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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1991)
Opinion Jana Pedersen, Editor, 472-1766 Eric Pfanner, Editorial Page Editor Diane Brayton, Managing Editor Walter Gholson, Columnist Paul Domeier, Copy Desk Chief Brian Shellito, Cartoonist Jeremy Fitzpatrick, Senior Reporter Ozone alarm Humans must solve man-made problem The United Nations issued alarming news this week about depletion of the ozone layer. A group of U.N. scientists said the earth’s atmospheric protective level could drop by 3 percent within the next decade. Even more dire was a finding that the ozone layer is being depleted all along the northern and southern hemispheres in the spring and summer. Previously, most scientists had thought the depletion was more limited. Ozone depletion is particularly dangerous in the months when throngs of people strive to achieve that savage tan. The scientists said the expected depletion over the next 10 years could cause a 10 percent increase in the number of skin cancer In addition, the summertime ozone drain could cause increased damage to crops from ultraviolet light, thereby reduc ing yields, said Robert Watson, co-chairman of the U.N. group. The report shows that efforts to protect the fragile layer that filters some of the sun’s damaging rays have not been enough. Ozone deple ( tion is caused primarily by chlorofluorocar Lisa Pytlik/DN D°ns, Or CFCS, which arc used in cooling devices and in the production of foam plastics. Tuesday’s report underscores the need for further reductions — both mandated and voluntary — in the use of CFCs. DuPont, the world’s largest producer of CFCs, said it would do just that, announcing a planned phase-out of CFCs and substitute chemicals that are less destructive but still damage the ozone layer, The Washington Post reported. Watson said the U.N. scientists believe that “human actions” are the reason for the ozone loss. If so, human actions must also be used to find and enact solutions to the problem. —E.FJ». Greek, Latin add quality, not costs, to university • There must be some word said regarding Paul Domeier’s column (“Students ignoring budget buzz,” DN, Oct. 24, 1991) regarding the propri ety of culling the Department of Clas sics being, perhaps, similar to the removal of alchemy or astrology. True, should Greek and Latin be self-centered programs that only look upon themselves and possess no in trinsic worth, I would wholeheart edly support the proposed budget cuts. Yet such is not the ease of Greek and Latin. For, without Greek and Latin, serious study of ancient his tory, medieval history and literature, philosophy is frankly impossible. A university without Greek and Latin cannot, in any sense of the word, be called a university. For without seri ous study of these fields (thanks to the support of Greek and Latin), we would be only a community college — a very expensive community college. But, apart from lofty goals, the destruction of the Department of Classics would not save money — it would cost money. To the tune of $650,000 a year. For the students taught by the Department of Classics must be taught these courses else where. Every other department in the College of Arts and Sciences costs more per credit hour to leach the same number of students than does the Department of Classics. There fore, this cut will not shore up the university’ financial house, but will author a self-created financial crisis that will result in cither the pumping in of millions of dollars to the univer sity, or the cutting of yet more depart ments. Finally, some word must be said regarding Domcier’s statement that this cut will not affect him. 1 beg to differ. For the name of this university is going to be upon every diploma. With the removal of classics, the watering down of the curriculum, and the subsequent removal of accredita tion from this university, a UNL degree would be comparable, in the eyes of future employers, to a degree from Chadron State College. You might must as well have saved the money and the time. Bruce Gregg graduate teaching assistant Department of Classics -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. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. AS VJE ARE FALEt> “WESE ... ECOiOVWC T\ME£ ... VslE ARE COKfcRMEO Vs/to' PERSER^VU "tV\' WER\CW V«/^ O' UFE W^-mESE ... ^EU_...EET<i ^ ^ vvPEOPLE O' QUESTlOWAvBtE vJORK EflWCS." r BWT l HMWK CKM USB v^*T~T " V'W ''"-- i-ZZSr&Zzd CHRIS POTTER New nuclear threats brewing After four decades of pathologi cal nuclear brinksmanship, the world rests easier. The two principal nuclear powers no longer menace each other and the world with these awful weapons. New York Timcs/CBS News polls reveal that the American fear of nu clear war has declined dramatically over the last five years. In 1985, nearly 20 percent of those polled considered it to be the most important problem facing the country. Well under 3 per cent do today. But the collective sigh of nuclear relief is premature. People errone ously believe that nuclear war would