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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1989)
Editorial | Nebraskan University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cun 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 Closed-mindedness Supremacists gaining too much control White supremacy movements are still going strong in the United States. Although white supremacists don't belong to a unified national group, individ ual groups do exist across the United States. And that is frightening. Why? Because twice this year a present or previous member of a white supremacist group has been in the news regarding his association with public office. In February, former Ku Klux Klan member David Dukes was elected to the Louisiana House of Representa | tives. Now, Dennis Mahon, a national Klan organizer, is running for one of three open seats on the Northnioor Board of Alderman in Northmoor, Mo. It is dangerous for these people to become important policy-makers on any government level, because they could bring their fanatical beliefs to those policies. They could instill even more hatred and fear of non-whites and non-Protestants into citizens. Roger Aden and Matt Sobnosky, two graduate speech communication students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, researched the use of language by white su premacists for their pOsSt-gmduate projects. Aden and Sobnosky found these examples of the fanatical ideas espoused by some white supremacists; - The Aryan Nation, based in the northwestern United States, has proposed the creation of a separate all-white nation in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. £ *- aome wnue supremacists argue uiat tne u.a. govem *ne*U has been infiltrated by Jews, and that civil rights jaws arc evidence that white people are discriminated -against. r.« A white supremacist essay found by Sobnosky claimed that missing Christian children actually are kidnapped by Jews to be killed in rituals. White supremacists have every right to run for office, ij They, just like any citizen, should not be persecuted for their beliefs. But here is where the voice of the people can change | things. An informed electorate will be able to decipher the lies and twisted tales supremacists use. An informed electorate can stop supremacists from gaining a stronghold in elected positions, and spreading their dangerous, sickening views. •* Curt Wagner for (he Daily Nebraskan Senator corrects DN editorial After reading Brandon Loomis’ editorial (Daily Nebraskan, April 3), I felt I must address the inaccurate statements contained in the article. Regarding the example given with School District A and School District B, it should be stressed that School District A can reject any student who wants to transfer if there is not room for that student. Therefore, the costs for School District A will increase little, if at all. The purpose behind LB 183 is to allow students to attend another school if there is room for them, not to require the school dis trict to hire more staff, expand their lacilities, etc. Loomis painted the picture that the parents in District B could send their children to District A and re ceive more benefits without having to pay for them. However, it should be pointed out that District B will lose a set amount of money for each student transferring to another district, and unless staff could be reduced because of the fewer students left at District B, the costs to operate the school may increase. Loomis stated that whites could and probably would flock from schools in North Omaha. Amend ments have been added to the bill allowing a school district with a de segregation plan to limit the number of students who transfer into or out of the school district, in order to carry out the desegregation plan. Addition ally, an option school district is to give first priority for enrollment to option students whose request for enrollment would aid the racial inte gration of the option school district and the resident school district. It also must be stressed that schools will not have room for “flocks” of students, unless they have been operating very ineffi ciently, which I seriously doubt, due to their accountability to their local taxpayers. I realize that there is opposition to LB 133 and everyone is entitled to their viewpoint. However, I felt that I should rectify some of the statements contained in the article. Dennis Baack state senator 47th district Long-range view looks bleak I Human-caused environmental disintegration disgusts columnist 1 Oil spills. Rain forests. Ozone (or lack thereof). Acid rain. What do all of these have in common? Yes, they are environ mental problems we face. They are also problems which could be solved, but most likely will not. I don’t want to jump on the short run environmental bandwagon cre ated by the recent oil spill. Instead, I want to take a long-range view of some of the problems we face. Everyone knows about the oil spill in Alaska. It was caused by a drunk captain and an unqualified third mate. It was also caused by Exxon and other oil companies. Years ago, when the pipeline was installed, it was suggested that the tankers oper ating in the area use a double hull design to prevent such a disaster. The oil companies assured concerned parties that an