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Daily Ncbrcskan
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; Secretary of the Interior James Watt has said
many times that if he ever becomes an embarrass
ment to President Reagan, he will step down.
That time has come end Watt should honor his
; promise. .
He recently told the VS. Chamber of Commerce
that he has received advice on the issue of leasing
federal lands for coal mining from "every kind of
mixture."
"I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a
cripple," he said.
The statement may have been Watt's idea of a
joke, but it showed all Americans just how much
disregard he has for human equality.
But we probably shouldnt be surprised. Mis recent
remark was only the latest in a long line of offensive
statements.
" The kind of insensitivity not only is an embarrass
ment to Eeagan; it is an embarrassment to the
Republican Party and to everyone who supports the
president
Everyone knows about Watt's environmental
policies. His total disregard for nature has offended
many, but somehow, he has managed to maintain
enough support to remain in government and be a
.semi-effective leader. .
But his recent statement should be acceptable to
no one. It could do far more damage to his reputa
tion than any policy decision he ever made.
Watt may have hurt his political image beyond
repair, and he likely will find few supporters in
Washington because of that
Without that support, Watt will find his effective
ness as a leader severely limited and his usefulness
as a member of the Reagan administration will be
minimal.
Watt poses a big political liability to a president
who already has an image of being insensitive to the
heeds of minorities. That could be costly for Reagan -if
he decides to run again in 1C34. ;
It simply isn't wise for a politician, especially one
seeking re-election, to be associated with Watt or his
policies.
So, it's time for Watt to realise just how much of an
embarrassment he is and to fulfill his promise to
resign. - - ; -.":.
If he does hot, Reagan should net hesitate to take :
steps on his own to rid the administration cf Jame3 '
Watt once and for all 1 - ' '
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials represent official policy of the
fall 1983 Daily Nebraskan. They are written by this
semester's editor in chief, Larry Sparks.
. Other staff members will write editorials
throughout the semester. They will carry the
author's name after the final sentence. - ..
O
o ,i
ri
Am old conten
By now the old cars have gone to the automobile
graveyards, carrying with them the bumper stickers,
"Dont blame me, I'm from Massachusetts." ;
, The college students who heard George McGovern
announce that he will run again for president were
barely in grammar school during the season cf 1972.
They know about Vietnam and Watergate from
history classes. -
d
er cries again '
perennial candidate like that ether contender until
he was his own and only camp foil ever? Even his
daughter, Mary McGovern, said that there were
concern he might, get hurt again." And a former
aide said of his candidacy, "It makes a lot of us very
uncomiort
r,
l A',
To them and to the press in the room at George
Washington University last week, McGovern was the
man who had once been a "contendah." He lost the
Democratic. nomination to Hubert Humphrey in
1CG3, lost the election to Richard Nixon in 1972
(when he carried only Massachusetts and the
District of Columbia), lost hb Senate seat in ItZO
and now he is trying to get back in the ring again, to
win the title as comeback kid cf KM.
" ' " '
It's no wonder that while the other Democratic
candidates worry about money and strategy, Mc
Govern's rsi priority is not to appear ridiculous.
The one reason he hesitated to run for president
This is the thirg cf course. The 'raaa McGovern
may be articulate, coal, sen aIe; sorely he wins
points for the way he har.daas his va Tz'3 reluctance
to campaign. But the car, vZL 1 ate- I I:C crn engend
ers some srii? tnsi:ty. -r-;. : ? j :
' i' i ' ' !".'",.' r r " . -' z
I suppers i:'j the tzrzz cni:ty thit v:z fed when a
former star, rusty and with a recent string of bad
reviews, steps up to hit a ball cr a rete. We dont
know if hell make it Ve held cur Leath, hoping
that we wont have to v,ltzz:.i hb humiliation, and
'wishing that he'd never tried. . .,,;z-,
Kcne of us knows precisely ths moment when
someone who has lost a few will C:r"y become a
loser. At what point do we wi:h thtt a tatter in a
slump wouldn't even get up to the r !;t3 more?
TT.en does someone who cnee ritL;.rc J attention
begin to garner embarraeeer.t?'- '
was, r s l lcuovern tela the Washington Post, "the
fear of ridicule . . . the fear of just looking Eke a Don
Quixote and a kind of you know, 'Jesus! Not Georre
again
The press asked him what they asked each other.'
