Paf Frllfnripl Ne&an
^ AJL A, A AA A, A d A Wednesday, February 14,1990
a Daily
I Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Amy ltd wards, Editor, 472-1766
Boh Nelson, Editorial Page Editor
Ryan Sleeves, Managing Editor
Eric Pfanner, Associate News Editor
Lisa Donovan, Associate News Editor
Brandon Loomis, Wire Editor
Jana Pedersen, Night News Editor
Diane Braylon, Night News Editor
Fine line questioned
‘Fighting-words’ policy could he abused
University officials announced Sunday they are con
sidering a change in the student code of conduct
that, if carefully implemented, could serve as one more
check on senseless slurs against minorities.
Bryan Hill, president of Association of Students of the .
University of Nebraska, and James Griesen, vice chancel
1 lor for student affairs, are looking at ways to make “fight
ing words,” or personally abusive statements, a violation
in the code of conduct.
Hill and Griesen plan for the changes to be similar to a
| policy at the University of California. That code of con
duct states that fighting words include those “inherently
i likely to provoke a violent reaction,” including deroga
tory references to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual
I orientation, disability or other personal characteristics.
Words are harassment, the policy states, when they
■ create a “hostile and intimidating” environment that
interferes with victims’ abilities to pursue their educations
or participate in university activities.
mil ana unesen aireaay are aware or tne innate proo
1 lems with such a policy. Hill said he is not positive if a
| “fine enough line” can be drawn to stop abusive state
j ments but still allow free discussion of racial issues.
And he’s right. Drawing lines between free speech and
i “fighting words” is a dangerously arbitrary task at best.
1 Any vague wording in the policy could result in abuses
far outweighing its attributes.
Taking into consideration the danger of such a policy in
practice, the proposed change in the code of conduct may
serve no real purpose other than as a vehicle for discus
sion. That is perfectly fine. Any vehicle for open discus
sion on racial issues is a plus on this campus.
Yolanda Scott, interim president of D.R.E.A.M., has a
| good grasp on the purpose and likely results of discussion
or even a strict interpretation of such a policy.
“I think that people will become more cautious of
words that would be perceived as fighting words,” she
said. “People will be thinking before they speak.”
It goes without saying that a change in the code of
j conduct will not end racism on campus. Racism is much
j deeper than verbal communication, let alone “fighting
words.” This change would serve only as a tiny step in
s the right direction, but a step nonetheless.
— Bob Nelson
for the Daily Nebraskan
Alternative scene lives, Deeds
Concerning Michael Deeds’ article
(DN, Feb. 7), “Lie Awake was the
reigning Lincoln band fora while.”
When? Granted, Lie Awake may have
been the most popular for a while but
I missed their reign. The last time the
most popular groups were also im
portant ones, Vietnam was a social
issue and most University of Ncbraska
Lincoln students were not yet bom.
Quit complaining and open your
eyes (and ears). Lincoln’s local mu
sic scene has the same level of talent
as cities like Atlanta, Minneapolis
and Houston. The biggest difference
is that those three cities have people
who support original bands. Why don’t
people go out to see bands like the
Leafy Green Things, For Against, Such
Sweet Thunder (from Kearney), A
Fifth of May (from Omaha) or The
Millions?
“Don’t bother,” Deeds says,
“trying for the job if you play ‘alter
native’ music.” What the hell is al
ternative music? How can we use that
same term again while saying ‘‘alter
native people” have somehow be
come conformist. 1 always thought a
conformist was someone who changed
to please others’ ideas, not someone
who did something that somehow
became trendy.
Finally, 1 can stand the smoky
atmosphere of Duffy’s, the “long
hairs” grooving on each other and the
“stabs at world hunger or saving
whales” (as if that is something nega
tive) in order to hear some good music.
I cannot tolerate some ass spilling his
beer on me on an overcrowded dance
floor while he mumbles random words
from “I Need You Tonight.”
Malcom Miles
senior
criminal justice
editoriaL—
Signed staff editorials represent
the official policy of the spring 1990
Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the
Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its
members arc Amy Edwards, editor;
Bob Nelson, editorial page editor;
Ryan Sleeves, managing editor; Eric
Planner, associate news cditor;Lisa
Donovan, associate news editor;
Brandon Loomis, wire editor; Jana
Pedersen, night news editor.
The Daily Nebraskan’s publisher:
arc the regents, who established th<
UNL Publications Board to supervise
the daily production of the paper.
According to policy set by the re
gents, responsibility for the editoria
content of the newspaper lies solely u
the hands of its student editors.
-------
Cuomo not only Catholic sinner
Thou shalt not publicize just one sinner unless playing politics
I’ve been on the receiving end
of many stem lectures this week
because of a column 1 wrote
about Gov. Mario Cuomo and the
New York bishop who said Cuomo
might end up in hell because he isn’t
trying to make abortion illegal.
One of the rebukes came from an
anti-abortion group’s telephone hot
line. It summed up what other callers
have told me:
“Bishop Austin Vaughan simply
did w hat every good priest should do
and is obliged to do: warn a public
sinner that if he continues in his sin he
may not en ter the kingdom of heaven.
