Editorial
NelSraskan
Mike Reilley, Editor, 472 1766
Diana Johnson, Editorial Page Editor
Jen Deselms. Managing Editor
Curt Wagner, Associate News Editor
Scott Harrah, Night News Editor
Joan Rezac, Copy Desk Chief
Joel Carlson, Columnist
Air-quality rules
Council adopts regulations on pollutants
The Nebraska Environ
mental Control Council
took a cautious but intel
ligent approach in adopting the
state’s first regulations for toxic
air pollutants.
The council rejected a call last
Friday for a delay in adopting the
regulations, which will control
emissions of308 chemicals from
stacks.
Nebraska has been slower
than other states in adopting the
regulations, but the council is
| taking precautions before a po
tential problem becomes reality.
States like Colorado have had
to deal with pollution problems
once they reached a serious
level. Denver enacted “volun
tary no-driving days” and other
programs after the city’s air be
came seriously polluted.
According to an Omaha
World-Herald article, the last
time air samplings in Nebraska
violated federal standards was in
1985, when tests showed prob
lems in Omaha and Weeping
I Water.
The council also passed regu
lations that will control small
particles that come from smoke
and enter peoples’ lungs, caus
ing health problems.
The new regulations drew
praise both from state air-quality
officials and from the corpora
tions they will monitor.
Gene Robinson, stale air
quality chief, told the World
Herald the regulations are “rela
tively lenient” and won’t affect
current industries except to
change emission-reporting pro
cedures.
One of the companies that
will have to change its reporting
procedures is Brunswick Corp.
in Lincoln, w'hich asked the
council to delay its vote on the |
regulations. Brunswick argued
that it wanted more lime to study
the regulations before they were
voted on.
But the Environmental Con
trol Council moved swiftly in an
attempt to isolate problems that
many other states haven’t dealt
with effectively.
Unhealthy practice promoted by the RHA
Recently, all University of Ne
braska-Lincoln residents received a
Student Sur\ ival Pack for the second
semester sponsored by the Residence
Hall Association. Found within this
survival packs was a sample package
of Vivarin a chemical stimulant
which allows users to stay awake lor
prolonged period of time.
As residents, we are concerned
because this is promoting the use of a
potentially unhealthy practice. We
feel other, more beneficial products
could be used in the survival packs.
We hope, in the future, RHA will
use more discretion in choosing what
products are included in the Student
Survival Packs.
Tori Hoclling Beth Boswell
senior senior
food science business education
Deb Cast Mary Bla/ek
senior senior
consumer science nursing
Hall policies cause big inconveniences
Although some ol the reasons
mentioned by Residence Hall Asso
ciation President Russ Johnson
(Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 29) for the low
percentage of students living in resi
dence halls are true, there is one more
reason that seems to have been ig
nored by University Housing.
It’s inconvenient to check in and
outatleastcighttimesinaycar. When
residents sign a contract, there is no
guarantee that their hall is going to
stay open during semester breaks.
Even Sclleck graduate housing and
Piper Hall can be closed, according to
what is written in the contract. How
ever, because of a typing or printing
error, graduate students arc assured
for vacation housing in one page of
“The Good Life” booklet. I decided to
live in a residence hall based on that
information. It happens that someone
either at the top or bottom of the
system made a mistake in writing that
guarantee. Those of us who were at
East Campus and decided to stay
during Thanksgiving break found out
that we had no place to go.
The bad thing is that nobody told
us our hall was going to be closed
(despite the assurance on page 7 of
“The Good Life”) until it was loo late.
Plus, it is not mentioned in any written
material issued that students who
need housing during vacations need
to make reservations early. And worst
of all, when I talked to one of the
oflicialsat University Housing, it was
all my fault not to have made reserva
tions early and not to have read the
contract card ul l>. < l should nave read
page 16 instead of page 7). Our com
plaints w ere heard because of one of
the student assistants at Fcdde Hall.
Despite the hostile approach, 1 w as
pleased by the attention given to my
problem by International Educ ational
Services when I asked for a place to
slay during Christmas vacation
Ironically, the secretary at the IES
office tried to help me by calling the
international House, which is under
the Office of University Housing. It
worked.
After living in residence halls for
three years at another university, the
system at the University of Ncbraska
Lincoln has made me decide to live
away from campus no matter w hat the
differences may be. I’m still living in
the residence halls, not knowing
where I will end up during spring
break. 1 know this will not happen to
me next year. I am worried for others
who might end up in the same situ
ation. I have already met four of them
who checked in this semester. One of
them asked me why he should think
about where he was going to stay
instead of what he was going to do
during spring break. It was a good
question, but the wrong place to ask.
It seems the residence hall system at
UNL is designed for those who leave
campus as soon as the last class hour
is over.
