I Vi (f1:! V I ft) n hrf;i I
Wednesday, October 24, 1984
Vcctiior: Another pleasant day today with
mostly sunny skie3, light winds and a high of
about 60 (1CC). Wednesday night partly cloudy
and not es cold with a low of about 3- (1C).
Thursday increasing cloudiness with a chance of
showers and a high of about 55 (13C).
Ccb Cruwsc?wCc!!y Nstrsrltxn
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
t3ROter VJin...Page 6
Vol. 04 No. 44
at Sheldb
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SI. ..Page 8
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By Brad Gilford
Dsi!y N'ebrasVan Staff Reporter
Pamida building, 62nd Street and Have
lock Avenue, was designed mainly for
women candidates and sponsored by the
Maureen Reagan told about 250 cheer- Cornhusker Republican Women's Club,
ing people a a Republican rally Tuesday Reagan mulled through the bannered
that more Republicans will be elected in room filled with music by a tuxedoed
1984 than ever before. jazz quartet - smiling and shaking hands
Reagan, the president's daughter, is with everyone she could reach. She then
doing her part to shape election results joined the women candidates on the
by speaking at similar rallies across the podium.
country. Tuesday's rally, at the former Nancy Hoch, U.S. Senate challenger,
introduced Reagan after a brief speech.
She said that her campaign had gained
momentum after her last debate with
incumbent Sen. James Exon.
"We took him on one-on-one, showed
that there was a great difference in our
positions, showed that he has no record
to speak of," Hoch said. "It is a negative
record."
Hoch countered Exon's claim that she
Continued on Page 9
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David Crtsmer Daily Kebrcsksn
A etsdent, wJjo preferred to regain Eaaisless, riglit, attempts to
QtLestiCii its preatMags of'lkhasl Peter WrBiecM, an evaisgelist wko
spos nsar tlie Netrsslis Uaica Tisesdiy. WoroaiecJd would nut answer
Dave WeselyDfliSy Nebrajksn
Maureen Reagan
Pressure to succeed evident
in kindergarten, even eariier
By Joan Ilofijnan
Daily Nebraokan Staff Reporter
Editor's note: This is the third article in
a five-part series examining current
issues on the quality cf education in
Nebraska.
Julie, 4, is attending preschool in her
small hometown in northeastern Ne
braska. Like many children her age, Julie
prefers playing outdoors to spending the
day in schooL
Jill, Julie's older sister, is attending
kindergarten this year.
Jill and Julie are not alike.
; After returning home from school, Julie
usually can be found playing. Jill is often
seated at the kitchen table after school,
perfecting her printing skills and com
pleting homework assignments.
Jill works diligently to receive a smiley
face on her work, a symbol the teacher
uses to reward a job well done.
This teacher also uses frowns to express
dissatisfaction with a student for incom
plete or incorrect work
Jill has never received a frown. She is
keeping track.
Julie spends much of her spare time
playing. Jill spends most of her time test
ing her skills on her parents' home com
puter. She is also teaching herself to write
in cursive, a skill that is usually taught in
the third grade.
Jill i$ only 5 years old.
The Quality
of Education
Issues in limelight
Critics- sav. debates more shadow tha
As it stands, Julie will be attending pre
school again next year. Her parents worry
that Julie will not be able to keep up with
others her age because she doesn't show
the same enthusiasm for learning.
Two of Julie's friends also will be held
back by their parents. These children will
attend kindergarten at the age of six.
Jill's parents also worry about her. Jill's
mother said she is afraid Jill will burn
herself out before she enters the first
grade.
Continued on Pecs 10
nsuD
stance
liens Z. IXoppelmn
Issues, issues, issues: Words
pompously expelled like so many
snuff-induced sneezes, the favored
vice of 17th century political
elites.
Republican and Democratic pol
iticos promised Americans that
this would be a campaign of
Issues. The Great Debates in
Louisville, Philadelphia and Kan
sas City were touted as grueling
faceofiis between the major can
didates on the major Issues.
- Debate panelists promised to grill
podium holders on specifics, so
no one could dodge the Issues.
Llemberc of the
media were tsteated to
more than & fewtossts
durtnttie debate vfeeli
end. For a description
of tlie Great Debate's
fringe benefits, turn to
Face 4." ..
The League of Women' Voters
billed the Kansas City debate week
end as "The Main Event" the
final clsh over the most impor
tant Issues facing Americans
today: National defense and for-
eign policy.
