AStJN failure
Sexual orientation issues suffer
The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska
decided Wednesday night that racial rednecking is a
worse form of oppression than gay-bashing.
The senate approved two unequal levels of representation to
deal with separate but equally serious minority issues. It passed
bylaws for a Racial Affairs standing committee, while approv
ing only a subcommittee for gay/lesbian/bisexual affairs.
In doing so, ASUN tacitly asserted that issues of racial dis
crimination are more serious than discrimination on the
grounds of sexual orientation.
Several weeks ago, the senate started placing discrimination
into different tiers based on the group that’s being discrimi
nated against. It created subcommittees for disabled students
and international students, while senators still pushed for
standing committees for racial and sexual discrimination.
In effect, the senate is discriminating in its non-discrimina
tion.
Until Wednesday, that didn’t pose much of a problem.
Sticklers for form might argue that all groups, down to one
eyed Ukranian war veterans, deserve the same representation.
Bui reansiicany, racial anu scxuai miiiunues lacc mucu
more serious discrimination than do any other groups on
campus. And at ASUN meetings, international and disabled
students have been relatively quiet about the discrimination
they faced, compared to the active and vocal lobbying by racial
and sexual minorities.
There is no justification for giving those two groups differ
ent levels of representation. In its quest to extend minority rep
resentation — a seemingly cursed proposition since it came up
' in the fall — ASUN once again has failed.
The senate’s legislation is on tenuous footing, at best.
ASUN President Phil Gosch reaffirmed Wednesday his vow to
veto any standing committees that included recommendations
of minority membership. But he doesn’t even need to go that
far. If he doesn’t act on the bill before the new members of
ASUN are installed April 3, the bylaw change will die on its
own.
If both standing committees had passed, Gosch’s position
would be deplorable because of its opposition to Affirmative
Action. But now, it makes sense. The only reasonable and fair
■ choice is to veto the Racial Allairs Committee.
The Daily Nebraskan supports the idea of minority represen
| lalion in ASUN. Throughout the debate on the committees, we
have called lor approval of standing racial affairs and gay/
I lesbian/bisexual committees. But those committees — or, if
| necessary, subcommittees — must not be on different govem
| mental levels.
5 Gosch’s veto should come not because of fears that the
I Student Court would declare the bylaw unconstitutional, but
I because the new committee would defeat its declared purpose.
I Instead of fighting discrimination, it would institutionalize
discrimination in the ASUN hierarchy.
1 —E.F.P.
-LETTERS tTh°e EDITOR
Ribbon message of support
As a student rapidly approaching
the end of my academic career and
nearing the world of resumes, portfo
lios and regular paychecks, the world
often seems to go by me in a blur.
However, although I may not under
stand or have knowledge of all cur
rent world events, I do try to stay
informed about any issues I may dis
cuss in public. Obviously, this is not
the case with James Zank in his letter
(DN, March 19).
Please, Mr. Zank, get a clue on
what’s happening. First, you speak
against expressing oneself on public
property. If this is your real opinion,
why should we allow peace marches
on the grounds of our state capitol?
Obviously this is an expression of a
particular political view — yet you
fail to cite this as an example. Couldn’t
these marches be equally interpreted
(and I quote you in part) as “a biased
and unfair representation” of the people
who work and live in the state? Shame
on you for ignoring this side in your
“unbiased” letter, Mr. Zank.
Secondly, the yellow ribbon in our
link (which you must have made a
special tour to see) symbolizes our
support and remembrance of the six
students from our college that were
called to duty. You misinterpret our
intentions by twisting them into some
kind of illogical political statement/
George Bush commentary. In addi
tion, I’m disappointed, Mr. Zank, in
your “pointing fingers” at our depart
ment’s approval of the ribbon. Why
shouldn’t they approve of support
aimed at the students that they dedi
cate their lives to? Perhaps if you
were more informed about these is
sues, you would not be so quick to
look for scapegoats in order to at
tempt to support your “unbiased” letter.
And third, you timing leaves much
to be desired. The war is over —
obviously nobody told you. Our rib
bon has been displayed at least one or
two months now. Why the sudden
attack? Our ribbon appeared on the
fronts of both the Daily Nebraskan
and the Lincoln paper weeks ago.
Were you on vacation (i.e. Canada) at
the time? And what was your public
opinion prior to the war? You realize,
of course, that President Bush just
didn’t wake up one day and decide to
go to war. Why has it taken you so
long to speak up?
Please, get better informed on the
issues you discuss in public. The rib
bon will stay until the return of our
troops. Perhaps now — after learning
its real meaning — you will have
greater respect for it. However, if you
haven’t learned anything, Mr. Zank,
and you still wish to use something
“to blindfold justice,’’ perhaps you
could start by using a copy of your
own article.
