T r I'i • 1 Net?raskan
B « Q 1 tOn Cll Wednesday, November 1,1989
IW~ Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Uncoln
Amy Hdwards, Editor, 472-1766
Lee Rood, Editorial Page Editor
Jane Hirt, Managing Editor
Brandon Loomis, Associate Sews Editor
Brian Svoboda, Columnist
Bob Nelson, Columnist
Jerry Guenlhcr, Senior Reporter
What others think
Editorials address homosexuals, AIDS
A report by a research arm of the Pentagon has found
out what most enlightened Americans have known
for years -- that the military’s policy toward homo
sexuals is baseless.
The Pentagon always has maintained that homosexuals
undermine discipline and morale, and therefore has
$ justified prohibition of gays from the military. In 1$82,
(the policy was broadened to keep out men and women
who demonstrate a “propensity” for engaging in homo
sexual activity, a description which probably includes
more people than the military would like to think about.
In 1987, the Pentagon created a research center to study
behavioral aspects of personnel security and analyze what
kinds of people make good custodians of classified infor
mation. It then commissioned the center to determine
what security risks homosexuals posed for the military.
The bias implicit in the Pentagon’s inquiry made the
question its own answer: to develop evidence to reinforce
the military’s belief that homosexuals arc a security risk.
The center’s findings contradicted current military
style, and Pentagon officials buried the report for 10
months.
I A co-author ot the report, 1 heodore barbin, said,
“Anybody who has a secret is a potential for blackmail,
whether homosexual or heterosexual.”
This report reveals the fraudulent character of the U.S.
military’s stand against homosexuals in its ranks. Poli
cymakers at the university should look hard at Sarbin’s
conclusions, and then look hard at a ROTC program that
permits this baseless bigotry. The university then should
come to a just conclusion and kick the ROTC program off
campus.
•• The Minnesota Daily
• The Bush Administration reflected good judgment by
selecting Antonia Novello as the nominee for Surgeon
; General of the United States on Oct. 17. Novello, if
I confirmed, would"be the first woman and the first His
panic to hold the high*office of the nation’s head doctor.
As a pediatrician, Novello is an expert on kidney
disease in children. During her tenure at the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
Novello focused on pediatric AIDS.
Although Novello’s experience and medical knowledge
is extremely impressive, perhaps what is most encourag
i ing is her opportunity to influence the medical field. Like
her predecessor, C. Everett Koop, Novello will be chal
lenged to lead the Public Health Service’s 6,500 employ
ees through controversial health issues, such as AIDS and
1 abortion.
•• The University Daily Kansan
Columnist’s wit isn’t amusing
I am writing in response lo Bran
don Loomis’ editorial column (DN,
Oct. 30) utled “Ideascan’t be kept to
oneself.”
Our world faces many difficulties
at present. Fortunately, solutions also
exist. With problem-solving indi
viduals taking action, solutions can
be found. Staying inspired to work for
positive change can be difficult at
times, but is crucial.
Your latest column (and some past
columns) show a lack of rcalislic
problem solving. I don’t Iccl that
columnists need to be serious all the
lime. It depends on the topic chosen
to write about. Personally, I don’t
find your “witty” com men Ls on pres
ent environmental and human righLs
issues entertaining.
Brent Hint/,
senior
anthropology
Bush was right to veto abortion financing
I disagree with your logic that
your government should subsidize
the killing of innocent unborn babies
just because abortion is legal in our
country (DN, Oct. 26). Should our
government also subsidize all cos
metic surgery just because it is legal
to have cosmetic surgery?
Also, why didn’t you talk about
the rights of unborn children? Do you
feel that children conceived from the
crimes of rape or incest should have
no rights?
I feel President Bush made the
right decision in his veto of the pro
posed abortion financing legislation.
Though it appears that he is definitely
in the minority for his opinion on the
matter, it is refreshing to sec that
someone has the guts to stand up for
the rights of unborn children.
Joe Becker
graduate student
MV/hdt& New 0» Cable" |
MoNeY
fo a
Jim Bakker never had it so bad
At least his cycle of success and failure has been finished
Tuesday afternoon, I couldn’t
stop feeling envious of Jim
Bakker.
For the last few years, Jim’s been
this kind of Beaver-figure for me; a
bumbling, stupid little oaf caught in a
world that’s just a bit loo big for him.
I guess I’ve always seen Jim say
ing stuff like, "Aww-w-w, shucks
Wally, I didn't know it was bad to
steal money. I didn’t mean it. I won’t
do it again.”
And, sure enough, Jim won’t be
doing it again. Nope. He met up with
The Honorable Maximum Bob — a
judge who hands down life sentences
like they were parking violations.