W asnt he afraid cf being "Stassenized," turned into a
: It's hard enough to casaca ar.d rccept the slippage
In our own skds and psrers. 172 cU hepe well be
aware when it's cur tirr.rto go, whether we're
leaving the stage cr the Celi cr a jeb cr a relation-!
ship. But it's 'particular? pzt'Szl to see others
slipping and scra.LLr.g, hep:;ig for the big com
back. We are embarrassed rhen ra witness people
lustfcg aer the things that hare pasced them by,
whether those things' are youth cr Ic-sks or power.
: Ccf.ur3 ca Peg G
Racism eocists tlwugh not m cliarters
Some of. the most outstanding women in
Nebraska take part in one cf the meet degrading
practices known to humankind. Two ifbs Uitrzz-
kas (that I know cf) are a part cf it So is Mies
Nebraska Rodeo and several cf the outstanding stu
dent leaders who were elected to Association of
Students cf the University cf Nebraska and other
campus organizations. Many cf the present and past
New Student Orientation hosts are a part cf it
A Ufl
IK
-11
These are ver: :n yeu vcilin't crpect to teke
part fci this ldr.de! ret;; , ,
CP 2 jnrtr
TI-Ij lent to sr.yt!.: t r.' " r ':;::;,zn ibasercrityb
rr: ' ; :ieeJ cr re I " : : ' :z: .lit c!cn ireti-
-.r . -.. ' . f
t-A . i
ceeen
drg me in cn things, including the sercrity "n::li
that wa3 taking , le.ee.
I asked her I;st it was geirg.
Great, the said, and iaaaglr.e this, she alided, we
had a black g rl ri::h cur he-use as if she had any
chance cf getting b, she saii - ' ?, - :V. -Shelauheildiint
-' V
'I f-'t v.hat hej teen described as a "eer feeling
toward ssmecr.e I thought I knew, and drCed cut cf
the cenvereatien with an excuse about ha-.lng to be
S:d!7, that wej re: " the Crst time I was a-vr re cf
the situation. It's pretty chr-es that tl.:i zi LtJ
natien t es rlaee, t' e e; h I dealt you v;eu:i see it
v.z.:tZ7i ti nr. cereily charter. " "
Jret racer"- I -..as tallieg with a freahraen
vrer-n - I. J r' J'ed a rererity. Che was des--cr--J
---'2 cf thj tirgs the r;cr.:an r;horere
. retire ntri r "-n::aes!;er:gthe pie.' -as btheir
meetia'":. L;al la-! c'iztt vs I iw.-v w ,
F " . w.t. U
ra3
dent Laer v. hy that b." , ' ',
It's net hard to f "ara r 1. 1 let "particular
Hack woman vraant a,v::e c It.' a r at'lrg social
crder. Maybe she was, bi:t far ;e:;.e r; ran, wanted
to give it a shot czyrrzy. . , '
' I ked the wcraan I ,. : t"";-"! t: v.hethershe
knew to vhich house the ! :: ' ;oman was
accepted. . ' ' '?
I She didnt know. I dent cl:her. Cat I can r'--3 she
wasnt accented by ary. - " "
:- Thecarcrity ideab i:a-a : - t'hIe.The
iieas cf tcgathtrraaa, til-' ' . 11;' :n and
fanetiening raj a gaeap cr v.ul...: le r'rls. It;
seems crparir.g, then, to ta!at r 1 1" - - - a altiatti-:
.. tuaes w.th cr.3 o fur.e!;ar.aa.-r i raeiain.
. ' rcrhrpa rr.ar.yr;era:;i n c-;.- - j c rant aware;
that they arsxddlr.g to ara a";:- "? decadent;.
C1..3 Ti'. e : : -1' trar .r hard, itseerrl. t ?V - '- -
VVr-i fa:: that had r": -.1
I aaha J 1. ;r Lea raar.y Llael 3 xaeae in her f.zZz
It'shirdtal::::-e C 't lrC 2 f :i'::raaka
thers b net c:;e !..!;:!: 1 - - - - 1 t " - - 3 to be in -
an La:t;lat!an sa":::.
r - - ...... .
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It v;e " "l I ' ' . ' . . t - r- r o. if
dev..: 1 - 4 . - - '-a,
crdra::a:ta,t-r ' t'-" '-'-.atisn.-.
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