Tuesday, February 12, 1985
Pago 4 Daily Ncbraskan
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Seat belt law ' sJittSSSE
would save wwj&he-
lives, money wesjos A N
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uckle up. It may save your life. It's not just a
. good idea it may soon be the law.
If legislators pass LH4Q5, Nebraska driv
ers and front-seat passengers would be required
to we sr the protective devices while operating or
riding in most motor vehicles made after IS 51
Some vehicles, such as trucks, buses, mopeds,
wheel chairs and taxi c&bs, would be exempt
from the bill.
Although a seat belt law would restrict
Nebraskans freedom of choice, it would benefit
the state.
Proponents say the lav would save the state
about $43 million annually and eliminate half of
the state's traffic fatalities.
Opponents say the law would be impossible to
enforce. Police could not stop all violators, and
chances are they would not be able to see
whether drivers are using seat belts.
Despite the enforcement problems, the bill
should be passed. It would be largely symbolic,
but it would help people get into the habit of
wearing safety belts.
Sen. Shirley Marsh of Lincoln, one of 16 co
sponsors of the bill, said most people obey laws
without police surveillance, so enforcement
should not be an issue.
Sen. Patricia Mocrhead of Beatrice, another
co-sponsor, says the proposed law would save
about 85 lives a year and prevent about 2,300
injuries.
Nebraska legislators should act now. If more
states make seat belt use mandatory, automak
ers will not have to install air bajp, which are
expensive and often ineffective.
Unlike seat belts, the bags offer no protection
for drivers who are hit from the rear or the side or
in a car that rolls over.
Elizabeth Dole, U.S. Secretary of Transporta
tion, last year ordered automakers to install
either air bags or automatic seat belts attached
to doors j1. "
If automakers are forced to install air bags,
the cost would be passed on to consumers in
states that have no seat belt law.
Safety belts are the best deterrent for traffic
deaths and injuries. Most cars are equipped with
seat belts. Drivers just need to get in the habit of
wearing them.
Maybe a seat belt law could start the habit.
1
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"X.Z"."-'
ecular Humanism retains influence
n a column published last week in the Daily
Nebraskan, syndicated columnist PJchard
"Cohen "claime d "that President ReaganV
Washington is "obsessed with the mythical, the
undefinable and the downright fictional." In
defense of this claim Cohen cited as an example
of this obsession the fact that Congress recently
forbade the expenditure of federal funds to
teach "Secular Humanism." To this last phrase
he then appended the comment "whatever that
is."
ministers along with a scattering of authors, festo speaks .of "religious" humanism, while the
politicians and businessmen all of whom take second manifesto observes that humanism is "a
their tselief in humanism seriousIyrOne cf the growing, living faith." Similarly, xourts have rec
most influential signers of Jhe first Humanist ognized . humanism's religious nature. In a foot
Manifesto (written in the earlv 1930s) was John note in the 1981 case 1 of Torcasco vs. Watkins, the
Eaitorial
olicy
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AU ISATSfiiAk CQP'rm&HT 1SS4 OAXV KESXA&CAif
Many people seem to share Cohen's thought.
That is, a lot of people seem to think that the
term "Secular Humanism" really doesn't mean
ingfully describe any real set of ideas held by
real people. Instead, many people think the term
was created by Jerry Falwell as a pejorative title
to append to that with which he disagreed
whatever that was.
The rather surprising truth is that for decades
now groups of people have actually termed
themselves "Secular Humanists." Additionally,
a few of these groups of people actually sub
scribe to a "Manifesto" of belief; (available in
Love Library); are members of what is called the
American Humanist Association; publish a mag
azine called "The Humanist" (also available in
Love Library); and evtn name a "Humanist of the
Year." (Carl Sagan was once so honored).
" Hie Secular Humanism movement was
not started in response to fundamentalist prod
dings (like seme people go about wearing but
tons terming themselves the "immoral minor
ity"). Rather, the signers of Humanist Manifestos
i ana u are maimy prcicssors ana unitarian
Dewey, typically tided, among other things, the
father of modern educational philosophy.
The author of a recent article in the Yale Law
Journal on the unconstitutionality cf the intro
duction of the educational philosophy known,
among other names as "Humanistic Education"
in the public schools, adequately summarized
the contents of the second Humanist Manifesto
(written in the early 1970s) as follows: "The
Humanist Manifesto II...contains 17 major state
ments of beliefs, including assertions that God,
religions, and the supernatural are at best
irrelevant; that specific religious beliefs, includ
ing belief in heaven or hell, or any form of life
after death, the existence of a separable human
'soul,' and the creation of many by a direct act of
God, are dangerous and represent obstacles to
human progress; that moral values are wholly
relative and situations!; that meaning is a func
tion of happiness in 'the here and now,' that the
scientific method and reason are the best tools
by which to achieve fulfillment as individuals
and communities; that no form of sexual con
duct short of 'unbridled promiscuity' is evil; and
that individuals should have the right to abor
tion, divorce, and birth control."
The author of the article also rightly
observed that the "proponents of Secular Huma
nism do not unanimously subscribe to all the
propositions asserted in Humanist Manifesto II,"
and that in practice, "the views of Secular Hum
anists tend to coalesce around a somewhat nar
rower set of beliefs, such as the relativity cf
morals, the centrality and dignity of man, and
the sufficiency of reason."
The religious nature of Secular Humanism U
typically widely acknowledged. The first mani-
U.S. Supreme Court argued that "(a)mong reli
gions in this country which do not teach what
would generally be considered a belief in the
existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical
Culture, Secular Humanism and others."
In the 1085 Seeger decision, the Supreme
Court included nontheistic and humanistic
beliefs as religions within the definition of reli
gion for the purpose of the Selective Service
statute's conscientious objection exemptioa
And in a federal court of appeals decision in
1S79, Judge Adams, in his concurring opinion in
Malnak vs. Yogi, persuasively argued that the
establishment clause in the First Amendment
encompassed nontheistic religions such as Sec
ular Humanism.
Additionally, in several other federal and
state court cases during the 1950s, humanism
was deemed a religion worthy of protection
under the free exercise clause of the First
Amendment
Cohen's derisory comments as to Congress
actually believing something called "Secular
Humanism" really exists are based on Cohen's
own ignorance and are not proper criticisms of a
Congress that apparently did more research than
Cohen did.;
Whether or not Congress ought to have cut off
funding for the teaching cf this sometimes evan
gelistic antitheistic religion is a different ques
tion. But obviously the term "Secular Huma
nism" is sufficiently amendable to clear defini
tion that the use of the term in legislation is not
superfluous, but rather meaningful.
Consequently, legislative protection from the
establishment of this aittithdstic religion is at
least within the bread purview cf proper lawmak
ing.
IlQc
Political beliefs prompt Spl
jeers, insua ana auaac
Last weekead two Mends of mine had the
unfartiaate experience cf feeing persecuted for
their political beliefs.
.The. two yousg men attended a local party,
bearing no malice cf feit thoasri, ar-.d certain
when my friends, who tend to be of liberal mind
. views, sensing tne futility
cf suchan argument my friends opted to leave
tne psrty.
Certain members cf the party then followed
them on the streets, as they were on foot, jeerina
p - 3 insults at them. This culminated in
the unrevoked assault upon one cf my friends
Letters
leaving him with various irjurics to the face.
I am appalled at this sort cf behavior.
Apparently, back at the party, seme of the
attackers had identified theres as UNL
siuaenis. I con t usaerstssa now pecpre
claim to be educated can fee so ignorant as to
rescrt to violence to sstE-iy tr.cj pouw.
frustration. This h the way the Nasi party got
stsrted in Germany.