There’s more to life than politics [
i nc other day some of my friends
asked me thctopic of my col
umn.
“It wouldn’t be politics,
would it?” they asked.
They thought that
was a funny joke —
pointing out to me
the limits of my writ
ing. I was less than
amused.
I have to admit I
intended to write
about govemmentor
^ nn in politics. About Presi
dent Bush or Campaign ’92 or some
thing.
Not because I thought those topics
would captivate or spellbind readers.
I certainly did not imagine that.
But because government and poli
tics arc the sort of things I know about.
It only makes sense that I can best
' write about them.
iviy wnung on topics oincr than
politics often resembles bad country
music - it’s hard to listen to for long.
So I am writing today for my
friends.
When they read this column, I
I think they will ask me to write about
government next time. Please.
Now I must decide the topic of my
writing experiment.
How about sports? I can write about
that.
On sports:
Sports, like politics, is easy to un
derstand. Or so 1 used to think.
It has not been very simple for me
lately. Take football, for instance.
The approach of fall is usually an
exciting time, as it brings back col
lege football to Nebraska. The air is
lull of hope that victory and glory will
linally fall on the Cornhuskers.
I used to breathe that air deeply —
used to think that nothing could be
more pcrfcctlftan a fall day in Memo
rial Stadium.
This year will be different.
The worst thing that can happen to
someone with heroes has happened to
me: I came face to face with them.
1 am covering sports for the Daily
Nebraskan this year. The job requires
me to interview NU football players.
I have not been impressed.
The players do not resemble the
heroes who meant so much to me
when I was younger. Those same men
who I’ve seen run for touchdowns on
Saturdays for years are real people
with real flaws_
I feel like the characters in the
Wizard of Oz when they looked be
hind the curtain and discovered the
great Oz was a fraud.
Reality is sometimes not a pretty
thing.
So it goes, as Kurt Vonncgut, my
favorite author, likes to say.
On Kurt Vonncgut:
You should read his books. He is
one of the most brilliant writers I have
come across.
His books arc good because they
arc true.
Vonncgut has given some advice
on writing that I have never been able
to follow:
“Do nol ramble,” he said.
Whal else can I write about besides
politics and sports? Well, I suppose I
should introduce myself.
On me: v
“Hello, my name is Jeremy
Fitzpatrick. I am a vCry average per
son.”
What more could you want to
know?
Someone I have never even met—
a very average reader — has a better
idea of who I am.
The person sent me a letter in
response to my column last week. In
the column, I said we shouldn’t hale
or fear homosexuals, like Pal
Buchanan had done at the Rcpubl ican
National Convention.
The letter writer seems to know all
about me.
He informed me that I was an ultra
left-wing liberal, a boy still wet be
hind the cars. I have my “left-wing
agenda mapped out for years,” he
said.
When I read that to my friends, we
had a good laugh. They don’t think
I’m very liberal.
The letter writer also told me 1 was
a coward and wouldn ’ t have the cour
age to defend my country in war.
They didn’t sign the letter.
How brave.
On war:
I would fight, by the way, if the war
was just like World War II. I would
hate it, but I would fight if it was the
only way to protect the, lives and
human rights of innocent people.
My grandfather was in World War
II, where he saw people literally blown
up around him in the South Pacific.
He does not like to talk about it, but he
has told me enough for me to know it
was a terrible thing.
He would laijgh to hear my letter
writing friend'ealling me a boy who
would be afraid to fight. My grandfa
ther was only a boy when he had to -
fight, younger than I am.
Boys, not men, fight wars. The
men in wars are usually officers who
arc safe behind the lines.
I thank the letter writer for taking
the time, though. The letter made me
laugh, and at least I know someone
read my column.
My pen pal would probably rather
I did not write a column, or at least
that I couldn’t say whatever I wanted
here. .
On censorship:
Censorship might appeal to him as
a way to keep “ultra left-wing liber
als” from speaking.
Unfortunately for my pen pal, we
have the Bill of Rights in thiscounlry.
Americans can say whatever they
wish, which is just about the greatest
idea anyone ever had.
So deal with it.
Regarding censorship, Woodrow
Wilson said this:
“I have always believed that the
greatest freedom of speech was the
greatest safety, because if a man is a
fool the best Uiing to do is encourage
him to advertise the fact by speak
ing.”
1 hope I won’t prove his point here
this semester. But if I do, please write
and let me know.
On mail:
I like gelling it.
Fitzpatrick is a junior political science
major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.
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