Editorial
I Daily
I Nebraskan
I Editorial Board
■ University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Eric Pfanner, Editor, 472-1766
Victoria Ayotte, Managing Editor
Darcie Wiegert, Associate News Editor
Diane Brayton, Associate News Editor
Jana Pedersen, Wire Editor
Emily Rosenbaum, Copy Desk Chief
Lisa Donovan, Editorial Page Editor
Another enemy
Boredom could lead to itchy trigger fingers
When Operation Desert Shield was initiated nearly three
months ago, organizers painted a picture of a clean,
clinical exercise to protect U.S. interests in the Persian
Gulf.
From President Bush to the lowliest private, everyone
involved in the operation was gung-ho about its efficiency and
success. Even some of the adjectives used to describe the
scenario were medically sterile: “Surgical” airstrikes were to be
used against Iraq if push came to shove.
But after 10 weeks in the hot, grimy desert, U.S. servicemen
have found out that Operation Desert Shield is a little dirtier
than they thought it would be.
And the exercise has taken on its human clement.
Reports continue to flow out of Saudi Arabia about the
adverse conditions the troops face. At first, it was the heat and
the sand. Now dirty rifles and sweat have become routine.
Instead, the operation faces another natural enemy.
Boredom.
A Los Angeles i imes article indicates that unit commanders
arc finding little for their soldiers to do. Even in the desert,
there are only so many sand bags to fill.
Cultural differences between the United Stales and Saudi
Arabia are increasing the strain on the visitors. Alcohol is
banned; so is Amcrican-style entertainment.
Last week, comedian Steve Martin visited Saudi Arabia to
boost troop morale. But he had to reign in his act to avoid
offending the Arab'hosts.
So while the United Slates bides its lime wailing to see if
Saddam is a wild and crazy guy, the human element of the
exercise may do more to damage it from within than any
outside enemy.
The danger is that boredom can lead to an itchy trigger
linger. As one soldier told the Times, “We should either go
light or we should go home.”
Operation Desert Shield was not conceived as an offensive
measure. It was designed to protect Saudi Arabia front further
aggression by Saddam.
A military' clichd says Army routine forces its soldiers to
“hurry up and wail.” In this ease, the wailing is as stressful as
the hurrying.
— Kric Planner
for the Daily Sehraskan
Safe for now
i Freedom of expression found innocent
2 Live Crew will be playing again in Broward County,
Fla.
That’s what the rap group’s leader, Luther Campbell,
said after he and two other band members were found innocent
I of obscenity charges there.
The jury deliberated for about two hours Saturday before
deciding that the group’s June concert in Hollywood, Fla., had
some artistic value.
The prosecution had argued that the group's lyrics met a
Supreme Court test for obscenity; that by community standards
they appealed to a prurient interest and lacked artistic value.
The jury — all members of the community — proved with
their verdict that that was not the case.
Jury foreman David Garsow told The Associated Press, “As
the cross-section of the community that we arc, it (the album)
was just not obscene.”
j Intentionally or not, the jurors also helped uphold the
freedoms of speech and expression.
Those freedoms had come under fire in recent weeks,
especially after another jury in Fort Lauderdale found a record
store owner guilty of obscenity for selling 2 Live Crew’s
record, “As Nasty As They Wanna Be.”
Saturday’s verdict, along with last week's acquittal o( a Cin
cinnati museum director on obscenity charges for displaying
if photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorpe, lets artists and
others who favor an open society relax.
At least until the next county sheriff decides someone’s art
is obscene.
— Eric Pfanner
for the Daily Nebraskan
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Darling Quayle takes nosedive
Vice president's verbal stumbling rgain pulls down popularity
Uan Quayle s rating among the
public is down again.
Dan’s wife Marilyn de
fended him last week on Sally Jessy
Raphael’s show, saying that Dan’s
popularity was down because the
questions used in the polls asked how
people would feel about Danny-boy
becoming president.
Marilyn said that because some
thing would have to happen to Presi
dent Bush for her husband to become
president, people said they w ould not
like having Dan for president, be
cause no one wants any tiling to hap
pen to Bush.
Huh?
Well, it was a good attempt by a
good wifely wife to protect her good
husband's name.
But there’s a better explanation
for Quayle’s ever-decreasing popu
larity.
Besides his boyish charm (the reason
he was pul on the ballot, to attract the
“lady” voters), and his proficiency on
the golf course, Dan Quayle is basi
cally a blithering idiot.
Of course no one wants anything
to happen to President Bush, but it
really has nothing to do with love for
the president. Bush could chew to
bacco and spit on the vice president’s
shoes and the American public still
would favor him over Dashing Dan
Quayle.
Why?
Because after all lhislimc,afterall
the editorial cartoons and public laugh
ter, Quayle still can’t get his words
right. And someone w ho stumbles in
public would not make a good su
preme commander for our beloved
country.
Unfortunately, Quayle will proba
bly be up for the president's seat once
Bush decides to end his reign. One of
my political science professors told
me that there has never been a vice
president on me Kepuhiican ticket
who wasn’t nominated for the presi
dency.
Kind of gives you the shivers.
The vice-president was a guest
speaker last week in Louisville. Ky.,
at a national convention for the Soci
Amy
Edwards
ety of Professional Journalists. Yes.
Dan Quaylc used to be in journalism.
Quaylc was pushing a proposal to
lower the number of years our legisla
tors can serve at the national level,
and he actually gave a good sell. He
must have been practicing his speech
skills, or have gotten a new speech
writer. Quaylc played the crowd, even
donating his signed presidential seal
from the podium to a fund-raiser for
the group.
It sold for SI,500.
But when people started getting up
to ask questions, Quaylc started fum
bling. He doesn’t do very well off the
cuff.
When asked what the Republican
party would do if someone like for
mer Ku Klux Klan grand show-off
David Duke ever got elected, Quaylc
went intoa spiel about how the people
of Louisiana were just venting their
frustration with the government w hen
they voted for Duke. Quaylc said that
the 44 percent of the vote that Duke
got was not based on racism.
“The people of Louisiana are bet
ter than that,” he said.
Now, I’ve heard this argument
before, and some of it has merit. If
you re really pissed offal your gov
eminent, vote lor tnc siupiuestcanui
datc and scare some sense into ihe
real politicians.
But 44 percent? You can't tell me
that some of those people — probably
a majority of them — weren't voting
for Duke because he w as proud of Ins
tics w ith the Klan.
Quayle said he doubts there is a
resurgence of racism in this country.
And because racism is a tough thing
to track, and people don't report it, it
would be hard to prove the vice presi
dent w rong w ith a bunch of sialism s
Bui you don't need statistics to
know that there’s something wrong
with an election where a white su
premacist gels 44 percent of the vote.
Ignoring that fact isn’t just stupid, it's
dangerous.
But w hat did we really expect from
Dan Quayle anyway? Candy-coating
the country is his job. And he docs try
to appeal to everyone, doesn’t he?
He even tried to quote the United
Negro College Fund slogan at the
national meeting of that group to prov e
his allegiance with every faction of
our society.
Unfortunately, Quayle got that one
wrong as well.
His attempt: “It’s a terrible thing
to lose one’s mind.’’
Yes, Dan, it certainly is.
At least we won’t have to worry
about someone knocking off the presi
dent while Dan Quayle is still around.
And if his popularity continues to
decline, more power to the people.
Maybe the Republican party will decide
not to nominate the man for president
in 1996.
But don’t count on it. Dan still has
his charm, and he can always run on
that.
hdwardsisa senior news-editorial major
and a Daily Nebraskan columnist and Diver
sions editor.
kite*—t_
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