The Beav got 45 years.
You see, I believe Jim’s just a
victim of an awfully mean world; a
place where everyone is taught to be
greedy and everyone becomes
greedy, and the people bad at being
greedy - because they’re too naive
and stupid - end up getting chased by
Convict John Doe at the Federal
Correctional Institution in Talladega,
Ala.
Success is driven by greed. Jim
wanted success like all of us. He
wanted social standing and the life
style to prove it.
But Jim’s years of driving for
success arc over and mine are just
beginning.
In fact, I just wasted much of
Monday and Tuesday suffering for a
chance at success.
That’s right, the dreaded job inter
view.
The assistant managing editor of
Newsday, a huge and quality paper
based in Long Island, N.Y., came to
the journalism college Monday and
Tuesday looking for young journal
ism stars for his newspaper. I signed
up for a Tuesday interview.
Oh boy! I was going to be the star
writer at a huge newspaper and live in
a neat apartment on Long Island and
meet incredibly brilliant people who
thought 1 was incredibly brilliant.
The small-town boy made good. My
neighbors in Falls City would all say
stuff like, “Ya know, I always knew
that Nelson boy was gonna make
somethin’ of himself. He was a fine
boy. Why, I remember the time...”
Anyway, while I was writing my
cover letter and compiling my clips
Monday, I had pretty much figured
out that Newsday really needed me. I
figured they’d either ask me to write
columns directed at younger readers
or they’d ask me to travel the country
uncovering strange and wonderful
stories. I was going to be big. I stayed
up late Monday night.
I got up early Tuesday morning,
put on my wedding/funeral/interview
clothes, combed my hair, brushed my
teeth, combed my hair, tried to lie my
tie, failed, polished my wing-tips,
combed my hair and drove to the
university.
A few hours later, I walked to the
journalism school for my interview. I
arrived early, sat in the chair by the
interview room, got up from the
chair, paced the hall, set down my
portfolio, sat down, stood up, walked
to the fountain, checked my tic a
friend had lied, wiped my palms, sat
down, lucked in my shirt, smelled my
pits, stood up, wiped my palms,
smiled at someone, paced, thought,
wiped my palms and checked my lie
a friend had tied. Interviews were
running an hour behind.
Finally, the guy from Newsday
and an interviewee came out of the
room laughing. They seemed to have
had a wonderful talk.
“Sec ya later, Dave,” Jim said.
“See ya later, Jim,” Dave said.
I smiled at them both, wiped my
palms and reached out my hand to the
interviewer, Maximum Dave. He
shook my hand and said something
like, “You’re Bob? We’ll have to
make this quick. I’m running be
hind.’’
We walked in the room. He
opened my portfolio, looked at my
cover letter, looked perplexed, set it
aside, pulled out my resume, looked
perplexed and said what I interpreted
to mean, “Well, at least your GPA’s
not too bad.”
He went on to tell nje about Ncw
sday and how they hire dozens of
interns and more or less let them sink
or swim on their own. He kept look
ing at- his watch, I asked a couple
stupid questions and he gave me two
quick answers. After about 15 min
utes he handed me an application,
explained that I had to write some
essays on the applications and told
me to send it to Newsday when I was
finished. Then he stood up, said
“thank you” and showed me the
door.
Well, I realized then and there that
I was a miserable failure. I was no
journalistic prodigy. To a big
leagucr, I was just another face before
lunch.
I guess this is the “real-world
syndrome” everybody talks about.
You go through high school, think
you’re a success, apply to a college,
realize you’re a dope, go through
college, think you’re a success, apply
for a job and then realize you're a
dope.
So why am I envious of Jim
Bakkcr? Because he’s all finished
with this vicious cycle of success and
failure. He’s a dumb little man w hose
been sent away from it all, locked up
to rot in prison.
There arc no interviews in prison.
There’s no graduating and succeed
ing. All you do is cal, read and run
from other convicts named John Doe.
After my interview Tuesday, John H
Doe seems like a fine alternative. ■
Maybe I’m my own Maximum Bob. W
Nelson is a senior news-editorial major and a B|
Daily Nebraskan columnist. §p|
Signed staff editorials represent
the official policy of the fall 1989
Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the
Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its
members arc Amy Edwards, editor;
Lee Rood, editorial page editor; Jane
Hirt, managing editor; Brandon
Loomis, associate news editor; Bob
Nelson, columnist; Jerry Guenther,
senior reporter; Brian Svoboda, col
umnist
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
arc the regents, who established the
UNL Publications Board to supervise
the daily production of the paper.
According to policy set by the re
gents, responsibility for the editorial
content ol the newspaper lies solely in
the hands of its student editors.