Friday, February 15, 1934
Daily Nebraskan
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FJ1 he d82lJl sentence it's a lepl way fcr society to put out a
I contract on a deviant's Ufa. And, according to a recent Media
- General-Associated Press Poll, many members of American
societyjustify putting out that contract because of its deterrence
value.
Thirty-one percent of the people polled said they believed the
main justification for the death penalty was to "deter others," a
Feb. 1 Omaha World Herald story said. Another 42 percent said it
was to keep the murderer from doing it agiin.
A nere 12 percent justified the death penalty as punishment,
and 10 percent gave ether reasons or didn't answer.
The results of the poll are interesting in themselves: Two
common justifications for the death penalty vengeance and
cost efficiency were not mentioned. Those polled seem more
Interested in public safety than taking an eye for an eye they
want protection. What are more interesting are the implications of
some of the information in the rest of the article.
Two experts cn the death penalty one proponent and one
opponent were quoted as saying there is no evidence that the
death penalty actually deters crime.
Ernest Van der Haag, a professor at Fordham University, said in
the article that, since it hasn't been proven that the death penalty
isn't a deterrent, we should continue to use it, just in case it is.-
Van der Haag's argument can be turned against him and other
proponents of the death penalty, since it also has not been proven
to be a deterrent. Perhaps we should discontinue using it, just in
case it doesn't deter crime or just discontinue it completely.
We think the burden of proof in this case lies with the
proponents of capital punishment. Killing someone is a serious
thing, and not something to be dona for political reasons,
vengeance, to save money or as a placebo to placate a public
disturbed by crime and the problems cf its criminal justice
system.
That burden of proof requires that proponents of the death
penalty demonstrate that it has more positive than negative
effects, that it is indeed a deterrent, that it can be administered
fairly in short, they must justify taking human lives. Today, they
can't. And until there's no doubt, we shouldn't put out any more
contracts. -
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Editorial
: - .Policy
Unsigned editorials represe nt official policy cf the spring 1985
Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial
Board. Its members are Chris Welsch, editor in chief; Chris
Burbach, editorial page editor; Michiela Thuman, news editor;
Vieki Ruhga, copy desk chief and editorial writer, and Kelly
Mangan, assistant advertising manager. - '- . -
Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the university,
its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents.
The Daily Nebraskan's publishers, are the regents, who
established the UNL Publications Board to supervise the daily
production of the paper.
According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the
editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its
student editors.
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' MX MATERIAL COPYRIGHT UCS DA5LY HISfSASXAN .
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Poverty
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he famine in Ethiopia and the rest
of Africa has been the focus of much
worldwide attention. As the popula
tions of the continent continue to starve,
energy is being expended to provide food,
raise money and send in medical assistance
to address the crisis. However, inthe
midst of all of this glebd benevolence
some basic misconceptions can be seen.
Co)
.attiic
The first is what an "African" really is.
Most of us contend that because black
people in America were bom here, and
because we use names like "Afro-American,"
"Negro American" and so on, they
have somehow become less African. Others
contend that we are less African because
cf our pigmentation. I beg to differ with
such sectarian notions.
Black people in America are Africans.
This basic fact, which so miiy of us
overlook, leads to the kind cf apathy and
disillusionment cited by one sister in a
recent Daily Nebraskan articie. We become
apathetic and disillusioned because we
think we are first and foremost Americans.
And because of this, we reject our basic
roots and opt instead for struggles toward
.Civil rights, equality and cultural centers..
In ail of this, we are met at each crossroads'
with rejection because we are turning our
backs on what we essentially are. As
Malcolm X once said, you cannot hate the
root of a tree and not hate the tree itself.
Because our roots are African, this
makes us African. Even though we are
born here, we still carry the seeds of our
forefathers and cur ancestors. And because
we are Africans in America, we should
have as our first commitment the defense
and development of African people, just as .
Europeans thave as their central concern
the development of Europeans wherever
they are in the world.
This leads us to the second point. If we
are Africans, our central focus should be
on our own back yard. We sit around
raising money for and giving support to
Africans on the continent some 5,000
miles away, and we have 40,000 Africans
starving right over the hill in North Omaha!
In one area of Lincoln, African women
are he&s of households in more than half
of the homes. The African median income
in that same area is a sc&nt $7,000 a year.
Majority population members boast a
median earnings of some $21,000.
As an African people, we are confronted
with the chance and channels of working
to assist our brothers and sisters abroad.
But, as the age-old adage connotes, we
must first "cast down our buckets where
we are at." It is ridiculous to talk of
assisting cur starving brothers and sisters
on the continent when our people here are
still straggling to come into political
existence.
We are an African people. Ethiopia's
problem is unfortunate, and we should be
concerned about it and should place it
among our priorities. However, consider
this: America is the richest and greatest
nation in the entire world, and yet Africans
here still struggle for human rights.
Now tell me: where is the real poverty?
USA
s
'"Student, denounces
alumni association
- Stud-sri fees. They seem to clir.b higher
. and higher without a definite end ia sight.
With this'thought in mind, I would like to
propose the trimming of waste, namely
ineffectual student-based and orientated
. committees. The first such organization
that coses to mind is Student Alumni
Association, whose meeting place is paid
for by student fees.
8AA is one cf the 'toughest organiza
tions to get into. Too bad the applicants
den'tpat as much time into the programs
. as they do their applications "and inter
views. Too bad the members don't put as
much thought into their programs o they
do their selection process.
SpesMnj of programs, what does SAA
do? Oh, yes. They give tours to high school
students and try to get them to come to
UNL, of course they are wearing double
breasted s-Its and nswfeshloEabls dresses.
Pbr.ty of people in residence halls have
d.uH'blO'rEt'sd. Suits eh3 rsiiiGnSily-iB
dresses, but are they cn SAA? And now
that the cidverstty Ambassadors Prcsrsm
is going to tako over the tours and student
recruiting all they will' have left is their
Student Survival Kits. I wish I could make
my own survival kit!
Do any alumni even know the SAA
exists? Ara any alumni involved in pro
gram planning or execution? Are,there any
alumni at their meetings? Does anyone on
SAA even know any alumni? Maybe an
older brother or sister who was or is on
SAA. .
To ask one more question, does UNL
really need or want SAA? My student tees
don't.
Bruce T. Lear
pre-law
' Financial aid cuts
would harm UNL
In light of President Reagan's elitist
proposals regarding cuts in federal stu
, dent aid, we would like to have the sta
' dent body, the administration and the NU
elects ef these proposals if enacted.
.The most obvioos consequence will be a
- dramatic decrease in enrollment at UNL
When 12,CC0 cf the 25,000, or one cf two
students, depend cn financial aid, a mas
sive portion cf our student body .will be
directly affected and left to find other
means of securing educations.
A decrease in enrollment in turn leads
to large-scale reductions In revenues, which
affects all aspects of this university. This
includes course variety, professors salar
ies, student activities and university re
search. Money simply would not be avail
able. If the money isn't available, htr.v cm
.UNL hope to remain a quality institution?
tion?
On a larger scale, as our country's tech
nology becomes more advanced, the need
for a specialized labor force becomes vita!;
as dees the need to educate that labor
force.
We see these proposals as a step that
wilV further. separate classes, the "haves
'and the hive nets" cf this coisntry. This is
supposed to be the "Land cf Opportunity"
for everyone. Why then, do the educations
of so many depend upon the politics cf so
few?
Sheila Straiten
junior
sccislwork
Dorothy Pritchsrd
sophomore
news-edlterisJ
Jerry P.r.thig
sophomore
psycnology