The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, March 15, 1985, Page Page 5, Image 5
Friday, March 15, 1885 Star Wars Daily Nebraskan Pans 5 left itlC io solve Bol fn her bock The Guns of August, Barbara Tuehmaa says that be'ere World War I, the French believed in something celled elan a spirit, a desh, a boldness that was supposed to t3 uniquely theirs. Elan is what led the array to contemptuously reject khaki and retain red pants. "Eliminate the red trousers?" cried a former war minister. "Never!" And so soldiers died teccase they looked like bull's-eyes. 21 35 Richard iv Cohen Most nations have their delusions and Amer ica is no exception. Ours is called "can do" the belief that enough money, energy and desire can accomplish anything. The pantheon of "can do" triumphs include the building of the atomic bomb the invasion of Normandy and, even, vic tory in World War II itself. Give GI Joe and Eosie the Riveter the gocds and they'll deliver. Now we are embarking on the grandest of all "can-do" presets the Strategic Defense Initiative, better known as Star Wars. President Resgaa says it premises much nothing less than eventual elimination cf nuclear weapons. The President believes this so fervently that he is willing to bet triHioLis cf dollars cn it and, among other things, your life. There is, after all, only cne thing Star Wars will destroy for certain and that is the nervous understanding known as deterrence. Instead cf a doctrine based cn reta liation we would substitute cne based cn de- nse plan fails al' Questions Here is a man shaped by his times, nurtured cn Edison and Eell and, probably, that nearly myth ical moment when Franklin Roosevelt opened a later from Albert Einstein and concluded, in the maimer of Andy Kardy, let's build an atomic bomb. Star Wars is neither an attempt to build a bomb nor a massive invasion cf France. The Normandy invasion was so vast it smothered its mistakes. As for the A-bomb, nothing much would have happened if, in fact, nothing much had happened. We could have tried again. But that's not the case with Star Wars. It shreds the doctrine of deterrence and promises to replace it with a system that requires some thing it can not deliver perfection. After all, a system that's 90 percent effective i3 not effective at all. If only ten percent of Soviet missiles penetrate our defense, it's still, as they used to say in the old films, curtains. Just one missile can carry ten warheads. As with pregnancy, there's no such thing as a little nuclear war. We've had this sort of expectation before. We made war on poverty, and there's still poverty. We made war on drags, and there's still drugs. The problem was neither drugs or poverty alone, :V1 Letter but the way people cerapifc te things- the way Yea cm understand wtj the President is er.ar.crcd cf Star Vsrs. It premises we will make, atomic war no mere, that we can threw a net into ' sjsce so thai r.o missiles will get through tad, as . result, there will no r.scd for missiles at all.' Star Wars will do to atcslc weapons what eMa--ir.g armor did to the bow and trrsw. Hold a room in the museum for the MX. Star Wars is not the conceptual breakthrough that the president thinks it is. Instead, it is a mis application cf the old can-do ethic. The President is cf the World War II generation, and it's not surprising that maybe his most moving speech was delivered on the beach at Normandy. they just won't keep still. That's the trouble with Star Wars. Even if it were feasible, an enemy would still be facing us an enemy enable cf coming up with its own Star Wars system and, with a little can-do cf its own, ways to evade the system we have. Of course, we would do the same and that's just the point. ; Nothing will have been solved. The competi tion will Just toe beta coved upstairs to space. Neither we norths Soviets would give up nuclear weapons, anymore than a homeowner would give up a gaa because no's put fees on the windows. .There's always the thief with the hacksaw. More World War I, the doctrLie of elan deluded the French into thinking they were stronger than they were. Now a doctrine that there is a technical answer to a political ques tion is deluding us and, worse, complicating the chances for disarmament Like elan before it, Star Wars is a chimera. Can-do can not do what needs to be done. 1SS3, Wasldautos Post Wrifcera Gimp Student thanks America for Vietnam sacrifice I an a Vietnamese student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. I want to thank all the American and Vietna mese soldiers who have fought for the Vietnam War. Through my life, I have been more fortunate than other children of war. I lived in a warring nation, but never saw active battle nor expe rienced any suffering. I only saw these cn the television, just a3 most Americans did. Because cf you, I didn't have to see all the bad sights of war. Because of you, I got to taste what real freedom is like, what Levi's are, who Michael Jackson is ... . Because of you, I now enjoy the freedom for which you fought. I wish there hadn't been a Vietnam War so you would not have had to fight and kill and die. I know you didn't want to do these. 1 just want you to know that what you fought for wasn't for nothing. I am grateful for what you have done for me and ether Vietnamese who love freedom. You have done so much. What did I do to deserve the sacrifice of your life, your freedom? Ten years ago I was too young to understand what was going on in Vietnam. Now I am older and still trying to understand the Vietnam War itself. I have a new life now. I am doing well in the United States, People here have treated me with kindness and generosity. Ky life goes on. I hope someday I can do big things for others as you have done far me. For soldiers who have died, I hope you sleep well. For soldiers who are alive, I hope your deep wound3 will soon heal. I understand what you have gone through we haven't forgotten you. ' Nuc Mam arts and sciences Resident says church loses UNL participation Regarding Jim Rasmussen's story, "Students change religious attitudes," (DN, March 3), I find the remarks cf Father Michael Jaekels rather sad. He admits, "It's tough for the church to get students involved in social causes unless those causes affect students' personal success in some way. It's frustrating because you can't make people see that a concern, whether it's, remote or not, is still a concern of theirs." Almost three years ago, your newspaper ran a story about the departure cf the Oblate priests, Fathers Dale Hardes and Tom Kozeny, from Sacred Heart Parish in Lincoln. In that same story, the new paster at Sacred Heart was quoted as saying, "Everything's back to normal now at Sacred Heart." Back to normal, in the Catholic community cf Lincoln, must mean what Father Jackeb i3 bemoaning "more conservative attitudes . . . more emphasis on personal success . . . personal gain and personal convenience." The Oblates had awakened consciences in this community and had personally involved them selves and others in "social causes like civil rights, relief to the poor and personal freedom around the world." For this reason, many univer sity students had began to attend Mass at Sacred Heart. Also for this reason, the diocesan leadership recommended the departure of these two activist priests. Where is the leadership for the 4,500 Catholic students on this campus? Where was the leader ship last weekend when the seminar on the Catholic bishops' first draft of the economy pastoral was held cn UNL campus? Why were there only a dczon or so Catholic laity present to hear Bishop McNamara frcm Grand Island, a , member cf the committee which will draft the agricultural section of the pastoral, as he spoke so knowledgeably about the letter and asked for specific input frcm those present? Were the stu dents, those 800 who attend the Newman Center for Mass, encouraged to attend this seminar? It is a consolation, though small, that Father Jackeis has admitted that there is a problem. Elizabeth A. Peterson Sacred Heart Parish Lincoln I f A Will ("FTs "I. WW v I 1 f P 1 ! f i l7 j O H HVH j 11, 283553 fifairrfl 0 wriVi'niTrw F45i wa Mfa Part-Time evenings and weekend days tative Wats Marketing Outbound is a subsidiary of American Express. We represent major U.S. companies for the purpose of selling their products and services over the phone We make no cold calls, we call only established qualified leads. ft Advancement opportunities. ft Sell determined schedules . re in A - Guaranteed hourly wage. ft Bonuses, incentive & contests. EARN 84-$( Previous sales experience or telephone experience helpful but not necessary-strong communications skills a mast. . mgAL pMT.TME J0B! call hetv ten 3 A B9 Mi SS9m4 If pT K P Will i si A JL. 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