Iraq isn’t alone
can’t ignore violations elsewhere
Ironically, President Bush’s supposed punishment of Sad
dam Hussein for atrocities has led to a rash of human
rights violations elsewhere in the world.
While the world conscience faced Iraq, Mikhail Gorbachev
smashed democratic aspirations in the Baltic republics. The
United States, after all, needs Soviet support in the gulf.
And on Saturday, China, the all-important no-vote on the
U.N. Security Council, sentenced pro-democracy demonstra
tors — one demonstrator to four years in prison and the other
I to seven years.
This comes in addition to numerous other closed-door trials
over the past month in China. This rush to close the cases
comes 20 months after hundreds of the demonstrators were
killed in Tiananmen Square.
i There seems to be little question why the U.S. government
has avoided confrontation with Beijing, especially within the
last six months. It’s not easy to make examples of countries
with huge armies, especially when their votes are needed to
make examples of countries with smaller armies.
And it’s even less of a question why Beijing has chosen
January to try' ail the cases. Who would cry about a few lives in
China when thousands arc on the line in Kuwait.
But if the United States is going to claim moral obligations
in the gulf, it must be prepared to fight injustice everywhere.
In the weeks to follow, China will be trying and sentencing
what the government considers to be the most serious offenders
in the democratic movement — those accused of plotting to
overthrow the government.
Without adequate U.S. and U.N. response, they could be
executed for supporting ideals the United States supposedly is
fighting for in the Persian Gulf.
Such hypocrisy would compromise the legitimacy of U.S.
actions in the gulf, or anywhere else it serves as the enforcer of
justice. China must be pressured economically to free its
political prisoners, simply because hypocrisy and altruism
don’t mix.
-LETTERS™ EDITOR
U.S. making military mistake
Thank God it’s not another Viet
nam! What a worthless, pitiful reason
for Jennifer Eaves’ (DN Jan. 21)
“relief” of the war in the Persian Gulf.
Never mind that thousands (ves, that’s
THOUSANDS) of American lives will
be the payment for our involvement
in a country- that realistically and
economically is not worthy of such a
dire price — like Vietnam.
“Will we never learn by our past
mistakes?” wails the misguided Eaves
— implying that anti-war protesters
only hinder our pure and God-given
mission of policing the entire globe
(that is, only when we want to). She
continues, “Don’t get me wrong, I
myself am a big supporter of peace
and feel that war is the easy way out.
But I also don’t want us to now repeat
mistakes made during Vietnam.” Sorry
to rain on your parade, but aren’t we
falling into the same kind of trap that
happened nearly 25 years ago? Do
you actually think that only because
we are using the full potential of our
conventional forces that this will be
easy and relatively bloodless? The
American troops arc facing the fourth
largest ground army in the world,
which, 1 might add, has been battle
hardened for the last eight years of
desert fighting with Iran. Most of our
troops have never seen conflict, let
alone trained in desert tactical war
fare.
Finally she bestows us “peace
lovers” with wisdom beyond her years:
Rather than voicing our opinions, we
should “greet them (the servicemen
and women) with victory parades,
hugs and cheers of joy. Then after it’s
all over—whether that be in a couple
of weeks or years — let’s take diplo
matic steps to finally ensure that there
will never be another war again.”
Unfortunately, in a war that lasts ei
ther a “couple of weeks or years,
many families won’t be able to par
ticipate in those parades. For many of
these families, the reality of war (the
death, the maiming, the stupidity)
will forever be with them.
One question that I feel hasn’t
been adequately answered is: Why in
the hell arc we there? Certainly we’re
not fighting for oil — the government
has cleared up that asinine assump
tion (sarcasm for those of you who
don’t sec it). Arc we fighting foi
freedom? Arc we falling on the same
rhetoric of the Johnson era that the
Domino Effect will eventually over
take us and soon we’ll all be wearing
thick Saddam like moustaches? If so
why arc we defending a feudalistic
state — an absolute monarchy? Boy
that sounds like we’re in defense ol
the American way — Mom, Apple
Pic, and Totalitarianism.
Unfortunately, many believe thai
the anti-war protesters arc automati
cally “anti-military,” or more spccifi
cally, “anti-troops,” and thus, un
American. I think this is the furthesi
from the truth. We arc not protesting
situations like Vietnam’s My Lai
where scrviccpcrsons were directly
responsible for their own, uncalled
for actions. We arc simply protesting
the reasons for our invol vement in the
Persian Gulf. They arc flimsy at bes
and wholly without merit. Althougl
Bush has received the apprehensivt
nod from Congress to engage the
United States in this war, and oui
military forces arc now fully commit
ted to it, doesn’t mean that we mus
humbly accept it. Believe me, it isn’
the protesters who will hinder the
progress of lliis military mistake anc
keep “our boys and girls” over there
it is we who will show that the wai
isn’t held favorably by all Amcri
cans, and when the perennial tide
turns and the growing body coun
becomes intolerable, it will be oui
efforts that bring them home.
In closing, Jennie say s it best: “Wake
up people and face reality! We arc a
war!”
Luke Schollmcyei
senioi
Russiar
I ISA DONOVAN
Future negates free-ride past
It was at Gay Johnson’s Truck
Stop in Rawlins, Wyo., that I
first saw it: “Gas, Grass or Ass
— Nobody Rides for Free.”
