Opinion
Music to the Earth
More manufacturers should cut waste
he music industry finally listened to its own artists last
week and decided to eliminate the compact disc long
box.
On Thursday, Jay Berman, president of the Recording
Industry Association of America, announced that no new
releases would be sold in long boxes after April 1993. Instead,
the association adopted a standard size of 5 by 5 1/2 inches —
much smaller than the b-by-i^Z-inch long box.
The association, which includes such recording companies
as Bertelsmann, EMI, MCA, Polygram, Sony and Warner, dis
tributes more than 95 percent
of recorded music in the
United States.
Record retailers and
wholesalers had opposed the
elimination of the long box,
which was designed to fit
album display cases and to
deter shoplifting. The retailers
and wholesalers probably will
have to spend much money
converting the display cases
and devising new ways to
stop shoplifting.
Those arc small prices
to pay for a policy that will
aid the nation’s overcrowded
landfills.
The Sierra Club
estimated that cardboard and
David Badders/DN other paper products account
for two of every five pounds of trash in the United Stales.
After the recording association’s announcement, Sierra Club
executive Daniel J. Weiss said, “Eliminating the long box is
music to our cars.”
But the recording industry should be just the beginning of
efforts to reduce packaging nationwide. Manufacturers of deo
dorants arc beginning to eliminate cardboard packaging en
tirely, and some potato chip manufacturers long ago moved to
plastic bags instead of boxes. These marketers arc taking the
lead.
A trip to any grocery store makes it painfully obvious how
much our society wastes on needless packaging that docs little
but jack up prices and take up space in landfills.
When the rest of the manufacturing sector follows the CD
manufacturers and discontinues this undeniable squandering of
our resources, it will be music to everyone’s cars.
Landlords should act on beliefs
It troubles me to read recent letters
to the editor that have discussed civil
rights for homosexuals and the free
dom of religion for landlords. The
impression I gel is that, because the
religious beliefs and values of Chris
tian landlords arc not universally held,
they arc somehow less deserving of
Constitutional protection. The land
lords arc being told, in essence, that,
although they own the property, they
have no right to say what behaviors
arc practiced on their property.
A person’s choice of religion is not
simply an inconsequential matter of
opinion, as though it were no differ
ent than deciding what loppings to
get on a piz/.a. They arc the result, in
most eases, of thoughtful considera
tion and constitute a heartfelt belief
that is at the core of one’s being. We
can disagree with other religions, we
can debate their various merits and
we can attempt to persuade each other
to one side or another. I four freedom
of religion still exists, however, we
cannot be required by law either to
adopt or renounce any religious be
licfs in the absence of an extraordi
narily compelling national interest,
such as the prohibition of human
sacrifice.
It seems to me that a landlord
should not be forced to choose be
tween obeying the law and obeying
his or her God. If 1 owned properly, I
would view myself as a steward of
what God has entrusted to me, and I
would not feel free to open up the
property to activities that arc inher
ently in opposition to what I believe
the Bible teaches. This would extend
to unmarried heterosexual couples as
well as homosexual couples.
Beliefs and behaviors arc two dif
ferent things, and I would not dream
of suggesting that renters be required
by law to abandon their own religious
beliefs. By the same token, I should
not be required by law to permit on
my properly certain behaviors and
thereby turn my back on my religious
beliefs.
Brad Pardee
staff member
Love Library
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ALAN PHELPS
Bush passing trivial tests
America’s president and first
lady were in Texas over the
weekend to campaign a little
and to fill out absentee ballots for the
upcoming primary.
As usual, every little thing they
did made national news. That’s the
way things work in this country. The
president is automatically interest
ing, even if he is a Republican.
The Republican primaries are
providing all sorts of opportunities to
see what George and Barbara are up
to. Bush’s slip in the polls has made
what once was shaping up as a terri
bly dull affair into something worth
watching.
Actually, Bush is doing all right in
primaries so far around the country.
In fact, the 60 or 70 percent of the
vole he’s been getting would look
pretty good — that is, if he had an
actual opponent in most states.
As things are, the president simply
looks silly. And some of the issues
voters seem to think arc important in
this election year are even sillier.
Lately, for instance, Bush has been
raked over the coals for his meager
grocery store knowledge.
In an interview Friday with a tele
vision station in his so-called “home”
state of Texas, Bush was asked if he
knew what a loaf of bread cost.
“I’d say... it would cost you about
a buck a loaf,” he guessed. “How
close is it?”
The seconds between Bush’s query
and the reply from the TV interviewer
must’ve seemed likean eternity to the
president.
