Letters
Fetus called part
of host’s anatomy
“Thou shalt not terminate un
wanted pregnancies.” This is the Lord
speaking. Thai’s funny, I really don’t
remember him saying this. I do re
member hearing this from people who
claim to be saying or repeating God’s
word. Now I ask you, what god is this?
It is not my God, for mine believes in
me and my choice and does not tell me
to go around telling other people how
to run their lives. My God is the god of
America which permits me to live my
life and believe in whatever I want to,
so to those of you who supposedly are
preaching the holy work, bug off. I’m
sorry; I seem to have gotten off the
point.
Now, on the topic of abortion, we
have established that the use of theo
logical issues is an encroachment on
personal freedom, so I will not impose
mine upon you and I hope that you
won’t impose yours on me. Let us turn
to biological issues.
'* ieius is anvc, since all living
cells arc alive. Moreover, it is alive
before it is conceived, since the ovum
is a perfectly healthy living cell and so
is the sperm. So obviously we cannot
use the term “alive” as a reason for
condemning abortion since pulling a
tooth would then be analogous to
having an abortion. So instead let us
try to use the term “individual.” The
del inition of individual in the diction
ary is “any one human being,” so is the
fetus a separate human being or, if not,
when docs it become one? Since there
is a time during the development of
the fetus in which it cannot live sepa
rate from its host, it cannot be classi
fied as an individual but as a part of the
anatomy of the host. The host should
have as much say as to the conserva
tion ol this piece of anatomy as any
person who wants to have a face lift or
even a circumcision. Therefore, until
the embryo can live as a separate
entity it should be a question of
. ho ice.
My concluding comment is that
those who still view abortion as the
murder of an individual should dedi
cate their money, time and effort to
creating and developing the science
necessary to enable the fetus to live
without an unwilling human host,
rather than condemning that host for
wanting to be able to control that
which is her own self.
Patrick Smith
graduate
Abortion not convenient
for the unborn children
In her support of the supposed need
for abortion, Nanci Hamilton missed
Daily Nebraskan columnist James
Sennett’s point and the key to the
entire abortion debate.
Hamilton argues for the need for
abortion as a cure for the hurt felt by an
unexpectedly pregnant young girl.
Yet it is only a violent end to a life
begotten with violence. She thinks it
should be a method of birth control to
be used by “any woman of any age
whose birth control fails” and whose
life may be thus inconvenienced. Oh,
to do away with inconveniences in
life. And she finds abortion an accept
able alternative to adoption. For the
child in question, is no life an alterna
tive to life?
1 he point clearly in question is life.
Just when docs human life become
important? At conception? After
amniocentesis and assurance of a
“normal child”? At birth perhaps,
provided there is enough money for a
“good life”? Or does life become
important at the time of intelligible
human communication? After that
first job? Only if it progresses unfet
tered by handicaps and old-age de
pendency? Convenience arguments
not only threaten the unborn child,
they threaten all inconvenient hu
mans. Abortion is only the first step
down a long road of casual disregard
for human life.
Often we do fai I to sec the problems
leading to the decision to abort and fail
to have compassion for those in diffi
cult situations. But is that reason
enough to, as Hamilton says, to “bru
tally murder an unborn child?” 1 think
not. Rather, we must work to remedy
the problems and support life, not
death for the sake of convenience.
Terry Radke
graduate student
animal science
ASUN ignores peers
in approving tuition bill
I would like to say congratulations
to the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska. Once again
they have made fools of themselves.
Not only did they vote in favor of the
tuition bill, they went against the stu
dent majority opinion at the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln.
It is a move such as this that makes
students laugh at ASUN. If ASUN
members are going to go against their
peers that put them in office, why have
the student senate at all? The only
savinggrace came from BobGestring.
He, unlike other ASUN senators,
sided with the students.
We realize the money for the in
door practice field and “rec center”
and Lied Center was donated. But the
students have to foot the bill for the
upkeep. We can’t even maintain the
existing buildings on campus, and I
cite Morrill Hall as an example. No,
the students who pay for their educa
tion aren’t getting enough. We don’t
eat at the training table. Nor do we
have a new multimillion-dollar build
ing to keep our butts warm in the
winter. We don’t even have the fac
ulty to help us reach our goals. Why
milk a dead cow, the money must
come from the Legislature that sup
posedly supports education.
Jim Brisnehan
junior
architecture
Important local topics
should get attention
To all who have expressed their
opinions on the recently popular topic
ol abortion: We all value your opin
ions, but enough is enough.
Indeed, abortion is a serious matter
and opposing viewpoints need to be
considered and discussed. However,
this issue has been overpublicized,
and most individuals have developed
strong opinions on this subject by the
time they attend college.
Are we accomplishing anything by
attacking one another’s views day
after day on this highly emotional
subject? Instead, we should focus our
attention on local issues that we are
more likely to have influence upon
and which are currently deserving of
our attention.
