September 27, 1982
Pago 4
Daily Nebraskan
H JI5
mwaas.
Council should back resolution
The Lincoln City Council tonight will consider a reso
lution calling for "a mutual and verifiable cessation in'
development, production and deployment of nuclear
weapons."
Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the council will open the doors
of its chamber in the County-City Building and begin a
public hearing on the resolution. The council will then
either pass or reject the measure.
It most likely will and most defeinitely should pass
it.
Lincoln citizens, in about the past year, have shown
their grave concern about the nuclear arms race between
the United States and the Soviet Union. They have been
vocal and active in protesting the buildup. Most recently,
8,000 Lincolnites have shown concern by signing a peti
tion for a nuclear freeze.
The resolution before the council doesn't, however,
include the word freeze. According to council member
Margrethe Ahlschwede, introducer of the resolution, the
word was omitted intentionally. "Freeze" usually is
believed to mean either unilateral disarmament (where
this country stops building and deploying nuclear arms
whether other countries do or not) or a bilateral freeze
(where all nuclear arms producers cease building and
deploying such weapons).
A freeze is frightening to very many people. It is
obvious that this country could become very vulnerable
to attack if it were without nuclear power.
Thus, Ahlschwede played her cards right. Quoted in
the Lincoln Journal, she said she wanted the resolution
worded to express sentiment against nuclear weapons
and to avoid controversy. It appears she achieved both
goals.
The resolution urges President Reagan and Congress to
"take such steps as may be necessary to join with the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and other nations
possessing nuclear military capabilities in a mutual and
verifiable cessation in the development of nuclear
weapons and of missiles and aircraft designed primarily
to deliver such nuclear weapons."
If the resolution is passed, Lincoln will be among about
200 other cities formally protesting nuclear arms buildup.
Being on record as a buildup opponent would be a fine
addition to the city's list of laurels.
UNL students, employees, faculty members and
administrators can play a part in getting the resolution
passed. They can attend tonight's council meeting, and
testify against the arms race.
As leaders of Lincoln's intellectual community, a
strong showing from UNL may carry weight with council
members and ultimately with boys in Washington - the
ones who control this county's nuclear weapons.
Letters policy
The Daily Nebraskan has
been flooded with letters
to the editor. Although we
welcome the views of all
readers, we remind letter
writers that brevity is a
virtue.
Please attempt to make
your point concisely. Let
ters that are three and
four pages long must be
reduced substantially and
your point may be lost
somewhere in the reduc
tion. If you have submitted
a letter that has not been
printed, it may be because
it is not clear, timely or
is too long. If your let
ter has not appeared within
one week after you sub
mitted it, you may call
the editor.
All letters from students
should include the author's
name, year in school and
major. Letters from other
readers should include the
author's title.
For many, budget cuts mean poverty
For manv American women. Dovertv is a wav of life.
According to the 1 2th annual report of the National
Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity, "All other
things being equal, if the proportion of the poor who are
in female-headed families were to increase at the same
rate as it did from 1967 to 1977, they would comprise
100 percent of the poverty population by about the
year 2000."
With a little help from the Reagan administration,
we might reach that point a lot sooner.
Although the motive behind the 1983 budget plan is
to cut waste and return to the states some semblance of
f Julia O'Gara
fiscal control, the method, - massively reducing the
budgets of human services programs - is highly question
able. Granted, the costs of nearly all federal aid programs
have skyrocketed over the past decade; but with spiraling
inflation pushing the cost of living to unprecedented
highs, now is hardly the time to pull the safety net out
from under the most vulnerable sectors of our population.
Consider the programs, those that benefit women,
children and the elderly most, that will be cuts in the
proposed 1983 budget:
- Women, Infants and Children Food Programs.
Two million women and children receive financial as
sistance from this program to buy food supplements
such as milk and cheese. Reagan's proposal: cut S300
million from the program,' thus ending assistance to
700,000 individuals. Another alternative would be elimi
nating WIC altogether and including it in "block grants"
to the states where it woufd have to compete for funds
with other state programs.
- Food Stamps. This is Reagan's favorite welfare
target, supposedly riddled with frauds and cheats; 85
percent of these 22 million "frauds" and "cheats" are
women and children. Reagan's proposal: cut $2.3 bil
lion from the program. With this cut, some 70 percent
will receive only partial benefits, while an additional
16 percent will get nothing at all.
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Of the
4 million participants in this program, 93 percent are
women and children. Reagan's proposal: cut S2 billion,
apply restrictive eligibility standards and require appli
cants to participate in "workfare" programs. Up to
600,000 families will lose all of part of their AFDC
benefits.
