Opinion
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chris Hopfensperger.Editor, 472-1766
Dionne Searcey.Opinion Page Editor
Kris Karnopp.Managing Editor
Alan Phelps. . . >.. . . ..Wire Editor
Wendy Navralil..Writing Coach
Stacey McKenzie. Senior Reporter
Jeremy Fitzpatrick...Columnist
A question of trust
Quayles inaccuracies clouding the issues
Dan Quaylc is right. Bill Clinton has danced around some of
the issues brought forward in this campaign with all the
grace of a Mack Truck.
Clinton has swerved to avoid presenting Americans with
upfront answers on the draft issue, his drug use and his activities
abroad.
Give Quaylc credit for calling the shots on that one. But it’s the
vice president who’s wrong when it comes to just about every
thing else.
During Tuesday night’s debate, the audience often heard the
words “no, no” flowing out of A1 Gore’s mouth as Quaylc time
after time made charges he couldn’t back up and incorrect accusa
ilions.
Quaylc charged that the
Democrats’ spending promises
would lead to tax increases for
working Americans and that their
environmental policies would
eliminate jobs.
Dunng the debate,
Quayle misrepresented Clinton’s
stance on taxes numerous times.
He made reference to
Gore’s book on environmental
policy. Quayle even went so far
as to make reference to a specific
page — 304 — and the lax
increase, he said, that page
entailed. According to a CNN
report, the vice president must
have missed something. The
dollar figure on page 304 refers
David Badders/DN to Marshall Plan spending after
World War II.
Quayle even took on Gore, saying the Tennessee senator
supported a measure to benefit businesses abroad. Gore said
Quayle was wrong. Gore should know. After all, it is his voting
record.
Quaylc didn’l prcscni ihc whole piclurc when describing ihc
policies of the Clinlon/Gorc ticket. Instead, he polluted the air
with half-truths. While trying to open voters’ eyes to questions
surrounding Clinton, he clouded their eyes with a pack of ques
tionable charges.
But Quaylc’s attacks didn’t start or end with the 90-minulc
debate. In a morning TV appearance Wednesday, Quaylc repeat
edly asserted Clinton tells lies.
“Bill Clinton has trouble telling the truth,” Quayle said on
ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “He doesn’t come clean.”
The Democrats, surprisingly, have not harped on the same
charges. After all, Bush is the man who said: “Read my lips, no
new taxes.” He is the candidate who called himself the environ
mental president and then ignored the suggestions made at this
year’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Bush is the one who
claimed the title of education president, but supports a backwards
plan on public schooling.
Quaylc is trying desperately to label Clinton as anything but
trustworthy .The vice president tries to paint Clinton as shifty,
uninformed and above all else, a liar.
“The three words he fears most in the English language: tell
the truth,” Quayle said.
But there arc four words that should make Quaylc shake in his
bools a little: Practice what you preach.
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Working toward cultural diversity
Before I make any effort to dispel
some of the myths and misinterpreta
tions those few white students and
others may have about the purpose of
my columns, I must stale clearly that
I will neither retract nor apologize for
the opinions I have stated in past col
umns.
As evident by the response to a few
of my columns, some majority stu
B dents arc looking for a
pat on the back. They
seem more worried
aboutrccciving brownie
points for having black
friends and remaining
silent in the light of in
justice than anything
else.
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in “A
Letter From Birmingham Jail,” that to
tread the middle of the road and not
speak out against the injustices, you
sec, is almost worse than committing
the crime.
It seems to me that some majority
students, both young and old, fail to
understand why minority students are
embittered on this campus. Little do
people realize, a lot of minorities feel
this way because of the battles they
were forced to fight in their younger
years.
Too much lime is spent perfecting
a like-itor Icavc-il mentality, and not
enough is spent trying to understand
what makes minorities angry at soci
ety.
Personally, my experience grow
ing up black in a predominantly white
society has not been the most enjoy
able. .