Wendy Nielsen
freshman
business
UNL’s leaders called
mental-ward wizards
The time has come for all good
University of Nebraska-Lincoln ad
ministrators to come to the aid of their
mental institutions. The administra
tion continues to delegate the respon
sibility of raising funds for education
to faculty and students. The Associa
tion of Students of the University of
Nebraska’s Sen. Pete Castellano and
President Andy Pollock’s resume
building activities of mock student
government is ridiculous. Can t they
realize that the administration of this
university is paid to perform duties
such as this?
II the current administration can’t
(unction to the fullest potential as
defined by institutional norms, it
should resign, retire or bow out grace
fully by accepting positions as head
wizards at some other mental institu
tion. Castellano and Pollock continue
to propose wacked-out, idealistic
suggestions and enhance their leader
ship qualities. Is this where we got
Reagan?
Alan D. Classen
senior
marketing
Reader says bicyclists
must obey traffic laws
From time to time a bicyclist writes
in to the Daily Nebraskan to complain
about harassment by the police or
local drivers. Cyclists calling the po
lice and drivers obnoxious is like a pot
calling a kettle black.
These cycltsls arc indignant when
they have to live by the same rules of
the road as cars or motorcycles. If we
as motorists followed their lead, we
would write a whiny letter to the DN
every time we got a ticket. The newest
obnoxious game for cyclists is to ride
down the center of the road.
I ride a motorcycle. If a bicycle can
run a stop sign or slow traffic in an
obnoxious and unsafe manner, then
why can’t motorcycles? If we can,
then cars can. And then we can get
back to safe streets.
Eric Salem
junior
advertising
State's affluent
need to wake up
Although I sympathize with the
sentiments expressed in the letters of
Douglas Engh and Jim Brisnehan,
(Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 4) I must re
spectfully disagree with their assess- *
ment of the proposed faculty salary
bill. The bill now before ASUN is not
the most preferable way of addressing
the financial plight of this university,
but given present circumstances, it’s
the only way we’ve got.
To their credit, Engh and Brisnehan
recognize and deplore the university’s
present financial woes. Unfortu
nately, they misunderstand the extent
of resources from which the Legisla
ture can draw to support higher educa
tion in Nebraska.
I hus, the question “Where will the
money come from?” is an appropriate
one to pose to student lobbyists seek
ing increased state support. The fault
lies not with the Legislature for asking
such a question, nor with ASUN for
endeavoring to answer it. It lies with
the affluent of this stale who arc apa
thetic to UNL’s educational mission
and who arc loath to support it through
increased taxes. These arc the ones
who need to “get off their dead butts,”
as Engh so picturesquely pul it, and
recogni/.e their obligation to youth and
society. They are the ones toward
whom the student body should direct
its indignance, not ASUN or the Leg
islature. They arc the ones who should
make the sacrifice to improve this
university and this state.
Brian G. Svoboda
junior
political science
OSCAR’S
10 Year Celebration!
Today thru Saturday, Nov. 14th
Party all week to the sweet blues
of Captain and The Red Hot Flames
and enjoy Oscar’s famous drink specials! /
Advance tickets available at /
Pickles or Oscar’s
records-tapes
only $4 for admission all week
(or pay $2 cover Mon., Tues., Wed. & $3 Thurs., Fri., Sat.)
Everytime you come in, you get a chance to win a Curaca Mountain Bike!
Come help Oscar's celebrate 10 years of being Lincoln's favorite bar!
800 “O” St. in the Haymarket Arena
Captain and The Red Hot Flames
Big city jam from the open country of Colorado? You
bet. Some of our home grown R&B bands are finally getting
the fame they deserve, producing hot rockin' R&B as it was
meant to be played. The Captain and The Red Hot Flames
have been blazing a blues trail across the West and will be
burning up Lincoln this week at Oscar’s, 800 “O" St.
The Captain, English born Dave Bow ker says begot hooked
on American R&B and blues by listening to the crackly
airwaves of Radio Luxembourg. His music was influenced by
early stints w ith Del Shannon and Long John Baldry.
But Captain and The Red Hot Flames have a style all their
own. A guitar oriented R&B, accompan ied by horns, honk\
tonk piano, and just t he right rock n roll touch. Don’t expect
to take this band sitting down. They are famous for high
energy shows where somet tines, t he ( apt ain will decide t he
best place to pick his strings is on your table top.
The Captain thrives on a good audience. “I’m just into
good-time music” he says, “We like to offer people a little
relief with The Red Hot Flames, some good time music for
t his t roublcd world." You can get relief from your troubles all
weekat Oscar’s in the Haymarket Arena, 800 "D" St Captain
and The Red Hot Flames play every night beginning at 9 p.m.
in celebration of Oscar’s 10 year anniversary. Advance
tickets good for admission all week are available at Pickles
or Oscar’s for $4. Don’t miss a single show, (’apt ain and The
Red Hot Flames will rock your socks off.