come only as a violent conclusion to the Cold War. That assumption is patently wrong and extremely dan gerous. The threat of deliberate and pro tracted war between the United States and the Soviet Union is today much diminished. U.S. presidents no longer deem the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” and Soviet premiers have stopped their shoe-tapping denuncia tions of the Un ited S tales at the United Nations. Beyond the end of such rheto ric, both sides have taken more con crete measures The number of strategic warheads on both sides will be reduced dra matically under the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks. President Bush’s bold proposal to scrap unilaterally nearly all tactical warheads and stand down from nuclear alert is likely to be met with a similar commitment from President Gorbachev. But while neither country poses a serious deliberate threat, both pose a serious threat of accidental nuclear exchange. The movie “War Games” struck a nerve with the American public when it depicted this eventuality. In the movie, a computer assumed control of the nuclear control structure and convinced military officials that the Soviets had launched a salvo of mis siles aimed at the United Slates. Military officials discount the scenario. Bruce Blair, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Henry Kendall, a physicist and chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, do not. In a “Scientific American” article last year, they claimed that in 1980 “a computer chip generated indications Contemporary nu clear powers view the Persian Guff War as g redemption of con ventional weaponry. Against a non-nu clear Quanta. <uL ranced conventional arms, mie. fully suffi cient. But other countries view the war as a redemption of the nuclear option. of a massive Soviet attack ... in the ensuing confusion, a nuclear alert was declared.” In another scenario, the nuclear exchange is deliberate but unauthor ized. An overzealous military offi cial, for example, might initiate a first strike unauthorized by the legitimate political authority. Blair and Kendall also lend cre dence to this “Dr. Strangclove” sce nario: “Numerous military installa tions possess all the codes needed to authorize launch.” As nuclear technology becomes widely available outside the United Stales and Soviet Union, more na tions will join the nuclear club. Third World countries need only send their brightest students to physics and chemistry departments in the West to obtain the knowledge necessary to build fission and fusion weapons. Even now many countries in the Third World probably have fully advanced nuclear programs. Iraq is not an isolated case. A research analyst for the Wiscon sin Project on Nuclear Arms Control told The Associated Press last week that the list of these countries is quite long: North Korea, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, India, Libya, Taiwan, South Korea, Alge ria, Israel and Iran. The list will grow. The incentive for these countries to develop their own stockpile is obvious. A superpower nuclear mo nopoly has long been seen by the Third World as a tool for exerting control over other nations. An inde- i pendent capability would render that tool less effective. Contemporary nuclear powers view the Persian Gulf War as a redemption of conventional weaponry. Against a non-nuclear country, advanced con ventional arms were fully sufficient. But other countries view the war as a redemption of the nuclear option. Iraq’s example suggests to these nations that they should keep their research programs secret, not that they should abandon them. The United Stales would not have been so eager to counter the invasion of Kuwait if Iraq had been a genuine nuclear power. As frightening as the likelihood of a country such as Libya having nu clear weapons capability is, a far more frightening likelihood presents itself. Many of the countries listed above as having advanced nuclear programs also have strong ties to terrorist or ganizations. Terrorists do not need to build sophisticated intercontinental rock ets to deliver nuclear warheads. A zealot with a briefcase will do. Now more than ever, the world must address the proliferation of nuclear arms. The United Slates should take the lead in spreading the taboo against the use of these weapons. It should take concrete measures to dismantle nuclear arsenals worldwide. Beyond this, the United States should strive to eliminate the root cause of any deliberate nuclear ex change. This means a sincere dedica tion to the peaceful resolution of in ternational disputes. Despite global changes in the last few years, humanity still has the power to eradicate itself. If we are to realize our full potential as a species, we must make an explicit moral renun ciation of the capability. The lessons learned by the United States and the Soviet Union during the arms race should not be lost on the rest of the world. Potter is a senior physics, philosophy, his tory and math major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.