Editorial
Curt Wagner, Editor, 472-1766
Amy Edwards, Editorial Page Editor
Jane Hirt, Managing Editor
Lee Rood, Associate News Editor
Diana Johnson, Wire Page Editor
Chuck Green, Copy Desk Chief
Lisa Donovan, Columnist
ASUN praiseworthy
Firm stand for burial rights commended
ASUN Sen. Brian Svoboda and the Association of
Students of the'University of Nebraska are to be
commended.
At a Wednesday night meeting, the ASUN Senate passed
Svoboda’s bill to support the return of the Nebraska State
Historical Society’s collection of all identifiable Pawnee
Indian remains to the tribe.
ASUN’s bill gives support to LB340, a bill in the Nebraska
Legislature calling for the return of the remains to the
Indians for burial.
ASUN’s action only adds to a long list of supporters of
LB340 - a list the Legislature should take heed of when
voting on LB340 later this week or next.
By supporting the bill, ASUN took a bold and firm stand
on an important human rights issue - one that has an effect
not only on American Indians, but on society as a whole.
Debate over the issue has included the historical society’s
argument that the collection is invaluable for research and
education.
_ . . • « i t i __I_C_
but tne mstoncai society nas nau some ui me icnumu
more than 50 years -- ample time for research.
ASUN Sen. Chip Dreesen said keeping the remains is ‘ ‘too
heavy a price to pay for education.”
Dreesen is right. He asked senators to think about what
they would do if their ancestors’ remains were dug up and
kept in a museum ~ to put themselves in the Indians’
position.
The issue is not just over a museum’s collection of old
bones and artifacts. It has caused anger, frustration and
humiliation to an important group in the community.
And as Svoboda said, it is not a “minority” issue, but an
issue about respecting the dead — something done in every
I culture and society
The real issue is human dignity. The right of a person to be
put to rest, in peace, should be a given. People should not
have to fight to take their relatives out of glass cases to lay
them to rest.
Svoboda cited a letter from Attorney General Robert Spire
supporting LB340. In the letter, Spire said the American
Association of Museums has adopted a policy that ‘ 'reflects'
the general law that human skeletal remains are to rest in
peace in a grave or other proper sepulcher except where an
appropriate purpose can be established for removing and
retaining the remains.”
The Nebraska State Historical Society has endorsed tms
position in the past — and there is no reason the society
should not endorse it now.
Svoboda said there was no reason for anyone to vote
against the bill — to vote against giving decent people a
decent burial.
But four ASUN senators did vote against supporting
LB340 -- Sens. Bill Munn, Jill Durbin, Nancy Chapek and
Phil Gosch.
Chapek was concerned the bill would draw the Govern
ment Liaison Committee away from other important issues.
But ASUN amended the bill to exclude GLC’s involvement
in the issue before the vote was taken.
Munn said because LB340 is only on general file, it could
! be amended to a point where he would not agree with the bill.
But ASUN also passed an amendment before the vote to
support the bill “as it stands on this date.”
That blows their arguments out of the water. The other two
senators did not offer a reason for their opposition.
Nevertheless, with the exception of those who voted
against the bill, ASUN made a wise decision Wednesday
night - one that showed concern for the history of Nebraska
% — the beliefs of the people who were here before us.
Lessons of history, science and others’ beliefs mean noth
ing unless they are remembered and respected.
— Amy ftdwmrik
/•r Ik* Dmtly Ntbrmtkam
edilgri^ ~
Signed staff editorials represent the the students or the NU B#ard
official policy of the fall 1988 Daily Ne- Regents.
braskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebras- According to policy set by the regent
kan Editorial Board. responsibility for the editorial content <
Editorials do not necessarily reflect the newspaper lies solely in the hands <
the viewsof the university, its employees, its student editors.
{ lit; !•» Iint<l ilntitlillMitMtlMmitilt
GEORGE , CAM VOO HEAR ME ?
I WANT VOU TO CONTNMOE
ENDORSES “IbvIER , AND NOW ,
NON \NATE GERALDO RA/ERA
AS HEAD OP UA...
YEAk\ , BBT I ST\LL LIKED
THE QU*VLE AS VP
GAG BETTER .
^^4 s _I
© row
cj^EUTb T>»w Nc\>r»%v»
Columnist discusses problems
Heckman sees widespread apathy, ignorance of world events
m graduation ...
■ W What a glorious thought it
^-^is. It is also a very frightening
thought No longer will I be sheltered
from the big bad world by this univer
sity. I will be open and exposed to the
goings on of the world.
1 had never really considered the
state of the world in these terms be
fore. To be sure, I have always been
aware of and concerned with the
world’s problems, but I have always
looked at it as a college student. Now,
I am forced to look at it differently.
As I look at the world from this
new viewpoint, 1 also sec the univer
sity and college life in general from a
new viewpoint. I see widespread
apathy and ignorance toward world
events. When something like using
student fees to fund the Committee
nffArinn 1 .'vHi'in onH r.ai) Pvpnle
comes up, everyone has an opinion.
When the problems facing our envi
ronment are brought up, people don’t
listen or seem to care.
