Editorial
, Curt Wagner, Editor, 472 1766
" _ _ ^ ^ Mike Reillcy, Editorial Page Editor
\ I Diana Johnson, Managing Editor
jpDldSK3n LeeRttoa. Associate News Editor
*■* ^ ^ * j^b Nelson, Wire Page Editor
University of Nsbraska-Uncoln Andy Pollock. Columnist
Craig Heckman, Columnist
D’s, F’s reported
Nebraskans fail to understand Indians
riloday is American Indian Day in Nebraska.
1 According to Gov. Kay Orr, it’s a day when Ne
braskans should ‘ recognize the contributions of the
I American Indians and should take the time to strengthen
die ties of understanding that bind all United States
citizens into one great nation with justice and freedom for
all.”
Orr officially proclaimed the holiday on Aug. 2,1988.
Orr did a good thing with the proclamation, but she and
others in Nebraska government must go a lot further than
simply making a proclamation.
On Sept 22, the Nebraska Indian Commission gave the
state a report card rating die addition of education,
health economic development, social scivieefffld justice
for Nebraska Indians. fSlfl/* * - > '.<* y'> '
The state didn't fair too well. .« C N
Nebraska received a D overall for ail those categories
and F’s in commitment to and understanding of Indians.
• Frank LaMere, a member of the Indian commission and
Winnebago tribe, said the poor grades reflect a lack of
awareness of the conditions of the Indian people, not
nccessarily uncaring Nebraskans.
“Don’t throw money at us,” LaMere said, “give us
meaningful opportunities.”
Nebraska government must show all Nebraskans
through deeds what Gov. Orr has suggested with words.
Nebraska government should lead the way for all erf us
to “recognize the contributions,” and do something to
remedy the problems Nebraska’s Indian population faces.
— Curt WagB«r
for the Daily Nebrasean
—
opinion__
Senators claim innocence in snickering
In their snippets of news (Quibbles
& bits, Sept. 21) Mike Reilly (sic.)
and Curt Wagner reported that ASUN
senators snickered at the proposition
of broadcasting senate meetings on
cable channel 5. Having been in atten
dance at the meeting in question, we
heard no snickering, laughing nor
chortling. In fact many of us thought
that it was a good idea, and are work
ing to locale the necessary equip
ment.
It would be nice if concerned stu
dents could follow what the student
senate and executives do. It would be
nicer still if the DN were to follow up
a suggestion for it that was made at the
same meeting, and publish an abbre
viated agenda in advance of senate
meetings, so that students could know
what will be discussed, (or what failed
to be addressed).
Stanford Mommaerts
graduate senator
Jeff Gromowsky
business senator
Bill Munn
journalism
Destry Hood
engineering senator
Editor’s note: I, too, was in atten
dance at the meeting in question. I
saw what I saw, and heard what I
heard. As for the abbreviated
agenda, the suggestion was duly
noted, discussed and an agreement
had been reached. Also, Mike
Reifley’s name is spelled “ey,” not
Uy »»
concrete sottball nela detested by student
The experience of playing on the
softball fields on 19th and Vine
streets during intramurals should be
an experience shared by all. Our team
played a double-header Sept. 18 and
were lucky to escape serious injury.
The fields were concrete slabs
with Grand Canyon-style craters ill
over them. When a ball was hit
sharply, a player didn’t know whether
to try and stop the ball or get the hell
out of the way to keep from eating his
teeth or having things rearranged in
the lower extremities.
For softball fields, these are the
poorest and the lousiest conditioned
fields I’ve ever played on. The clods
and holes were terrible. It’s a wonder
someone didn’t twist or even break an
ankle running bases Home plate had
such holes in the batters box, the
butter would stand with one foot six
inches high than the other.
We pay $25 for a reason, for what
I’d like to know. There sure doesn’t
seem to be any way the officials in
charge of these “wonderful” fields
could possibly “jackhammer” out the
concrete and maybe replace it wit)
dirt? They say that’s what softbal
infields are made of. But of course
being a naive university student,
could be wrong.
Maybe those are the new economi
cal infields. They are the “Acme
Dustless Infield — Guaranteed not tc
be dusty, get wet or be soft in any wa>
shape or form.”
I’ve talked to several other players
from oilier teams and everyone I’ve
talked to feels the same, the fields are
terrible.
It’s sad, and the thought of seeing
intramurals fold up is terrible. I would
rea.My hate to see it. So why not spend
a little time and some of the money we
all paid in, and at least smooth out the
infields, or maybe even wet them
down and drag them. That way, after
the next games on Sunday, there are
more innocent bystanders than cau
salities with broken legs.
Derek Schreiter
junior
agribusiness
Lets see...
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Senate race is ‘embarrassing’
Juvenile accusations, bickering a waste of time to Nebraskans
Vote Dimuiy.
Vote and feel guilty.
Vote for the lesser of three
evils.
But don’t vote and say you hon
estly respect the man you’ve voted
for.