Michael Gcbrc
graduate student
)
Should pseudonyms be used?
Annoyance and disgust accompany encounter s with petitioner s
When I wasa freshman, it used
to annoy me that petition
gatherers would blockade
the north doors of the Nebraska Un
ion and demand to know whether 1
was registered to vote in Lancaster
County,
“Who wants to know?" wav my
standard response. But it wasn t
usually effective, because the peti
tioner often would interpret this as a
sign of a challenge.
“I’m a member of the United
American Democratic People's
Freedom Party, and wc'recirculaling
a petition in support of peace, equal
ity and justice." the petitioner would
explain.
“That’s nice. What exactly do you
want to do?" 1 asked.
“Eliminate nuclear weapons, out
law abortion and impeach Reagan,
he said, or something like that. “Just
sign by No. 3."
“Oh, I’m sorry, but my wrist is
sprained and I can't write my name
today.” I grabbed my w rist and grim
i • _ . • .» ... .11 . J_....
til l II III [Mill, IIKII Wtlmv VI UWU).
Bui lhal was w hen I was a fresh
man. I'm a senior now, and after three
years of being pestered by petition
ers, I’ve learned a better way to deal
with them. I just sign my name
"Carlos Santana” or "Bobby D.
Maverick Jr.” and put down a fake
Social Security number. They hate it
when you do this, because once they
think they have enough signatures,
they slop collecting them, and the
petition fails if they find too many
invalid signatures. By the time they
realize what happened, it s loo late.
Ha, that'll show ‘cm.
It seems every lime you turn
around, there’s another petition drive
going, and they alway s make sure to
hit the students. Apparently they
think college students w ill sign any
thing—and many w ill. But il enough
sign "Michael Jordan” to these far
out petitions, they won't stand a
chance.
I remember a group of petition
hounds on campus Iasi semester ma
was trying to start a new political
party in Nebraska. The group mem
bers said the reason they had to form
a party was that the Republicans and
Democrats were engaged in a con
spiracy to keep them out of the sys
tem and suppress their views.
"What views do you mean * I
asked a petitioner.
"We think the Republicans and
Democrats are both about the same,
and they offer the country no real
choice on the issues,' he replied.
"What issues?” I asked.
"All of them. It s a conspiracy ”
he explained.
I think I signed that one "('lint
rr.w.t.. ,^rl” .>r ••filling r’flpvnr”* I
don't remember which.
There are some worthwhile peti
tions, ol course, in addition to all the
stupid ones. An example of a well
intentioned petition was the effort to
get more staffing for the financial aid
office last fall. But like most serious
petitions, this one embarrassed the
people in charge, and the problem
was swept under the rug. Any forth
coming changes in that office w ill be
slow and of little value.
A lew years ago, a petition was
circulated to ban bike traffic on Vine
Street. It was begun shorll> after a
young woman was killed when a
pickup ran into her bike at about 2xrd
Street. I can’t count the number ol
times I have been driving dow n Vine
and seen bikers slip and slide out of
traffic as il they hadadeath w ish. I he
petition was a good idea, I thought.
Even though it would upset some
bikers and be tough to enforce. I
signcu ii i,wiui my icui name in is
lime).
However, nothing ever came from
this petition. It made too much sense,
I guess.
Sometimes petitions can he used
for political games, too. A friend of
mine who was campaigning for a
certain candidate once asked me to
sign a petition for him and donate \|
to the campaign. He explained that
this would reduce IhecmbarrassingK
high amount of his average contribu
tion. Petitions are useful for just
about everyone and everything, as
long as you know how to manipulate
the message at the lop ol the page.
People are becoming more and
more suspicious of petitions. One
night I was at a meeting of about 60
people, and five petitions w ere being
passed around on clipboards. Some
one finally got sick of all of them and
made up another one as a joke. It said
something like, "We support free
dom of choice for all people" a
very nice, unobjectionable ideal.
But one guy at the meeting was
struck hv the idea that this petition
was being circulated by gay-rights
activists. Immediately, he grabbed
the petition and announced to the rest
of us that this seemingly harmless
piece of paper was really a homosex
ual-rights petition. He was overcome
with paranoia and said he was going
to keep it until whoever started it up
came to get it. Everyone w ho was in
on the joke was in hysterics. Petitions
can be great practical jokes.
But what, then, is the best wax to
ensure that petitions are not used to
tw ist your opinion to support a x iew
you don't hold? The preferred wax is.
ol course, to read what it saxs.
But in thisageof petition mama, u
may also be necessary to ask w ho the
petitioner is working for and what
purpose is behind it. Only then can
you know w hether to sign your oxxn
name ... or someone else s.
Snodgrass is a senior economic'' major.
