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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1983)
Monday, January 24, 1983 5 Daily Nebraskan Continued from Page 4 ance should be expressed as a conflict of individual rights, and that every conflict should be adjudicated. The ACLU's bullying litigation is designed not to pro tect the plaintiff (a student) but to compel others to be have as the plaintiff prefers. A lawyer for New Jersey's legislature argues that the law is constitutional because it is "neutral with respect to any religious content." Hie legislator who sponsored it says: "All we did was provide the opportunity for contemplation," and regarding the possibility that someone might silently pray, he says: "Who has the right, in this day and age, to determine that any thoughts someone has could violate the Constitution?" An ACLU lawyer says New Jersey must "prove that nowhere among the purposes of the law is the opportuni ty for prayer." Opportunity? Perhaps the ACLU will soon say that a state "establishes" religion unless its schools make contemplation impossible for even a minute. The authors of the "establishment" clause want.ed to guarantee that government action would be impartial among religions. They did not intend to require that it be neutral between religion and secularism. Still less did they intend what the Supreme Court lias mandated -that any law must have "a secular legislative purpose and a primary effect tli3t neither advances nor inhibits religion." Such confusions and insincerities are produced by result-oriented judges who labor to wring particular social policies from broad constitutional language, and who produce rococo rationalizations. The ACLU is a political organization pursuing its agenda primarily through litiga tion rather than legislation - often an authoritarian shortcut around the democratic process, jt construes the Constitution the way a few religious extremists construe scripture. It is impatient with ambiguity, and defends as a merely literal reading of the document various policies; that bear no discernible relation to the intention of the authors. 1 oppose "voluntary" school prayer for two reasons: The collective speaking of words cannot be truly volun tary, and if the words are to be inoffensively ecumenical, they must be mere mush. But the ACLU is fanatical when it finds silence a menace to constitutional values. Heaven (if the ACLU's thought -police will pardon the word) forbid, but perhaps the ACLU's real worry is this: Getting adolescents quiet for even 60 seconds is a miracle, and miracles can arouse religious sentiments. There are precedents. (c) 1S3, The Wa&htiTgton Post Company 'MA- S.M.A.RT-5 AT Llf.'CON CENTER - PARK 5 SHOP LOTS kave Honey And Ride Together t u3viLpuugi3uach.t ?S3 The Winter Festival featuring the I ( ? 9' NATIONAL TOURING CO. of SECOND CITY plus: MUSIC, CONTESTS, FOOD, and FUN! AH Night O January 20 O The Nebraska Union Look For More Details In Tomorrow's Ad n roc u i r Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials repre sent the policy of the 1983 Daily Nebraskan but do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Ne braska, its employees or the NU Board of Regents. The Daily Nebraskan's publishers are the regents, who have established a publication board to super vise the daily production of the newspaper. Accord ing to policy set by the regents, the content of the UNL students newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student editors. Mono, IVe finally decided where I'd like to make my career: State Farm! State Farm? Great Plowshares! You're going to be a soil tiller fo-vM Living an ?kfj agrarian lifestY'e! Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan en courages brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, time liness and space available in the newspaper. Letters sent to the news paper for publication be come the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. The Daily Nebraskan re serves the right to edit and condense all letters submitted. Anonymous submissions will not be considered for publication, and requests to withhold names will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. Submit all material to the Daily Nebraskan, Room 34, Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588. U10it"Dl?i " ill J jyHi u Mop o l i l i a HoTg ot: Vjo'5j-!Tc 111 fFMiit. K 1 ami ' i s ffu f cTUfl!- Ji S f. 6 ' v ' ' f JT : ,ota T ?TshTftl-;i iK . if If T ill Ml Ul T : if, u Come on now! State Farm is Virgil, you're going an insurance to be a salesman? company. How could you? . . t w i r- ii ii iii r - v l 0 y have you... Mona there's more to insurance than selling policies. Insurance is opportunity. State Farm is looking for people interested in a data processing career. I don't have a computer science degree but I do have 12 hours of data processing courses. So qualify! SI A M x IMP. J IaT vO i Virgil, STATI fAM INSURANCI y you re putting me on. No wav. Mona. State Farm is looking for men and women witn any degree and 12 to 15 hours of data process M ina courses. Of course, voi iz nnt tn a data processing career. 5 E I V Good grief! They're jj nmninrni iq y5V- ft. Vl I II IIV VI W No, but they're also-interested in dhh J . people in mathematics, law and sciences. rn.LW-K A- accounting, i f Zn JY actuarial 6 . 7 )& Wbr cM Incidentally, fPflKfcsy the pay is great! Uh, Virgil wear a clean pair of jeans to the interview. For information on career opportunities ct State Farm write Ron Prewitt. Assistant Directoi; Home Office Personnel Relations, One State Farm Plaza Bloomington, Illinois 61701 or contact your Campus Place ment Directot or visit the State Farm Recruiter on campus February 3. 1933. SWTE FAKM INSURANCE COMPANIES Home Offices: Eloomirvgton, E!ino:s An Equal Opportunity Employee ill