Privileged pollticos, community
leadera and media members spent
the weekend toasting each other
beneath red, white and blue bunt
ing, congratulating themselves on
a show well done.
But thousands of Ameicans who
flocked to downtown Kansas City
seemed to think the Great
Debates didnt do enough to tackle
the Issues. Demonstrators with
stood rain, cold weather, long
hours and disappointing indif
ference while trying to sway some
national attention to their causes.
"I believe in participating in
government," said Diana Feinberg
of Kansas City, Mo. Feinberg
wandered through a crowd of
people Sunday afternoon gather
ed to protest U.S. involvement in
Latin America. She flourished a
white cardboard sign with pro
vSandinista slogans.
"People can sit and watch the
debate on TV and that's great.
But they're not going to get the
real story there. They're going to .
hear rhetoric," Feinberg said. "I
dent need to hear any more of
that. I came to this rally to hear
and speak the truth."
Some political and media crit
ics agree with Feinberg, attacking
the debates as more shadow than
substance. They say that in the 24
years since nationally televised
debates became part cf some
presidential campaigns, the most
significant issues remembered in
media accounts and history bocks
axe matters of style: Impressions,
things not spoken or things mis
spoken. Many Americans remember a
haggard Richard Nixon facing
smooth and subtle John F.
Kennedy in 1030. Gerald Ford in
1976 told Jimmy Carter and the
debate audience that there was
"no Soviet domination of Eastern
Europe" and never would be
under a Ford administration. And
in 1080, Jimmy Carter was ridic
uled for quoting his 12-year-old
daughter Amy about her concern
for nuclear war. While Carter
appeared nervous, Reagan was
nu n U
s
i
relaxed; he used his There you
go again" and "Are you better ofF
lines for the first time, apparently
with great popular success.
Demonstrators in Kansas City
weren't content to let national
attention focus what one protes
tor termed "silly sallies of seman
tics." Nearly 1, OCX) braved Satur
days' cold and rainy weather to
march, protesting Reagan ad
ministration policies. Labor,
peace, environmental and minor
ity groups carried banners and
posters that drooped in the after
noon rain. More than 70 tractors
and farm trucks from 15 states
represented farm interests.
Merle Hansen of Newman Grove
was proud to be counted among
them. He pleaded for the diverse
group of protestors to join in a
coalition for fairness.
"American farmers are in the
process cf trying to re-write their
history in the same way that
blacks and Indians are re-writing
their history, of no longer being
an Uncle Tom and a Tonto,"
Hansen said. "We must begin to
build a kind of unity where we
can make our voices heard, where
we can drive people out of office
who refuse to hear us."
Some protestors shied from ral
lies, choosing to argue their issues
in a more personal manner."
Richard Q. Cooper, a disabled
black man from Oklahoma, paced
slowly and wordlessly in front of
debate hall Sunday morning.
Cooper wore in front and back
5-feet long cardboard signs with
handwritten messages protesting
discrimination.
Bnscs TTciner of Kansas
City, Mo., paced the opposite side
of the street, carrying a sign ex
pressing his support fcr the
release of Soviet Jews. Weiner, 24,
said he hoped the Issue would be
brought up during the debate
that evening, but he wasn't "hold
ing his breath."
"IVe written more letters about
this issue than I can count. So has
our local Jewish community,"
Weiner said. "Nobody gets letters
back. They dont want to answer
questions. They dont want to
deal with issues. They just want
to be vague."
But while most passersby care
fully avoided Cooper and studi
ously ignored Weiner, Happy Lee
captured the public eye. Bob
Meeks, of St. Joseph, Mo., gadded
about, decked in clown makeup
and baggy overalls. Happy Lee
carried a Bozo for president sign,
and said Bozo had his own plan .
for the issue of national defense:
"Put a bomb under Rea
gan's desk and a bomb under
Chernenko's desk and give 'em
both buttons. Then we can let 'em
take care of themselves."
Happy Lee wasnt the only per
son to dismiss idealistic protest
for the glamour of national at
tention. About 2,500 Reagan sup
porters greeted the president at
the downtown airport along
with 10 high school marching
bands, brightly colored signs and
700 Sags.
About 150 people, mostly col
lege students and cameramen,
gathered Sunday to greet Mon
dale with posters and cheers in
front of his hotel. Collegiate young
Democrats had primed themselves
fcr his arrival with an hour of
slogan-chanting: "Reagan, Reagan,,
he's no good, send him back to
Hollywood" being the favorite, as
well as "Use Nancy's China to feed
s
