-Daily
P'Kl T7/4t‘ (tv-!* 1 Nebraskan
4 ■ « VIL X IL XJ X X CX X Thursday, April 21,1988
_ Mike Reilley, Editor 472-1766
DailV Diana Johnson, Editorial Page Editor
X T|-> nl j-Jen Deselms, Managing Editor
| llPi Tl Curl Wagner, Associatee News Editor
Chris Anderson, Associate News Editor
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Joan Rczac- CoPy Desk Chief
Joel Carlson, Columnist
No more clouds
Smoking policy to clear the air in July
Cough-cough.
It’s a sound everyone knows*
but oncj that won’t be heard
quite as often on the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln campus
after July L
On that day, the UNL ad
ministration plans to imple
ment a smoking policy that
would prohibit smoking in
most areas of buildings on
campus.
The policy would:
• Require professors who
smoke in their offices to buy
and maintain a smoke filter,
• Require signs that say
‘ Smoking Allowed” and “No
Smoking” in appropriate areas.
• Require deans, directors,
department chairpersons, man
agers and other supervisory
personnel to enforce the policy
and punish those who don’t
comply with it.
Time magazine reported in
its Apri 118 edition that some 2b
percent of American adults now
smoke. That figure is down
irom percent ju years ago.
It's obvious that ihe appeal of
smoking is on the decline and
smoking policies like this are
becoming more acceptable
across the nation. The new pol
icy is just one more step in that
direction — the right direc
tion.
While many smokers might
testify that the policy infringes
on their rights, they must re
alize that smoking isn’t a
right. It’s a pnvilegc, for those
who want to smoke and have
the money to support their
smoking habit. Like any other
privilege, smoking can annoy
and sometimes cause health
difficulties for innocent by
standers.
Smoking is far from an indi
vidual act. Once the smoke
leaves the smoker s lungs, it is
expelled into the air — air
shared with non-smokers. Most
would agree that breathing is a
much more significant right
than satisfying one** nicotine
addiction.
Consuming alcohol is an
individual act, until one gets
behind the wheel of an automo
bile. Alcohol isn’t allowed on
campus anywhere and few
complain, because several bars
and nightclubs in 1.incoin arc
available to satisfy one’s desire
to drink.
Smokers, too, can satisfy
their craving in specific places
with other smokers who don’t
mind breathing smoke and,
more importantly, away from
those who don’t smoke.
R. Neale Copple, dean of the
College of Journalism, said a
no-smoking policy was inevi
table and that ho and other
smokers in the college will have
to go along with it.
When the policy is cm
ployed, the deans will deter
mine wltere the smoking and
non smoking areas will be in
their colleges.
*‘We will treat us smokers
with as much equality as wc
can,” Copple said.
Shawn Boldt, former first
vice president of the Associa
tion of Students of the Univer
sity of Nebraska, has said that,
once implemented, the policy
will meet with resistance from
smokers at UNL.
“I think as soon as students
see all the places they can’t
smoke, they’ll really be upset,”
Boldt said in the March 2 issue
of the Daily Nebraskan.
Maybe. But probably not as
upset as non-smokers are each
day they’re forced to inhale
smoke they don’t want.
U.S. leans eastward
AJew York not as hot as media thinks it is
I don’t know if you have
noticed it, but this nation is
lopsided. It leans heavily to the
East. At least, this is the impression I
get from the national news media,
particularly from network television.
There is an unashamed and inexcus
able Eastern bias in national news
reporting and in the analysis of na
tional and international issues.
Sometimes it comes out in the
most annoyingly petty ways. When
ever Joe Witte or Willard Scott gives
the national weather on NBC’s
“Today” show, the concerns of the
East arc the concerns of the broadcast.
If there is a drought in the East, we are
given the impression there is
desperate need for water every
where.
A couple of weeks ago, while we
were, enjoying early spring and tem
peratures above 75 degrees, dear old
Joe spoke of the cold snap that “has
: the nation in its icy grasp.” It seems
that most slates cast of the Ohio River
were having sub-freezing lows. Of
course, the three-quarters of the na
• lion beyond that point was basking in
sunshine and breaking out the croquet
sets, but is there really life beyond
Philadelphia?
What is generally an Eastern bias
aiiudiiy wwikn iu* way apcvuicany iu
a New York bias — whether city or
state. (What’s wrong with this line:
“New York, New York?” Give up? I
said the state first.) All three major
networks have headquarters in New
York, and it shows. The fact is that
few people outside of New York care
what happens in New York, but the
, people inside New York cannot
fathom that. And since they make the
programming decisions, we get to
hear a lot about New York whether we
like it or not.