... So more power to Bishop Vaughan,
who knew that he would be roundly
criticized by a bunch of know-noth
ings but who did not let that stop him
from doing his job.”
The hot line message went on to
explain why I was one of the “know
nothings.”
“Royko seems to think that if a
bishop tells one of his flock that he is
in danger of hell, suddenly that bishop
is imposing his morality on all of us.
Why such a bad chip on your shoul
der, Mike, bad conscience?”
No, my conscience feels OK. I
haven’t performed any abortions lately
or encouraged anyone to have them.
As a matter of fact, it might sur
prise the anti-abortion group, but I
don’t think much of abortions. I par
ticularly dislike abortion as a form of
birth control.
There arc all sorts of birth control
methods available to men and women.
So I’d prefer that men and women
who don’t want children avoid preg
nancy in the first place and use abor
tion only in a life-threatening situ
ation.
Unfortunately, Vaughan’s church
doesn’t approve of most birth control
methods, so it sort of puts women
between a rock and a hard place. His
church doesn’t even want the poor
and uneducated to be told how to
practice birth control. But that’s an
other issue.
To get back to Vaughan's warning
to Cuomo. I totally agree that if a
Catholic priest believes that a mem
ber of his Hock is doing something
that could send him to hell he should
warn that sinner.
I'm sure that before this day ends,
thousandsof American Catholics will
have done something that could,
—A _ if*
V* Jw Mike
"°yk°
according to their faith, prevent them
from entering the kingdom of heaven.
Goodness, the figure might be in the
millions worldwide.
And I think it is the obligation of
priests to warn them to mend their
wicked ways, as I’m sure many of the
priests do.
However, I’ve been in the news
paper business for 35 years as a re
porter, editor and columnist. I’ve spent
much of my working life in or near
the newsrooms of three papers.
And not once have 1 ever received,
or heard of anyone receiving, a call
from a priest who said something like
this:
“Hello, this is Father Shannon. I
am calling to say that there is a member
of my Hock named Slats Grobnik
who is a foreman at the Popup Spring
Company. Mr. Grobnik, who is a
married man, has been carrying on an
adulterous relationship with a mar
ried barmaid who works near his place
of employment. Every Tuesday in the
Happy Nooncr Motel. If he persists in
this sinful behavior, he might go to
hell. So I would like to warn him.
Could you please sec that this is printed I
on the front page of your newspa- 1
per?”
That, in effect, is what Vaughan I
did. If he is genuinely worried about
Cuomo’s soul, as I’m sure he is, why
didn’t he send a letter or make a call
and say: “Governor, this is Bishop
Vaughan, and I’m concerned that you
might go to hell,” etc., etc.
Instead he blabbed it to a reporter,
assuring that it would wind up on the
front page of most of America’s pa
pers, the network news, in the news
magazines and on The Associated
Press, United Press International and
Reuters wires.
I realize that Cuomo is a promi
nent person, but 1 know of many
prominent Catholics, including poli
ticians, who have done things that
mast surely, in the eyes of their church, ^
threaten them with hell’s fire.
But I don’t recall any bishops or
cardinals phoning and saying: “Quick,
give me a rewrite. 1 want to issue a
front-page warning to Sen. Bcdhop
per that if he doesn’t knock ofl his
sinful hanky-panky he’s going to sweat
through one long, hot eternity.’’
If Vaughan’s approach were ap
propriate, then 1 urge his church to
really do it. Don’t stop with Cuomo.
How about every archdiocese send
ing out a weekly news release listing
unrepentant sinners? I’m sure that if
Slats Grobnik and that barmaid saw
their names on Page 1 they would
cease and desist.
But until this happens, I have a
modest suggestion for Vaughan. TTiou
shall not blab about just one guy or
you’ll be suspected of playing poli
tics, not religion. I don’t know if
that’s a sin, but it’s kind of sneaky.
1990 By the Chicago Tribune
rro-liier allows no exceptions, hurts cause
Andrew Meyer, you have reached
a new low. What you are telling us is
that you believe in no abortion for any
reason. Do you get calls from other
pro-lifers telling you to shut up before
. you hurt their cause even more? I
’ wouldn’t be surprised.
Your letter (DN, Feb. 12) actually
says, “A distressingly large number
of children are put to death each year
- under the rubric of ‘saving the mother’s
I life.’” First, even the most ardent
i anti-abortionists allow that there arc
exceptions, and second, you seem to
forget that abortion is still legal in this
country. Women don’t need “ex
cuses” to exercise this right. So, where
have you been hanging out, Andrew,
that you find all these women scream
ing, 4‘Kill my baby to save my life! ”?
Gee, what a mamby-pamby excuse in
any case.
Lastly and most importantly,
Andrew, you have no right to say
anything on the matter because you
are a man (I’m guessing). Men can’t
know what abortion is like. Men will
never have to go through it. So all that
wc men can do is stand back and say,
“It’s up to you, and I’ll support your
decision.”
Andrew, when the day comes that
you actually form a relationship with
a woman and actually need to con
sider such options as these (God for
bid), keep all this in mind and then
form opinions. Until then, please sit
down and shut up.
Michael Jones
sophomore
psychology