At the tender age of 12, the bumper
sticker meant nothing but a moment
of covert perversion on a long haul
with the folks to visit my brother in
Idaho.
Now that I’m older and a bit wiser,
I still chuckle at the notion, but the
phrase has taken on a more intense
meaning.
That’s right. This sleazy saying
has come to mean that you always
pay in the end. So now, I look at my
“free” education. I’ve been one of the
fortunate ones who got a ride from
my parents for the last 23 years.
Because I’ve been readily accept
ing this ride, I’m going to pay a price
for not saving a dime and not having
a grasp on how to deal with my fi
nances. Yes, I’ll be a sorry soul May
11 when I’m given my piece of paper,
a handshake and the real world. This
reality will only hit when I decide
whether to invest my last S200 in a
Certificate of Deposit or a CD player.
i rcan/.ca aooui mrec monins ago
that I had less than a school year to
learn how to manage money. So I got
a second job and told my parents I
needed less — all in the name of
learning financial responsibility and
independence.
1 don’t think I’m a very good stu
dent.
I called the bank on Thursday. I
like the newfangled telcbanking be
cause when I make an inquiry on my
balance, I can use all sorts of exple
tives without offending anyone.
1 listened to the news: “YO-OR
BALANCE, SUBJECT TO VERIFI
CATION IS: THA-REE DOL-LARS
| AND FIF-TEEN CENTS.”
Nice. My immediate reaction would
be to dial up Omaha. But I can’t.
Calling Mommy and Daddy is a habit
little Lisa needs to break.
So I guess, three months will come
faster than I think and not only will I
| be paying all of my bills, but in return
1 Iwillgctasharpkickinthcscatofthe
; pants.
That sharp kick will be America’s
recession, sponsored by this great
nation’s leaders. Our presidents and
economic leaders have been riding on
the notion that they would rather be
popular than deal harshly with the
state of our economy.
All the rich folks voted those poli
ticians back into office during the
’80s. They emulated their govern
ment and borrowed a bunch of monev
from their neighbors to buy stocks, to
AH of, that tglk
panics me. The
aaitmlistic Chuck
Darwin in me
comes out survival
ofthe fittest. I don’t
eive a damn if a
company that
makes crappy beer
is goimz under.
WhaUhe. hell am l
supposed to do
about people who
haven’t taken ad
vantage of the
American dream. /
will survive.
buy junk bonds, to buy furs. The U.S.
government and its upper echelon
continued to gamble until the ’80s ran
out. And ihcir luck.
So here we sit, no real control over
the situation, just sort of along for the
ride. We pick up the papers and read
headlines about the growing popula
tion and about how New York’s
homeless have taken to being door
men and women at indoor automatic
teller machines to cam a day’s pay,
and in some cases, sleep.
In Friday’s USA Today, there was
a notice that G. Heileman Brewing
Co., makers of Old Style, Colt 45 and
Lone Star beers, filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy.
Right next to it was an article
about how thcauto industry may be in
a slump until next autumn, possibly
into 1992. y
All of that talk panics me. The
animalistic Chuck Darwin in me comes
out: survival of the fittest. I don’t give
a damn il a company that makes crappy
beer is going under. What the hell am
I supposed to do about people who
haven’t taken advantage of the Ameri
can dream. I will survive.
But, realistically, I’m not going to
do that. There are enough Reaganom
ics advocates who have taken care of
their own dreams. There’s no point in
letting the less fortunate become more
less fortunate.
So to ensure my future, I better be
a nice girl now. That evil word, fu
ture. People always ask “so what docs
the future hold for Lisa after gradu
ation? What will you do after gradu
ation? Will you get a job? Do you
have a fiancee?”
Whatever happened to the mean
ingless, “How are you?”
Yes, the future. Everything hap
pens after mid-May.
But from what I can sec, I’m merely
coasting. It’s out of my hands. Many
of the newspapers have hiring frcc/cs.
Many of my friends who received
degrees in December, especially those
who want to be reporters, are having
a tough lime finding work.
But that’s no excuse. Dad says
with angry emphasis; “You can do
anything you want; you’ll get a job.'
Mom gives a reassuring, “do your
best,” and a look that conveys “I hope
you’ll stay close to home.”
Even if I wanted to, it’s not an
option. My plans fluctuate with my
daily checking account balances.
Last Monday, I wanted to work at
a newspaper when I graduate this
coming May.
Tuesday, I was going to head
anywhere west. Newsweek advised
that those looking for work should go
where the jobs are — Colorado,
Nevada, Utah and California.
Wednesday, I thought I would like
to go back to the New Jersey maga
zine I interned for last summer, but
the wavering Northeast economy isn’t
promising.
By Thursday, my friend Amy and
I decided it would be fun to head lor
New York and wait tables at a trendy
restaurant in Greenwich Village or
SoHo.
But by Friday, Amy and I thought
it would be fun to work at some camp
in New York, save some cash and
then travel abroad.
I don’t know. I can’t decide.
The real story is that I probably
will end up stranded, slinging hash at
a truck stop in Wyoming, watching
little kids twirl around the rack of
bumper stickers, and calling my par
ents collect.
Donovan is a senior news-editorial major
and a Daily Nebraskan senior news reporter
and columnist