This was never more evident to me
than it was this week. You may not
have realized or cared, but the New
York primary was this week. It was
old news. There is no Republican race
anymore, and the Democratic race
was all but predictable: Dukakis a
strong first, Jackson a respectable
second and Gore a pitiable third. The
picture is not different than it was
before the primary, except that
Dukakis is a little closer to the inevi
table than he was before.
But that is not the impression one
gets from the New York-based news
media. On the aforementioned “To
day” show Wednesday morning, Jane
Pauley spent the first 10 minutes of
the show talking about the primary
and interviewing Michael Dukakis
and Jesse Jackson, breaking with the
regular routine of going straight to the
news desk alter preliminary introduc
tions. When they finally got to the
news desk, we heard the story ot 31
airline passengers finally set tree by
Iranian terrorists alter being held
hostage for 16 days on board a Ku
waiti jetliner. Now, which do you
think was the more important story? It
all depends on whether you live in
New York.
a. +
_- v
mpp mm
For National Public Radio's
“Morning Edition" program (which
originates in Washington, D.C.), the
New York primary was only
Wednesday’s third lead story
behind the Treed hostages and the
funeral of assassinated PLO leader
Khalil al-Wa/ir. It barely edged out
the quiet Persian Gulf after two days
of upheaval. That sounds to me like a
saner assessment of the day’s events,
although I think I still would have
put the primary behind the Baltimore
Orioles losing their 13th straight
game and tying major-league
baseball’s record for consecutive
losses at the beginning of a season.
(Hang in there, Frank Robinson.)
The fact of the matter is that Iowa,
New Hampshire, Super Tuesday, Illi
nois and even Wisconsin were all
much more decisive and important in
the development of the presidential
race than the New York primary.
Most people arc pretty tired of the
wnoie anair anu aie icauy lor a lime
break before the conventions this
summer heat the whole thing up again
in a mad dash for November. We
don’t want to look at Dukakis and
Jackson first thing in the morning, and
we certainly don’t want to hear Jane
Pauley or anyone else droning on
about what New Yorkers did among
and to each other in a has-been presi
dential struggle.
New York—city or state — isbig.
It is really big. There are more people
in that one city than in most of the
states surrounding Nebraska com
bined. Almost 10 percent of the
nation’s population live in the Empire
State. But there arc a few more of us
out here in the rest of the country, and
we’re getting a little tired of hearing
about how everyone cither lives in
New York or wants to. I, for one, fall
into neither category. I come closer to
the “couldn’t pay me enough to ...”
group.
1 have never been to New York. I
nave also never played golf or had an
ingrown toenail. 1 will not consider
myself particularly impoverished if I
reach my grave having accomplished
none of these feats. Y ou sec, the South
and the Midwest are places, too, and
it is there that I have made my abode.
I have lived in slates that have pro
duced presidents, national college
football and basketball champions,
Nobel Prize winners, and some of the
ercatcst friends a person could ever
have.
So we don't control the dinosaur
TV networks. Atlanta is the produc
tion center for cable television,
Omaha is the telecommunications
capital of the country, and Indianapo
lis is the world headquarters for
amateur sports. New York has lots
and lots of people, and little else
anymore. As we enter the 21 st cen
tury, rest assured the fading star will
give way to a whole galaxy of new and
exciting centers of national and inter
national importance. Start spreadin
the news_
Sennett is a graduate student in philosophy
and campus minister with College-Career
Christian Fellowship.
Unsigned editorials represent of
ficial policy of the spring 1988 Daily
Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its mem
bers are Mike Rcilley, editor; Diana
Johnson, editorial page editor; Joan
Rezac, copy desk editor; Jen De
selms, managing editor; Curt Wag
ner, associate news editor; Chris
Anderson, associate night news edi
lor and Joel Carlson, columnist.
Editorials do not necessarily re
lied the views of the university, its
employees, the students or the NU
Board of Regents.
Member of community
liked DN joke issue,
looks forward to more
Every story has two sides, and 1
* would like to say how much my hus
band and I laughed over your parody
issue of the Daily Nebraskan.
The state senator who objected on
grounds that abuse of freedom of
speech results in its loss is out in left
field. The implication is that freedom
of speech is controlled by a panel of
good taste. I’m almost sorry that isn’t
the case. Maybe Congress could
benefit as well from an arrangement,
or the National Enquirer.