- Low Income Energy Assistance. The elderly and
low income women who are heads of households make
up 83 percent of those who receive energy assistance
funds. Reagan's proposal: cut the budget by 31 percent
resulting in 2.3 million households losing financial aid
to help pay for heat and energy-saving home improve
ments. Other disturbing consequences could result from these
particular budget cuts. Pregnant women would be
especially hurt by having their food stamps and WIC
assistance discontinued (just look up the latest findings
on the occurrence of mental retardation and learning
disabilities in children who were undernourished while
in utero).
And how are "workfare" participants with small
children going to work their way out of poverty when,
because of AFDC cuts, many will become ineligible for
federally assisted child care?
President Reagan has denied the accusation that he
rode into the White House on the backs of the poor.
But in light of these budget proposals, his message is
clear: When it comes to throwing excess baggage over
board, it's going to be "women and children first!"
Letters
'Cram, punt, 9 don 9t cheat
Bob Glissmann, in his Sept. 22 column mentioned three
options ("cram, cheat or punt") for taking a test. While
these are certainly not all of the available options, I feel
the "cheating" option is particularly unacceptable.
Cheating is an inappropriate classroom behavior. It
erodes the academic integrity of every institution of
higher education. Cheating also penalizes those students
who are trying to obtain an honest and legitimate educa
tion and who may receive a B on an exam as opposed
to one who cheats and receives an A, but has not learned
the subject material.
Cheating is unethical and has a negative impact on our
community and society as a whole. Abscam and Water
gate are but two examples of dishonesty breeds
dishonor. We do not need to condone such misbehavior.
Studying is the best option for succeeding on the
first test and all tests. The benefit is an education, not
just a grade.
Dolores Simpson-Kirkland
assistant to the dean of students
Springsteen fans loyal
In his review of Bruce Springsteen's new album,
"Nebraska," (Daily Nebraskan, Sept. 23), Pat Higgins
complains that the album is a diversion from Bruce's
other hugely successful albums, but overlooks the fact
that any true innovation must be divergent. To lead,
you must break new ground, and to break new ground,
you must definitely divert.
, Higgins feels that "louder and faster is better," and
that Springsteen fans may be disappointed by
"Nebraska." What Higgins does not take into account
is that Springsteen fans are not easily swayed and that
mainstream rock is not their musical ideal.
The true Springsteen fan is not the one who simply
jumps onto the dance floor to such cookers as "Cadillac
Ranch" and "Ramrod", but rather, one who has been
touched, inspired and driven by Bruce's phenomenal
lyrics.
Granted, Springsteen's lyrics concern the "typical
people," but it is those typical people who comprise
his devoted following, one that is unmatched in loyalty.
KifWard
junior, psychology
Matt Edwards
sophomore, English
Review music , not artist
About Pat Higgins' review of Bruce Springsteen's
"Nebraska" album (Daily Nebraskan, September 23):
next time try reviewing the music on the album, not
what you think of the man.
Lori Moran
sophomore, commercial art
Israelis couldn't lose
I can just see the glitter in Prime Minister Menachem
Begin's eyes. The Israelis have done what they planned
to do.
By making a very radical Phalangist leader, Bashir
Gemayel, president, the Israelis either committeed a
huge blunder or played it extremely cleverly. I personally
go with the latter explanation because I don't think
Israelis are that dumb.
After taking care of the Palestine Liberation Organi
zation and the Syrians with the help of extrcmly sophis
ticated American-supplied killing machines, the Israelis
concentrated on the large number of Anti-Israeli Lebanese
(Lebanese National Movement).
Unable to do anything about them themselves, they
sowed the seed of conflict and made the leader of a small
Phalangist party president of Lebanon, knowing that in
Lebanon elections must truly represent all religious
and political factions.
But the daring Israelis had nothing to lose. If they
would have succeeded in establishing Gemayel's govern
ment and wiping out the Lebanese National Movement.
Mhe Israelis would hive found a permanent home in
Lebanon.
On the other hands, now that Gemayel is dead, the
Israelis can claim that a Lebanon without a president
poses a threat to their security and thus claim that the
Israeli presence in Lebanon is necessary.
The recen.t massacre of Palestinians by the Phalangists.
right under the nose of the Israeli army, proves that
the Israelis intend to propagate violence in Lebanon,
so they can stay there indefinitely.
Al Quraishi
junior, computer science
Letters continued on Page 5