I’m referring to this year’s race for
Nebraska’s seat in the U.S. Senate
between Dave Karnes, Bob Kerrey
and Ernie Chambers. At one time I
respected all three of these men, now
I feel as if the three have metamor
phisized into children before the eyes
of a waiting public.
While campaigning, the three men
often refer to the citizens of this state
as hard-working, honest, great and
loyal. If the candidates really feel this
way why have they filled their cam
paigns with constant bickering, end
less rhetoric and juvenile accusations
about one and other?
Not only is their behavior a waste
of time to Nebraskans and an insult to
the people they say they respect, its an
viiiucuiaodiiiuu iu puilUL).
One of the best and most recent
examples of the candidates’ ridicu
lous games is the series of events
following Ernie Chambers’ formal
entrance into the race.
Chambers waited until last
Wednesday’s deadline to announce
whether he would run for the U.S.
Senate or run for re-election in the
Nebraska Legislature. Chambers
automatically entered the race when
he refused to choose between one
position or the other.
! If Ernie and deadlines ring a bell,
I it’s because he pulled a similar stunt
earlier this year when he waited until
’ a S p.m. deadline to announce
whether he would run for re-election
in the Legislature. A large gathering
of reporters were waiting to talk to
, Chambers minutes before the dead
line expired.
If there’s one thing I've come to
understand about Chambers, it's that
he’s preoccupied with [ness attention
and he likes to play games. He has
turned the floor of the Nebraska
Legislature into his stage many times.
Chambers wrote a letter to Kerrey
ioiiowing me airing oi nis principles
above Politics” commercials.
Chambers referred to the commer
cial as “tawdry” and abbreviated
Principles Above Politics into the
acronym PAP.
“Look what Webster’s 7th Colle
giate Dictionary says about PAP,”
Ernie wrote, “pap 1: a soft food for
infants or invalids 2: political patron
age 3: something lacking solid value
or substance.
“. . . While trying to hide your
timorousness behind heroic words,
you provided the perfect characteri
zation of your political ‘principles’:
PAP.”
wmiWki
Ernie promptly sent his clever let
ter to the press.
I agree with Chambers that Kerrey
is using his speech to gain public
appeal. But to go to such lengths to
degrade another candidate means that
Chambers as a politician would rather
waste time degrading a running mate
instead of running on his own quali
ties.
Of course, if Kerrey hadn’t pulled
out of the debates and used his disap
proval of the New Alliance Party as a
vote-getting ploy, perhaps Chambers
wouldn’t have written the letter.
Indeed, it seems Kerrey has truly
forgotten what issues are. Instead he
has spent most of his campaign time
talking only of his idealism.
The other day I walked outside my
apartment and found a Kerrey cam
paign magazine. In it I found a lot of
talk about compassion, world peace
and stuff about “we can do anything
we want in America.” But I found
very little about what Bob will do if I
give him my vote.
I think Kerrey is a good soul, full of
compassion and all that. But I
WOU1UI! I vvnc mi uit umsi guy in uk
world if he can’t be up-front about
what he wants to do. when he gets to
one of the most powerful places in
government.
Karnes says he’s willing to talk the
issues. Indeed, his campaign people
will tell you that’s all he wants to do.
But even though it’s the end of Sep
tember, hiscampaign office has yet to
produce one pamphlet simply stating
how Karnes stands on the issues. They
say its in the making. Maybe we can
all pick one up when we step outside
the voting booth.
When Karnes does choose to tell
us what he thinks about a specific
topic, he takes out a full-page ad in a
newspaper and compares himself to
Kerrey.
On more than one occasion, he has
taken Kerrey’s words out of context
or turned his actions as governor
wound to make Kerrey sound as if he
was some evil politician out to ruin
the entire state.
is____u „r
rvaiiiui iiiviiuuiio an ut iwi»v; ^
budget cuts in education or in other
areas when Kerrey was governor. But
Karnes fails to mention what he
would have done under the same cir
cumstances, with a state in its worst
economic condition perhaps since the
1930s.
I originally wanted to write about
where die three candidates stood on
the issues.
1 soon found out that I couldn't.
The information was just too hard to
get.
But I was told by Karnes people
that if I was going to compare the
candidates, I should compare apples
to apples. Why should I? They don’t.
I’m frustrated that voters don’t
have a better choice. I don’t want to
vote for any of the three candidates.
My only hope is that maybe one or
more of them will start getting serious
about being Nebraska’s voice on
Capitol Hill before election day.
Unless that happens, I might as well
pull a name out of a hat
Rood la a senior news-editorial m^jor and
a Daily Nibriiu associate news editor.
Signed suit editorials represent the
official policy of the fall 1988 Daily Ne
braskan. Policy is set by the Daily Ne
braskan Editorial Board. Its members are
Curt Wagner, editor; Mike Reillcy, edito
rial page editor Diana Johnson, manag
ing editor; Lee Rood, associate news
editor; Andy Pollock, columnist; Bob
Nelson, wire page editor; and Craig
Heckman, columnist.
Editorials do not necessarily reflect
the views of the university, its employees,
the students or the NU Board of
Re its.
itorial columns represent the opin
ion of the author.
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 editorial content of
the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its student editors.