While some articles were not to
my taste, that is my judgmentcall, not
anyone else’s.
The humor was evident and in
some cases very broad and poked fun
^ at a lot of sacred cows. Keep up the
good work. The purpose of the press is
to stimulate discussion of a subject by
presenting the facts. In that, you have
succeeded admirably.
By the way, I feel your reporters
illustrate a better grasp of the English
language and sentence structure than
some local “paid” professionals.
Sen. M.L. Dicrks refers to “poor
taste” in the parody issue. Good taste
is a very personal response, in this
case, borderline good taste, but I’ll
defend your right to do it again.
Do I really have to wait another
year for the next issue? Or will No
vember elections supply your staff
with more opportunities to do it
again?
J.D. Heinzmann
Lincoln
Reader says friends
attending other schools
liked the April 1 issue
I have seen a few letters published
recently condemning the Daily Ne
braskan staff for the April 1 joke
issue, the Daily Half-asskin. Person
ally, I enjoyed it thoroughly. In fact,
I sent copies to friends at a few other
bastions of academia. The reviews
are in, and the unanimous consensus
is: a job well done!
It’s too bad that a lot of folks don’t
seem to have a sense of humor, but I
say if they can’t take a joke, piss on
them! I suggest that the next time one
of those pious, self-appointed guardi
ans of public morality see a copy of
the Half-asskin, don’t pick it up and
read it. Do us all a favor and go
scratch.
I would like to go on, but I have to
get Mr. Falwell’s copy in the mail
now so he can add it to his list. As
VVMhfevu uHvyyy*»i i ofctiM
soon as his friends in Washington gel
our rights toa free and unencumbered
press squashed, they will stop you
degenerates and make the world safe
again.
Don Hess
student at-large
charter member
Small Minds for a Clean Country
Abortion not best way
to find the solution for
unwanted pregnancies
In response to Jolcne Shumake’s
letter (Daily Nebraskan, April 18),
there are people who protest abortion
who have been faced with an un
wanted pregnancy.
To make a long story short, at 191
was pregnant, unmarried and in no
position to care for an infant. Nine
months later, I gave birth to a beauti
ful baby girl I named Karen. I reveled
in the wonder of her birth and experi
enced the joy and ecstasy of life itself.
Three days later, as I held her in my
arms, I studied her tiny features so
that 1 would never forget what she
looked like. Then I said goodbye to
her and handed her to a very caring
woman from Nebraska Children’s
Home Society.
The little girl I kissed good bye is
■.__
now 11 years old. Twice, through the
adoption agency, I have exchanged
letters with her parents— I am told by
them that she is a happy, generous and
intelligent chdd. I’m told of the love
she has brought to their lives. I’m told
of the happiness she has brought to
their home. I am also told of the
wonder and joy of raising a daughter.
This is in sharp contrast to the life of
the “unwanted “ child portrayed by
Shumakc.
The argument that abortion is an
answer to “unwanted” children is a
fallacy. Furthermore, abortion gives
no more of a “second chance” than
does adoption. As the abortion statis
tics indicate, there are many who
disagree with me. This letter will not
change the minds of pro-abortionists.
It is only intended to illustrate that
unwanted pregnancies do not have to
have disastrous endings. The elation I
felt when Karen was bom was no less
than the elation I experienced when
each of my other four children were
born. The key to the celebration of
life, any life, is the ability to love a
child more than you love yourself.
We live in such a “me” society that
many people find it hard to place the
best interests of the child first.
No one will ever convince me that
Karen would have been better off in
the bottom of a garbage can in some
abortion clinic. I doubt anyone could
convince her parents either.
Sally Buscher
junior
law
Readers: Joke issue
combination of satire,
mockery and vulgarity
Congratulations to J.B
McCombs, (Daily Nebraskan, April
20) on admitting to having a sense of
humor. We also thought the Daily
Nebraskan’s April Fool’s issue was a
masterful combination of satire,
mockery and, yes, vulgarity. Why
not? This is a college newspaper,
read mostly by college students, and
is not targeted toward state senators,
several of which obviously lack a
sense of humor. They should stick to
reading the regular edition of the DN
(which was also printed that day!)
We think that college students need
humor, and this issue was mild com
pared to what we laugh about in
private. Lighten up, senators!
Susan E. Morris James K. Purtzcr
junior senior
advertising secondary education