Michelle A. Cook
graduate student
architecture
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MIKE ROYKO
Saddam is gay, sources say
This isn ’t meant to be a criticism
of the man. That would violate
today’s standards of sensitiv
ity and political correctness. But can
it be that Saddam Hussein is gay?
I raise the question only because a
nationally circulated newspaper re
cently ran a story with the headline,
“Saddam’s Gay Lover Tells All!’’ as
well as another headline that said:
“Iraqi Madman Wore Ladies’ Undies
In His Baghdad Bunker, Says Limp
Wristed Playmate.”
Before I go into further detail, I
must concede that the paper, the
Weekly World News, is not consid
ered one of the nation’s more repu
table publications.
It is distributed through supermar
kets and usually carries stories about
new sightings of UFOs, sex-crazed
hippos trying to make love to swim
mers in Africa and other fascinating
but little-known events.
For example, the current issue has
a story headlined: “Did Idi Amin Eat
His Lawyer?; ‘My husband was bar
becued and served on a buffet,’ charges
attorney’s wife.’”
And this issue’s UFO sighting was
out of the ordinary. It concerned a
nrp.tlv North Parnlina u/«im»n u/hn
insists that handsome space creatures
took her aboard their UFO and made
love to her so enthusiastically dial she
has since kicked her inadequate hus
band out of their home.
I should also mention that Weekly
World News is not to be confused
with the National Enquirer, which is
always being sued for telling scurri
lous lies about movie stars getting
drunk and being unfaithful or fat. As
far as I know, the Weekly World
News has never been sued and proba
bly won’t be, especially if Idi Amin
ate his lawyer.
But to get back to the allegation
that Saddam is gay. (I pass the story
along only because many of you are
too inhibited to buy the paper when
you are in a supermarket. I am too, so
I have my wife pick it up).
The story says the “shocking reve
lations were made by Saddam’s gay
playmate, Terry Hammell, who spent
four weeks holed up in the dictator’s
swanky private bunker before escap
Saddam believes he
is a ereat Chinese
checker player and
always wins “be
cause his, mis, know
anybody who beats
him will be shot on
the spot." ... It
shows that you just
can’t trust anybody.
ing to France in late February.”
This fellow Hammell, 26, suppos
edly alleged that Saddam often wears
women’s garments and “has a mad,
passionate crush on Cuban kingpin
Fidel Castro, whom he calls the most
handsome and brilliant man of our
time— He admitted to me more than
once that he is madly in love with the
man.”
The story was accompanied by
two photos of a man who looks like
Saddam hugging a scantily clad young
man identified as the kiss-and-tell
Hammell. The pictures, the paper says,
were snapped many months ago at
Saddam’s hideaway in Greece.
And these photos are the reason
Terry had to flee to France, Terry
says.
It seems that they were first pub
lished by the Weekly World News
four months ago (1 missed that issue),
but they were eventually seen by
Saddam’s wife, Sagida, who has a
jealous nature.
As Terry is quoted: “After the
pictures came out, things started get
ting a little loo hot for me in Baghdad.
“When Saddam’s wife found out,
she was very upset, particularly after
the war started and he took me into
the bunker to live with him while she
stayed at home.
“Finally, Sagida got word to me
that she would help me get out of the
bunker safely and return to my home
in France. If I refused to leave, she
said she would see to it that I was shot
dead.”
(Saddam may have his faults, but
this would indicate that wife Sagida
is the spunky sort who will not toler
ate a home-wrecker.)
The story goes on to say: “Trem
bling Terry arrived in Paris Feb. 21
and immediately agreed to spill the
beans on his lethal former lover.’’
“I loved Saddam,’’Terry said, but
I lived in constant terror when I was
around him because he is so totally
cra/v.”
And he revealed this shocker:
Saddam believes he is a great Chi
nese checker player and always wins
“because his pals know anybody who
beats him will be shot on the spot."
A Chinese checker cheat—and to
think that we once gave him military
and financial aid. It shows that you
just can’t trust anybody.
There’s more, but the details are
too shocking for me to repeat here.
You’ll have to send your wife to the
supermarket to get a copy.
As for why Idi Amin ate his law
yer, thecircumstances are believable.
Amin, the former dictator of Uganda,
now lives in Bahrain, a Persian Gull
state.
Amin retained the lawyer to repre
sent him in a camel custody fight with
a neighbor and, it appears, the lawyer
did a poor job.
So Amin got angry and . .. well,
you’ll have to read the rest yourself. I
don’t publish recipes. People get angry
if they don’t turn our right.
(C) 1991 By the Chicago Tribune