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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1988)
—— ~ ~ Daily., Pas' 1h rlitrvri al Nebraskan 4 i*i VJl JL L vJ JL Ji. d X Monday, February 29,1988 Daily Nebraskan University of Nebraska-Lincoln Mike Reillcy, Editor, 472-1766 Diana Johnson, Editorial Page Editor Jen Dcselms, Managing Editor Curt Wagner, Associate News Editor Chris Anderson, Associate News Editor Joan Rezac, Copy Desk Chief Joel Carlson, Columnist Quibbles and Bits Survey shows students want to be rich • More college freshman than ever before place a high priority on being rich and in charge of others at work, according to the 22nd annual Survey of College Freshmen. Conducted by the American Council on Education and the University of California at 1-os Angeles’ Higher Education Re search Institute, the survey of 290,00 freshmen reported that 75 percent identi fy financial success as being one of their essential goals in life. In contrast, only 39 percent of freshmen in 1970 ranked wealth as a priority. Also, 71 percent said their reason for attending college was to make more money eventually. • Thousands of paper milk containers were recalled last week in Wichita, Kan., because individually wrapped condoms were found inside four cartons, officials said in a United Press International report. "This is so ludicrous it stretches the imagination,” said Bob Moody, spokesman for the State Health and Environmental Department in Topeka. • Dating abuse including ridi culing, withholding approval and affection, public or private humiliation and acting jealous or angry because of a friendship with the opposite sex—can be as damaging as physical abuse says a University of Kansas professor who’s studying the subject Emotional abuse, he said in a National On-Campus Report, isn’t always visually evident, but the scars are just as traumatic. In his study, the professor found that female freshmen were at the highest risk for dating abuse, and those who were emotionally and physically abused as children were more likely to abuse their partners. • A “condom for women” scheduled for U.S. testing next month could become a weapon against sexually transmitted dis eases like AIDS, its developers said in an Associated Press re port. The disposable contraceptive made of polyurethane resembles a condom but is worn by women, researchers say. The device, known in Europe as a “fern-shield” or vaginal shield, isn’t sold anywhere yet, but testing has begun in Europe and is to start in the United States next month. Columnist assumes life begins after birth Lee Rood, in her column (Daily Nebraskan Feb. 9), made the same erroneous assumption that most pro abortionists do, in not acknowledging that life begins before birth. By saying there are two arguable sides to abortion, she is assuming that life does not begin until after birth. Rood, how can you believe that at one moment the baby (zygote, embryo, fetus or whatever you want to call him or her) is not alive, but once bom, the child is alive? How far back in the development cycle do we have to go? A few years ago in Omaha, there was an abortion performed resulting in a baby being left on a table where he cried for two hours until he died. Obviously the baby was alive, right Rood? Perhaps you have taken the posi tion that most pro-abortionists have taken when faced with the evident truth that lifebegins before birth. That is: when life begins is a moot argu ment. Rather, we should consider the individual’s rights. The question then becomes does the quality of one’s life supersede that of another? History is filled with horrid examples of this false thinking and it takes little thought to know that this should not be the case. It is sad when our society becomes “bored” or apathetic to this issue, while millions of babies arc killed each year. What if the mother’s life is in danger? Less than three percent of all abortions performed in the United States are the result of the mother’sin danger or pregnancy due to incest or rape. So 97 percent of all abortions are not the hard case you describe in your column. You mentioned that “until God speaks out there will always be two sides to abortion.” I believe that God has spoken on this issue and that is “Thou shall not kill.” Unfortunately, until people listen to what God has said and realize that abortion kills babies, for this reason in itself, there will always be two sides to abortion. David A. Volkman graduate student Proud, black female refutes Wilhite’s letter ■ I a _ a * 1_ — ^ aa.a1.a4 —- .. a a a. .a— . /I a . . L a< i <Y inKot •% Inf Inr 1 iiuvt iwu iM/d against at cording to society. I am a female, but more proudly, I am black. I also would like to respond to the “educa tional” letter by Scott Wilhite (Feb. 23). You know, Wilhite, until that day, I was fooled into believing 1 was bom and raised in Omaha. Are you trying to tell me otherwise? I take it you know something the rest of us blacks don’t. I’m sure they did not know this either. Thanks so much. I am appalled that a college stu dent could still walk into a classroom j uaj iviiuff mg, could do to us “plantation occu pants.” But before sending us “back” — where that may be — you should be aware, my friend, that you arc largely outnumbered. Because we blacks do not die — we multiply. We are black by popular demand! Gayla J. Gullic sophomore criminal law Editorials do not necessarily re flect 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 edito rial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student edi tors. HE COMMUTED SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AGAINST GOD AND HIS CHURCH . . . UJ 7. BaWER yj T swaggart