Professor: Calero is some hawk
The announcement that Ad
olfo Calero, leader of the
Contras, will speak at Ne
braska Wesleyan University may be
greeted with mixed feelings by Uni
versity of Ncbraska-Lincoln stu
dents.
Nebraska Wesleyan — dedicated
to the memory of the great church
reformer who served the cause of the
liberation of the industrial masses in
another era— has served the purposes
of peace and conflict resolution in the
past through its speakers program.
One should not begrudge the insti
tution a token hawk. However, Calero
is some hawk. In a secret memo sent
by CIA operative Robert Owen to
Oliver North and released by the Iran
Contra committees, Owen told
Harpers magazine Calero is a “crea
tion of the U.S. (Govemmcnt)”and he
keeps around him people who arc
“liars and greed- and power-moti
vated ... not the people to rebuild a
new Nicaragua.”
Calero was a Cl A representative in
Nicaragua for some lime before the
Sandinista revolution. As the head of
the Managua Coca-Cola plant, he
presided in Somoza days after
Nicaragua’s cola colonialism. Only
when it was clear that Somoza was
going did he lead an anti-Somoza
businessman’s movement. Since
leaving Managua, his chief Contra
military aide has been Somoza’s
military leader, Col. Bermudez, and
his FDN officers mostly have been
former Somoza people. For a time
after the Sandinistas took over in
1979, Calero seemed to represent the
loyal opposition. He was soon to have
a greater role — commensurate with
his CIA connections.
In 1980,the FDN, Calcro'sw ingol
ihe Contras, was formed. It was cre
ated by former Somo/a w arlords and
military from the Argentine right,
which was important in the creation
of the country’s reign of terror.
In 1982, FDN squabbled with
otheranti-Sandinistaeiemenis. At the
same time, the CIA, working with
Miami Nicaraguans,created the FDN
leadership including Calcro, former
Somo/a followers and sugar estate
people. Calero left Nicaragua on
“business" and suddcnl) appeared as
the head ol the armed opposition.
Shortly thereafter, Nicaragua took
over his Coca-Cola plant, claiming
that it w as backing the Contras.
Although Calero was now the
leader, the Contra troubles continued.
In May 1984, the CIA and Calcro's
FDN had trouble with Contra Eden
Paslora, a former Sandinista who re
fused to accept Calcro’s right-wing
leadership. A bombing attempt to kill
Paslora was made at a press confer
ence at La Penca. Eight people, in
cluding one American, were killed
and 28 wounded, including Tony
Avirgan, an American journalist. A
suit has been accepted in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern Dis
trict of Honda in behalf of Avirgan.
The suit charges Calcro with helping
to plan the assassination attempt.
Recently, charges of corruption,
drug running and forcing out Contras
who have serious democratic inclina
lions have emerged. Owen suggests
there is “some money going some
where. Calcro’s CIA salary was
$T(XX) monthly until mid-1984, and
he also has been paid from the FDN’s
S31 million in foreign donations. He
has controlled the FDN pocketbook
while Contra soldiers suffered lack of
supplies and equipment in the field.
This year the Christie Institute suit
will present further evidence ol drug
running connected to the Calero
group. Drug linancer Ramon Milian
Rodrigue/ has named Calero as one
of the recipients of his cash translers.
This issue is presently being investi
gated by Sen. John Kerry ’s suit I.
In February 1987, Calero’s two
most recent co-leaders left him be
cause of his right-wing dictatorial
ways. On March 10, Arturo Cru/, the
most democratic leader the Contras
had, pulled out of the Contra leader
ship, saying it had defined ilsell not
as a pluralistic structure” in the serv
ice of a “pluralistic goal.” Since then,
the CIA has tried various efforts to put
together a Contra leadership group,
but nothing has worked well. Mean
w hile, Calero’s FDN uses terror as its
mam weapon in Nicaragua. On Jan. 5,
1986, Edgar Chamorro, former bDN
fighter, described the FDN’s tactics
as premeditated terrorizing of civil
ians, “hundreds of civilian murders,
muti lalions, torture and rapes.” These
charges have been confirmed more
recently by numerous human rights
groups active in Nicaragua.
Calero’s liberation is not anything
like the quiet liberation of the indus
trial masses which John Wesley
sought in the late 18th century. When
he gives his speech and dines with
Nebraska leaders, we should hear the
cries of the murdered, mutilated, tor
tured and raped described by
Chamorro. Despite the recent con
gressional vote, the war will continue.
It will be financed by the internal and
international actors in the Iran-C ontra
hearings, unmindful of the proscrip
tions of the Neutrality Act. Calero has
not taught us to love justice or to say,
“Blessed arc the meek.”
Paul A. Olson
professor
English
