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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1991)
Opinion Jana Pedersen, Editor, 472-1766 Erie Pfanner, Editorial Page Editor Diane Braylon, Managing Editor Walter Gholson, Columnist Paul Domcicr, Copy Desk Chief Brian Shcllilo, Cartoonist Michael Slock, Columnist I don’t recall... Amnesia defense should be forgotten The amnesia defense must be put to rest. First, Adm. John Poindexter, and then a long line of other Reagan administration officials, went before con gressional panels, saying they didn’t recall details of the illegal U.S. diversion of money to the Nicaraguan rebels. Now Robert Gates, President Bush’s nominee to head the CIA, says he doesn’t remember whether he was tcld that the White House knew that profits from arms sales to Iraq were being sent to the contras. In each case, the officials’ memory lapses have strained the bounds of credibility. The mid-1980s, when Iran-contra oc curred, is not ancient history. Gates, in sworn responses to the Senate Intelligence Commit tee, has written, to the best of my recollection, (CIA senior analyst Charles) Allen never mentioned to me or speculated that anyone in the U.S. government, including the ... White House” took part in the re channelling of funds. Perhaps Gates’ recollection is not the best. On Tuesday, Allen testified - before the committee that he had met with Gates in October 1986 to express concern over evidence that \ the Iran-contra diversion was J occurring, and that the White House had a hand in it. “Mr. Gates appeared startled and disturbed that the White House would involve itself in such dubious activity,” Allen said. Gates was particularly con cerned by the role Lt. Col. Oliver North played in the diversion of funds, Allen testified. And he said he made it clear that the chain of knowledge went through North to Poindexter, who was then national security adviser. Acting CIA director Richard Kerr, who at the time was the agency’s director of analysis, said he also passed along information on * nff iran-conira 10 uates. Bnan sheiincvDN Essentially, then, it is Gates’ word against that of two other senior CIA officials. Some members of the Intelligence Committee apparently were buying Allen’s and Kerr’s version of events. Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., said Gates “has a faulty memory when it comes to the involvement of the NSC,’’ referring to the National Security Council. “There’s a conflict in testimony there,” said committee Chair man David Boren, D-Okla. Gates is not on trial. But he must not be approved without further accounting of his role in the Iran-contra affair. Even if it means taxing his memory. —E.FJ>. Home economics college vital for future teachers Although recent articles on the proposed budget cuts in the College of Home Economics gave an accurate portrayal of how this action would affect me on a personal level, they did not address an even more important factor — the impact of the cuts on Nebraska citizens. The mission of home economics is to improve the well-being of indi viduals and families. The home eco nomics education program that has been targeted for elimination prepares home economics teachers for schools across the state. In addition, students obtain educator or trainer positions in government, business and industry. These students are prepared to leach parenting, family relationships, con sumer education, nutrition and many other topics. No one could disagree that these are essential topics to the well-being pf families in today’s world. Not only do our students become a part of a high-quality accredited pro gram at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, but they are given individual assistance after they graduate as they enter that first critical year of teach ing. In addition, the home economics education faculty members offer continuing education workshops across the entire state. This year, two faculty members in addition to their regular teaching load will take 36 workshops on listening, critical thinking and curriculum development in home economics to teachers across the state Given the current emphasis in our country on the importance of qualit) secondary education and improving family life, it is imperative that teach ers have strong preparation and con tinuing education opportunities in developing teaching skills in nutri tion, consumer education, parenting etc. The home economics program ai UNL, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, has prepared compe tent teachers to meet today's dial lenges. I find it unacceptable that the university would want to eliminate this program, at a time when qualit) teachers and secondary programs are so needed. Julie Johnsor associate professoi consumer science and educatior . • VMM A NIGHTMARE I HKD LAST NIGHT I DREW THE GUlf WAR WAS CNER AND THE VOTERS BEGAN TO LOOK AT DOMESTIC ISSUES AND THE TRAN CONTRA DEAL .THE LAGGING ECONOMV AND THE DEFICIT. IT WAS SCARV. \ r^) Vfs OKAR GEORGE, BACK. TO RSAUT1* PtAR. PAUL DOMEIER Lincoln lacks sober events Lincoln can get Iguana’s, but not the Lincoln Sowers. Iguana’s is the new bar on O Street. The Sowers are the profes sional baseball team