Many majority students have faced
hardships in thcirchildhood lives. But
my focus is on the ratio of the minority
population to the majority population,
who have faced such hardships.
There arc limes I wonder how 1
made it this far because many of my
childhood friends failed to stand be
side me.
I had no spectacular desire to suc
ceed and make something out of my
self; I didn’t expect myself to fail. 1
just knew that I had succeeded and
would continue to succeed.
I remember when I was in the fifth
grade and 1 moved back to Nebraska
from Nevada. In Nevada, I did very
well in school. I received mostly A’s.
But when I came back to Nebraska,
I was automatically placed in the “ft”
reading group, which was the lowest
and slowest reading group.
There I was with my friends, people
who just so happened to be black like
me, silling at a small round table in the
back of the room. We wailed for our
teacher to finish instructing the “A”
reading group, who just so happened
lo be white — surprisingly — and
who sat in big-kid desks.
I was only 10 or 11, and I didn’t
know why I was placed in this reading
group. I never told my parents, but I
always fell less of a person than those
in the “A” group.
After what seemed like an eter
nity, I was placed in the “A” group.
Forced to leave my friends, I sat in the
front of the room in a big-kid desk
while they remained in the back.
I never thought about that incident.
until last year when I, along with two
of my friends, were asked to speak on
blacks and the educational system
during Black History Month, at South
east Community College in Beatrice.
That day at the college, I sat at a
table in front of the audience and
thought about what I would say. And
I thought about the fifth grade.
Although 1 was placed in the higher
reading group, I still remained be
hind the “A” group because I didn’t
have any knowledge as to what they
learned prior lo my being placed in
that group.
I was mad because I thought about
what could have happened lo me; I
could have lost all self-esteem and
given up.
i uunK aoout my irienas wno
were left in thc“B”group. Now,
years later, I don’t see any of
them in college. A few of
them have babies, and oth -
ers never graduated from
high school.
I wonder, why I made it
and they didn’t? And al
though I did make it
and continue to
make it, I can’t help
but think about
them.
It’s not
their fault
they didn’t gel
to where I am.
It’s not their
fault they may
not have had the
will power to gel
here.
My fifth-grade
teacher may not
have consciously
known what she
had done. An apol
ogy is not going to
change the situation
in which my friends
find themselves.
Thai’s why I write
these columns. To let you
know what black people
and other minorities go
through — not only in the David e
educational system, but also
in this nation and world.
My primary goal in life is to put
something back into my community,
which is in North Omaha, and to
educate my people on the contribu
tions and accomplishments our an
cestors made to this world.
I’m on a mission to give those who
arc less fortunate than me the oppor
tunity to gel to where I am and be
yond.
I see what this nation has done to
my people and minorities, and I will
not give up until I help them to regain
knowledge of self by believing they
can do anything they set their minds
to.
I will give my friends the self
esteem they did not receive in school
when they were younger.
I love my African heritage and
people. I live for helping my people
because I know from experience, that
if we do not help ourselves, no one
will.
And younger readers, try spending
more lime actually listening to the
racial debates and discussions that
occur on campus.
You’ll find that minorities arc, and
have been for years, trying to increase -
awareness about cultural diversity.
Thestaicmcnls in my pre
viouscolumns were not fig
ments ofmv imagination.
My staiemcnts were
facts based on the ex
periences of myself and
other minorities.
By staling these facts,
I am not separating the
races and causing rac
ism. True cultural
diversity and
enlighten
ment cannot
be achieved
unless the
majority
f race under
stands the rea
sons behind the
anger and frus
tration of minorities.
Instead of
screaming re
verse racism, try
helping us to find
solutions to the
problems. Try
stepping onto the
field and participat
ing instead of silting
on the sidelines playing
armchair quarterback.
Spurlock Is a Junior ncws-edl
torial and bnwdcast journal
ladders/nw ism major, a Daily Nebraskan
ladders ON ^ *„<, „ colum
nist.