M. GORMAN c Friend’s success story silent Fraternity brother becomes hero passing up fame to aid charity To almost everyone, knowing someone famous or success ful is a big deal. However, it is an even greater thrill if one has had a personal relationship with that per son before his fame and fortune. I have always wanted to turn on the television and say with amazement, “Hey, I went to college with this guy. We even shared a lab table!” Sooner or later, one of my colle giate friends will make it big and reporters from Esquire and the Wash-. ington Post will be knocking on my door. I will have a script ready to tell them what it was like to cram for finals with the Chief Executive Offi cer of a Fortune 500 company or sneak into the top floor of a sorority with an Oscar nominee. Yet, my first brush with greatness came differently than planned. While paging through a local newspaper, I ran across a story of a Nebraskan who has helped the homeless in New York and AIDS victims in Washington, D.C. It didn’t take me long to realize that the Nebraskan was my pledge brother, Tom, whom I had seen only twice since graduation. This was my first opportunity to witness someone who I knew well in college get recognized by the media. Somehow, the glitz of bragging about Tom’s success didn’t quite turn out the way I had expected. After I carefully prepared a script in anticipation of the media calls, my phone only rang once and that was someone calling to sell me insurance. No one called to ask me questions about Tom’s social or study habits. Still, Tom’s story is a great jewel for the media to pick up, but only one newspaper has reported it. Tom came from a small Nebraska town and studied industrial engineer ing at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He bypassed interviews w ith Hewlett Packard and IBM to work at a Catholic supported shelter, deep in the heart of the Bronx. His daily routine included feeding the homeless and pulling them to rest at night. Tom’s bed was in the same room as those the shelter aided. He volunteered at the shelter and worked in a restaurant one night a week to earn spending money. After six-months at the shelter, Tom moved to Washington, D.C. to join some nuns who were caring for AIDS victims. His around-the-clock duties included feeding and bathing those suffering from advanced stages of AIDS. Tom now works for Catholic Charities, a fund-raising effort in Washington. He still returns to help the nuns once a week. Since no one will call me about Tom’s rise to fame, my script seems to be a big waste of lime. But, imagine these remarks printed in some magazine article reporting Tom’s success. “It is people like Tom who I am proud to say I knew in college. You really have to respect someone who trades in a guaranteed career in engi neering for a life of public service. “Tom has the heart of Texas and gives a piece of Dal las and Houston to everyone he meets. A lot of social problems could be solved with a few more people like Tom in the world." Somehow, my canned remarks arc not as impressive as Tom’s story is. His work for the homeless and AIDS victims doesn’t need my couch-po tato accolades, but rather just my respect. Perhaps I should save my public remarks until I have a friend who makes it big in Hollywood or Wall Street. At least Tom’s story made head lines for one day — make that two. Good job, Tom. Carlson ts a third-year law student. Philosophy professor says gays are moral Two letters published in the Daily Nebraskan (Feb. 23) asked for dis cussion of the morality of homosexu ality,and insist that homosexuality is immoral because the Christian God forbids it. There are two problems w ith these arguments. First, the Christian Bible does not clearly condemn homosexuality. Recent research suggests that what is condemned may be not homosexual ity in general, but pcderaslic homo sexual prostitution. We can all agree that sexual acts — homosexual or heterosexual — inflicted on children are immoral, but this does not imply that homosexuality is immoral, any more than it implies that heterosexu ality is immoral. The second problem is that (as has been known for several thousand years) theists should not claim that God’s forbidding something makes it wrong — unless their God acts on a whim, without reasons for her ac tions. If God has reasons for forbid ding something, those reasons make it wrong, not God’s pronouncement The debate about homosexuality, therefore, should focus on what rea sons there are for claiming that homosexuality is immoral, not on whether a god forbids it (this focus also has the advantage of being rele vant to those who do not believe in the Christian God). And I see no reason to claim that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is immoral. Harry A. Ide assistant professor philosophy Gay acts are sinful, according to the B ible In response to James Holloway’s guest opinion (Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 26) entitled “Sexual morality not a choice of orientation, but be havior,” I would like to know where are these facts, logic and reasons that he bases his point on? It is not percep tions and logic that Gene Wiggins (DN, Feb. 23) based his argument, but on the faith God has put into us. We, as Christians, know in our hearts that the Bible is the word of God, our creator. The Bible specifi cally says that homosexual acts arc sins. It's not a question of faulty perceptions or logic, but the faith which God has instilled in us. If you are a Christian, you know that it s wrong. If you’re not, you should leam what you are damning before you do — even if you don’t agree with it. James Smits junior finance/economics