I have always known this apathy
towards world problems has existed
and finally decided to do something
about it, which explains my writing to
you today. I thought all everyone
needed was education about the prob
lems so I tried to educate. This is not
the case, I have found. People simply
do not really care about the larger
problems facing us today. Don’t
misunderstand me. There are a good
number of people who care very
much about these problems and take
great steps to do something about
them.
For example: A group of Nebras
kans for Peace stood outside of the
Nebraska Union Wednesday and
gave away anti-racism pamphlets
while broadcasting me worus ui
Martin Luther King Jr. over a loud
speaker. But these few arc a decided
minority. The vast majority belong to
the other group.
I
Why am I writing about this when
no one cares anyway? I guess I am a
slow learner. And I do care, and it is
important to me that more of you
care. Right now this planet we call
Earth is faced with so many incred
ible problems I get scared thinking
about it
The biggest threat to everyone is
nuclear war. Just because the Inter
mediate Nuclear Forces treaty was
signed last year does not mean we arc
safe. Both sides still have plenty of
weapons.
Maybe an equal threat is the envi
ronment. Global warming is a poorly
understood phenomenon which
could have disastrous effects for ev
eryone. Rain forests in Brazil are
being destroyed at an incredible rate.
The effects of this arc completely
unknown but surely they will be
negative.
What about the millions of starv
ing people around the world? Bob
Geldof brought them to our attention
a few years back, but how many of us
remember — how many really care?
Why go to Africa? What about the
>Ull aim iiuiiiviv^ nviv 111 nnii,i
ica, in Lincoln? How many of us
know or care about them?
What about our federal govern
ment, which continually ignores
these problems? Our federal govern
ment has grown so large it can no
longer effectively deal with many of
our problems. We the people of
America can change this. Do we? No,
most of us bitch about the way things
arc going and do nothing but sit on
our bchinds.
Some of you arc saying “Big deal,
Heckman, what the hell does this
have to do with anything, especially
me.” What does it have to do with
you? Everything. It’s easy to ignore
the world now, but I guarantee that in
a few years you will graduate and he
facing the same problems and ques
tions I do now.
Or maybe not. Graduation docs
not guarantee enlightenment, noth
ing does in fact. The only way for
anyone to become aware is for them
to want to. I can write about this for
years and it will make no difference
unless you want it to. This is my
challenge to you. Don’t go through
life unaware. Take a few years off,
have fun, get drunk and fall down.
But someday, next week or next year,
take a stand on an issue -- care.
I’m not saying to give away all
your worldly possessions and devote
your life to world peace. I am say ing
that to go through life without getting
involved in societies’ problems is a
waste. It's your choice, make it and
live it. I made mine.
Heckman is a senior international affairs
major and a Daily Nebraskan editorial col
umnist.
Reader: COLAGE decision lacks compassion
So here we are, the enlightened
20th century humanitarians, pcrpetu
ators of progress, possessors of won
drous intelligence.
Singing our own praises of our
great compassion, of our kinder,
gentler world. Yet despite our self
proclaimed glory we continue to leg
islate inferiority.
By labeling “problem peoples”
as pagans, communists and immoral,
we have made them subhuman — less
than equal, good but not quite good
enough. All of this from a nation that
found its origin in escape from reli
gious intolerance and persecution.
But it did not take long for power
to rear its evil head. For Die perse
- cuted to become the persecutor. The
persecutor, in the name of God. In the
name of jusnee, as a self-proclaimed
,f protector of all that is good and de
cent on the earth.
s And here we are today, in this
bastion of higher learning, languish
ing in the cradle of democracy. Per
petuating the assumed Christian,
inmMiiummunwMiumwnnwMiM
Anglo-Saxon, Puritanical social
norms. We have taken Christianity to
a new plateau, higher than it has even
been before. We have deemed our
selves God. We have made ourselves
es of humankind,
ut in this we have gone too far.
The blind have led the blind into the
pit. We have assumed too much.
Christianity never gave us the power
to judge, only the responsibility to
love our enemies as ourselves. To
have compassion and empathy for
those who share this earth with us. To
take in knowledge and deepen our
understanding of that which we know
not of.that we mav be wise, kind, just.
Democracy has not given us undy
ing power. It has given us equality
without regard to color, sex, national
origin, personal ideals. It has granted
us freedom of choice, freedom of
thought, freedom of speech, freedom
to live without fear.
So where is the true Christianity,
the true democracy which we chose
to hold so dear? They cannot be
«>0
M.
found. We have killed them. In our
Eursuit of godless lust and power wc
ave lost sight of our objectives. Wc
have mislaoeled our prejudices as
morality. We have invoked censor
ship as justice. We have swept the
dust under the carpet
But the carpet will wear thin, the
light will shine through to the down
trodden. They will rise up and take
what is theirs. They will become our
equals. We will be forced to practice
that which we have professed for so
long.
We yet have the opportunity to
take the initiative ourselves. It is not
yet too late to give freedom gener
ously and unequivocally, bestowed
with love, to our fellow woman/man.
It is not yet too late to share our love
without restriction, without qualili
cation. To give our love freely wc can
know what it is to receive love, to be
wise, to be free.
Bill Hculc
COLAGE member
Lincoln