Loaf of bread — that’s a dollar,
isn’t it? Shoot, or is that a gallon of,
whaddaya call it, milk? Or a sack of
com? Dad-gummit, curse this dam
nable invisible wall between me and
my people! Curse it! Curse it!
The interviewer told him that a
buck was pretty close. The price of
bread varies widely around the coun
try and from store to store, but one
dollar will purchase some bread most
anywhere.
The president apparently has his
people shop in expensive grocery
stores. Super Saver here in Lincoln
usually has bread for a mere 49 cents,
and most other stores sell comparable
loaves. It’s hard to imagine how one
bread could be twice as good as any
other, but when you arc George Bush,
you get the best bread other people’s
money can buy.
Bush pointed out that, although
his knowledge of grocery store prices
might be deficient, he didn’t believe
Americans eared.
“I don’t go to the supermarket as
president. I don’t think people expect
the president to do that,” Bush said.
It would be g shack
to Find George in the
cereal qjsk. at
Russ’s, checking, out
a special on Cam
Flakes. Surely he
has better things to
do. such as avoiding
issues.
He’s probably right. It would be a
shock to find George in the cereal
aisle at Russ’s, checking out a special
on Com Flakes. Surely he has better
things to do, such as avoiding issues.
He did venture intoamall over Christ
mas to buy some socks, though, so
maybe he could take some lime out to
visit a market as well.
While Bush admitted his lack of
supermarket expertise, it seems he is,
nevertheless, fairly good at guessing
prices of common grocery store items.
Perhaps he should take a look at get
ting a spot on “The Price is Right.”
Bob “A Fur Coat is a Death Coal”
Barker: George Herbert Walker Bush,
come on down!
Bush: Bob, I am really excited. I
watch your show every day, plus I
spend a lot of time in the grocery
store, now that I’ve figured out how
those new-fangled scanners work.
Bob: George, listen to the highly
commercialized description of our first
item.
Faceless announcer A Brand-New
Bomber! Thai’s right, the U.S. Air
Force B-2 “Stealth” Bomber! Although
you can’t sec it, it’s here on our stage.
This B-2 comes fully equipped with a
custom package including four-speed
automatic transmission, fuel-injection
V6 turbo, air, power windows, steer
ing and breaks, leather interior, AM
FM cassette Dolby stereo, a full pay
load of one-megaton nuclear ordi
nance, and it meets all California
emissions standards.
Remember, George, the U.S. Air
Force asks everyone to “buckle up”
for safety! This B-2 is yours, George,
if the Price Is Right!
George (somewhat flustered): I’d
say ... it would cost you about a
billion a plane. How close is it?
While George was playing around
in one part of Houston, Barbara was
having fun of her own on the other
side of town, and, of course, the press
was there as well. After all, the presi
dent’s wife is news, even if she con
tinues to claim her best-seller, “Mil
lie’s Book,” was written by the White
House dog.
A new elementary school in a fast
growing, upscale suburb of Houston
has been named after Barbara, and
she was on hand for the dedication
ceremony.
“I’m so flattered that I can’t be
lieve it,” she said.
The kids already arc learning a lot
at Barbara Bush Elementary. When
Barbara said she thought they only
named schools after dead people, 22
first graders shouted back, “You’re
not dead!”
Apparently, tnc little tykes were
able to make that diagnosis without
any high-tech medical equipment. One
wonders what they would say about
Paul Tsongas.
It must have been a relief to the
first lady to learn she was, in fact,
alive. For a moment, she probably
thought she had been trapped in some
wacky Twilight Zone episode.
“Meet Barbara P. Bush — an ordi
nary woman by most standards, who
claims Texas residency to escape
paying state income taxes. Barbara
lives a somewhat easy life, although
her husband continually buys over
priced bread.
“But today, she is about to take a
side trip to a place where people who
name institutions of learning after
their dead have a little surprise in
store for her..
After the kids convinced Bar she
was alive, she pushed her book and
made the solemn promise, “I will be
back.”
Such extensive press coverage of
the first couple is a daily part of the
lives of all Americans. It’s fun to
watch George and Barbara zip around
the country in that cute jet of theirs.
The president probably gets tired
of all those people following him
around, though. Just think what life
would be like with some lunatic for a
shadow, asking dumb questions at
every opportunity. And besides Dan
Quaylc, there’s the press corps.
No wonder George doesn’t go to
the store.
Phelps is a sophomore news-editorial ma
jor, the Daily Nebraskan opinion page editor
and a columnist
t ,