that doesn’t ex ist because the city couldn’t find an investor. So continues Lincoln’s trek to becoming The Largest City to Have Nothing but Bars. OK, this is an exaggeration, but I’m a frustrated Lincoln resident of about four years. I expect to leave at the end of the semester in search of a city that better suits my interests. I love Lincoln, and I love city life. Sadly, despite a population here of almost 200,000, those two don’t go together. By city life, I don’t mean gang wars, the homeless, countless drug addicts and race riots. I mean social events of a couple hundred or a couple thousand people. Lincoln could have a high number of the latter category without a large number of the former. Many University of Nebraska Lincoln students whom I have talked to agree with me, that we love Lin coln but will leave in search of a livelier lifestyle. Lincoln suffers from “brain drain” because Lincoln bores those brains. Certain categories of non-alcoholic entertainment are in short supply. With the Ross Film, Theater at Sheldon Art Gallery and Carson Theater at the Lied Center for Per forming Arts, we’ve got the high, high, high end of entertainment. With Cable Vision expanding Lincoln’s cable television capabilities, we have the low end of entertainment. Lincoln is lacking in the middle, and most Lincoln residents fall in the middle. College students are in the middle, and this is a major college town. Lincoln has UNL, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln School of Com merce, Union College, a branch of Southeast Community College and a branch of Doane College. The other core industry in this city is state government. Education and government both involve well-edu cated, fairly well-off employees who could and would use recreational outlets other than amateur night a( the Royal Grove. Statistically, college students have a large amount of cash to spend, re gardless of how much they bitch about money. Right now, that money goes to movies and restaurants, and to the bars. That money would go to other outlets if those outlets existed — outlets of sports and culture. The Sowers would have given Lincolnites another mid-level activ ity. A minor league baseball fran chise would have given Lincoln a non-Husker team to root for and pro vided a sport for the summer months. Minor league baseball is cheap, gets people outside and is great for the whole family. Even if baseball bores you to tears, there arc few belter places to go and chat than a minor league game. And for a cynical, law-abiding argument, all those underage college I students could put away their fake I IDs and go someplace legally for a I change. Right now, Nebraska is dull for ■ sports fans. M Lincoln has the Nebraska Com-^ huskers. That’s about seven football 1 games and 15 men’s basketball games 1 a year. Some baseball games, volley ball matches, women’s basketball games and wrestling meets can be come major events. A few years ago, Omaha had an even more glaring sports void. But recently the River City added the Omaha Racers basketball team and the Omaha Lancers hockey team and fought hard to keep the Omaha Roy als baseball team. , Omaha’s surge has made Lincoln’s pitiful status obvious. Omaha has a hockey team with a fanatic follow ing, and Lincoln doesn’t even have a full-sized ice-skating rink. Lincoln has a chance to iina an investor and create the Sowers to join the Can-Am League for the 1993 season. If Lincoln doesn’t get a fran chise, it might as well declare itself a suburb in search of a city to cling to. I didn’t expect one minor-league baseball team to make the difference, to cause thousands of families to move to town so they could get season tick ets for a minor-league team, but nei ther did I expect that no one would offer the money needed for the fran chise. Financing didn’t require millions of dollars. It required a relatively smal amount of money for any successful businessperson and faith that Lincoln can support something. It seems that no one with money has any faith in Lincoln. If this con tinues, those of us who do have faith in Lincoln will continue to leave. Domeler Is • senior news-editorial major, the Daily Nebraskan copy desk chief and a columnist. Lincoln suffers from “brain drain” be cause Lincoln bores time brains. Certain categories of non-al coholic entertaini merit are in short supply. -EDITORIAL POLICE Editorials do not necessarily re flect the views of the university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent the opinion of the author. The Daily Nebraskan’s publishers arc the regents, who established the UNL Publications Board to super vise the daily production of the pa per. According lo policy set by the re gents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its students. -LETTER POLICY The Daily Nebraskan welcomes , brief letters to the editor from all readers. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, origi nality, timeliness and space avail able. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit all material submit ted. Anonymous submissions will not be considered for publication. Let ters should include the author's name, year in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