accident was a ‘ ‘one in a million’’ chance. The oil compa nies refused the double hull design and went with the single hull. “Cheaper” and “unneeded” (for the double hull) were the reasons given. Right. The vast Amazon rain forests arc disappearing at an alarming rate. Hundreds of forest acres a day arc cleared to make room for grazing cattle. The new land only can be used for a few years before it is exhausted. Al ter one or two years, the cattle are moved on to new land that has re cently been deforested and so on. This has more implications than can be counted. Not only arc beauti ful and unique areas, plants and people being destroyed, but the world climate may be changed. The Ama zon basin is the largest single area of its kind in the world. Its effects on not only the immediate region but the world as a whole are not known. The idea that the loss of so many green plants will not have any noticeable effect.*} is no longer believable. The probable effects are all negative and all global: an increase in carbon diox ide, a decrease in oxygen and changes in global rain patterns. The main reason this is happening is the government of Brazil. Brazil is trying to get people to move into the interior of the country. This is no easy feat, considering the nature of the ■ A A __ interior ~ rain forests arc hard on roads, they grow right through and over them. The Brazilian govern ment is using the money loaned to them to clear the forests and create range land and jobs in the interior. This is profitable. Burger King (that wonderful pseudo-institution of America) buys the Brazilian beef. This causes Brazil to produce more beef and to destroy more rain forests. I only can assume that Burger King is not the only American corporation to import Brazilian beef. As long as American companies continue to purchase the beef, Brazil will con tinue to produce it and the rain forests will continue to be destroyed and we all will suffer. Another major problem facing everyone is the iack of ozone. Ozone is that substance in the upper atmos phere that blocks those ultraviolet rays which tan (and bum) us. These rays arc basically harmful to humans -- causing skin cancer and eye prob lems. The ozone is being destroyed by fluorocarbons. These substances are produced in large quantities for refrigeration units, aerosol cans and for use in power transformers. It has been known for quite some time that these substances were caus ing the destruction of the ozone layer - but little has been done. In a recent conference of industrialized coun tries it was again stated that “Yes, we do have a problem,” and again, no workable solutions were presented. The major problem is one of eco nomics. The short-range costs of replacing harmful substances are large. Corporations are supposed to make money, so incurring these costs doesn’t make sense to them. The so lution is simple; force the companies in question to change. Create legisla tion requiring them to make the changes needed. Even such a simple solution is beset with problems. In America the big corporations can “influence” legislation to their own ends. There is nothing illegal about it. But there should be. When concerns over a few dollars (or a few billion dollars) out weigh the future of the planet and our existence here, something is wrong. Yes, I said the future of the planet and our existence! It has been theo rized that in the near future the very clothing we wear will have to be a barrier to ultraviolet rays. No longer will we be able to enjoy a day at the beach. No longer will it be chic to be brown. Instead, it will be deadly. Birth defects and skin cancer will run rampant. All for a few dollars. Acid rain is another problem that has not been solved because of eco nomic concerns. Various parts of the nation have been besieged by acid rain for decades and nothing has been done. Forests, lakes, fish and all kinds of wildlife have been alfccted nega lively. The main reason nothing has been done lies in Congress and in the White House. Congress is always susceptible to corporate pressure ana this case is no different. 1 o get some thing done, the White House needed to gel involved. Yet for the lirstcign years of this decade we had a presi dent more concerned with Red than with happenings in our own back- , yard. West Germany proved that eco nomic solutions arc possible. c German government decided some lime back that acid rain and ot cr pollutants were a serious problem. They gave various industries 1V years to make the changes or ace serious fines. The changes were ma within the five-year limit. Simple Will we see any change m Amer ica? Don’t hold your breath. Will tn human population survive it-s environment? Don't hold your breath. . . H i*,.. But, then again, maybe yoia ter. Who knows what you re h ing. Heckman Is a senior International ^'1 major and a Daily Nebraskan editor! I umnisl. _I The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, original ity, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit all material submitted. Readers also are welcome to sub mit material as guest opinions. Whether material should run as a let ter or guest opinion, or not to run, is left to the editor’s discretion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. 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