew there
would be trouble. In due course the mass
culminated in a Communion service that
violated every recent papal directive, with
laymen distributing the Eucharist under
the forms of both bread and wine.
The conservative parishoners accepted it
all meekly, since "tolerance" is what they
are to bestow on others, not expect for
themselves: It is unlikely that many of
them knew, for instance, of the case of
Cornelius Buckley, the California Jesuit
who has been silenced by his liberal
superiors for criticizing his liberal colleagu
es. Father Buckley discovered the limits of
liberal tolerance. He would have avoided
trouble by declaring himself a Marxist.
What if a Catholic accepts the Pope's
authority? That, after all, used to be the
meaning of calling one's self a Catholic,
which is why their enemies called Catholics
"papists". At least in those days the lines
of division were clear.
Today the struggle goes on within the
church, under false labels. The Catholic
who wants to worship according to papal
and traditional rites hardly knows where to
turn. ,
This situation is deeply baffling, as well
as troubling, to traditional Catholics. Their
words, symbols and rituals are being
.snatched from them and invested with
novel meanings, often of substance more
political than religious. They wonder why
those who reject Roman authority don't
simply abandon the Roman church; they
also realize that if that church is destroy
ed, they, who can't go anywhere else, will
be homeless forever.
Continued on Page 5
Written advice for princess
A friend sent me a letter in early August
wishing me a happy birthday and remind
ing me I was not the same age as the new
Princess of Wales, Diana.
With the pre- and post-wedding blitz on
the "telly," I hardly needed a reminder
that she has caught a rich one and I have
not.
Granted, Diana and I have little in com
mon besides the mutual age of 20. I dare
not make comparisons between her royal
life and my peasant one. But, the princess'
blood is only newly blue and she can still
benefit from a bit of advice from the com
mon folk.
o
Therefore, what follows is an open
letter to her highness, the future Queen of
Britain, with a few tips on getting along
with Charlie and the royal family.
Dear Cinderella,
So, the party's over, heh? Geez, you
two kids sure know how to throw a party.
I wasn't there (the invitation never came;
you know about our American postal
service, I presume), but I watched it all on
TV and read the accounts in the paper.
Some big deal.
I'm writing, your Princess Waleness, to
give you some post wedding tips. Please do
not take offense; I'm only trying to help.
Being 20 myself and having had some
experience with stubborn men, you may
find the following helpful:
1. Next time around, wait a while. I
mean, your first weekend with the prince
(remember the Scotland castle in Sept
ember 1979?) was less than a year ago, the
engagement was just announced in Febru
ary and the wedding was July 29. That's
rushing things a bit. Well, what's done is
done. Let's hope it works out.
2. Trim the guest list. Di, the ceremony
was a tad large. I know the Britains went
bonkers for all the pomp and ceremony,
but it really was excessive. Next time, cut
the guest list in half and let them all come
including Nancy Reagan - to the marriage
breakfast. I really think our president's
wife was insulted that she had to eat with
Margaret Thatcher.
3. Clean out your closet. Di, it's
obvious you're stuck in the middle about
what to wear. I hate to be judgmental, but
at times you dress as matronly as Charles'
mother. The blue suit with the crooked tie
at the neck (the one in all the first PR
shots)? Get rid of it. It adds 10 pounds and
10 years.
And the riding outfit? The sweater with
little stickmen and sailboats is silly, the
brown cords look cheap and the high
rubber boots that look avante-garde in
British teen magazines definitely do not
befit a princess.
My advice: Quit fighting between dress
ing the little girl and the royal lady. Get
yourself a closet full of tailored suits.
Charge them to Charlie. He can afford it.
4. As long as we're talking about dress
ing, I heard you plan on wearing flat shoes
so the prince won't look short. Girl, I'd
give my eye teeth to be 5-foot-9-inches.
Flaunt it. Wear spikes if you feel like it. If
Chuck's ego can't handle a few inches,
what kind of king is he going to make any
way? Besides, he can't expect you to wear
loafers with your fancy evening gowns.
5. Donate the gifts to charity. Really, 1
was ashamed that you two could accept
more than $1 million worth of wedding
gifts. You probably got twelve dozen
blenders. All those British people starving
in the streets might appreciate a couple
jewels or pieces of furniture. Better yet,
cash in the stuff and buy them some tea
and crumpets.
6. Get away from the in-laws. Look, it's
obvious you and the prince are itching to
get into those royal throne chairs. But the
queen is only 55 and she's got at least 20
more years of ruling in her. So go rent a
flat, something nice, and let her get it out
of her system. Your turn will come soon
enough.
7. Get a job. Diana, seriously, you can't
be the man's shadow. You need a life of
your own. Go teach kindergarten again, or
at least do some of your own charity work.
Remember, you two omitted the word
"obey" from your wedding vows. Stick to
it. Don't let him boss you around. You're
Diana, Princess of Wales, not Mrs. Prince
Charles. Prove it.
Take care and ta ta. Give my love to the
family.
tyj nebraskan
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